Podcasts about in egypt

⁠TICKETS TO SEE US THIS SUNDAY IN BIRMINGHAM Alright Par Pals, This week, we're previewing the 2026 US Open at the iconic Shinnecock Hills. Who have we got winning? Who's got absolutely no chance? And which poor soul is about to have their dreams crushed by one of the toughest tests in golf? We'll be breaking down the course, the contenders, and all the storylines heading into one of the biggest weeks of the year. We've also got another edition of Email Corner, thanks to our friends at Golfbreaks, where we tackle your questions, stories, and golfing dilemmas. Thanks to our friends at GolfBreaks for hooking us up with an amazing prize, remember the best email of the summer will be joining us for 4 nights at Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort, In Egypt with 3 rounds of golf (1x Dreamland GC, 1x The Allegria GC, 1x New Giza GC). ⁠⁠⁠BOOK YOUR NEXT GOLFBREAKS TRIP MY CLICKING HERE ⁠⁠ New episode of GIRML... Monday, Thursday and Friday (fortnightly) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - thetoms@golfisruiningmylife.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IGOLF⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TICKETS TO SEE US THIS SUNDAY IN BRISTOL WHY HELLO GOLFING FRIENDS. We are getting to the business end of the season, the part of the year when really it should all be coming together, handicaps should be dropping and PBs should be getting set… but…. For the Toms… they're not. BUT WHY! We've got a small dose of golf melancholy in the podcast today HOWEVER that is resolved by handing out a hefty portion of GOLF ROMANCE via email corner in what might go down as our sexiest episode to date. Thanks to our friends at GolfBreaks for hooking us up with an amazing prize, remember the best email of the summer will be joining us for 4 nights at Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort, In Egypt with 3 rounds of golf (1x Dreamland GC, 1x The Allegria GC, 1x New Giza GC). ⁠⁠BOOK YOUR NEXT GOLFBREAKS TRIP MY CLICKING HERE ⁠ New episode of GIRML... Monday, Thursday and Friday (fortnightly) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - thetoms@golfisruiningmylife.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IGOLF⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE EVENING FOR SWINGERS TOUR IS HERE, click me for tickets The Thursday episode has landed, lets go legends. Today on the show Green is sad because his golf is getting worse and Price thinks he has solved all golfing issues by reading a book about HERTZ (lol what). Also, it's an email corner so expect golf clubs in lakes, all issues fixed by AIMING and HOLE IN ONES (or are they) Thanks to our friends at GolfBreaks for hooking us up with an amazing prize, remember the best email of the summer will be joining us for 4 nights at Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort, In Egypt with 3 rounds of golf (1x Dreamland GC, 1x The Allegria GC, 1x New Giza GC). ⁠BOOK YOUR NEXT GOLFBREAKS TRIP MY CLICKING HERE ⁠ - New episode of GIRML... Monday, Thursday and Friday (fortnightly) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - thetoms@golfisruiningmylife.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IGOLF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Audio Transcript How are we this morning? Excellent. All right. It's my privilege to bring the word to you this morning, so let's get into it. Recently I read a story about a young man who never wanted to be a soldier. He had no visions of fame or ambitions of glory. When his father announced that he'd secured him an appointment to West Point, the boy protested. He wanted to be a farmer or perhaps work the river trade. But his father was not a man to be argued with, and so the 17 year old boarded a coach east. Sick with dread, he got off to a rough start. Through a clerical error, his name was copied incorrectly and it would stick permanently. He hated the academy. He finished 21st of 39 cadets, distinguished only in horsemanship and mathematics. The Mexican War found him a reluctant quartermaster, competent, but unnoticed afterward posted to lonely garrisons on the Pacific coast. Far from his wife Julia and the children he barely knew, he began to drink. In 1854, facing either court martial or resignation over his drinking, he resigned his commission in disgrace and went home with empty pockets. What followed were the worst years of his life. He tried farming on land his father in law gave him outside St. Louis, and the crops failed. He hauled firewood through the city streets in a worn army overcoat, occasionally passing former West Point classmates who looked away embarrassment. He pawned his gold watch one Christmas to buy presents for his children. He tried bill collecting and was terrible at it. He tried real estate and failed at that, too. By 1860, at 38 years old, he was working at a clerk in his younger brother's leather goods store in Galena, Illinois, earning $800 a year. He was a man whose life, by every visible measure, had failed. Then Fort Sumter fell. The quiet clerk who couldn't sell harnesses turned out to understand something that most West Point polished generals did not. The war was not about elegant maneuvers or reputation, but about pressing forward relentlessly, accepting losses and refusing to stop. Donaldson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, the Wilderness, Appomattox. The failures had taught him things that successful men never learned. What it was to be underestimated, to be written off, to keep moving even when the odds looked long. The boy who didn't want to be a soldier, the the lieutenant who resigned in shame, the farmer who failed, and his brother's store. Hiram Ulysses Grant, or as the West Point Clerk mistakenly wrote, U.S. grant, ended the war as General of the armies, the man who had saved the Union and later President of the United States. It turned out that the long road had been the training. Weeks before his death, Grant wrote the preface to his personal memoirs, saying, man proposes and God disposes. There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice. Most of us at some point will know what it is to be in our own wilderness. We will know what it is to wait, to wait through years that seem to lead nowhere, to feel forgotten by God, to look out at a landscape that gives no sign that he is at work. And we will be tempted in those years to conclude that nothing is happening, that God has misplaced us, that our life is being spent in vain. This morning, as we come to a passage in the Book of Exodus that speaks directly into that experience. It is the story of 40 silent years in the life of Moses and 400 silent years in the life of Israel. It is the story of a God who appears to all human eyes to be doing nothing. And it is the story of how, beneath that silence, he was doing everything. So if you would with me open your Bibles, please, to the Book of Exodus. And this morning we're going to finish chapter two, verses 11 to 25. One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, why do you strike your companion? He answered, who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought, surely the thing is known. When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Now, the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. The shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses stood up and saved them and watered their flock. When he came home to their father, Reuel, he said, how is it that you have come home so soon today? They said, an Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and even drew water for us and watered the flock. He said to his daughters, then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man. And he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he Said I have been a sojourner in a foreign land. During those many days. The king of Egypt died and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God, and God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel and God knew. Let's pray. Father. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts this morning be acceptable in your presence. Lord, I pray, after my words are long forgotten, that your word would be remembered. Jesus name. Amen. Exodus is an epic of God's love and redemption of his people. Every scene reads like an action novel. The baby in the basket, the burning bush, the plagues, the angel of death. The parting of the Red Sea, the thunder and lightning around Mount Sinai, the covenant with the Almighty. Before we dive into our text, we must read Exodus rightly. We have to read it Christologically, that is, in relation to Jesus Christ, who is our perfect sacrifice, who saved us out of our bondage to sin and delivered us into a right relationship with God. When Jesus appeared to his disciples on the road to emmaus in Luke 24:27 Records beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. If Jesus started with Moses when describing himself, perhaps we can also we also read it historically. Scholars debate whether the Exodus took place around 1446 BC or around 1260. Good evidence exists for both dates and ancient Israel did not work with an absolute calendar the way we do. But what matters for us this morning is not the precise year, but the fact that it is history, not myth. The renowned Old Testament scholar Nahum Sarna observed that no nation would invent for itself and then faithfully transmit for thousands of years an inglorious origin story of slavery, grumbling and and idolatry. Israel did not flatter itself into existence. This happened. Exodus 2:11 to 25 sits at 1 of the great hinge moments of redemptive history. The book opens with the sons of Jacob settling in Egypt under the protection of Joseph. But there arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph. What begins as refuge becomes bonding. Hebrews multiplied, and Pharaoh, fearing them, enslaved them and decreed that every male child be cast into the Nile. Into that decree Moses is born. Wes laid out for us last week that Moses mother hides him, his sister watches over him, and then Pharaoh's daughter draws him out of the water. He grows up in the palace, Stephen tells us in Acts 7:22 that he was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in his words and deeds. And that is where our passage begins. The structure that we will use this morning breaks down into four movements. Verses 11 to 14 Moses takes matters into his own hands. Verses 15 to 17 Moses flees and is shaped at a well. 18:22 Moses is welcomed and becomes a sojourner. 23 To 25 While Moses tends sheep, Israel groans and God acts. Start with 11 to 14. Moses has grown. Now the infant in the basket has become a man in Pharaoh's court, raised as Egyptian royalty. How much did he know about his true background growing up? Wes mentioned last week that Moses mother was allowed to nurse him. So did they still have a relationship? Certainly possible. There are so many unanswered questions. Did he live with a divided heart for years? Did he spend endless nights pleading with Pharaoh? Was he embarrassed by his background and didn't want to believe it? We have no idea. What we do know is that he was raised to be a prince of Egypt. But by the time he was 40, he knew exactly who he was and who his brothers and sisters truly were. Were. One day he goes out to his brothers, the Hebrews, and he looks on their burdens. And what he sees he cannot unsee. An Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own. He looks this way and that, and when he sees no one watching, he strikes. Strikes the Egyptian down and buries him in the sand. Now this raises a nagging question for me. If Moses was a member of Pharaoh's household in the royal family, so to speak, why would he have feared killing someone? Wouldn't a royal be able to kill a lowly Egyptian taskmaster with little to no reprisal? This goes into the historical context at the time. Exodus 1:8 says, now there arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph. Commentators note that this likely indicates a dynastic change. A new royal house with no political or familial loyalty to the previous regime. In fact, during either time period, you believe royal houses at that time were very politically unstable, with different factions having different claims to the crown. The princess who had adopted him was almost certainly aging or dead. And the reigning pharaoh would have viewed an adopted Hebrew with suspicion, not affection. And the man Moses killed was not a slave. He was an Egyptian official, a representative of Pharaoh's economic and political authority. This is crucial. In ancient Egypt, killing a Hebrew slave was something an Egyptian could do with little consequence. But a member of the royal household killing one of Pharaoh's taskmasters. This probably would not have looked so much like murder. It would have looked like the potential beginning of an insurrection. The next day, Moses goes out and this time he finds two Hebrews fighting each other. He steps in to make peace, and the man in the wrong rounds on him with words that must have cut deeply. Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill us as you killed the Egyptian? And Moses is afraid. The secret is out. Beneath these interactions is something deeper that the New Testament helps us understand. The writer of Hebrews tells us this whole episode began in faith. By faith. Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the Reward. That's Hebrews 11:24-26. When Moses walked out of the palace, he was not slumming, he was choosing. He looked at the gold of Egypt on the one hand and the suffering of God's people in the other. And he chose the suffering. That is faith. So what went wrong? Well, it can be summed up in the next phrase. He looked this way. That a long line of preachers have lingered over those words and noticed what was missing. As Chuck Swindoll says, he looked east, he looked west, he looked over his shoulder, but he didn't look up, did he? He looked in both directions horizontally, but he left the vertical completely out of it. Moses was a man with a true call, but a glance still fixed on the ground. Here is the heart of the problem. Moses tried to bring about by his own hand what God had promised to bring about by his covenant. The deliverer was right, the cause was right, the method was wrong, and the time was not yet. And the proof is what he is in what he does next. He hides the body in the sand, as if sand could keep a secret from God. Within a day, the rumor was loose. Within a week, Pharaoh wants him dead. Three things to take from these opening verses. First, a true call from God does not exempt a man from from the discipline of God's timing. Moses had the right cause and the right collar. But he ran ahead. And it will take 40 years in the desert to refine him. Second, hidden sin is a poor investment. Sand is a thin grave. What God means to expose, no man can keep buried. Third, there is mercy for those with juvenile or immature faith. John Calvin's pastoral word on this passage is really helpful. Even the obedience of the saints, stained as it is by sin, is still sometimes acceptable to God through his mercy. So Moses runs, but God was not finished with him. He was only beginning verses 15 through 17. Verse 15 begins with collapse. However noble Moses motives may have been, when he took matters into his own hands, he was outside the will of God. And yet God still had a plan for him. This is one of the great promises of Scripture. God uses sinners for his glory. It's the only kind he has to work with. When you read the heroes of the faith, they read a lot more like a Alcoholics Anonymous meeting than a catalog of superheroes. I can almost see them in a church basement, sitting in a circle on folding chairs, sipping bad coffee, introducing themselves. Hi, I'm Abraham and I'm a liar who pimped out my wife. Hi, I'm Jacob. I'm a deceiver and I'm a thief. How? Hi, I'm Samson and I'm a lust addicted vow breaker. Hi, I'm David. I'm an adulterer and a murderer. Hi, I'm Jonah and I'm a racist runaway. Hi, I'm Peter and I'm a coward who denied my Savior. Hi, I'm Moses and I'm a murderer. When Janet and I lived in Atlanta, we had a pastor who was fond of saying that God doesn't look for ability, he looks for availability. God uses broken people because it's his strength, it's his wisdom, it's his power, and it's for his glory. God would be using Moses, but he had some seasoning yet to experience. Verse 15. When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. There's no firm consensus on where exactly Midian was, but the traditional and most widely accepted location is in northwest Arabia, east of the Gulf of Agapa, in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia. The Midianites appear to have been a semi nomadic people, so Midian may refer to an area where the tribe ranged rather than a specific location. Calvin, commenting here, sees in Moses flight not cowardice, but the sovereign hand of God, breaking a man down before he builds him up. Calvin's instinct is that the Lord put his servant through a long banishment precisely so that he would learn humility and dependence, because the work for which he was designed was greater than human strength could compass. 40 Years of palace training had to be matched by 40 years of desert undoing. Augustine, in a different connection, spoke of being in the region of unlikeness that far country, where the soul learns who it is by losing what it had. Moses, sitting by that well is in the region of unlikeness. Verse 15 ends noting that Moses, obviously exhausted, sat down by a well. One of the beauties of Scripture is the inclusion of what so often to us seems like pointless details. But wells, as it turns out, is an important location in the Bible, specifically, if you are looking for a wife. In Genesis 24, Abraham's servant meets Rebekah, Isaac's future wife, at a well. In Genesis 29, Jacob meets Rachel at a well. This time, who is Moses going to meet? Verses 16 and 17. Now, the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up to save them and watered their flock. Moses is once again faced with injustice. Has he learned anything? A group of young women have come to the well to draw water, and a group of shepherds is going to give them a hard time. Moses, again courageously rises to their defense. Already we see clues that he is learning from his past mistakes. The text does not record that he killed the shepherds, and not only that he served the young women by watering their flock. For the first time, he was learning what it was to be a deliverer. He stands firm for what is just and begins to practice true leadership, which is born out of service. It would have been unthinkable at the time for a man to perform a menial task for women. But Moses stooped to serve. And by learning to serve, he was learning to lead. For all God's leaders are servants. He, in time, the one who is the true and better. Moses would himself kneel and wash 12 pairs of dirty feet and tell his disciples that whoever wants to be great must be a servant of all. Service is always one of the first courses in God's leadership training. Anyone who aspires to spiritual leadership, especially in the church, should begin by finding a place of humble service. If you travel to my alma mater, Wheaton College, one of the most striking little buildings on campus is the Marion E. Wade center, which houses the largest collection of C.S. Lewis writings in the world. Its namesake, Marian Wade, was an American businessman and founder of the large company Servicemaster. Wade was a man of deep faith who established a tradition called six weeks on the front lines. Every future executive at the company would spend six weeks scrubbing floors on hands and knees, doing the work of those they would later lead. Wade believed that those who refused to serve had no business leading. One of the other blessings of servant leadership is that when kids watch authentic service from their parents, it has a tendency to be passed down through the generations. The other founder of Service Master was a gentleman by the name of Ken Hanson. Ken's son, Walter Hanson, when he grew up, would move to Cleveland. He started a little church in his living room. And it grew, and it grew to about a thousand. In 10 years, the church would grow into what is now called Parkside Church. And if that name rings a bell, it would be because it's the church that Alistair Begg just retired from. It's amazing how these things pass down. Moses is being molded. Though he must feel lost and alone, God is right there, directing the most salient detail, refining his champion. God creates this dress rehearsal. The stage is a backwater. Well, the cast is seven anonymous girls, but the script is the same script that would one day be played out at the Red Sea. This is how God so often works. CS Lewis, in his collected letters, wrote that the great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's own or real life. The truth is, of course, that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life, the life God is sending one day by day, Moses thought his real life had ended at the border of Egypt. In fact, his real life was just beginning in Midian. There are seasons of our lives where it seems to have been derailed, where the calling we thought we had has collapsed and we find ourselves sitting by a well in some unfamiliar place. The temptation is to read those seasons as God's absence. But this text invites us to read them as God's curriculum. The God who is going to deliver Israel is at this very moment teaching his deliverer how to stand up for seven helpless women at a watering trough. Nothing in your wilderness is wasted. Turn to verses 18 to 22. The daughters return home and their father called Ruel here or Jethro elsewhere, most likely the same man. So don't get confused. Very common at the time for there to be multiple names for somebody. And he asked why they're early, and they say, an Egyptian delivered us. It's a quietly ironic line. Moses has gone out to deliver Hebrews and was rejected as a meddling Egyptian. He flees to Midian and is received as a generous Egyptian. The man cannot escape his identity, and yet his identity is not what God will make of it. Ruel rebukes his daughters for leaving the man unhosted. Call him that. He may eat bread and Moses is brought in. Verse 21 simply says Moses was content to dwell with the man. The Hebrew verb here ya all carries the sense of consenting, of being willing, even of resigning oneself. Moses is not striving anymore. He has come to the end of his striving. He sits down and he stays. The Book of Acts tells us that 40 years passed between Moses flight to Midian and his encounter with God at the burning bush. D.L. Moody is often quoted as saying Moses spent 40 years in Egypt learning to be something. 40 Years in the desert learning to be nothing. And 40 years in the wilderness proving God to be everything. Philip Reichen notes that whenever we are tempted to grow impatient with God's timetable for our lives, we should remember Moses, who spent two years of preparation for every year of ministry. Zipporah is given to Moses as a wife and a son is born. Moses names him Gershom new meaning I have become an alien in a foreign land. The name comes from the Hebrew verb garash, which means to drive out or expel. It may refer to Moses own experience of being driven out of Egypt. It also sounds like the Hebrew words ger and sham, which is a pun that means an alien there. Every time Moses speaks his son's name, he confesses that he does not belong. Midian is not home. Egypt is not home. He is a man between worlds. The Puritans loved this theme of sojourning. John Owen described the believer as a stranger and a pilgrim traveling through a country not his own, with his heart fixed on a city whose builder and maker is God. Jonathan Edwards preached a famous sermon called the Christian Pilgrim, in which he said that the true Christian travels on through this world as a wayfaring man and looks not upon any of the enjoyments of this world as his own. GK Chesterton, with his usual paradox, put it this way. How can we contrive to be at once astonished at the world and and yet at home in it? The answer of Scripture is that we cannot. Not fully, not yet. We are pilgrims. Gershom is the name of every saint. But notice Moses, sojourning is not a punishment, it is a preparation. RC Sproul emphasized that the entire 40 year sojourn in Midian was God's way of thinking. Moses for leadership, a man trained only in Pharaoh's court could not lead Israel through Pharaoh's wilderness. But a man who had himself become a shepherd of sheep in that very wilderness could one day shepherd God's people through it. The geography of Midian is the geography of the Exodus. Route. The skills Moses learned watering Reuel's flock are the skills he would use leading Israel's flock. God was not killing time. God was forging an instrument. And Moses doesn't know he names his son after his displacement. He doesn't name him soon to be deliverer or heir of promise. He names him Sojourner. The man cannot see what God is doing. Alistair Begg has spoken movingly of how God's people are very often in the dark about the brightness of God's plan for them. Moses is in the dark, but the brightness is gathering. If you are a Christian, you are a Gershom. You are a sojourner in a foreign land. The disquiet you feel, the restlessness, the sense that this world is not home is not a defect of your discipleship. It is a feature of it. CS Lewis spoke of this often when he talked about the pilgrim longing in Mere Christianity. He wrote, if we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. The long ordinary years in which it seems nothing of eternal weight is happening to you are very likely the years in which God is doing his deepest work. Verses 23 and 20 through 25. And now the camera pulls back, just like in a movie. We get a break from the action in Midian and the screen flashes. Meanwhile, back in Egypt. Verse 23. During those many days, the king of Egypt died and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. 40 Years have passed. A Pharaoh has died, another has come. Nothing has changed for Israel. They are still in chains. Bricks still must be made, whips still fall. And from those brick fields raises a sound. The text uses the strongest words in Hebrew for it. A groaning, a crying, a shrieking that goes up out of the dust. Where does the cry go? To all human eyes, the cry goes nowhere. Pharaoh doesn't hear it. The Egyptians don't hear it. Moses doesn't hear it. And then come four of the most precious verbs in the Old Testament. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God, and God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and God knew. God heard. God remembered. God saw. God knew. John Piper has called these four verbs the Gospel before the Gospel, the announcement hundreds of years before Bethlehem that the God of heaven is not a deistic clock maker, but a covenant father who hears the groaning of his enslaved children. Each verb carries a war world. God heard, not merely overheard, the Hebrew implies attentive, responsive, hearing the cry that no human ear answered, the cry that seemed to die in the air over the Egyptian sky. The cry arrived at the throne of heaven. The silence of God is never the deafness of God. When his people cry, he hears with the ears of a father. God remembered. This does not mean that God had forgotten and now recalled. To remember in the covenantal sense is to act upon a prior commitment. When Scripture says God remembered Noah, the next thing is that the waters subside. When it says he remembered Hannah, the next thing is that she conceives. When it says he remembered his covenant with Abraham, the next thing is the Exodus. God's remembrance is the prelude to his deliverance, the covenant he made 400 years before. I will be a God to you and to your offspring after you has not faded. He was about to honor it. God saw. The verb is the same verb used in Genesis 1. And God saw that it was good. It is the verb of attentive, evaluating, sight. He saw the bruises, he saw the broken backs. He saw the widows, the unburied babies. There is no suffering of his people that is hidden from him. The Scottish divine Samuel Rutherford, writing from his imprisonment in Aberdeen, often returned to the image of God as the watchman over Israel, who never slumbers, whose people's tears are gathered in heaven long before they fall to the ground. God sees and God knew. Interestingly, the verb stands alone in the Hebrew. There is no object God knew. Some translations may supply one. God knew their condition, but the Hebrew leaves it bare. Why? Perhaps because what God knows here is larger than any object can contain. He knows their pain, he knows their bondage, he knows their names, and he knows what he is about to do. Jonathan Edwards taught that every act of God in history is the unfolding of a purpose conceived before time began. God knew. While Moses sits in Midian thinking he had been forgotten, and while Israel cries in Egypt, thinking that they have been forgotten, neither has been forgotten. God is doing two things at once. In Midian, he is shaping his deliverer. In Egypt, he is hearing their cries. The two threads are converging towards a burning bush in the next chapter. But neither Moses nor Israel can see it. Yet Augustine in his Confessions, wrote this sentence. Thou, O Lord, wert more inward to me than my most inward part and higher than my highest. That is the God of Exodus 2. He is closer to Israel's groaning than the chains on their wrists. He is closer to Moses weariness than the dust on his sandals. He is not far off. He is not distracted, he is at work. Four thoughts to close. First, be still and know that he is God. What we are very often is people who run ahead of God. Moses is not alone in this. Abraham had the promise of a son and and couldn't wait until he took Hagar. And the household of faith has lived with the consequences ever since. Jacob had the blessing already promised to him, but couldn't wait, and so he stole it with a goatskin and a lie. Peter had a lord he loved and couldn't bear to see him arrested. So he drew a sword in Gethsemane and cut off a man's ear. The pattern is older than Moses, and it is as new as this morning. The right cause can be pursued in the wrong way and the wrong time. Bradley Gray puts it bluntly. Nothing good happens when you get ahead of God and take matters into your own hands. Second, the silence of God is not the absence of God. 40 Years passed in Midian and 400 years in Egypt before God spoke from the bush. But not one of those years was empty. God was hearing, he was remembering. He was seeing, he was knowing. If your life feels like a wilderness right now, if you have been sitting by your own well in Midian waiting for a word from heaven that just doesn't come, take this passage and press it to your heart. The silence is not absence. The God who shaped Moses in obscurity is shaping you now. In his 1967 book Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders quoted this anonymous poem. When God wants to drill a man and thrill a man, and skill a man. When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part, when he yearns with all his heart to create so great and bold a man that all the world shall be amazed. Watch his methods, watch his ways, how he ruthlessly perfects whom he royally elects. How his hammer he hammers him and hurts him and with mighty blows converts him into trial shapes of clay which only God understands. While his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands, how he bends but never breaks when his good he undertakes, how he uses whom he chooses and with every purpose him by every act induces him to try his splendor out. God knows what he's about. Third, your sojourning has a destination. Moses named his son Gershom because he felt the foreignness of his life. But the foreignness was not the end of the story. It was the prelude to a calling. The writer of Hebrews tells us that all the saints acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. They desired a better country. That is a heavenly one. Your pilgrimage is not a pointless one wandering. It is a movement towards a country God has prepared for you. Fourth, and most importantly, the God who heard Israel has heard you in a fuller way still. The end of Exodus 2 is a foreshadowing. The four verbs heard, remembered, saw new, find their final fulfillment not at Sinai, but at Calvary. There the Father heard the cries of his people. There he remembered the covenant he had made before the foundations of the world. There he saw his Son lifted up between heaven and earth, bearing the groaning of every enslaved soul in his own body. And there he knew in a way only the triune God could know the cost of redeeming a people for himself. If God heard Israel groaning under Pharaoh and he sent Moses, how much more has he heard your groaning and sent his son? The exodus from Egypt is the shadow. The exodus from sin and death is the substance. And the same four verbs hover over the cross. Today God hears your cries that come up from the dust of this fallen world. God remembers his covenant with you. God sees you right now in this room, in your struggle, in your brokenness. And God knows exactly what he's doing. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this text. Father, thank you for your covenant with us. That you know us, that you love us, that you see us, that no prayer goes unheard, no silence is a waste. And that wherever we are in our life, whatever burdens we are carrying, that you're right here. That you are molding us and you are creating us in just the way that you had planned for us before the creation of the world. Thank you for who you are. In Jesus name, amen. The post Moses Flees to Midian – Exodus 2: 11-25 appeared first on Red Village Church.

For most American skywatchers, the star Capella is just peeking into view in the morning twilight. It’s bright, but it’s quite low as the sky brightens. You need precise timing and a clear north-northeastern horizon to spot it. A star’s first appearance is called the heliacal rising – a term that means “with the Sun.” It takes place at the same time every year, as the Sun completes a full circuit through the background of stars. In many ancient cultures, the heliacal rising of certain stars was crucial. The best example is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. In Egypt, it first appeared just before the annual flooding of the Nile – the most important event of the year. So the star’s return marked the start of a new year. Several cultures looked for the Pleiades star cluster. Its appearance marked a time to plant crops, or to gather them, depending on a culture’s location. Capella might have been important to the Zapotec, who lived in present-day Mexico. A half-century ago, researchers proposed that a building in the city of Monte Albá‡n was intentionally aligned at a right angle to Capella’s rising point. The star first appeared there at the time the Sun passed directly overhead at noon – a key date in the calendar. But later work disputed that finding. Capella isn’t nearly as important in modern times. But it reminds us that the stars once held great power over much of everyday life. Script by Damond Benningfield

In Egypt, the search for vanished political activists and dissidents can be its own form of torture. Paul Berry reads Where Do the Disappeared Go? by Mostafa Al-A'sar About AMIAMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI's vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

During the Irish War of Independence, republicans in Ireland looked far beyond Britain and America for support. In Egypt and India, they found allies. Secret meetings took place between IRA representatives and Egyptian revolutionaries, while Irish republicans also made contact with Indian nationalists who were waging their own struggle against British rule. Across the Empire, activists began to see their causes as connected, bound together by a common enemy and a shared desire for freedom.But this was never a simple story of solidarity. For generations, Irish people had also served the British Empire in India and the Middle East as soldiers, policemen and civil servants. This episode explores the forgotten links between Ireland, Egypt and India, revealing how the Irish Revolution was shaped not only by events at home, but by anti-colonial struggles unfolding across the wider world.Support the show and get ad-free early episodes at patreon.com/irishpodcastThe series is researched, written, and presented by Dr Brian Hanley. Brian is a historian at Trinity College Dublin and has written extensively on the Irish Revolution, republicanism, and radical politics in the twentieth century. You can find a list of his publications here: https://www.tcd.ie/history/staff/brian-hanley.phpWritten, Researched and Narrated by Dr Brian HanleyProducer: Fin DwyerSound: Kate DunleaNote from Brian:In researching these episodes, I have been indebted to the work of the following scholars:Anna Lively, Sam McGrath, Bruce Nelson, Terry Dunne, David Brundage, Niamh Coffey, Gerard Shannon, Maurice Casey, Kelly Anne Reynolds, Chris McNickle, Joe Doyle, Liz Gillis, F. M. Carroll, Patrick Mannion, Jimmy Yann, Niall Cullen, Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc, Keith Jeffrey, Arthur Mitchell, John Borgonovo, Kate O'Malley, Michael Doorley, Robin Adams, Kevin Kenny, Fearghal McGarry, Catherine M. Burns, Síobhra Aiken, Patrick J. Mahony, Darragh Gannon, Matthew Pratt Guterl, and James R. Barrett. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Parsha Review on Tazria-Metzora, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores tzara'at (a leprosy-like affliction) as a spiritual consequence of lashon hara (slander), not a contagious disease. The afflicted must tear clothes, grow hair long, cover their mouth, announce “Tamei, Tamei” (I am contaminated), and isolate outside the camp—mirroring how they separated others through negative speech.Key lessons:Lashon hara separates — Speaking negatively about someone distances them from their spouse, family, or community; the punishment forces the speaker to experience isolation.Community & unity — Don't isolate; be part of a congregation (beit knesset = place of gathering). The Jewish people received the Torah as “one nation, one soul.” Synagogues and study halls are miniature Temples for nurturing relationships with God and others.Practical speech — Avoid negative talk entirely. When warning about potential harm (e.g., a swindler), do so discreetly without details or slander (“I would not approach this”—enough for intelligent people to understand). Media, anonymous sources, and public shaming are modern lashon hara pitfalls.Jewish pride — In Egypt, Jews kept distinct names, language, and dress—yet found favor because Hashem granted it. Don't assimilate or hide identity (yarmulke, tzitzit, tefillin) to gain favor; authentic Judaism draws divine chen (favor).Modern application — Small acts of unity and positive speech build community; isolation weakens us. Torah is practical—apply lessons to daily life (media consumption, relationships, self-improvement).The Torah calls us to elevate speech, foster unity, and live proudly Jewish—small, consistent improvements create lasting impact._____________This episode of the Parsha Review Podcast is dedicated in honor of Lenny & Teresa FriedmanDownload & Print the Parsha Review Notes:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ncaRyoH5iJmGGoMZs9y82Hz2ofViVouv?usp=sharingRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on April 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on April 30, 2026_____________Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parsha-review-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1651930083)Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/22lv1kXJob5ZNLaAl6CHTQ) to stay inspired! Share your questions at awolbe@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Subscribe and Listen to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Torah, #Parsha, #Leviticus, #TazriaMetzora, #LashonHara, #Tzaraat, #JewishUnity, #JewishPride, #Community, #SpeechEthics, #AvoidSlander ★ Support this podcast ★

In this Parsha Review on Tazria-Metzora, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores tzara'at (a leprosy-like affliction) as a spiritual consequence of lashon hara (slander), not a contagious disease. The afflicted must tear clothes, grow hair long, cover their mouth, announce “Tamei, Tamei” (I am contaminated), and isolate outside the camp—mirroring how they separated others through negative speech.Key lessons:Lashon hara separates — Speaking negatively about someone distances them from their spouse, family, or community; the punishment forces the speaker to experience isolation.Community & unity — Don't isolate; be part of a congregation (beit knesset = place of gathering). The Jewish people received the Torah as “one nation, one soul.” Synagogues and study halls are miniature Temples for nurturing relationships with God and others.Practical speech — Avoid negative talk entirely. When warning about potential harm (e.g., a swindler), do so discreetly without details or slander (“I would not approach this”—enough for intelligent people to understand). Media, anonymous sources, and public shaming are modern lashon hara pitfalls.Jewish pride — In Egypt, Jews kept distinct names, language, and dress—yet found favor because Hashem granted it. Don't assimilate or hide identity (yarmulke, tzitzit, tefillin) to gain favor; authentic Judaism draws divine chen (favor).Modern application — Small acts of unity and positive speech build community; isolation weakens us. Torah is practical—apply lessons to daily life (media consumption, relationships, self-improvement).The Torah calls us to elevate speech, foster unity, and live proudly Jewish—small, consistent improvements create lasting impact._____________This episode of the Parsha Review Podcast is dedicated in honor of Lenny & Teresa FriedmanDownload & Print the Parsha Review Notes:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ncaRyoH5iJmGGoMZs9y82Hz2ofViVouv?usp=sharingRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on April 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on April 30, 2026_____________Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parsha-review-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1651930083)Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/22lv1kXJob5ZNLaAl6CHTQ) to stay inspired! Share your questions at awolbe@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Subscribe and Listen to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Torah, #Parsha, #Leviticus, #TazriaMetzora, #LashonHara, #Tzaraat, #JewishUnity, #JewishPride, #Community, #SpeechEthics, #AvoidSlander ★ Support this podcast ★

In this Daily Zohar teaching from the introduction to Tikkunei Zohar, Rabbi Amichai explores the deeper difference between the redemption from Egypt and the final redemption.In Egypt, the Shechinah was still concealed within exile and hidden within the lower worlds. Because the Divine light had not yet been fully revealed, the people had to leave quickly, like slaves fleeing before full freedom had arrived.But the Zohar teaches that the final redemption will be different. We will not go out like slaves. Why? Because Torah is with us. Torah is true freedom. It is the power that raises the Shechinah, reveals hidden Divine light, and carries us beyond the constrictions of exile.This timely class weaves together the mystery of Matat, hidden Divine names, the spiritual meaning of exile, and the open miracles unfolding in our generation as we move closer to Geulah.

In Egypt, Ramadan is not just a time for religious fasting – it is also a critical financial lifeline for the country's public and charitable healthcare system. Without the generosity of Zakat (obligatory alms) and Sadaqa (voluntary charity), many major hospitals would struggle to survive. For a month, Egyptian TV and social media are flooded with appeals from hospitals seeking donations, as competition for charity peaks. Hospitals spend millions on emotional campaigns, often featuring celebrities or popular songs. Some rely on Ramadan donations for up to 80% of their annual budgets. Yet behind these polished images lies a darker reality of Egypt's public healthcare system.

The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give…Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them" (Exodus 25:1,2,8). Generations of slavery did more than destroy and demean the honour of Israel's work. It also inhibited Israel's worship of her God. Oppressed workers find it very difficult to offer their work as worship. The fruit of Israel's labor was directed to the glory of Pharaoh. How could they direct the fruit of their labour to the glory of the Lord? Free and holy work can be offered as worship. Not by their own choice, slaves participate in an idolatrous system. God liberated Israelite workers in part so that they could offer their work as worship to him. God begins to shape this new economy in the hearts of his people by inviting them to give a free will offering. Then, they were to take these gifts to construct a sanctuary for God to dwell among them. Take a moment to ponder the scene: liberated slaves are invited to freely offer their unique gifts, skills, craftsmanship, and artistic wisdom to adorn God's house. Those blistered hands that once built houses for dead Pharaoh, hands that stacked stones to serve his imperial and violent glory—build or die—these hands are now invited to freely offer their skill, insight, and creative touch to the construction of God's house. Imagine, their first free work is a house of worship—a place for God to dwell with them. It is decorated with color, made with hands that are rested and free. In Egypt, Israel did 'hard labour'. To counter the demeaning work of Egypt, God invites them into this project to create a space for communion—"I will dwell among them." The oppressive and predatory patterns of Pharaoh's economy would stick to Israel for centuries. She would constantly be tempted to slide back into economic patterns of hoarding and scarcity. With it came the impulse to treat people like Pharaoh had handled them. Her liturgies were resources to resist this. Sabbath worship was a reminder for workers to reject economic patterns of grasping and an invitation to walk deeper into God's economy of grace. The regular observance of rest, the yearly celebration of harvests, and the public confessions of marketplace greed were designed to bring these freed slaves into a new economy through worship. The offerings God invited Israel to bring were the treasures the Egyptians had given them as they marched out of town (12:36). The tabernacle reminded Israel that she had not left Egypt emptyhanded, that God had ways of providing beyond human imagination. As you live out this week, consider how you can direct the fruit of your labour to the glory of the Lord? How will you resist the temptation to hoard resources because it's too difficult to believe that God will provide? How can you promote conditions were workers and work are valued? As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Wherever God takes you today (this week), may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

How much can one person take, and still choose to offer kindness?In Genesis Chapter 37, verses 12–36, 17-year-old Joseph is sent by his father to visit his brothers, who were tending the family's flock of sheep in the countryside.Rather than the friendly check-in he expected, Joseph's brothers initially plotted to kill him out of jealousy, but instead sold him into slavery to a group of Ishmaelites heading for Egypt. Among the brothers, only Reuben wished to leave Joseph unharmed, attempting (but failing) to set up a situation where he could rescue his brother and return him to their father.In Egypt, Joseph was falsely accused of a crime, thrown into prison, became an interpreter of dreams for Pharaoh, and eventually attained a seat of power over Egypt.When famine hit the land where his brothers lived, they came to Egypt to buy grain. They didn't know Joseph was not only alive, but was now the governor of Egypt. To their surprise, Joseph wasn't angry at his brothers, but showed them compassion when he saw them again. Instead of taking revenge, he took them in and cared for them. Joseph knew everything that had happened was part of God's plan, and what his brothers intended for harm, God intended for good.Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”The story of Joseph teaches us that humility, patience, gentleness, and love are not just qualities to be saved up for those who we think deserve it; God asks us to approach others with love, even if they have offended or caused us harm.Let's pray.Lord, sometimes the people in our lives are disappointing, frustrating, or downright hurtful. God, help us to love those who fall short and need our forgiveness the most, and to bear with each other with patience and with grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 26th of February, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Numbers 11:16: “So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them;…” Then we go straight to the Gospel of Mark 6:7: “And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two,…” Moses realised he just could not cope anymore. He was directing a whole nation of people in the wilderness and he had no help. He was doing it on his own, and the people were getting restless and complaining, “We need meat to eat. In Egypt, we had meat and fish and melons and all those things, and now we have nothing.” Moses was beside himself. You can read it in Numbers, just a few verses before. He said, “Rather kill me. I can't do this anymore.” And God said to him, “Call seventy men, good men, leaders, and I will anoint them, and they will help you to take the nation of Israel through the wilderness and into the promised land.Then we see Jesus, when he was sending the disciples out to preach the Gospel and heal the sick and set the captives free, he sent them out two by two, not one at a time, two by two. There are no lone-rangers in the Kingdom of God, no one-man shows. Why did He send them out two by two? I will tell you why - so that they could protect one another and there was accountability so the devil could not tempt them. I want to say to you, I will not go anywhere to preach the Gospel on my own. We go in a group. You know that if you know me. Why is that? So that we can watch over one another, help one another, pray with one another, protect one another. It's how God made us.I remember speaking to a young man. I love him dearly. He is a great preacher. He was on his way to Ethiopia, just for the weekend to speak at a conference. I said, “Who is going with you?” “No, no”, he said, “It is a short trip. I am going on my own.” And I had to speak to him firmly, and I trust that he has listened. I said, “Don't do that.” Do not go anywhere on your own when you are doing God's work. You need to go two by two so that you can look after each other. Not only preachers, I am talking to ladies here as well as young people. When you go out, you do not go on your own. God never created us to do that. We go together and in that is the comfort and the love and the peace of God.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.Goodbye.

Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts Professor, the genius behind AppalachianInkling.com, Hunger Games expert, and author of Milton, Spenser and the Chronicles of Narnia: Literary Sources for the C.S. Lewis Novels, joined Nick and John to discuss the Charm Bracelet that J. K. Rowling posted on her Twixter home page as a Christmas gift to her readers. She said that that the thirteen charms on nine links were a set of clues about the next Strike novel, the ninth in a ten book series.In the first Part of Elizabeth, Nick, and John's conversation, they discussed Rowling's charm bracelet history, speculated about why she posted this picture when she did, decided to look at each charm on the bracelet for its stand-alone meaning and its place in the nine link set, and to read the whole series as if it were a ring composition, one reflecting a nine Part structure in Strike 9. They then made deep dives into the details of each charm: the heart shaped box containing a ‘You and Me' engagement ring, a golden diamond-laden egg, a foul anchor, two angels, and a Trojan horse.In this second Part of that conversation, the trio of Serious Strikers continue with the remaining charms on the bracelet, namely, a Jack-in-the-box, an Hourglass, a White Rose and Crocodile, a Corvid head, and a Psalter paired on the last link with the Head of Persephone. They share their thoughts, too, about the bracelet as a symbolic integer and its ring meaning.The notes below are in support of references they make mid-flight and to other resources of interest to Magic Charm Decoders! Enjoy.Thank you to all our subscribers with special gratitude and appreciations for our paid subscribers; you are the wind in our sails, the heat from our vents… Serious Strikers are reading Browning's The Ring and the Book, charting Hallmarked Man Part Six, and reviewing the Myth of Cupid and Psyche to look for parallels in the Strike-Ellacott series. See you soon!Jack-in-the-Box Charm* Rowling claims this as her favorite charm (Nick and John in the conversation mistakenly attribute this preference to the Psalter charm):* Badly Wired Lamp ID'd it* Is it a devil — or a Racoon?* The jack in the box toy, the 'Jack' being a devil, was invented in Germany in the 16th century as a mockery of the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. * The shape of this charm, the golden circular center in the inside of the open box top, represents the transcendent spiritual realm and the square bottom with its four directions, the fallen world. The ‘jack' devil lives in the latter but is from the former.* The charm is the third latched object in the chain, the heart box and Trojan horse preceding it and the psalter at chain's end following it — which means the ring latch and center are latched objects with surprises inside. The two interior objects at center have deadly surprises and the beginning and end eternal life interiors. The symbolism here is of the human being and its capacity via choice for either spiritual perfection in sacrificial love (anteros) or consumption by individual desires (eros). The thing hidden inside, man's spiritual capacity or heart, is either light or darkness, the inside bigger than the outside. (John)* What is the Strike 9 connection, the analogue to the demonic Jack in the box? Is it RFM? Uncle Ted? Ilsa's husband Nick? Polworth?* The Jack's position is at the center of the bracelet and between the hourglass and the Trojan horse. So it's placed between cleverness and craftiness and things that we can control and bad surprises, but also time, because we can't control time. (Elizabeth)Hourglass Charm* tempus fugit ‘like sand in an hourglass'* memento mori* infinite symbol* The Strike series may be a collection of mystery-story genres, each one illustrating a unique type of story, different from all the others while keeping the same core of characters and overarching narrative (cf., Rowling's note in The Running Grave acknowledgements that that book was her “cult” book). The hourglass, then, may be Rowling's pointer to Strike9 being a suspense drama in which the good guys not only have a challenging mission (find and rescue the missing Robin, Strike, Lucy, Pat, whomever) but have to do it before a literal deadline arrives. The Ticking Clock plot device.* If the Jack at link five is the center of the bracelet ring of nine links, how does the hourglass mirror the Trojan horse? It's two parts? The deadline aspect? “Reveal the crazies inside before the hourglass empties”?White Rose Charm* White Rose of Yorkshire* The interior of the flower charm is a literal Turtleback or ring composition diagram.* White Rose of Dante: Paradiso Cantos XXXI and XXXIIThe true home of all the blessed is with God in the Empyrean, a heaven of pure light beyond time and space. Dante sees the blessed systematically arranged in an immense white rose: like a hologram, a three-dimensional image, the rose is formed from a ray of light reflected off the outer surface of the Primum Mobile (30.106-17). The queen of this white rose is the Virgin Mary, traditionally represented as a rose herself (see Par. 23.73-4). This celestial rose recalls large rose windows of Gothic cathedrals, many of which are dedicated to Mary. The image of the rose, often red, is also used to represent Christ or, in other contexts, earthly love. The white rose is symmetrically structured according to various criteria, including belief, age, and gender. One half of the rose, already full, holds those who, according to Christian tradition, believed in Christ to come (the blessed of the Hebrew Bible); the other half, with only a few seats still unoccupied, contains those who believed in Christ already come (saved Christians). Two gendered rows mark this division of the rose in two halves. In the row below Mary appear women of the Hebrew Bible (Eve, Rachel, Sarah, Rebecca, Judith, Ruth, and unnamed others); Beatrice is seated next to Rachel, on the third row from the top. Opposite Mary, John the Baptist heads a row of men containing Francis, Benedict, Augustine, and other Christian fathers. Mary is flanked by Adam (first man) and Moses on one side, and Peter (first pope) and John the Evangelist on the other. John the Baptist is flanked by Lucy on one side and Anna, the mother of Mary, on the other. While only adults are seated in the upper section of the rose, below a certain line the rose contains souls of blessed children, their precise location based not on their own merits (since they lacked the power of free will) but on predestination. As physical laws do not apply in the Empyrean, Dante's ability to see these figures is not diminished by distance (30.118-23; 31.76-8).* White Rose of Mockingjay (Hunger Games finale)The prevailing symbol of Catching Fire and the most meaningful token the Christ figure of the series gives Katniss is a pearl, the solid-light symbolism of which we've discussed before. I think Commander Paylor's name may be our last Madge-Pearl-Mags name reference in being a “pale orb.” That gold and pearls have a similar translucency and metaphysical correspondence with the ‘Light of the World' make the twin possibilities that much more rich — and Commander Paylor's ascending to Panem's Presidency that much more meaningful and appropriate.Katniss steps into the Garden with the Pearl's blessing (“on my authority”) and discovers roses of every possible color. There are red, of course, and “lush pink, sunset orange, and even pale blue.” She knows what she wants, though; the rose colored like light, the white rose, Dante's symbolic prelude to the beatific vision and transcendence. Just as she cuts the “magnificent white bud just about to open” “from the top of a slender bush” (ibid, p. 355), the manacled, “pale, sickly green” President Snow, our snake in the Garden, speaks.“The colors, are lovely, of course, but nothing says perfection like white.”Our story Satan, you recall, left her a white rose in District 12 in chapter 1 and dropped roses with the bunker buster bombs in Part 1 to terrify Katniss. Now we know why. He was taunting her with her end, that as a seeker's soul he knew her goal was perfection in Christ and taunted her with it, especially when he held Peeta-Christ and understood the cartharsis and chrysalis she would have to pass through to claim it herself. Now that she is in the inner sanctuary, the High Place, he tells her the truth she could not hear anywhere else, the final, ugly truth about the cause for which Katniss had sacrificed everything. Snow reveals, just as Peeta had told her at the story's start, that she was deceived by those she trusted. President Coin killed Primrose with a weapon designed by Gale.Having been to the Absolute center, the world navel, and taken away the beatific vision as a white rose, Katniss is no longer a seeker but the resolution of contraries, an androgyn of justice and mercy. She is above right and wrong now as the phoenix-mockingjay and hears the voice of the “murderer” on the Hanging Tree at last. She deceives President Coin at the Victors Meeting as something of an avenging angel; she becomes a murderer herself by assassinating President Coin. Peeta-Christ comes down from the tree as her savior once again and prevents her suicide via Nightlock by his out-of-nowhere intervention.* Why does the White Rose share the seventh bracelet link with a crocodile? Faerie Queene!Crocodile Charm* The Crocodile in Shed, crocodile skin handbags (Hallmarked Man) “Maybe the4 crocodile or whatever they're keeping in the shed's chewed its way out,” said Strike. “ (Chapter 22, p 176; center chapter of Part 2)* Crocodile entry, Cirlot's Dictionary of SymbolismCrocodile Two basically different aspects of the crocodile are blended in its symbolic meaning, representing the influence upon the animal of two of the four Elements. In the first place, because of it viciousness and destructive power, the crocodile came to signify fury and evil in Egyptian hieroglyphics (19); in the second place, since it inhabits a realm intermediate between earth and water, and is associated with mud and vegetation, it came to be thought of as an emblem of fecundity and power (50). In the opinion of Mertens Stienon there is a third aspct, deriving from its resemblance to the dragon and the serpent, as a symbol of knowledge. In Egypt, the dead used to be portrayed transformed into crocodiles of knowledge, an idea which is linked with that of the zodiacal sign of Capricorn. Blavatsky compares the crocodile with the Kumara of India (40). Then, finally, come the symbols of Inversion proper and of rebirth. (67)* Lyndy Abraham's Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery entry for ‘Crocodile:'Crocodile The mercurial *serpent or transforming arcanum in its initial chthonic aspect during the dark, destructive opening of the opus alchymicum. Like the *bee, the crocodile was classified as a serpent in te bestiaries of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The amphibious nature of the crocodile made it an apt symbol for the dual-natured *Mercurius. When Lepidus in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra says, ‘Your serpent of Egypt is bred of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile' (2.7.26-7), he is referring to the generation of gold in the earth, and the generation of the mercurial serpent through the heat of the secret *fire or ‘sun'. With the phrase ‘operation of your sun' Lepidus also alludes to the final law of the alchemical Emerald Table: ‘That which I had to say about the operation of the Sun is completed' (48)* Sandy Hope on Crocodile symbolismIsis Church crocodile in Faerie Queene: Book 5, Canto VIIBook V Canto vii. The speaker praises the virtue of justice and cites Osyris as an example of the just man. His wife, Isis, represented equity and to the Temple of Isis Britomart and Talus come to spend the night. Talus, however, is not allowed into the temple. Britomart enters and sees a statue of Isis with her foot on a crocodile. The temple is also full of the priests of Isis who are not allowed to drink wine as it leads to rebellion. Britomart sleeps under the statue of Isis and dreams that the crocodile comes alive and threatens the Goddess. The Goddess subdues the crocodile and it becomes meek and then impregnates the Goddess. She gives birth to a lion which conquers all other beats. Britomart awakes and tells her troubling dream to a priest. He tells her that the crocodile represents Arthegall, Isis represents Britomart, and the lion their son whom they will conceive. Grateful for the interpretation, Britomart leaves and comes to Radigund's castle. Radigund and Britomart battle, Britomart is wounded in the shoulder, and finally Britomart beheads Radigund. Talus enters the castle and wreaks carnage on the Amazon women inside. Britomart finds Arthegall dressed, like other, in women's clothing. she is shamed by the sight, and it is not quite clear whether her suspicions that Arthegall has been unfaithful are confirmed or refuted. She finds Arthegall some armour, arms him, and the rest in the castle. during this time Britomart rules as a princess and reforms the Amazon society so that women are restored to proper subjection to men. Finally, Arthegall leaves to complete his quest against Grantorto. Britomart lets him leave because she knows that his success in this quest is important to restore his ego. After residing further at the Amazon castle she finally leaves to help keep her mind off the absent Arthegall.* The Spenser Encyclopedia entry for ‘Church of Isis:' (408) Clifford DavidsonWhen Britomart spends the night in the temple, she sees a ‘wondrous vision' in which she participates first as a votary of Isis and then as the goddess herself. Her devotion to the statue causes her to become Isis in her dream: she is serving at the altar when she sees herself transformed into Isis but wearing the royal robe. The crocodile awakens, devours the flames which threaten to destroy the temple, and threatens to eat Isis/Britomart until it is driven back by her rod. Then it seeks her ‘grace and love,' she yields, it impregnates her, and from their union she gives birth to a lion. As the Priest explains, the crocodile is Osiris (the Egyptian god of Justice) who sleeps under the feet of Isis ‘To shew that clemence oft in things amis,/ Restraines those sterne behests, and cruell doomes of his' (22), and who shows thereby the proper relation of justice and judgment to equity. The Priest also explains to Britomart that the crocodile is Artegall, ‘The righteous Knight,' who will settle the storms and ‘raging flames, that many foes shall reare' and restore to her the heritage of her throne, and who will give her a ‘Lion like' son (23), the new British monarchy of the Tudors.The crocodile is a symbol both of guile and of a regeneration that will affect future history. As guile, its relation to Isis is reminiscent of Vice figures under the feet of triumphing Virtues in medieval art. An iconographic association between the crocodile in its demonic aspect and medieval saints' legends derives ultimately – significantly for Spenser – from the classical figure of Britomartis (Miskimin 1978). In Plutarch's Isis and Osiris 50, it is linked to Typhon, the enemy of justice and order, while in Renaissance iconographic tradition it is often symbolic of the need for prudence (for one must be prudent to avoid the wily crocodile). Cesare Ripa's Iconologia (sv Lussuria) shows the nude Luxury (or Lechery) seated upon a crocodile, an interesting analogy to its phallic sexuality in Britomart's dream. Yet along with these primarily negative associations, there are also positive ones in the crocodile's identification with Osiris/Artegall/Justice and in the implication that Isis/Britomart/Equity is incomplete without her partner. The image contains its own contradiction, unresolved by the Priest.* Troubled Blood and Faerie Queene: Where Britobart and Artegall are used as stand-ins for Robin and Cormoran:Troubled Blood features several embedded texts, the most important of which is never mentioned in the book: Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queen. Serious Strikers enjoyed the luxury of not one but two scholars of Edmund Spenser who checked in on the relevance and meaning of Rowling's choice of the greatest English epic poem for her epigraphs, not to mention the host of correspondences between Strike 5 and Queen. Elizabeth Baird-Hardy did a part by part exegesis of the Troubled Blood-Faerie Queen conjunctions and Beatrice Groves shared her first thoughts on the connections as well. Just as Lethal White's meaning and artistry is relatively unappreciated without a close reading of Ibsen's Rosmersholm, so with Strike 5 and Faerie Queen.Elizabeth Baird-Hardy* Day One, Part One: The Spenserian Epigraphs of the Pre-Released Troubled Blood Chapters* Day Two, Part Two: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Eight to Fourteen* Day Three, Part Three: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Fifteen to Thirty* Day Four, Part Four: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Thirty One to Forty Eight* Day Five, Part Five: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Forty Nine to Fifty Nine* Part Six: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Sixty to Seventy One* Spenser and Strike Part Seven: Changes for the BetterBeatrice Groves* Trouble in Faerie Land (Part 1): Spenserian Clues in Troubled Blood Epigraphs* Trouble in Faerie Land (Part 2): Shipping Robin and Strike in the Epigraphs of Troubled Blood* Trouble in Faerie Land (Part 3): Searching for Duessa in Troubled BloodJohn Granger:* How Spenser Uses Cupid in Faerie Queen and Its Relevance for Understanding Troubled Blood* Reading Troubled Blood as a Medieval Morality PlayCorvid Charm* Rowling Twixter headers: 12 January 2016, 9 April 2017 (Nick)* Fantastic Beasts reference? The Lestrange Family Motto features a crow and the ‘Lost Child' of that series is named ‘Corvus'* Crow Symbolism per Cirlot, Dictionary of Symbols:Crow Because of its black colour, the crow is associated with the idea of beginning (as expressed in such symbols as the maternal night, primigenial darkness, the fertilizing earth). Because it is also associated with the atmosphere, it is a symbol for creative, demiurgic power and for spiritual strength. Because of its flight, it is considered a messenger. And, in sum, the crow has been invested by many primitive peoples with far-reaching cosmic significance. Indeed, for the Red Indians of North America it is the great civilizer and the creator of the visible world. It has a similar meaning for the Celts and the Germanic tribes, as well as in Siberia (35). In the classical cultures it no longer possesses such wide implications, but it does still retain certain mystic powers and in particular the ability to foresee the future; hence its claw played a special part in rites of divination (8). In Christian symbolism it is an allegory of solitude. Amongst the alchemists it recovers some of the original characteristics ascribed to it by the primitives, standing in particular for nigredo, or the initial state which is both the inherent characteristic of prime matter and the condition produced by separating out the Elements (putrefactio) … In Beaumont's view, the crow in itself signifies the isolation of him who lives on a superior plane (5), this being the symbolism in general of all solitary birds. (71-72)* Lyndy Abraham's Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery entry for ‘Crow:' (49)Crow, crow's head, crow's bill A symbol of the *putrefaction and *black nigredo which is the first stge of the opus alchymicum. The old body of the metal or matter for the Stone is dissolved and putrefied into the first matter of *creation, the *prima materia, so that it may be regenerated and cast into a new form. The Hermetis Trismegisti Tractatus Aureus said of this initial stage of death and dissolution in the work: ‘The First is the Corvus, the Crow or Raven, which from its blackness is said to be the beginning of the Art' (bk. 2, 235). In his Aurora, Paracelsus wrote that when the matter has been placed in the gentle heat of the secret fire it passes through corruption and grows black: ‘This operation they call putrefaction, and the blackness they name the head of the Crow' (55). Thomas Charnock likewise wrote of the putrefaction: ‘The Crowes head began to appere as black as Jett' (TCB, 296). In Zoroaster's Cave the matter produced during this stage is identified with the name of the process: ‘When the matter has stood for the space of forty dayes in a moderate heat, there will begin to appear above, a blacknesse like to pitch, which is the Caput Corvi of the Philosophers, and the wise men's Mercury' (80). According to Ripley the terms ‘crows head' and ‘crows bill' are synonymous: ‘The hede of the Crow that tokeyn call we,/And sum men call hyt the Crows byll' (TCB, 134) (see ashes). In A Fig for Momus Thomas Lodge listed the crow's head amongst other alchemical enigmas: ‘Then of the crowes-head, tell they weighty things' (Works, 3:69). When Face in Jonson's The Alchemist says that the matter of the Stone has become ‘ground black', Mammon enquires of him, ‘That's your crowes-head? And Subtle replies, ‘No, ‘tis not perfect, would it were the crow' (2.3.67-8).Psalter Charm* In ‘Charms, Psalms & Golden Clues: A brace(let) of clues for Strike 9,' Prof Groves discusses the psalm as charm:Charm first meant the incantation itself, and then the amulet that carried that incantation to protect the wearer and then – from the 19th century – the small ornamental trinkets, fastened to girdles, watch-chains and bracelets, that resembled those original, talismanic charms. This means that Rowling's clue-charm of a Psalm book (which can actually carry a sacred text) circles back beautifully to the original meaning of the word – in which a charm was an amulet carrying a holy text. These charms do not always hold texts but Rowling has confirmed that this one does: ‘The book is a psalm book and holds real, miniature psalms' I think this protective hinterland of charms make it likely that the specific psalm that such a psalm-book charm would carry would be the most comforting and talismanic of psalms – Psalm 23. This psalm famously describes the Lord's love as protective, even unto the valley of the shadow of death* John argues that, in addition to the 23rd Psalm, Psalm 90 (91 in Masoretic or KJV reckoning), the so-called ‘Soldier's Psalm' is at least as likely as an insert for this charm, which is to say, as a talisman a soldier might give a woman about to enter Hades to beg a gift from Persephone…The Head of Persephone Charm* Rowling's clarifying picture* Psyche's Last Task from Venus:One final task is then given to Psyche, one in which Psyche is commanded to bring back a bit of Persephone's beauty from the Underworld. In Greek mythology no living soul is meant to be able to enter the Underworld, let alone leave it, and so Aphrodite felt that she would be rid of Psyche once and for all. Indeed, it seemed that Aphrodite would be proved right, for Psyche's only idea about entering the Underworld was to kill herself. Before Psyche can commit suicide a voice whispers to her instructions about how to complete the task. Thus Psyche finds an entrance to the Underworld and is soon crossing the Acheron upon the skiff of Charon, and the princess even manages to gain an audience with Persephone. Persephone on the surface appears to be sympathetic to the quest of Psyche, but Psyche has been warned about accepting food or a seat in the palace of Hades, for both would bind her to the Underworld for all time. But eventually, Persephone gives Psyche a golden box, said to contain some of the goddess' beauty.* The Head of Persephone charm is paired with the Psalter on the ninth and last link; again, if the Psalm is 22 (23) or 90 (91), then the connection is an invocational prayer for help traveling through the “valley of death,” for protection from the “asp and basilisk,” the “lion and dragon.”* As above, note that the beginning, middle, and end of the bracelet feature clasped objects, with the Psalter being a codex that opens and Psyche's journey to Persephone is in pursuit of a “golden box” containing the means to otherworldly beauty. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode Rabbi Fohrman puts the bitter herbs - maror - under a microscope. Why do we need to hold onto a reminder of our slavery, during a Passover seder that represents freedom? Drawing from a principle of teshuvah - repentance, our hosts carve out an incredible principle in human psychology and what it takes to heal from trauma.Can't Skip the Bitter (to Get to the Sweet)(Verse 1) In Egypt the bread held the taste of our tears Sourdough—you couldn't tell where it stopped The sourness baked into four hundred years Until the whole batch was bitter and lockedBut God didn't hand us the honey that night Didn't say: forget it, here's something new He gave us flat bread with bitter alongside— Separated. Still there. Still true.(Chorus) You can't skip the bitter to get to the sweet You can't leave the sorrow behind The only way forward is going back through it One morning at a time(Verse 2) The manna came later, the honey came slow Forty years of daily bread Each day God was asking: do you believe now that you're more than the tears that you've shed?And every spring we sit down at the table Flat bread and bitter, side by side Not because we're still slaves—because we remember What it took to come back alive(Chorus) You can't skip the bitter to get to the sweet You can't leave the sorrow behind The only way forward is going back through itOne morning at a time(Bridge) Each day the same question fallingLike bread upon the ground:Are you more than what was done to you?Are you more than what you've done?(Verse 3) Two families broken, made into one He said: leave the past where it liesBuild something new now, the future's begun But nobody asked who we were before the goodbyesAnd forty years later I knocked on her door I said there's something I never did right I never once asked you to tell me the story Of who held your hand through the long, long night(Chorus) Tell me about your mother What was it like when she was yours? Tell me about your mother I should have asked you this beforeYou can't skip the bitter to get to the sweet You can't leave the sorrow behind The only way forward is going back through it And that's what I'm doing this timeYou can also listen to this song on Youtube and Spotify.We love to hear from you! Click here to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and reactions by voice note, or send us an email at info@alephbeta.org. A Book Like No Other is a product of Aleph Beta, and made possible through the generous support of Shari and Nathan Lindenbaum. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide.

Parashas Vayeishev is a downer for all people involved: Jacob has to witness his sons' disunion. Jacob was informed of the apparent mauling of Joseph, his favorite son. Jacob was plunged into melancholy for 22 years. Joseph, the crown jewel of his father, was hated by his brothers, betrayed by his brothers, and sold as a slave by his brothers. His situation got even worse. In Egypt, he was falsely accused of a crime and imprisoned. When there was a faint hope of salvation, it vanished when the butler forgot him. Judah, the leader of Jacob's sons was demoted, his wife died, his sons died, and he was duped into a dalliance with his daughter-in-law. The Parsha is a continuous story of disappointments for all people involved. But when the story is told in its entirety, a different picture emerges, a picture of the origins of monarchy, the monarchy of Joseph and the monarchy of David and the monarchy of Messiah. From the darkest of nights emerged the most brilliant of lights. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –NEW TORCH Mailing Address POBox:TORCHPO BOX 310246HOUSTON, TX 77231-0246– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletterrabbiwolbe.com/newsletter– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe's PodcastsThe Parsha PodcastThe Jewish History PodcastThe Mitzvah Podcast This Jewish LifeThe Ethics PodcastTORAH 101 ★ Support this podcast ★

So 2024 was packed with wild archaeological discoveries that totally shook up what we thought we knew. One of the coolest? The "Blinkerwall" — an underwater structure in the Baltic Sea that's over 10,000 years old and might've been a reindeer trap built by ancient hunter-gatherers. Researchers also found an ancient Chinese city that was way more advanced than expected, complete with surprisingly modern-looking infrastructure. In Egypt, new tombs revealed some unusual burial practices and artifacts we've never seen before. And in South America, a strange network of stone lines turned out to be part of an ancient communication system. It's been a year of serious "wait, what?!" moments in archaeology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Studio Museum in Harlem, Grand Egyptian Museum, Stanley SpencerAs the Studio Museum in Harlem opens in its first ever purpose-built space, a new building by the architects Adjaye Associates, The Art Newspaper's editor-in-chief in the Americas, Ben Sutton, speaks to Thelma Golden, the museum's director, and Ben Sutton then gives reviews the building and the inaugural programming with Ben Luke. In Egypt, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, or GEM, has opened at last. Our digital editor, Alexander Morrison, talks to one of our Middle East correspondents, Melissa Gronlund, about this monumental institution. And this episode's Work of the Week is Tree and Chicken Coops, Wangford by Stanley Spencer (1925). The painting features in the exhibition Love & Landscape: Stanley Spencer in Suffolk at Gainsborough's House in Sudbury, which is in the heart of the eastern English county of Suffolk. Ben Luke speaks to Amy Lim, the co-curator of the exhibition, about the picture. The Studio Museum in Harlem opens 15 November. The Grand Egyptian Museum is open now.Love & Landscape: Stanley Spencer in Suffolk, Gainsborough's House, Sudbury, UK, 15 November-22 March 2026; Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham, UK, 4 April-1 November 2026.Subscription offer: eight-week free digital trial of The Art Newspaper. The subscription auto-renews at full price for your region. Cancel anytime. www.theartnewspaper.com/subscriptions-8WEEKSOFFER Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Human beings have always prided themselves on the advantage gained from possessing knowledge that others lack. We boast of being smarter, more informed, more enlightened—as if we were the elite guardians of some secret insight reserved for our sect, our institution, or our circle. Whether the advantage lies in religious doctrine, education, status, political ideology, or modern technology, it always devolves into the same pattern: insiders against outsiders, the few who “know” against the many who do not.From ancient cults, esoteric associations, and manufactured religions (steeped in symbols wrongly appropriated from sacred texts) to modern marketing campaigns promising the “secret to success,” humanity's obsession with exclusive knowledge endures. Yet all of it is vanity—corruption and folly dressed as wisdom. Whether through ritual, ideology, or playground-style cliques, every claim to possess hidden knowledge and to exercise control over others is sublime vanity, doomed to folly.There is only one source of knowledge—the Father of all—and he alone is the fountain of might, power, and strength. Scripture repeats this warning at every turn, and when human beings ignore it, all things collapse in ruin. The arrogant, trusting in themselves, gleefully amplify human chaos in opposition to him, emboldened by misguided self-confidence.Indeed, their knowledge springs from self-importance, and their strength from oppression. In their false eschaton, the work of men's hands turns to dust, even as the God of Abraham remains—ever present, all-knowing, all-wise, and all-powerful. Moreover, as Matthew wrote, this God stands as the enemy of those among them who invoke his name, “Lord, Lord.”But Yahweh, our Elohim, is always in control despite the schemes of Baal's followers who deceive the devout who have fallen for the institutions he destroys.“For they plan, and God plans; and God is the best of planners.”وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَwa-makarū wa-makara llāhu, wa-llāhu khayru l-mākirīn(Qurʾan, Surat Āl ʿImrān سورة آل عمران “The Family of Imran” 3:54)Every time the human being seizes power or claims insight as his own, the result is the same: pride, decay, and judgment. Yet each collapse becomes Elohim's opportunity to remind us of his immutable sovereignty. He alone commands and restores. As it is written by Paul's right hand:“God is not mocked.” (Galatians 6:7)His wisdom is not ours to possess, let alone to control or co-opt. His dominion is written into the fabric of creation itself. The heavens do not father the earth; both submit to the patriarchy of the one God of Abraham, the Master of all things.This is the reality encoded in Scriptural grammar and function and fulfilled in the obedience of Jesus. It is the recognition that knowledge and strength proceed only from God's command, which has the power to heal even Israel.This week, I discuss Luke 8:46.“ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· Ἥψατό μού τις, ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔγνων (י-ד-ע) δύναμιν (ח-י-ל) ἐξεληλυθυῖαν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ.”“But Jesus said, ‘Someone did touch me, for I was aware [ἔγνων (egnon) / י־ד־ע (yod–dalet–ʿayin)] that power [δύναμιν (dynamin) / ח־י־ל (ḥet–yod–lamed)] had gone out of me.'”(Luke 8:46)γινώσκω (ginosko) / י-ד-ע (yod–dalet–ʿayin) / ع-ر-ف (ʿayn–rāʾ–fāʾ)In its scriptural itinerary, יָדַע (yadaʿ) functions as relational recognition rooted in revelation and obedience. Gnostics invert this by treating knowledge as an object of possession: a secret commodity that grants status or liberation to a spiritual elite.The Itinerary of Knowledge“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew [וַיֵּדְעוּ (wayyedaʿu)] that they were naked.” (Genesis 3:7)When Adam and Eve transgress the divine command, their eyes are “opened,” and י-ד-ע (yod–dalet–ʿayin) marks the moment of realization. They do not gain divine insight; they recognize their separation and vulnerability.“You shall know [וִידַעְתֶּם (widaʿtem)] that I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:7)In Egypt, Yahweh assured deliverance. Israel will know him as the mighty one who was victorious against the elite rulers who burdened his people. Knowledge comes through divine encounter (in this case, remembrance at the opportune time) and obedience, not human speculation.“Then they shall know [וְיָדְעוּ (weyadeʿu)] that I am Yahweh.” (Ezekiel 6:7)The same Yahweh declares judgment upon Israel for their idolatry. Weyadeʿu means that through destruction and exile—the opportune time—through divine encounter, the people will come to recognize his immutable sovereignty.“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge [דַּעַת (daʿat)].” (Proverbs 1:7)Wisdom begins not in self-referential discovery but in submission. Daʿat, י-ד-ע (yod–dalet–ʿayin), denotes divine instruction. It is submission to God's ordering of creation that begins with fear, that is, reverent submission to his command.“But Jesus said, ‘Someone did touch me, for I was aware [ἔγνων (egnon)] that power had gone out of me.'” (Luke 8:46)When the woman touches Jesus' garment, ἔγνων (egnon) expresses not psychological awareness but recognition of divine power at work. In Genesis 3:7, Adam and Eve know [wayyedaʿu] only after breaking the divine command. What they perceive is separation, not illumination. In Exodus 6:7, Israel knows [widaʿtem] Yahweh because at the opportune time, they remember his act of deliverance; the exiles know [weyadeʿu] Yahweh through judgment. In every case, knowledge is not a self-referential human discovery but an encounter with God's judgment. Even in Proverbs 1:7, daʿat signifies not human moral or ethical insight but awareness of divine instruction grounded in reverent fear.When Jesus knows that power has gone out from him (Luke 8:46), the same dynamic unfolds: divine initiative, human encounter, recognition, and restoration. The “knowing” is God-referential. It is an acknowledgment of divine operation rather than an act of introspection.This same itinerary and literary pattern continues in the Qurʾan, where the Arabic triliteral root ع-ر-ف (ʿayn–rāʾ–fāʾ) appears frequently. Its core function is to know, recognize, acknowledge, or make known. It parallels the Hebrew י-ד-ע (yod–dalet–ʿayin) and the Greek γινώσκω (ginosko) in expressing knowledge as submission to God rather than human possession.“And say, ‘All praise be to God! He will show you his signs, and you will recognize them [فَتَعْرِفُونَهَا (fa-taʿrifūnahā)]. And your Lord is never unaware of what you do.'” (Qurʾan, Surat al-Naml سورة النمل “The Ant” 27:93)The Prophet is commanded to proclaim divine praise. God will reveal his آيَات (āyāt, “signs”), and humans will recognize them. تَعْرِفُونَهَا

How much can one person take, and still choose to offer kindness.In Genesis Chapter 37, verses 12–36, 17-year-old Joseph is sent by his father to visit his brothers, who were tending the family's flock of sheep in the countryside.Rather than the friendly check-in he expected, Joseph's brothers initially plotted to kill him out of jealousy, but instead sold him into slavery to a group of Ishmaelites heading for Egypt. Among the brothers, only Reuben wished to leave Joseph unharmed, attempting (but failing) to set up a situation where he could rescue his brother and return him to their father.In Egypt, Joseph was falsely accused of a crime, thrown into prison, became an interpreter of dreams for Pharaoh, and eventually attained a seat of power over Egypt.When famine hit the land where his brothers lived, they came to Egypt to buy grain. They didn't know Joseph was not only alive, but was now the governor of Egypt. To their surprise, Joseph wasn't angry at his brothers, but showed them compassion when he saw them again. Instead of taking revenge, he took them in and cared for them. Joseph knew everything that had happened was part of God's plan, and what his brothers intended for harm, God intended for good.Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”The story of Joseph teaches us that humility, patience, gentleness, and love are not just qualities to be saved up for those who deserve it; God asks us to approach others with love even if they have offended or caused us harm. Let's pray.Lord, sometimes the people in our lives are disappointing, frustrating, or downright hurtful. Help us to love those who fall short and need our forgiveness the most, and to bear with each other with patience, and with grace. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

As global supply chains undergo transformation and investment patterns shift, China has taken on a dual role in the world economy — as both a magnet for foreign enterprises and an increasingly influential outbound investor, said experts and executives.专家与企业高管表示，在全球供应链深度调整、投资格局加速演变的背景下，中国在世界经济中扮演着双重角色——既是吸引外资企业的“磁石”，也是影响力持续提升的对外投资主体。This signals not only continuity in the country's opening-up policy, but also a deeper transformation — that China is no longer just a participant in global growth, but is becoming a co-architect of it, they said.他们指出，这不仅体现中国对外开放政策的连续性，更标志着深层次转型：中国已不再是全球经济增长的单纯参与者，正逐步成为全球经济发展的共同构建者。What draws foreign companies today is not the promise of low costs, but the chance to innovate, to test ideas in a vast and demanding market, and to use China as a springboard into global competition.如今吸引外资企业的，不再是低成本优势，而是创新机遇、在庞大且高要求市场中验证理念的可能，以及以中国为跳板参与全球竞争的广阔空间。"China remains the top target market for enterprises expanding their global trade layout, with 44 percent of global enterprises selecting China as their first choice for expansion," said David Liao, co-chief executive for Asia and the Middle East at HSBC.汇丰银行亚洲及中东联席首席执行官廖宜建表示：“中国仍是企业拓展全球贸易布局的首要目标市场，44%的全球企业将中国选为海外扩张的首选地。”Citing survey data, he added that 40 percent of global firms are either already increasing or planning to increase their manufacturing footprint in China over the next two years. "These findings highlight that China remains a hot spot for international investment and occupies a central position in the global trade landscape."他援引调研数据补充道，未来两年，40%的全球企业已在增加或计划增加在华制造业布局。“这些数据充分说明，中国仍是国际投资的热点地区，在全球贸易格局中占据核心地位。”That reality is reflected in the way executives describe the market. Many call it a touchstone for development.企业高管对中国市场的评价，也印证了这一现实——许多人将中国视为发展的“试金石”。ABB CEO Morten Wierod said China is the cornerstone of ABB's business, with Xiamen, Fujian province becoming its largest global manufacturing base and innovation center.ABB集团首席执行官史毕福称，中国是ABB业务发展的基石，其中福建省厦门市已成为ABB全球最大的制造基地与创新中心。The same pattern plays out in life sciences and healthcare. Anita Wei, vice-president of External Affairs at Danaher China, said her company's "Double Innovation Engine" strategy is built on deep localization.在生命科学与医疗健康领域，这一趋势同样显著。丹纳赫中国政府事务副总裁韦春艳表示，丹纳赫的“双创新引擎”战略根植于深度本土化。"We aim to achieve 80 percent of sales revenue from localized production and 80 percent of raw material sourcing from the Chinese market," she explained. "This allows our research and development teams to respond directly to clinical needs in China and then promote those solutions globally."“我们目标实现80%的销售收入来自本土化生产，80%的原材料采购源自中国市场，”她解释道，“这让我们的研发团队能够直接响应中国临床需求，并将这些解决方案推向全球市场。”Wei emphasized that the company's commitment is also about long-term trust. "China's continuous opening-up and improving business environment give us the confidence to keep investing. We are committed to building long-term, trusted partnerships that address global challenges together."韦春艳强调，企业的投入也源于对中国市场的长期信任。“中国持续扩大开放、不断优化营商环境，给了我们持续投资的信心。我们致力于构建长期互信的合作伙伴关系，共同应对全球挑战。”Other foreign companies have adopted similar strategies.其他外资企业也采取了类似策略。Zhao Bingdi, president of Panasonic China, described the shift by saying that China is not only a manufacturing center for Panasonic, but also an innovation hub, and that the Japanese firm is transitioning from "in China, for China" to "in China, for global" with the aim of leveraging the competitive edge honed in China for Southeast Asia and beyond.松下电器（中国）总裁赵炳弟这样描述战略转变：中国对松下而言，不仅是制造中心，更是创新枢纽。这家日本企业正从“在中国，为中国”向“在中国，为全球”转型，旨在将在中国市场打磨的竞争优势延伸至东南亚及更广泛地区。These strategies have been underpinned by policy.这些战略的落地，离不开政策的有力支撑。China has steadily opened doors wider, reducing national and free trade zone negative lists for foreign investment to 29 and 27 items, respectively. Restrictions on manufacturing investment have been removed, while pilot programs in cloud computing, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals are underway. Procurement, IP protection, data flows and tax incentives are all being fine-tuned to create a more predictable business climate.中国持续扩大对外开放：全国和自由贸易试验区外资准入负面清单分别缩减至29项、27项；制造业领域外资限制全面取消；云计算、生物技术、外资独资医院等领域试点有序推进。与此同时，中国还在采购管理、知识产权保护、数据流动、税收优惠等方面不断优化，为市场营造更可预期的发展环境。If inbound investment illustrates how China strengthens multinationals, outbound investment shows how Chinese firms are reshaping international markets. In 2024, outward direct investment reached $192.2 billion, bringing cumulative stock above $3.14 trillion. For the 13th year in a row, China ranked among the world's top three investors, according to the 2024 statistical bulletin of outward foreign direct investment.如果说吸引外资体现了中国如何助力跨国企业发展壮大，那么对外投资则展现了中国企业如何重塑国际市场格局。《2024年中国对外直接投资统计公报》显示，2024年中国对外直接投资规模达1922亿美元，累计对外直接投资存量突破3.14万亿美元，连续13年位居全球对外投资前三行列。In total, by the end of 2024, 34,000 Chinese investors had established 52,000 overseas enterprises in 190 countries and regions, including 19,000 in Belt and Road Initiative partner countries.截至2024年底，中国3.4万家投资者在全球190个国家和地区设立了5.2万家境外企业，其中在“一带一路”合作伙伴国家设立企业1.9万家。Hungary illustrates China's new depth of global cooperation, particularly with countries participating in the BRI. From 2014 to 2024, Chinese enterprises invested close to $20 billion in Hungary, creating more than 30,000 local jobs in sectors such as automotive batteries and intelligent logistics. These projects have not only delivered advanced technologies, but also strengthened Hungary's position in Europe's industrial chain.匈牙利的案例，彰显了中国全球合作的新深度，尤其是与“一带一路”参与国的合作成果。2014年至2024年，中国企业在匈牙利投资近200亿美元，在汽车电池、智能物流等领域创造当地就业岗位超3万个。这些项目不仅带来了先进技术，更提升了匈牙利在欧洲产业链中的地位。In Egypt's TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, Chinese enterprises have built integrated clusters centered on high-end manufacturing and logistics — a "localized production+global sales" model that has spurred industrial upgrading and job creation, earning praise from the Egyptian government.在埃及泰达苏伊士经贸合作区，中国企业打造了以高端制造、物流为核心的产业综合体，形成“本土化生产+全球化销售”模式。这一模式推动当地产业升级、创造大量就业，得到埃及政府高度认可。The energy sector tells a similar story.能源领域亦呈现相似态势Wang Pengcheng, president of Hithium Energy Storage Technology Co, said, "The global energy storage market is experiencing rapid growth, and Hithium Energy is building a global full-chain capability from materials and product systems to system integration and full-station services, providing customized integrated solutions for global customers." The company's shipments have grown at a compound annual rate of 167 percent over the past three years, with demand rising fast in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.海辰储能科技股份有限公司总裁王鹏程表示：“全球储能市场正迎来快速增长，海辰储能正构建从材料、产品系统到系统集成、全站服务的全球全链条能力，为全球客户提供定制化综合解决方案。”过去三年，该公司出货量复合年增长率达167%，在美国、欧洲、中东等地区的市场需求增长迅猛。Smooth two-way capital flows depend on a robust financial system that can provide not only funding, but also risk protection and efficiency for cross-border activities.双向资本的顺畅流动，离不开健全的金融体系支撑——它不仅能提供资金支持，更能为跨境经贸活动提供风险保障与效率提升服务。"Outbound investment always involves the movement of capital across borders, and financial institutions are now participating in more diverse ways," said Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.中国国际贸易促进委员会国际贸易经济合作研究院高级研究员周密指出：“对外投资必然涉及跨境资本流动，当前金融机构的参与方式正日趋多元。”Zhou outlined three avenues of support. "First, banks can provide direct financing — loans that help enterprises participate in overseas projects or place large orders. Second, risk-protection products such as investment insurance reduce uncertainty for firms abroad. Last, trade-related financing tools, like buyer's credit, can lower the costs of running international operations."周密进一步阐述了金融支持的三大路径：“首先，银行可提供直接融资支持，通过贷款助力企业参与海外项目或承接大额订单；其次，投资保险等风险保障产品能降低企业海外经营的不确定性；最后，买方信贷等贸易融资工具可减少企业开展国际业务的成本。”Zhou believes that services will only grow more localized and innovative. "Many Chinese and international banks are expanding their global presence, which allows them to provide on-the-ground services. At the same time, new tools — such as stablecoins and faster cross-border payment systems — are emerging to make capital flows more efficient," he said. "Of course, cross-market risks remain, and the key will be ensuring that financial capital and real-economy capital complement each other to drive innovation. That balance requires constant adjustments."在周密看来，金融服务的本土化与创新化水平将持续提升。“众多中资银行与国际银行正加速拓展全球布局，以便提供在地化服务。与此同时，稳定币、高效跨境支付系统等新型工具不断涌现，推动资本流动效率提升，”他表示，“当然，跨市场风险依然存在，关键在于确保金融资本与实体经济资本相互补充、共同驱动创新。这一平衡需要持续调整优化。”The trend was clear at this year's China International Fair for Investment and Trade last month, where banks introduced instant transaction platforms and insurers offered tailored risk products for projects in politically complex regions.上月举办的本届中国国际投资贸易洽谈会（简称“投洽会”）上，这一趋势体现得尤为明显：银行机构推出即时交易平台，保险机构则针对政治环境复杂地区的项目定制专属风险保障产品。Liao of HSBC added that the Panda Bond market has become a vital channel for foreign companies raising capital in China. "Since 2005, the Panda Bond market had recorded an accumulated issuance size of over 1 trillion yuan ($140 billion) as of July. The ready availability of domestic fundraising tools reduces financing costs and accelerates the expansion of the footprint of multinational companies in China," Liao said. "It also helps optimize their asset-liability structures and improve overall capital allocation efficiency."汇丰银行的廖宜建补充道，熊猫债市场已成为外资企业在华融资的重要渠道。“自2005年以来，截至今年7月，熊猫债市场累计发行规模已突破1万亿元人民币（约合1400亿美元）。便捷的在华融资工具不仅降低了融资成本，还助力跨国企业加速拓展在华业务布局，”廖宜建说，“这同时有助于企业优化资产负债结构，提升整体资金配置效率。”Finance is the bloodstream of two-way investment, but innovation is the heartbeat. Both inbound and outbound flows increasingly target high-tech fields, from artificial intelligence and robotics to green energy. That matches China's strategy of high-quality growth and the world's demand for greener, smarter solutions.金融是双向投资的“血脉”，而创新则是其“心跳”。无论是外资流入还是对外投资，均日益向人工智能、机器人、绿色能源等高科技领域集聚。这既契合中国高质量发展战略，也顺应了全球对更绿色、更智能解决方案的需求。That perspective is increasingly shared by foreign executives, who point to China's blend of policy support, market demand and industrial supply chains as a foundation for technological progress.越来越多外资企业高管认同这一观点，他们认为中国的政策支持、市场需求与产业供应链形成合力，为技术创新奠定了坚实基础。Events such as CIFIT showcase two-way investment results. More than 1,100 cooperation projects, with a combined value of 644 billion yuan, were signed at the fair this year.中国国际投资贸易洽谈会等平台，正是双向投资成果的重要展示窗口。本届投洽会共签约1100多个合作项目，总金额达6440亿元人民币。While China's dual role in global capital flows has already delivered results, challenges remain. Geopolitical frictions, divergent regulatory system, and rising protectionism all weigh on the investment outlook.尽管中国在全球资本流动中扮演的双重角色已成效初显，但挑战依然存在。地缘政治摩擦、监管体系差异、保护主义抬头等因素，均对投资前景构成压力。Even so, with its vast market, comprehensive supply chains, and growing financial and innovation ecosystems, China is well placed to deepen two-way cooperation.即便如此，凭借庞大的市场规模、完备的供应链体系，以及不断完善的金融与创新生态，中国具备深化双向合作的坚实基础，未来可期。cumulative/ˈkjuːmjələtɪv/adj.累积的；累计的honed/həʊnd/adj.经过磨练的；打磨robust/rəʊˈbʌst/adj.强健的；健全的；稳固的divergent/daɪˈvɜːdʒənt/adj.不同的；有分歧的；相异的

As part of the first stage of the Gaza peace agreement, all 20 surviving hostages held by Hamas have been released. The release of 2,000 Palestinians previously imprisoned in Israel has also begun. In Egypt, world leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey gathered for a summit to discuss an end to the conflict and future peace efforts, signing a ceasefire agreement for Gaza. Meanwhile, a new report released during National Carers Week has found that the wellbeing of carers has declined over the past 12 months. - ガザ地区の和平合意の第一段階として、ハマスに拘束されていた人質、生存者20人全員が解放されました。イスラエルに収監されていたパレスチナ人2000人の解放も始まりました。エジプトでは、戦闘終結と今後の和平を協議する、首脳会議が開催され、アメリカ、並びに仲介役を務めたエジプト、カタール、トルコの首脳らがガザ停戦に関する文書に署名しました。今週、ナショナルケアラーズウィークに合わせ、発表された新な報告書によると、介護に携わる人々のウェルビーイングが、過去12か月で低下していることがわかりました。

A federal judge issues a late night order to stop President Trump's latest attempt to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, warning the administration against efforts to get around court orders and the rule of law. In Egypt, Hamas and Israeli officials begin high-stakes talks that could end the war in Gaza and free dozens of hostages. And as the Supreme Court opens a new term, justices will take on major cases testing presidential power, birthright citizenship, and voting rights.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Alina Hartounian, Kate Bartlett, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher ThomasWe get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Communities in Chicago and Portland spent the weekend adjusting to President Donald Trump's decision to send in the National Guard — but some of his moves are hanging in legal limbo. In Egypt, representatives from Hamas, Israel and the U.S. are set to hold talks on a Middle East ceasefire. Back in D.C., signs of a shutdown resolution are nowhere to be found as it stretches to six days. Playbook's Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns unpack it all.

Zambia's former Foreign Minister Joseph Malanji has been sentenced to four years in prison with hard labour after being convicted, along with a co-accused of corruption. President Hakainde Hichilema promised to root out corruption when he swept to power four years ago, is he now delivering on that pledge?In Egypt, dozens of teenage TikTok influencers have been arrested in recent weeks on charges such as violating family values, indecency and money laundering. We hear more on why authorities are getting tough with digital content creators.And the Congolese word Liboke is a new entry in a French dictionary, but why has the given definition sparked a debate in the DRC?Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya in London. Ayuba Iliya was in Lagos Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Technical Producer: Craig Kingham Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Zambia's former Foreign Minister Joseph Malanji has been sentenced to four years in prison with hard labour after being convicted, along with a co-accused of corruption. President Hakainde Hichilema promised to root out corruption when he swept to power four years ago, is he now delivering on that pledge?In Egypt, dozens of teenage TikTok influencers have been arrested in recent weeks on charges such as violating family values, indecency and money laundering. We hear more on why authorities are getting tough with digital content creators.And the Congolese word Liboke is a new entry in a French dictionary, but why has the given definition upset people in the DRC?Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya in London. Ayuba Iliya was in Lagos Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Technical Producer: Craig Kingham Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

My life-changing annual event, The Summit of Greatness, is happening September 12 & 13, 2025. Get your ticket today!When Dr. Baland Jalal experienced his first episode of sleep paralysis as a teenager in Copenhagen, he felt a demonic presence choking him in his bed - an experience so terrifying and real that it launched him into a 20-year quest to understand the brain. What he discovered will blow your mind: the cultural stories we tell ourselves about these experiences literally reshape how our brains process them. In Egypt, where people believe sleep paralysis is caused by evil genies, sufferers experience episodes three times more frequently than in Denmark, where it's viewed as just brain stress. This isn't just about sleep - it's about how the meaning we assign to our experiences becomes our reality. You'll walk away understanding how your brain creates your sense of self and how you can rewire it for greatness.Dr. Jalal's online Peterson Academy courses:Intro to NeuroscienceThe Neuroscience of DreamsIn this episode you will:Discover the four-step meditation technique that reduces sleep paralysis episodes by 50% and why relaxation beats resistance every timeTransform your understanding of how cultural beliefs literally rewire your brain's response to fear and create your lived experienceBreak through limiting self-images by understanding how your brain hates incongruencies and fills gaps with stories - and how to make those stories empoweringUnlock neuroplasticity secrets that keep your brain growing until you die, including why new experiences are brain fertilizerMaster the difference between spiritual truth and scientific truth, and why both can coexist in creating a meaningful lifeFor more information go to https://lewishowes.com/1815For more Greatness text PODCAST to +1 (614) 350-3960More SOG episodes we think you'll love:Dr. Rahul Jandial – greatness.lnk.to/1603SCDr. Rhonda Patrick  – greatness.lnk.to/1707SCEckhart Tolle – greatness.lnk.to/1463SC Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy!Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

In January 2024, a Coptic Christian woman waskidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam in Egypt. Irene Ibrahim Shehata, a 21-year-old medical student at Asyut National University disappeared between her mid-term exams. Her frantic family sought help from the police, but none was provided. Why? What was going on?Sadly, Irene's case is neither isolated nor rare. In Egypt, and other countries, Christian women are “disappeared,”kidnapped by Muslims, forcibly converted, married off and enslaved. How does this happen in the 21st century? Who is driving this trafficking of Christian women? What can be done to combat this evil?“Lindsay,” an associate with Coptic Solidarity, joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to shed light on this evil pattern playing out. She answers these questions and more as she brings this issue to light; an issue many would rather leave concealed in darkness.As you learn about the plight of these Christian women and girls, please pray for them. Pray for their families. Prayfor their release and return. And pray for their abductors, that in their hearts they may be convicted of their actions, repent and come to faith in Christ.  If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights.To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.Jihad of the Womb: Trafficking of Coptic Women and Girls in Egypt (Report)Coptic Solidarity (Website)Christian Emergency Alliance (Website)Christian Emergency Alliance (Twitter / X):@ChristianEmerg1Christian Emergency Alliance (Facebook):@ChristianEmergencyChristian Emergency Alliance (Instagram)The Christian Emergency Podcast is a production of the Christian Emergency Alliance.Soli Deo Gloria

If you're still waiting for someone to save democracy, Mona Eltahawy has news for you: you are the one you've been waiting for. A fearless Egyptian-American journalist and author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls and her latest book Bloody Hell!: Adventures in Menopause From Around the World, Eltahawy is no stranger to authoritarianism. While covering Arab Spring protests in Cairo, she was seized by Egyptian security forces and sexually assaulted and beaten, her arm and hand broken. Now, she warns, America is slipping toward the same strongman rule in Egypt. And too many are sleepwalking through it. Eltahawy's prescription is feminism that terrifies, carried out by both women and men. Because anyone can be a feminist. This is feminism as revolution. As she puts it, “There is no revolution without rage, and there is no revolution without risk.” Her work urges women to embrace power, ambition, anger, and militant self-defense, not to provoke, but to defend. And for their allies to support them. Learn to protect yourself. Teach your daughters common-sense self-defense and how to take up space. Her hope is that more of us, especially white women in the U.S., will stop cosplaying resistance and start embodying it. “The Handmaid's Tale is not a documentary,” she says. “Get out of the TV and into the streets.” EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: August 25 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a powerful discussion on The Lives of Others and I'm Still Here, two films that explore how art and love endure and resist in the face of dictatorship. Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.  Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.  Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.  Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.  Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community Show Notes:  Journalist On Being Sexual 'Prey' In Egypt https://www.npr.org/2011/11/29/142895349/journalist-on-being-sexual-prey-in-egypt   Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

In Egypt, a ragtag group of young activists uses social media to spark a revolution and remove a dictator from power. They credit Facebook with the fall of the regime… until the platform is turned against them.

"Our Failures and God's Faithfulness"Genesis 12:10-13:4The Book of Genesis Series - In The Beginning, GodPastor Nate ClarkeMay 4, 2025NEW KIDS SPACE NOW OPEN!We have expanded with 3x more space for the babies, kids, and youth in your family. https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/reel/C8FqHIipr3u/Learn about this year's Kingdom Builder's project: https://www.oasischurch.online/kingdom-buildersHow should Christians think about voting and politics? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak82aD16r04OUR NEW VISION STATEMENT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0WFhtL7h3ISERMON NOTES:- Genesis 12:10 - 13:4- Our failures and God's faithfulness- Test will often follow triumphs - Don't think “how can I get out of this?” But rather, “how can I get through this with God?”- James 1:2-4- Egypt: the world. Spiritual bondage. Wrong alliance with God. Trusting Human Resources rather than God.- Abram's trials before going to Egypt:    - His wife was barren (He was unsure of God's promises)    - Destination unknown (He felt directionless / not in control of his future)    - He was isolated (He left his people)    - He had loss (His father had passed)    - Canaanites were in the land / He found no home    - Famine in the land (Life was a daily struggle)- Signs that you've spiritually wandered down to Egypt:    - You've got from trusting God to scheming with man.- Proverbs 3:5-6    - You've gone from confidence in God to fear of man.- Proverbs 29:25- Galatians 1:10- 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV    - You've gone from serving others to being consumed with yourself- Genesis 12:11-13    - You've gone from bringing blessing to bringing judgement- Genesis 12:17- In Egypt, even the things you gain will cause you trouble- Even when our faith is weak, our God is strong- 2 Timothy 2:13- Genesis 12:8- Genesis 13:3-4- Don't abandon your alter- If you find yourself in a spiritual Egypt, go back to the place of worship that you were before - Revelation 2:4-5 Oasis Church exists to Worship God, Equip the believers, and Reach the lost.We are led by Pastor Nate Clarke and are located in Richmond, VA.Stay Connected:Website: https://oasischurch.online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OasisChurchRVA/

The Blue Origin New Shepherd flight, with an all-female crew, launched on April 14, 2025. From launch to return, conspiracies exploded all over the Internet with claims that the rocket was fake, the return capsule was fake, it was all staged, space isn't real, and so on. Author and model Emily Ratajkowski made it political, saying: "It just speaks to the fact that we are absolutely living in an oligarchy where there is a small group of people who are interested in going to space for the sake of getting a new lease on life while the rest of the population, most people on planet Earth, are worried about paying rent or having dinner for their kids.” And she is correct in a way, additionallu since Kalpana Chawla and Sally Ride seem to be ignored as pioneers of women in space. Rather than discussing such things, perhaps we should look at the significance of the names, dates, and symbols involved instead.Preparations for the flight were lengthy, but pre-flight would have begun on Palm Sunday, with the actual launch and return occurring on Holy Monday. As with the return of spring and resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday, both relating to death, life, and rebirth, so too does the Blue Origin capsule and mission exemplify these characteristics - from the all female crew to the messages of unity and peace displayed from start to finish, and finally to the nature of the rocket itself, which resembles an erect penis with exaggerated head. This penis projectile penetrated the blue above with its white sperm-head load being returned to the ground below at the onset of spring. The capsule carrying the women was named New Shepherd, a moniker of Jesus Christ (“I am the good shepherd” - John 10:11) and various other deities such as Orpheus and Hermes-Mercury (guide of souls known as Good Shepherd), who held sacred The Path. These shepherds or civilizers included Quetzalcoatl, and Osiris, or the green god of Egypt. It was Osiris who presided over the Hall of Judgement in the underworld, a place where the deceased's heart was weighted against the feather (often blue) of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice. If the heart weighed more, being heavy with desire, it was consumed by the beast Ammit, but if the feather, or soul, weighed more, then it was set free with eternal life and granted passaged to the Field of Reeds. Although such Egyptian reeds to do not grow in Texas, similar plants and reeds do, which is a critical detail because this is where the spent white (sperm) capsule returned to earth. The logo of Blue Origin is also a blue feather, which shares something in common with the former Twitter-X logo and the alternative Blue Sky butterfly logo. One of the most famous people inside the capsule was Katy Perry, who had the nickname of “feather” since childhood, something not overlooked as she wore the blue feather on her suit during the mission. As seen in her Dark Horse video and in a 2019 social media post, Perry often references Egyptian mythology, and particularly that the heart should be lighter than a feather. Symbol dictionaries will tell us that a bird represents thought, imagination, synthesis, and sublimation. In Egypt, the bird was BA - the soul. A blue bird in particular is a representation of pure ideas. Blue butterflies represent transformation and new life, i.e., spring. In Greek mythology, the butterfly famously refers to the soul or mind, hence its name psyche.Perry is also on the New Shepherd video holding both a blue butterfly in one shot and a white daisy in another shot. These flowers represent much the same thing butterflies and birds symbolize, though they have a direct connection to the Norse goddess Freya, for whom Friday (Good Friday) is named. Furthermore, in Christian symbolism, a white daisy is the flower of the Virgin Mary, which historically has been a title and a surname of magdal-elder, meaning Watchtower of the Flock, the same flock the shepherd watches over. The Irish goddess Brigid (also Brighid) presided over the festival of Imbolc, an early spring holy day celebrating the end of winter. Known as the Exalted One, she was a goddess of healing, fertility, and birth. From The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology, authors Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm confirm this: “Brigid, sometimes known as Brigit, was a goddess of healing and fertility who was believed to assist women in labour.” Spring is, of course, when the earth is reborn. Some have pointed out that the NS-31 logo can be inverted to show not a spaceship but a goat head, which is perhaps one of the most misunderstood symbols in the western world. The goat is Capricorn, Pan, Cernunnos, and various other characters with horns and features that remind many of the Devil, largely due to the usage of goats for the relieving of sin - scapegoats (Leviticus 16:8-10). It is from the goat horns that we get the term “horny,” yet another reference to sexuality and reproduction.  It is therefore no surprise that Jack Parsons, the infamous rocket engineer, invoked the name of the Greek god Pan before most rocket tests. Pan is a fertility god, and his invocation provides fertility for the test, the sexual imagery of the rocket itself, and so on. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.-FREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVEX / TWITTER FACEBOOKYOUTUBEMAIN WEBSITECashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

Genesis 37-45 narrates the dramatic and transformative journey of Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons. The story begins with Joseph, favored by his father and gifted a coat of many colors, which sparks jealousy among his brothers. Their envy intensifies when Joseph shares dreams that suggest he will one day rule over them. This leads to a shocking betrayal: his brothers sell him into slavery in Egypt and deceive their father into believing Joseph is dead.In Egypt, Joseph faces significant trials but rises to prominence due to his ability to interpret dreams. He becomes Pharaoh's trusted advisor, predicting seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Joseph's wisdom saves Egypt from disaster and earns him great respect.During the famine, Joseph's brothers travel to Egypt seeking food, unaware that the powerful official they encounter is their long-lost brother. Joseph tests their character and ultimately reveals his identity, leading to a poignant reunion. He forgives them, recognising that their actions were part of a divine plan to preserve their family.The narrative concludes with Joseph inviting his family to live in Egypt, ensuring their survival during the famine. Themes of forgiveness, providence, and reconciliation are woven throughout this compelling story.

Genesis 37-45 narrates the dramatic and transformative journey of Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons. The story begins with Joseph, favored by his father and gifted a coat of many colors, which sparks jealousy among his brothers. Their envy intensifies when Joseph shares dreams that suggest he will one day rule over them. This leads to a shocking betrayal: his brothers sell him into slavery in Egypt and deceive their father into believing Joseph is dead. In Egypt, Joseph faces significant trials but rises to prominence due to his ability to interpret dreams. He becomes Pharaoh's trusted advisor, predicting seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Joseph's wisdom saves Egypt from disaster and earns him great respect. During the famine, Joseph's brothers travel to Egypt seeking food, unaware that the powerful official they encounter is their long-lost brother. Joseph tests their character and ultimately reveals his identity, leading to a poignant reunion. He forgives them, recognising that their actions were part of a divine plan to preserve their family. The narrative concludes with Joseph inviting his family to live in Egypt, ensuring their survival during the famine. Themes of forgiveness, providence, and reconciliation are woven throughout this compelling story.

So 2024 was packed with wild archaeological discoveries that totally shook up what we thought we knew. One of the coolest? The "Blinkerwall" — an underwater structure in the Baltic Sea that's over 10,000 years old and might've been a reindeer trap built by ancient hunter-gatherers. Researchers also found an ancient Chinese city that was way more advanced than expected, complete with surprisingly modern-looking infrastructure. In Egypt, new tombs revealed some unusual burial practices and artifacts we've never seen before. And in South America, a strange network of stone lines turned out to be part of an ancient communication system. It's been a year of serious "wait, what?!" moments in archaeology. Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Dodecahedron Aventicum: By Woudloper, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index... Pentdod gruen neu anim: By Lokilech, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index... Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightside   Instagram:   / brightside.official   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fleeing the tyrannical dictatorship of Egypt, the Israelites voluntarily enter into a covenant with God to create a new nation, different from everything the world had ever known. In Egypt, like in many nations, power was concentrated into the hands of the few while the many were enslaved. But God calls us to embody a wholly different world, shaped by philosophical, political, theological and legal guidelines that create a just, good, and merciful society. The covenant at Sinai shaped ancient Israel and everyone who passed through on the way. The Sinai covenant shaped Jesus and brought him into conflict with the tyrannical powers of his day. Sinai is the birthplace of the politics of freedom. Freedom from tyranny and freedom for a worldwide good.

“40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years-on that very same day-it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the Land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:40-41the great escape of Exodus was not a random event, but a prophetic declarative promise for our own salvation “12 But the more they (Egyptians) afflicted them, the more they (Israelites) multiplied and grew”. Exodus 1:12Moses was born in a time when the powers at be (Pharaoh) tried to extinguish God's promised people by killing every male infant (Exodus 1:15) Like Moses, Jesus was born in a time when the powers at be (King Herod) tried to extinguish the promised messiah by killing every male infant (Matthew 2:13-16)“11Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” Exodus 2:11-12“24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-even death on a cross!” Phil 2:6-8“Moses tried to do the Lord's work in man's wisdom and power and it didn't work”- David Guzik“23Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.” Acts 7:23-25“In Egypt, Moses learned to be somebody; In Midian, Moses learned to be nobody”- David Guzik.“23Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God acknowledged them.” Exodus 2:23-25“6Moreover He said, ‘I am the God of your father-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.'” Exodus 3:6-10“1Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.' 2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them….6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.'” Exodus 6:1-2,6-7“Outstretched arms” means God's sovereign involvement to bring a complete deliverance and redemption“The plagues God brought against Egypt has a definite strategy and purpose. Each of them confronts and attacks a prized Egyptian deity. Not only did they bring punishment against Egypt, the plagues also answered Pharaoh's original question: Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? God used this series of plagues to glorify Himself (especially above the gods, of the Egyptians) and to give Pharaoh a chance to repent.”- David Guzik“An inscription by a Pharaoh on an ancient Egyptian temple gives the idea: ‘I am that which was, and is, and shall be, and no man has lifted my veil'. Pharaoh believed himself to be more than a man he considered himself a god, and the Egyptians agreed.”- David Guzik“ ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega', says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.'” Rev 1:8PLAGUES vs EGYPTAIN GODS1)Water turned to blood - Hapi (God of Nile)2)Frogs from the Nile - Heket (goddess of fertility; head of frog)3)Lice from dust of earth - Geb (god over dust of the earth)4)Swarms of flies - Khepri (god of creation; head of fly)5)Death of cattle and livestock - Hathor (goddess of love; head of cow)6)Ashes turned to boils and sores - Isis (goddess of medicine and peace)7)Hail rained down in form of fire - Nut (goddess of the sky)8)Locusts sent from the sky - Seth (god of storms and disorder)9)3 days of complete/felt darkness - Ra (the sun god)10)death of the firstborn - Pharaoh (ultimate power of Egypt)“Pharaoh is grieved at the consequences of sin, but not sin itself”- David GuzikIn this Passover, “The blood of the lamb was essential to what God required. If an Israelite home didn't believe in the power of the blood of the lamb, they could sacrifice the lamb and eat it, but they would still be visited by judgement. If an Egyptian home did believe in the power of the blood of the lamb, and made a proper Passover sacrifice, they would be spared the judgement. An intellectual agreement with what God said about the blood was not enough; they actually had to do what God said must be done with the blood.” -David Guzik“God was manifest in the flesh…” 1 Tim 3:16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16“40...

Bible history; Hebrew source; Creative translating; Double letters in Hebrew; Strong's concordance; Hebrew letters have meaning; Overcoming confusion; Servants in the household; Arts of the Temple; Shepherds in Goshen; Storing grain; In Egypt, and in USA; Joseph's foresight; Gen 47:1; "Father" = "ab"; "Occupation?"; "Servant" ayin-biet-dalet+(yod+kof); Herdsmen; Learning lessons - to be Israel; The "Way" of Christ; "Sojourn" vs "Dwell" = "yod-shen-biet"; Pharaoh hiring Israel; "Ruler" = "shin-resh"; Long lifespans; Ruben's realization; Hearing the cries of your brothers; Listening with Holy Spirit; Social safety net?; "Temples"; Central treasuries?; Operating by faith, hope and charity; "Money" failed; "Dollar"; Barter?; Portable wealth; History of money; Commodity money; Lev 19:36; Just weights and measures; "Minting"; Stanley vs White; Debts; Natural Law; Promises to pay?; Cattle for bread?; "(vav+tav)+tav-mem"; Trading your body; Bodies and land as servants for Pharaoh; Cities?; Abraham's land?; Cemeteries; Precious metals; Clay money?; Temple of Juno Moneta; Civil law; "Pacta Servanda Sunt" [sic]; Pharaoh's accumulation of wealth; v24 - 20% tax on labor; Joseph's deal; Pharaoh's grain; Golden calves; Altars; Bondage of Egypt; Daily bread; "Leaven"; Metaphor; Jacob's age; Death of Israel?; Symbology; Joseph's understanding; Gen 13:2; Household inclusions; Dept of Agriculture; Gen 24:35; Gen 23:16; Present value; Ezra 8:25; Ex 20:23 "gods"; Prov 1:14 One purse; Ex 23:3 Golden calf; Prov 3:9 first fruits; Forced offerings; Welfare snares; Legal Charity; Continuous servants; Peace.

Luke 12:11 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of peoplehad gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say toHis disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,which is hypocrisy. Today, before we begin looking into Luke 12, I want to giveyou a special invitation to join me and my son, Jonathan Grooms, the presidentof Global Partners in Peace and Development, for an unforgettable journeythrough Jordan & Egypt on a special tour we have planned for this fall, October14-25, 2025!  We will experience seeingand walking through the lands where Jacob wrestled with God, where Moses ledhis people out of Egypt and through the wilderness, where Mary, Joseph andJesus sought refuge.  Imagine exploring the ancient Pyramids, wandering throughthe lost city of Petra, riding through the stunning Wadi Rum desert, and beingbaptized in the Jordan River—all while walking in the footsteps of biblicalhistory!  Our tour highlights will include: In Jordan we will visit: Jerash, Amman Citadel, RomanAmphitheatre, view the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mt. Nebo, Tank and Automobile Museum,Jesus' Baptist Site, float in the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum Desert Tour, andrelax or swim at the Red Sea.In Egypt we will visit the Pyramids, Sphinx, Grand EgyptianMuseum, Nile River Cruise, old Cairo, Coptic Churches, Memphis, and much more! Beyond the incredible sights, you'll have the chance tomeet Iraqi and Syrian refugees, hear their stories, and encourage the dedicatedpeople serving them with love and hope.  This trip is about more than just seeing the world—it'sabout making a difference, deepening your faith, and experiencing God's work inpowerful ways. Are you ready to be a part of this life-changing journey? You can find all the details and sign-up at: www.gpartners.org/tour Now back to Luke! You might have noticed that we didn'tfinish the last two verses of Luke 11. After Jesus' scathing rebuke and condemnationupon the Pharisees and the Lawyers, it appears instead of repenting and seekingHis mercy, they were overcome with rage and anger. Hypocrites do not want theirsins exposed; it hurts their reputation. They deliberately began to attack Himwith "catch questions" in hopes they could trap Him in some heresyand then arrest Him. What a disgraceful way to treat the Son of God. Verse 53 says: “The Lawyers and the Pharisees began toassail Him vehemently”. I can only imagine that they are shouting andyelling at Him very loudly! There was already a crowd outside and maybe Jesusis trying to leave the house with His disciples, but the commotion is so loudthat the crowd grows larger so that, according to Luke 12:1, they are tramplingupon one another.  We are not sure where Jesus was at this time but according toLuke 9:51, He had set His face to go to Jerusalem and it appears that He wassomewhere in the region of Samaria that was between Galilee and the city ofJerusalem. Remember also at this time, Jesus has been ministering and healingpeople for over three years. Hundreds and most likely thousands of blind peoplehave received their sight, the lame and sick have been healed, and hungry peoplehave been miraculously fed! The crowds want to see more miracles and they arecurious with all the commotion going on. Yet with all this happening, Jesus turns His attention toHis disciples and warns them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, whichis hypocrisy”. Not only can the religious leaders have a problem with hypocrisy,but the close followers of Jesus can face the same temptation. If we are not careful,we can become “pretenders” trying to get people to think better of us than wereally are.  May the Lord help us today to heed His warning of hypocrisyin our own lives. God bless!

Fines of Favoritism - Incorporating DisenfranchisementWebsite: http://www.battle4freedom.com/Network: https://www.mojo50.comStreaming: https://www.rumble.com/Battle4Freedomhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%202%3A8-9&version=CJBJames 2:8-9If you truly attain the goal of Kingdom Torah, in conformity with the passage that says, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show favoritism, your actions constitute sin, since you are convicted under the Torah as transgressors.Genesis 37:1 Ya`akov continued living in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner, the land of Kena`an.Genesis 37:2 Here is the history of Ya`akov. When Yosef was seventeen years old he used to pasture the flock with his brothers, even though he was still a boy. Once when he was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father`s wives, he brought a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Isra`el loved Yosef the most of all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long-sleeved robe. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they began to hate him and reached the point where they couldn`t even talk with him in a civil manner.Genesis 37:5 Yosef had a dream which he told his brothers, and that made them hate him all the more. 6 He said to them, "Listen while I tell you about this dream of mine. 7 We were tying up bundles of wheat in the field when suddenly my bundle got up by itself and stood upright; then your bundles came, gathered around mine and prostrated themselves before it." 8 His brothers retorted, "Yes, you will certainly be our king. You`ll do a great job of bossing us around!" And they hated him still more for his dreams and for what he said.Genesis 37:9 He had another dream which he told his brothers: "Here, I had another dream, and there were the sun, the moon and eleven stars prostrating themselves before me." 10 He told his father too, as well as his brothers, but his father rebuked him: "What is this dream you have had? Do you really expect me, your mother and your brothers to come and prostrate ourselves before you on the ground?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.Genesis 37:12 After this, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father`s sheep in Sh`khem, 13 Isra`el asked Yosef, "Aren`t your brothers pasturing the sheep in Sh`khem? Come, I will send you to them." He answered, "Here I am." 14 He said to him, "Go now, see whether things are going well with your brothers and with the sheep, and bring word back to me." So he sent him away from the Hevron Valley, and he went to Sh`khem, 15 where a man found him wandering around in the countryside. The man asked him, "What are you looking for?" 16 "I`m looking for my brothers," he answered. "Tell me, please, where are they pasturing the sheep?" 17 The man said, "They`ve left here; because I heard them say, `Let`s go to Dotan.`" Yosef went after his brothers and found them in Dotan.Genesis 37:18 They spotted him in the distance, and before he had arrived where they were, they had already plotted to kill him. 19 They said to each other, "Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 So come now, let`s kill him and throw him into one of these water cisterns here. Then we`ll say some wild animal devoured him. We`ll see then what becomes of his dreams!" 21 But when Re`uven heard this, he saved him from being destroyed by them. He said, "We shouldn`t take his life. 22 Don`t shed blood," Re`uven added. "Throw him into this cistern here in the wilds, but don`t lay hands on him yourselves." He intended to rescue him from them later and restore him to his father.Genesis 37:23 So it was that when Yosef arrived to be with his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the long-sleeved robe he was wearing, 24 and took him and threw him into the cistern (the cistern was empty; without any water in it). 25 Then they sat down to eat their meal; but as they looked up, they saw in front of them a caravan of Yishma`elim coming from Gil`ad, their camels loaded with aromatic gum, healing resin and opium, on their way down to Egypt. 26 Y`hudah said to his brothers, "What advantage is it to us if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let`s sell him to the Yishma`elim, instead of putting him to death with our own hands. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers paid attention to him. 28 So when the Midyanim, merchants, passed by, they drew and lifted Yosef up out of the cistern and sold him for half a pound of silver shekels to the Yishma`elim, who took Yosef on to Egypt.Genesis 37:29 Re`uven returned to the cistern, and, upon seeing that Yosef wasn`t in it, tore his clothes in mourning. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy isn`t there! Where can I go now?"Genesis 37:31 They took Yosef`s robe, killed a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 Then they sent the long-sleeved robe and brought it to their father, saying, "We found this. Do you know if it`s your son`s robe or not?" 33 He recognized it and cried, "It`s my son`s robe! Some wild animal has torn Yosef in pieces and eaten him!" 34 Ya`akov tore his clothes and, putting sackcloth around his waist, mourned his son for many days. 35 Though all his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, he refused all consolation, saying, "No, I will go down to the grave, to my son, mourning." And his father wept for him.Genesis 37:36 In Egypt the Midyanim sold Yosef to Potifar, one of Pharaoh`s officials, a captain of the guard.Credits:https://unsplash.com/@sharonmccutcheon - moneyhttps://www.pexels.com/@gerhard-14620241/ - lightning storm

This week for our Conflicted Community members, we have an interview with the Egyptian political activist Dalia Ziada, whose incredible personal story crosses so many of the major events in the modern middle east, from the Arab Spring, to October 7th. Dalia is an award-winning Egyptian writer and political analyst whose work focuses on governance, geopolitics, and defense policy. In Egypt, she co-founded the Liberal Democracy Institute in 2015, she is the Executive Director of the Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies and also serves as a board member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Egypt's National Council for Women. She's a frequent media commentator, advocating for women's rights and against female genital mutilation in the Muslim World, and she is the author of multiple books, including “The Curious Case of the Three-Legged Wolf - Egypt: Military, Islamism, and Liberal Democracy”, on the Arab Spring and its fallout in Egypt. In a wide ranging conversation, Thomas and Dalia discuss her story of liberal activism in Egypt, teaching herself out of antisemitism, the Arab Spring, October 7th, and more… To listen to the full episode, you'll need to subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don't forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent study from Harvard and Montana Tech University has proposed that crypto-terrestrials may author much of the UFO phenomenon. These entities are unidentified inhabitants of earth, living in the ocean, deep underground, or in mountains and volcanoes. Be them more human-like, non-human primates, or reptiles, the mythos of such creatures pre-dates civilization. The fringes of science today are becoming more open to what otherwise would be considered delusional ufology or complete fiction. What the scientists, ‘believers', and even ‘skeptics' tend to overlook, however, is the immense archetypical pantheon comprising the whole of the UFO phenomenon, particularly as it relates to the serpent deity as the eternal predator. The recent former study was announced just a few days after archeologists discovered on the Colombia-Venezuela border a massive collection of art depicting giant serpents, giant centipedes, larger-than-life-animals, and ten meter-tall (32 feet) human-like figures. Found alongside were geometric engravings, grids, and dots, lending credibility to the idea that plant medicine allowed humans access to entirely new visual realms. Mainline academia has known, as these archeologists believe, that large serpents are not just random, they are part of a tradition that spans the world. China has the White Snake demon who lives under water, and the Lung Dragons; the Hopi have a famous snake dance to encourage rainfall; in India there is the seven-headed Naga, not unlike the Biblical Revelation Beast with seven heads; the Mesoamerican cultures have Quetzalcoatl; in Greek myth are Medusa and the Gorgons, and the Hydra, and Apollo defeats a serpent called Python living in the earth; in Norse myth is Jormungand; Japan has the Yamato no Orochi; Russia has the fire serpent; Korea has Eopsin; Mesopotamia has Ningishzida and Mushussu; and the Bible also has Leviathan from Job, and the Genesis serpent. Serpents are universal symbols of fertility, creativity, and rebirth, but also of - by default - temptation of flesh, poison, and death. Hence why the Egyptian guardian of youth was a cobra named Wadjet and the Australian creator was a Rainbow Snake. As for health, the serpent caduceus and Asclepius Wand are still in use today. The serpent is also directly associated with water, fire (salamanders), air (dragons), and earth. In Egypt it brings down Ra's sun barge, which crashes as a flying disc, and is then recovered later - this is the dying god motif and background for Roswell mythology.  Is it possible that just as we live alongside less developed tribes today, we could ourselves live next to more developed civilizations that go largely unnoticed? Could we develop technology, like a cargo cult, based on what we perceive to see in the skies, oceans, mountains, etc?-FULL ARCHIVE & RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-secret-teachings Twitter: https://twitter.com/TST___Radio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesecretteachings WEBSITE (BOOKS, RESUBSCRIBE for early & ad-free show access): http://thesecretteachings.info or http://tstradio.infoPaypal: rdgable@yahoo.com CashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tst-radio--5328407/support.

Revelation described Babylon as "the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Sounds sort of like Twitter. Maybe Elon Musk isn't really trying to free the Internet, restrict it or do anything else the left or right claim, but instead is more concerned with the data. On April 21st, Tesla announced their Optimus robot with updated AI will be ready soon after months of it not working. On the 24th, Musk confirmed that NeuraLink would begin human trials this year. On the 25th, the day of Twitter's sale, StarLink went active with a major airline. Perhaps Musk's actions are not malicious but instead coldly calculating and almost machine-like. The limiting of text on Twitter trims the edges off of our complex thoughts and provides only the 'thought' itself. Symbol dictionaries will tell us that the BIRD represents thought, imagination, synthesis, and sublimation. In Egypt, the bird was BA - the soul. A blue bird in particular is a representation of pure ideas. Since imagination, thought, and ideas are expressions of the bird then it is our soul's expression that is trapped in the Twitterverese. Likewise, the red T in Tesla is a TAU cross, a symbol of synthesis and perfection in Hebrew, and the human being and belly in Greek. Through synthesis, perhaps man and machine, perfection can be achieved through the human body by a process of transformation that occurs in the belly or womb. Merging active and passive forces generates a spark or electric bolt to spawn new life. A red cross is also rebirth and a gateway to somewhere or something else. In other words, merging man with machines, and accomplishing such ends through artificial intelligence and algorithms that are able to learn from the immense amounts of data generated by individuals in order to create digital replicas of the real world. The infrastructure is connecting StarLink with NueraLink's brain-computer interface, pumping data into the AI of Optimus robots. Man and synthetics merged together into the belly of transformation in order to reach the synthesis of perfection.-FULL ARCHIVE & RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-secret-teachings Twitter: https://twitter.com/TST___Radio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesecretteachings WEBSITE (BOOKS, RESUBSCRIBE for early & ad-free show access): http://thesecretteachings.info Paypal: rdgable@yahoo.com CashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tst-radio--5328407/support.

We turn the page from Judah and Tamar to look at Joseph and Potiphar's wife. In Egypt... in prison... the Lord is with Joseph.

Chatting With Sherri welcomes back Egyptologist and author;Dr. Colleen Darnell!   EXPLORING ANCIENT EGYPT with Dr. Colleen Darnell; Hieroglyph Update & Free Mummy Class-The introductory How to Read Hieroglyph class now starts October 14 and 16—see details below for times and how to register. Also, I am excited to share a free class in partnership with Varsity Tutors ALL ABOUT MUMMIES (best for grades 3-8, but fun for kids of all ages) on Wednesday October 9th at 6PM. Renowned Egyptologist Dr. Colleen Darnell's areas of expertise include Late Period uses of the Underworld Books, ancient Egyptian military history, the literature of New Kingdom Egypt, and Egyptian revival history. Her research in Egyptian military history has led to the first recreation of the tactics of the Battle of Perire, c. 1208 BCE and her study The Great Karnak Inscription of Merneptah "replaces all other earlier studies of the key historical narratives relating Merneptah's war against the Libyans." Her research on the military role that Tutankhamun might have taken on as pharaoh of Egypt contributed to Tutankhamun's Armies: Battle and Conquest in Ancient Egypt's Late Eighteenth Dynasty (co-authored with John Darnell) and was featured in the historical section of the documentary "King Tut Unwrapped." Through books and documentaries, Darnell has brought ancient Egyptian warfare and tactics to the broader public. In Egypt, she has made several important archaeological discoveries as the director of the Moalla Survey Project, an ongoing archaeological project.  

Egyptian authorities do not want Christians around the world to learn about the disturbing case of Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo. Abdulbaqi is a fellow Christian who is languishing in an Egyptian cell. His crime? Being a Christian who converted from Islam. Abdulbaqi, a Yemeni, fled his home country after facing severe persecution once he converted to Christianity. In Egypt, Abdulbaqi lived out his faith and sought to help others come to know and follow Christ. It was these activities that ultimately landed Abdulbaqi in jail. Abdulbaqi has not been convicted of any crime. In fact, he has not even had his case tried in court. Yet for two and a half years, this husband and father of five has been kept behind bars. It is illegal under Egyptian law to hold someone indefinitely in jail like this. But authorities are doing so anyways. They hope no one notices or cares. Fortunately, some do care. One such person is Lizzie Francis, a British Christian who serves as an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom International. She and others on the ADF International team are advocating for Abdulbaqi and seeking to have him returned safely to his family. Listen in to this episode of the Christian Emergency Podcast and learn not only about Abdulbaqi's case, but also how similar pressures are pressing forward in other countries. This is not an isolated phenomenon and Christians everywhere need to prepare for similar challenges in the days ahead. Also, learn how you and your church can champion Abdulbaqi and his family. If you find this episode helpful, please give us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Also share this episode with a friend so they too can be blessed by these insights. To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following. ADF International (Website) Christian Emergency Alliance (Website) Christian Emergency Alliance (Twitter / X): @ChristianEmerg1 Christian Emergency Alliance (Facebook): @ChristianEmergency Christian Emergency Alliance (Instagram) The Christian Emergency Podcast is a production of the Christian Emergency Alliance. Soli Deo Gloria

The Moon creeps up on the bright star Antares this evening. Depending on your location, you might see them pass less than a degree from each other – less than the width of your finger held at arm’s length. Because the Moon will be so close to Antares, it’ll wash out the star’s reddish orange color. Astronomers have been tracking that color for thousands of years. And they haven’t seen much change. Antares is a red supergiant – it’s many times bigger and heavier than the Sun, and tens of thousands of times brighter. Its surface is thousands of degrees cooler than the Sun’s, which is why it looks red. On the inside, supergiant stars are changing in a hurry – fusing lighter elements to make heavier ones. But the change isn’t always reflected at the surface. In a study a couple of years ago, a team of scientists found that the color of Antares has remained pretty steady for at least 3300 years. The team analyzed observations from Europe, the Middle East, and China. In China, the star was known as “Great Fire.” In Egypt, it was “red one of the plow.” And many records compared the star to Mars, which is known for its reddish color. In fact, the name “Antares” means “rival of Mars” – a comment on their similar appearance. The study said the star’s unchanging color could mean that Antares has a good run left before it explodes as a supernova – another million years or longer. Script by Damond Benningfield

A recent study from Harvard and Montana Tech University has proposed that crypto-terrestrials may author much of the UFO phenomenon. These entities are unidentified inhabitants of earth, living in the ocean, deep underground, or in mountains and volcanoes. Be them more human-like, non-human primates, or reptiles, the mythos of such creatures pre-dates civilization. The fringes of science today are becoming more open to what otherwise would be considered delusional ufology or complete fiction. What the scientists, ‘believers', and even ‘skeptics' tend to overlook, however, is the immense archetypical pantheon comprising the whole of the UFO phenomenon, particularly as it relates to the serpent deity as the eternal predator. The recent former study was announced just a few days after archeologists discovered on the Colombia-Venezuela border a massive collection of art depicting giant serpents, giant centipedes, larger-than-life-animals, and ten meter-tall (32 feet) human-like figures. Found alongside were geometric engravings, grids, and dots, lending credibility to the idea that plant medicine allowed humans access to entirely new visual realms. Mainline academia has known, as these archeologists believe, that large serpents are not just random, they are part of a tradition that spans the world. China has the White Snake demon who lives under water, and the Lung Dragons; the Hopi have a famous snake dance to encourage rainfall; in India there is the seven-headed Naga, not unlike the Biblical Revelation Beast with seven heads; the Mesoamerican cultures have Quetzalcoatl; in Greek myth are Medusa and the Gorgons, and the Hydra, and Apollo defeats a serpent called Python living in the earth; in Norse myth is Jormungand; Japan has the Yamato no Orochi; Russia has the fire serpent; Korea has Eopsin; Mesopotamia has Ningishzida and Mushussu; and the Bible also has Leviathan from Job, and the Genesis serpent. Serpents are universal symbols of fertility, creativity, and rebirth, but also of - by default - temptation of flesh, poison, and death. Hence why the Egyptian guardian of youth was a cobra named Wadjet and the Australian creator was a Rainbow Snake. As for health, the serpent caduceus and Asclepius Wand are still in use today. The serpent is also directly associated with water, fire (salamanders), air (dragons), and earth. In Egypt it brings down Ra's sun barge, which crashes as a flying disc, and is then recovered later - this is the dying god motif and background for Roswell mythology.  Is it possible that just as we live alongside less developed tribes today, we could ourselves live next to more developed civilizations that go largely unnoticed? Could we develop technology, like a cargo cult, based on what we perceive to see in the skies, oceans, mountains, etc?-FREE ARCHIVE & RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-secret-teachingsTwitter: https://twitter.com/TST___RadioFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesecretteachingsWEBSITE (BOOKS, RESUBSCRIBE for early show access): http://thesecretteachings.infoPaypal: rdgable@yahoo.comCashApp: $rdgableBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tstradioSUBSCRIBE TO NETWORK: http://aftermath.mediaEMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.com

We've made it to the promised land! The people of Israel have left behind their victim identity and taken on a freedom identity. It's been quite the journey. In Egypt, we see them in a world of perpetual crisis and in need of salvation. In the Exodus, we see God get them through the tunnel of chaos. In the wilderness, we see them enroll in boot camp to tear down their old identity and learn their new one. And in Canaan we see them building maturity and living out of freedom. As we wrap up our final episode of the Lessons from the Wilderness Series, we hope you'll join us on the trail! P.S. After this week, the podcast will be entering Sabbatical mode for the rest of the summer. Whether you are new to the podcast or have been on the trail with us from the beginning, you might like the opportunity to revisit prior topics in a longer form. Over the summer we're collating the episodes from an entire series into one episode to release on our normal Monday schedule. Stay tuned for that, and we pray you have a blessed summer!Helpful Links:Breakthrough! Book: https://deeperwalk.com/breakthrough-5-essential-strategies-for-freedom-healing-and-wholeness  Deeper Walk Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/DWISignUp Deeper Walk Trailblazers: https://deeperwalk.com/trailblazers/ Podcast Mailbox: http://tinyurl.com/OTTMailbox