Podcasts about infinitely

The fastest way to weaken patient safety isn't a missing checklist, it's a team that stops trusting each other. We dig into “infinite anesthesia” and the next step, “leading infinitely,” a practical relational leadership approach designed to build psychological safety, empathy, humility, and civility in perioperative care.We share why anesthesia professionals are uniquely positioned to lead across the full health system: we work at the intersection of surgeons, proceduralists, nurses, and hospital leaders, and we see how small culture signals impact big operational and safety outcomes. You'll hear how trust-based teamwork can improve clinician well-being, strengthen system resilience, and support measurable gains in patient outcomes and retention.We also break down the Lead Infinitely workshop series and what makes it different: teams learn together, practice concrete behaviors, and graduate with a strategic plan instead of a solo certificate. The conversation moves from training to scale, including why research, early wins, and credible champions matter if this work is going to spread beyond the OR and into onboarding, governance, and daily clinical practice.If you want your workplace to feel safer, calmer, and more effective, listen now, share with a colleague, and subscribe so you don't miss what's next. After you listen, leave a review and tell us what leadership behavior you want to see more of on your team.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/305-lead-infinitely/© 2026, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

Pastor Mitch Helmkamp preaches from 1 John 1:1-4 showing how John presents a clear, high view of Jesus as the source of life. He then turns to what this means for us as believers and how our understanding of God must be shaped by His Son.

Introduction: Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and money. Ephesians 5:5 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Philippians 3:19 – their god is their belly... 1 Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. 3 Reasons to Run from Idolatry: (1 Corinthians 10:14-22) Because of WHO YOU ARE. (1 Cor 10:16-18) Because It's DEMONIC. (1 Cor 10:19-21) Deuteronomy 32:17 – They sacrificed to demons that were not God... Psalm 106:37 – They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons... Ephesians 6:12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Because God is JEALOUS For You. (1 Cor 10:22) Exodus 34:14 – for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God… Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript 00:36Open up those Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10 and take a moment to please just pray for me to communicate God's Word clearly as I should, and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach us today. All right? So let's just take a moment and pray. Father, we trust Your Word and Your Spirit to do a work in our hearts.01:08As only you can, Father. That's why we're here. Father, open our hearts and minds up to receive what it is that you've told us in your word. We sing, I exalt thee, but Father, I pray that we would live that, a lifestyle that exalts you. We pray in Jesus' name.01:37Amen. 1 Corinthians 10.01:42Many years ago at a church picnic, we did the pie the pastor thing.01:48Now I know we've done it more recently. We did it like with VBS.01:51This is years ago when we had a lot less kids.01:54And I couldn't remember what it was, but Mandy Maul was our children's director at the time.01:58And she reminded me, it was like those big five-gallon jugs.02:04was if the kids could fill it with change, they went to some mission or ministry, but if the kids could fill it with change, some of the kids would be able to pie me at the church picnic.02:18So when I say pie, not like an apple pie, you know, the old whipped cream, the whipped cream pies, right?02:26So it started with, can some of the kids pie you at the picnic?02:32I was like, okay.02:34Well, that turned into, can all the kids pie you? And I said, multiple times, each as hard as they can. You would be surprised how hard some of these little guys can hit you in the nose with a whipped cream pie. I had to go into like concussion protocol. So they're like, can all the kids hit you in the pie, hit you in the face with a pie as hard as they can? I was like, okay. Then somebody, not one of the kids, somebody had this brilliant idea.03:32How about we pie Pastor Jeff, but instead of whipped cream, they brought a squeeze bottle of mayonnaise. A squeeze bottle of mayonnaise. And they're like, let's pie him with a mayonnaise pie. Mayonnaise pie, excuse me. And I said, too far. That was too far. Absolutely under no circumstances.04:02But you see, they just took it too far. They just took it too far. It was all fun and games until they brought out the Hellmanns. Too far. You went too far. And it's that idea of going too far that takes us to this next section. Because you see, the Corinthians that Paul was writing to lived in a pagan culture.04:32Right? Paganism was everywhere. And some of the people in the church obviously came to Christ out of the pagan culture, and they realized, hey, I am free in Christ. And an idol? An idol is nothing. And Paul's like, you're right, an idol is nothing. Well, meat that was sacrificed to idols? I can eat that. I'm free to eat that. And Paul's like, yes, you are free to Eat that meat. Yes. But not if it offends a weaker Christian. Then you lay down your freedom. Say like, well, I'm free also to go to the pagan festivals. Go to these pagan parties. I'm free to do that. And Paul said, too far. You've taken it too far. Yes, we are free in Christ, but going to the pagan festivals, That's too far. Look at verse 14. He says, Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.05:43That word beloved, that is such a term of just deep affection.05:50Paul's like, look, I love you, church. I love you.05:56And it's because I love you, church, that I have to tell you something that's really important.06:02A lot of you are still getting involved in the paganism around you. You've got to run from that. You've got to flee. Get away from that whole scene. Idolatry. So let me ask you, are you in danger of idolatry? You. Are you in danger of idolatry?06:38We would agree that idolatry is an issue for a lot of people in the world. Right? We would agree with that. As many of you know, we are the stateside support. We have 23 churches in northern Thailand. Mountain, jungle, tribal, places that don't see white people.07:03We support 23 churches, 4 children's homes, a Bible institute. We have a thriving ministry there. And I've been to Thailand several times. And when you go to Thailand and you land in the airport, there is a sign at the airport that says there is a severe penalty.07:32for stealing the head of a Buddha statue. And I thought, well, that's random that you land. It's like, welcome to our country. By the way, we will arrest you if you steal the head of a statue. So I asked our missionary Barnabas, like, what is up with that? What's up with that sign? He said, well, people realize they can't steal the whole statue.08:00So people come and they just try to steal the head. And to them, that is so sacrilegious. That is a horrible thing. And he said they come down hard on people that do that. So we look at that and we're like, yes, idolatry. Or we go up into the mountain jungles of Thailand. When you get away from the city where there's a lot of Buddhism, But when you get to some of these tribal areas, it's not Buddhism as much as it's spiritism and animism. And they have these spirit altars in their homes where they burn things to appease the evil spirits. And when they become Christians, when they receive Christ, one of the first things they do is rip that spirit altar out and take it outside their village and burn it as their way of saying, I am done with this.08:58And we hear those stories and we see the ashes and we say, yeah, they have a problem with idolatry. But we don't think idolatry is an issue for us. But here's the thing, church. We don't have less idols. We have infinitely more.09:30I've never bowed down to a rock. I understand the Bible's definition of idolatry is much greater than just that. For example, the Bible says money can be an idol. Money and stuff. Jesus said, Matthew 6.24, you cannot serve God and money. Money and stuff can be an idol. How about covetousness? The Bible says covetousness is an idol. Ephesians 5.5, it says, that is an idolater has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.10:04Covetousness.10:05That's when instead of being thankful for what God has given to you, you wish that you had what God gave to someone else.10:14That's coveting.10:17And God says when you covet, you're an idolater.10:22The Bible says your belly can be an idol, Philippians 3.19.10:27In that passage, Paul talks about people who are ruled by their appetites. That's what drives them. Whatever they are hungry for, that's their idol. Or how about this one? Rebellion. 1 Samuel 15 talks about that. Rebellion is as the sin of divination and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.10:56You see, when God tells you to do something, and you're like, I'm not going to do that, and you're rebelling against God, God says, in my mind, that has become an idol to you, your rebellion. Ezekiel 14 talks about taking idols into your heart. You know, I was thinking about that a lot this week. Idols are kind of a funny thing. In that, You realize literally anything, literally anything on this earth can become an idol. Do you ever think about that? Anything. I mean, an object, whether it's a rock or your car or something, an object can become an idol. Another person can become an idol. Your spouse, your kids, your Whatever. Celebrity. A person can become an idol. Some activity. Some hobby. Even a good thing. Consumes you. It becomes the thing that you worship. An activity can become an idol. Or a position. Right? I've got to get this job. I'm not going to be content until I reach this level. And that becomes an idol. You realize an idea can become an idol.12:26An idea can become an idol. Like, I didn't think my life was going to turn out like this. And we sort of have this idea of, this is how I thought my life was going to be at this point. This is how I thought my kids were going to be. I thought I'd be in a much different place at this point in my life. And we sort of have this idealized utopia of how we think our lives should be. And that becomes an idol for us.12:55Literally anything can become an idol. But here's something else that's funny about idolatry. Idolatry is completely individualized. And it's completely subjective. Here's what I mean. Like, when I've been to Thailand, one of the times I went, I said to Barnabas, I said, hey, can I see one of these Buddhist temples? Because there was one right down the street from his house. And I said, would they object to like somebody like me just going in there. He goes, oh no, they're fine with that. He says, you want to see it? I'll show you. He took me down. There was nobody in there. We just walked right in. He goes, oh, they don't care. But I got to tell you, did nothing for me. It was interesting, but it did nothing for me like religiously. But you know, there are a lot of other people that go in there and that is where they worship and that is everything. You see how it's subjective.13:55The same thing means everything to one person but meant nothing to me. Or I could take one of these Thai people here to America and maybe I've turned my kids into an idol and to the Thai person, my kids mean nothing to them. So you see how idolatry is so individualized and it's so specific and subjective to us, to each of us, that there is something in your life that you are tempted to turn into an idol. Unless it has already become an idol. You're like, well, what is it? What is it for me? It's that thing in your life that's more important than Jesus. That's an idol. It's the thing that keeps you from obeying Jesus as you should. That's an idol. If I said to you, what is the thing in your life that you know if this thing wasn't in the way, you would have a closer walk. You would feel like you are nearer to God. What is that thing? That thing would be your idol. The thing that's more important than coming to worship. The thing that's more important than your personal time with the Lord. That's an idol. The thing you devote your time and money and attention over Jesus.15:25That's an idol. So I'll ask you again, are you in danger of idolatry? Because when we consider the biblical definition of idolatry, I think the answer is yes, we all are. Every single one of us are in danger of idolatry. So verse 15, he says, I speak as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. Do we have any sensible people here this morning? No? This is going to be the longest sermon you've ever heard if you're not sensible. But that's what Paul's saying.16:26in your head, listen to what I'm saying. Listen, this is something you need to think about. Something you really need to stop. And what's he saying? I got to think about that. All right? So here's what Paul's saying in this passage we're going to look at. Paul says, run from idolatry.16:55Okay, why, Paul? Paul says, because of the Lord's Supper. You're like, what? What do you mean? You've got to be sensible, sensible people. Let's talk about the Lord's Supper. Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22. Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples before Jesus' death. And Jesus, in this celebration, changed the meaning of the Passover meal from remembering the Exodus to remembering Him. It became a regular observance in the church. And here's what Paul's saying in this passage. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, if you are a sincere, born-again believer in Jesus Christ, if you are someone, who comes and takes the Lord's Supper, then you don't want anything to do with idolatry. So let's explain what he means by that, sensible people. On your outline, three reasons to run from idolatry. Number one, because of who you are. Why should I run from idolatry? Because of who I am. You should run because of who you are.18:27Look at verse 16.18:29Because we've got to talk about this one for a couple of minutes.18:34Paul says, sensible people flee from idolatry. Why, Paul?18:38Look at verse 16. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?18:49The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?18:56The cup of blessing. What's the cup of blessing? That's the third cup in the Passover meal. That's probably when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. Jesus blessed it. And Paul says, when we get together and take the Lord's Supper, we bless it. What does that mean? It means that we are regarding this as a sacred thing. Right? When we have the Lord's Supper together, it's a sacred thing.19:24And we're not having the Lord's Supper today. In hindsight, we probably should have. We're going to have it in a couple weeks because he talks more about the Lord's Supper. But understand, church, when we take the Lord's Supper together, it is more than just a religious ritual. The cup and the bread are way more than just symbols.19:54What are they? He says it four times in this passage we're looking at today. The word that you've got to understand this to understand his whole point. The word is participation. Participation. He says the cup is participation in the blood of Christ. The bread is participation in the body of Christ. What does that mean?20:24And I really like the analogy, so I'm going to use it. But he compared it to if you've ever had somebody that you love very much who passed away, but you have a photograph of them. When you look at that photograph, that awakens something in you, doesn't it? A photograph isn't just a piece of paper with an image on it to you.20:54that picture of that one who you love who had passed away, when you see that person is sort of actualized in your mind, the person sort of becomes alive in your mind. You know that feeling. You see that old picture and you just feel something in your spirit. You feel your emotions. That something really stirs in you when you look at that picture.21:28The Lord's Supper is sort of like that, but it's more than that. When we take the Lord's Supper, it's not just a reminder. Like, why am I here again? Oh, yeah. Yeah, Jesus. Now, what did he do? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.21:54Yeah, he died. Right, right, right. No, no, no, no. It's much more than that. When we take the Lord's Supper, we are engulfed in who he is and what he has done. This is what Paul's saying here specifically. Sensible people, sensible. Look, you promised me you were sensible. So let's keep going here, all right? The cup is a participation in the blood of Christ.22:24What does that mean? The blood of Christ is not about the red fluid that pumped through his veins. Blood of Christ is a figure of speech regarding his death. Right? So here's the thing. When we take the Lord's Supper, we are participating in Christ's death. When we take that cup, we're identifying ourselves in the benefits of his death.22:54Jesus' death means something. And when I receive the cup, I'm participating in that. That this isn't just about a man who died for me. This is about God in the flesh who bought my salvation with his death. And I'm participating in that. This means something to me right now. That's what happens when we take communion. The bread, that's the body.23:23Paul tells us here, but it's more than just the suffering of Christ. It's that, but it's more than that. It's everything that the incarnation means. See, when we take that bread, we're reminded of the body of Christ. We're reminded the invisible God made himself visible. He became a man. God was here. God was here as Jesus, and he showed me what God is like. And ultimately, yes, He came to die as only a man can die. So when we take that bread, we're participating in Christ's life. We're identifying ourselves with His righteousness, with His example. We're saying, this is the manifestation of God. This is who He is conforming me to be like. That's what we are saying together, church, when we are taking the Lord's Supper. We are participating.24:22So the cup and the bread, they're more than symbols. All that Christ is, all that Christ means is life, his grace, his humility, his love, his death. We are participators in all of that. So the Lord's Supper isn't just about reminding ourselves of an event that happened long ago. But the Lord's Supper is, hey, this is our life right now.24:52Because of what he did, this is who I am today. But it goes deeper than that, believe it or not. Look at verse 17. He says, because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. You see, in the Lord's Supper, we are joined with Christ and we're joined with each other. See, that bread all came from the same loaf.25:22and we're all eating a piece of bread from the same loaf. We're saying that the Lord's Supper unites us in a profound way. When we take the Lord's Supper, it unites us in a profound way. Look, whatever else we may agree on. Best sports team, favorite brand of ketchup, what political, what side of the political aisle you're on, whatever else, we may disagree on. When we take the Lord's Supper as a church, do you know what we're doing together? We're uniting. We're saying, this. This is our God. This is what unites us. We have been saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We all identify this is our God. We are together on this. This is what we share.26:22Look at verse 18. Paul's making the same point. Flashback to Israel. He says, Consider the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices? Participants in the altar? Same point. And Israel's worship, when somebody offered a sacrifice, like, well, who got that? Everybody. God, the priest, and the worshiper were all participators in the sacrifice.26:56Isn't that terribly fascinating? You're like, yes, but what's the point? I thought we were talking about idolatry. What is the point of all this? Here's the point. You ready? Sensible people, are you ready? Here's the point. When you are in a religious service, You are participating with what you are worshiping and the other worshipers.27:34So Paul's point here is this.27:36How can you come here and participate with Christ and Christ people and then turn around and go to a different religious service where we are participating with idols and idolaters. When we take the Lord's Supper, we're saying, church, we're saying, this is who I am. I'm in Christ. I identify with these people here who are also taking from this loaf. Now, I can't just turn around after participating here with these people. I can't just turn around and participate with another group entirely.28:19Does that make sense? Because if you're so a little fuzzy on it, think about it this way. It's Stanley Cup playoffs, right? Did you watch that game last night? I did, but I think it was like this the whole time. But just imagine, A person goes down to PPG Paints Arena, Pens versus Flyers. They go down and they're wearing their Sidney Crosby number 87 jersey and they're down there like, Sid! Go Sid! Greatest player in the world! Go Sid! Let's go Pens! Let's go Pens! Let's go Pens! Right? And then that same person goes, hey, when?29:18Like, when's the next game? And they're like, oh, the next game's in Philly. So that person gets in their car and drives to Philadelphia and wears a Flyers jersey. And during the game, Sid, you stink! Sid's the worst! And they're like cheering for the Flyers the whole time. What would you think of someone who did that?29:47you be like how can you thank you Justin like how can you how can you be participating with the penguins and now you're participating with the flyers how can you do that that's Paul's point right here how can you participate with the living God and then participate with an idol because when you go to church When you go to church, it's about participation. Listen, this is why many Christians miss this concept, because you look at church as an event. For some people, that's all church is, it's an event. What's on my calendar this week? Well, I got this appointment of work, I got a Oh yeah, Sunday morning, 11 o'clock, church. Yeah, it's an event on the calendar. Just one more thing on the schedule. You just see church as an event. And listen, when you see church as an event, then skipping church because I'm sleepy, that's okay. It's just an event. Or church hopping, that's okay. It's all the same.31:14This church, that church, whatever. We just hop from church to church. It's okay. Or not getting involved. You warm a seat, usually, but I'm not going to get involved. That's okay. Listen, beloved, none of those things are okay. Because church is not an event. Church is participation with Jesus and people who identify with Jesus.31:46And when you finally get to the place where you are settled in your heart and mind and say, I participate with Jesus, I participate with the people of Jesus, when you fully grasp and understand and embrace what it means to participate with Jesus, then you will be able to face the things that can become idols for you and say, no, that's not who I am.32:15You see? Maybe money and stuff has been your idol. Maybe that's the thing that's tempted you. When you realize who you are in Christ, you're a participator in Christ. You're like, oh, that's just stuff. That's not important to me. No. Jesus is who I participate with. Or maybe it's addiction. Maybe you've been battling the idol of addiction.32:43And you realize, no, my identity is with Jesus. I'm done with that addiction because I'm not participating with Jesus and with the addiction at the same time. It just doesn't work that way. And for some, it's the idol of lust and all of the ways that that idol is worshipped. That you have to get to the place in your life, like, that's not who I am. That's just not me. I'm a participator in Jesus.33:13Christ. I belong to him. Not that. I'm done with that. That's what Paul's saying here. You've got to get the participation thing. You're not attending a church event. You are a participator in the life of Christ. All right? It's a matter of identity. Run from idolatry because of who you are. Number two, write this down. Three reasons to run from idolatry. Number two, because it's demonic.33:49Look at verse 19.33:50Paul says, what do I imply then?33:53That food offered to idols is anything?33:57Or that an idol is anything?34:00Paul's like, so what am I saying?34:02Am I saying that an idol itself is anything?34:04Am I saying that?34:06No, he's not saying that.34:07He just said that in chapter 8, verse 4.34:11Like, we just answered that question.34:13Look at verse 20. He goes, no. I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. Listen to what Paul's saying. Listen very close. He says, I'm not saying that there is a real God in the idol, but there is a real participation still taking place. Participation with who? He says right here. With demons. Church, demons are at work in idolatry. And if a person buys into an idol, any kind of idol, here, Thailand, wherever. When a person buys into an idol, demons will be at work to keep the person hooked into worshiping that idol. That's just the way it is. The first time we were talking about Thailand earlier, the first time I went to Thailand, I was 20 years old. I was a brand new Christian. Boy, that was an eye opener.35:42Like I said, I went to places that pockets of civilization that have never seen a different race of people at all. Well, this one village that we visited, there was a man there. I've never seen a human that looked like him. His whole head looked like, it was like a flesh-colored cue ball. There was no hair, and it It was perfectly round and smooth. And there were just like tiny little like slits where they're like for the nose. There was no nose. It's just these little slits. And the same with the eyes peering behind these really tiny little slits. And he had he had a trach. And it was very strange. Like I've never seen a human that looked like this. And I asked our missionary Barnabas.36:42I said, Barnabas, that man that we saw, I said, does he have a disease or was there some genetic thing? Like, what's the matter with this man? Barnabas said, oh, he goes, this fellow, he used to look just like everybody else, all the other Thai people. He said he looked just like everybody else.37:12gave his life to Christ. He received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. And he said, soon after he received Christ, an evil spirit in the form of a bear ripped his face off. And you might say, I don't believe that. Okay, well then you tell me what happened to this man. Because the guy on this earth that is my hero that I look up to in the faith more than anybody, That's the story that he told me. You tell me then. That this man was so into idolatry that the evil... That was a demon's way of saying, you're not leaving us. You're not aligning yourself with Christ. And he was physically attacked. There are demons behind idolatry. Deuteronomy 32.17 says they sacrificed the demons.38:12that were not God. Psalm 106, verse 37, they served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the... You see that? It's all through the Old Testament. Demons are behind idolatry. Verse 21, he says, you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord.38:42of demons. It's the same point. You can't do both. You can't. You can't participate with Christ and participate with demons. And understand, in idolatry, there's a lot more going on than bad theology. It's demonic. And Paul says, I don't want you to participate with demons. Like, why would you mess with that? And if you're like, oh, you know, So, Pastor Jeff, I believe that if you're truly born again, if you truly have God's Spirit, you can't be possessed by a demon. You just can't. A demon can't possess a true believer. And I agree with you. I believe that. I believe that 100% that a demon cannot possess a true believer. But why would you mess with that anyways? Really? You know, demons are powerful. And demons are evil.39:43Why would you mess with that? It's like keeping a pet cobra. Like, why would you do that? Earlier we talked about the idol of addiction. We did a whole sermon series on this one time. Addiction is a worship disorder. Addiction, ultimately, at its very foundation, is idolatry. I want you to think about addiction. What is it that keeps someone so hooked on the thing they're addicted to?40:12You think it's just physical? Really? Just physical? You mean a guy is willing to lose his wife because it's just a physical addiction? You think a guy's willing to lose his family? A guy losing everything he spent his life building up. He's willing to watch it be destroyed. You think it's only physical? It's demonic. That's why Paul reminds us, Ephesians 6.12, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Paul says run from idolatry. Why? Well, it's a matter of spiritual affliction. Run from idolatry because it's demonic. One more sensible people. Number three, because God is jealous for you.41:14Why do I run from idolatry? Because God is jealous for you. Last one. Look at verse 22. He says, shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? Look, if you are in Christ, if you have believed in Jesus, his death, his resurrection, if you are in Christ, you belong to God. And if you belong to God, understand he is jealous.41:42for you.41:47Exodus 34.14 says, For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is jealous is a jealous god.41:58I thought jealousy was bad. Isn't jealousy bad?42:02Isn't jealousy a bad thing?42:07Not in this context.42:10Not when jealousy is about right to ownership. Not when jealousy is about you belong to me and something is threatening that. That is appropriate jealousy. God himself says he's jealous. Like 28 times in the Old Testament I think it was. Years ago to former ministry I had this young couple come in for marriage counseling.42:40You can kind of get a feel for where it's going when they come in and they're not sitting beside each other. They're sitting on opposite ends of the table. Like, oh, I see where this is going. And the wife came in. She looked like she was ready for a fight. And the husband just sat down, had his arms folded and his head down the whole time. And I'm like, so, what seems to be the problem? And she goes, he's jealous.43:14He's jealous because I'm always going to Ghost Riders with this guy friend of mine dancing all night and my husband's jealous oh you know what Ghost Riders is it's up in Butler I don't know if it's still there it's on like Route 8 North there's a honky tonk where they do line dancing you know the line dance where they're like You know what I'm talking about? Ghost riders. Okay, thank you, Jillian. That's not still a thing, Sharon. Did it close down? Okay. What was the thing back then? It was a big thing. Well, anyways, she goes, he's jealous that I go with my guy friend to dance.44:09She goes, he's jealous. And I said, he should be. She went through the roof. Like, what are you talking about? He should be. I said, he is your husband. You belong to him. And when something is threatening the marriage covenant like that, jealousy is appropriate. She's like, jealousy is wrong. I'm like, jealousy is not wrong. She goes, Jealousy is always wrong. I said, but you know the Bible says that God is jealous. She goes, the Bible does not say that. I'm like, here we go. And I walked her through all these verses where God says He is jealous. I'm like, see, we belong to God. He doesn't want us messing with something else. And it's the same principle in marriage. She goes, jealousy is wrong. I'm like, you're wrong.45:11Well, the counseling session did not end well, as you probably surmised. But then, like, for months after that, I would get phone calls from her. Like, I'd be in my office, and be like, Pastor Jeff, so-and-so on line one. I'm like, yeah, jealousy is always wrong. I'm like, oh, please lose my number.45:37But that's Paul's point here is, look, if you're in Christ, you belong to God, and God takes it seriously when you flirt with something else. When that ownership is threatened, God takes that very seriously. You belong to Him. Oh, by the way, we were talking about demons earlier. Demons, evil, powerful demons. Do you know the only thing worse than messing with a demon?46:10provoking God. Way worse. Infinitely worse. Provoking God. Why would you do something that you know provokes God? Why would you do that? Like, well, what will he do? Well, the Bible is full of God's reaction to idolatry. Read Deuteronomy. Read the Psalms. Read the prophets.46:38They're like, yeah, that is so Old Testament. Yeah, it is Old Testament. But this here that we're studying today is so New Testament. The Bible says it's still a bad idea to provoke God to jealousy. Are you stronger than he? No, we should just do what he says, right? So it's a matter of the fear of the Lord. Run from idolatry.47:13I just like you to bow your heads for a moment I want to ask you the question that I asked you earlier are you in danger of idolatry considering that idolatry is a heart issue considering that we can turn anything into an idol The answer is yes, we are all in danger of idolatry. And I just want to ask you today, what idol do you need to flee from? What is it today that if you were going to be completely honest, I would draw near to God if this thing wasn't in the way. What is that thing that's keeping you from drawing closer to God? What is that? The Bible says that's an idol. If you belong to Jesus, you don't need to crack a door open for a demon. You certainly don't need to provoke God.48:39Father in Heaven, we bow ourselves before You as Your church. God, we realize that idolatry is just as much a temptation for us today as it was to the people that Paul wrote to. As it was in Old Testament times. Father, You are greatly glorified when idols are torn down. We see that throughout.49:07Your Word when a king who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, that was usually accompanied by him tearing down idols. And I just pray that for this church today, Father, that You would, by Your Spirit, by Your Word, You would give us the wisdom to identify the idols, and You would give us the faith to cast them down. Whatever that needs to be, however that needs to look, Father, let today be the day that idols are destroyed.49:37in our lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 10:14-22What was your big take-away from this passage / message?In light of 1 Cor 10:16-17: How would you explain the Lord's Supper (the “participation” concept) to a new believer?How can believers be guilty of idolatry today, in our culture?How does idolatry make a believer participate with demons (1 Cor 10:20)?What does it mean that God is jealous (1 Cor 10:22)? How exactly do you think He will respond when He's provoked to jealousy?BreakoutPray for one another.

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Sabbath rest is far greater than a day off from our busyness. It is a deep, internal rest found in Jesus that transforms our hearts, redirects our identity away from work and striving, and invites us to experience the ongoing rest He offers every day.

In this meditation, we will connect with our eternal essence, rest in that deep, all-embracing peace, and feel what it's like to live from that perspective.This is a great meditation for health and healing, energy and focus, positive mood and openheartedness. It awakens a felt sense of the Light within and Infinitely all around. Kevin is Certified as a Personal Trainer, Life Coach, Qigong Meditation Master Instructor, and Holy Fire Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. He has been writing about and teaching these techniques for over 35 years. His latest books are Clear Quiet Mind and Raising Our Vibration: A Guide to Subtle Energy Meditation, which are available on Amazon. https://raisingourvibration.net/Enlightened World Network is your guide to inspirational online programs about the spiritual divinity, angels, energy work, chakras, past lives, or soul. Check out our website featuring over 200 spirit-inspired lightworkers specializing in meditation, energy work and angel channeling https://www.enlightenedworld.online To sign up for a newsletter to stay up on EWN programs and events, sign up here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/s... Link to EWN's disclaimer: https://enlightenedworld.online/disclaimer#empathsofinstagram #divineguidance #archangels #lightsourcing #energytransmission

Barry the Nomad returns to the show to discuss the penultimate episode of The Chaotix Casefiles and also the latest SEGA and Sonic news, plus Rings of Saturn. Send us Mailbag Questions! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SonicWeeklyPodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ​For more Bo: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rings of Saturn!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​For more David: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sonic Retro!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​For more Grant:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​For more Barry: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SEGABits!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​For even more Bo show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hidden Palace Podcast⁠⁠⁠​For even more David + Smoovies: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FTCR!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Special thanks to Altsynth for editing + post-production! ​For more Altsynth: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Additional thanks to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JACK OF OLD GAMES⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for producing ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sonic Weekly YouTube!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Special additional thanks to Altsynth for producing our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sonic Weekly YouTube Shorts!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​EXTRA Special Thanks to our Executive Producers: Sonikku, Kal Belgarion, PigDan, Pabsy, SavingThrows, Ratliker63, Dr H8 PhD, Sertoo, Butterbeerhawk, and OverthinkingMovies!!​If you enjoy the show, consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DONATING TO OUR KOFI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to become an EP and enjoy David praising you each week!

Infinitely More than We can Ask or Imagine Ephesians 3:14-21 by William Klock Eugene Peterson, one of my seminary professors, used to tell the story of a little Haitian girl named Addie.  She was an orphan.  When she was five, she was adopted by an American family.  This man and woman travelled to Haiti to pick her up.  As they walked toward the plane to go home, little Addie reach up and slipped her hands into the hands of these two strangers she'd never met before. In that moment, they became Mom and Dad.  In that moment, this scared little girl put her fearless trust in these loving strangers. That evening, back home, they all sat down to dinner.  There were heaps of pork chops and mashed potatoes and Addie watched, wide-eyed, as everyone dug in—and particularly as her two teenaged brothers dug in and dug in and dug in—until there was nothing left.  She'd never seen so much food before and she'd never seen people eat so much.  And when it was gone, Addie became very quiet.  Mom and Dad realized something was wrong.  And it occurred to Mom that it was the disappearing food.  This little girl had lived her whole life hungry.  When food was gone, it was gone and it might be a day or more before there was more.  And so she took Addie to the kitchen and she showed her the bread drawer, which was full of bread; and she showed her the refrigerator, which was full of milk and eggs and vegetables and meat; and she took her to the pantry and showed her bins full of potatoes and onion and shelves of canned goods.  She showed Addie that no matter how much her hungry teenage brothers ate, there would always be plenty of food and she would never go hungry again.  And notice, that Mother didn't just tell Addie she'd never have to worry about going hungry again.  She showed her.  She named the meats in the fridge and the ice cream in the freezer; she let her handle the potatoes and the cans of soup.  She gave Addie confidence and reason to trust.[1] Or as Paul has said to us in Ephesians 3, “confidence and access” (v. 12) to the “Messiah's riches, riches no one could begin to count” (v. 8).  None of it was ours—or the Ephesians'—by birth.  We—and they—are gentiles.  The promises of God, the Messiah, those things belonged to Israel.  And yet, Paul has stressed over and over, the great mystery revealed in Jesus the Messiah is that through him, God has welcomed everyone—Jew and gentile alike—whoever believes—into the inheritance of Israel and into the vast riches of Israel's God: forgiveness of sins and a promise of life, both for us, but also for the whole creation, one day to be renewed, made new, resurrected as Jesus has been, to be what God created it, created us to be in the beginning.  The world set to rights and us, living forever in fellowship with God. That is good news.  And those gentile believers in Ephesus—and we—we're captivated by that good news, by the promise, and we slip our grubby, sinful, idolatrous little hands into the hands of the Messiah and he washes us clean, he introduces us to his—now our—Father, and he begins to lead us home.  Not on an airplane for a short little hop across the Caribbean, but a lot more like Israel being led through the wilderness for forty years—only this time the promised land is God's future, his new creation.  And maybe it's because we didn't see for ourselves the army of Pharaoh drowned in the sea, maybe it's because we never experienced the manna in the wilderness, but when the journey gets difficult—Paul knew that times of persecution were coming—but when the journey gets difficult, it's easy to worry whether God will come through—whether there will be enough.  It's easy to hedge our bets and to compromise—trusting in the things of this world to see us through the hard times rather than trusting God and letting him lead us.  It's even easy to let go of his hand altogether.  To just go back to Egypt—or in our case, to paganism, to the rule of the principalities and powers of the old wicked age.  Things are familiar there.  It might have been bad, but at least there was food.  Paul knew these Christians would one day face uncertainty, he knew they'd be tempted to compromise their faith and their allegiance to the King, and he knew that if they did that, they'd fail to be the church Jesus and the Spirit had made them.  They'd become just like the shabby and drab world around them instead of shining forth the Technicolor glory of the God who indwelt them and the wonders of his new creation.  So knowing that, what does Paul do?  Brothers and Sisters, he prays for them.  Look at Ephesians 3:14: “Because of this,” he writes, “I am kneeling down before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.  My prayer is this: that through the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power, through his Spirit, in your inner being; that the Messiah may make his home in your hearts through faith; that you may be rooted and firmly founded in love; and that you may be fully able to grasp, with all the saints, the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the surpassing love of the Messiah, so that God may fill you with all his fullness.” Maybe we should start at the end of the prayer—with the thing that Paul wants most for the Ephesians and for us—the thing that he's praying all the other things will lead us to.  He prays that God will fill us with all his fullness.  Remember, that language of filling is temple language.  That's what Paul's been talking about all this time.  We are God's temple.  The blood of Jesus has purified us from our idolatry and from the stain of sin and death so that God can come and dwell in us through his Spirit.  And just as God's glory shone from the old temple on Mount Zion, revealing his presence with his people, just so God wants his glory to shine forth from us, from the church.  We don't just proclaim the good news about renewal and new life and new creation and resurrection in Jesus.  Brother and Sisters, we're to live it. We're to be the beginning of God's new creation in the midst of the old. And Paul knows this won't be easy.  It wasn't easy for Israel on her journey and neither will it be easy for us.  So,, ack to verse 14: He gets on his knees and he prays.  We'd do well to do the same, probably even the kneeling part. You can pray sitting or standing or walking or riding a bike, but this got me to thinking about kneeling. It's not mandatory, but I wonder if it would do us well to kneel more often.  Our tradition is to kneel when we pray in church and I know we don't do that here because we don't have kneelers and, even if we did, God bless the Presbyterians who made our pews a hundred and fifty years ago, but they made them so that only a child's feet can fit underneath them without major contortions.  But maybe we need to kneel—at least in our private prayers—more often.  I don't often read Eugene Peterson.  I'm just not on his wavelength.  To quote Eugene Peterson again: “While on my knees I cannot run away.  I cannot assert myself.  I place myself in a position of willed submission…On my knees I am no longer in a position to flex my muscles, strut or cower, hide in the shadows or show off on stage…I set my agenda aside for a time and become still, present to God.”[2] Prayer is the place where we come to the Father as adopted sons and daughters, reach up, and trustingly place our hands in his.  And maybe it would do us good, when we pray, to put ourselves in a posture where that's all we can do, knowing just how prone we are to running away or cowering in fear or showing off.  As we kneel, we empty ourselves, and with Paul, we pray that God will fill us up.  Again, the point of our being filled is to shine forth God's glory, but what we're filled with to make that happen is God's love.  In verse 15 Paul starts out appealing to God as Father—the one in whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.  In verse 17, it's the love that fills our hearts, that is the root of the great tree, and the foundation of the temple itself.  I expect, if he wanted to, Paul could just keep piling metaphor on metaphor to describe the riches of God's love, because he wants us to know that it's in knowing God's love that the church will find the power to be what God has called us to be.  Would that we would remember that.  How often have we put something else in the place of love?  There are all sorts of things that are important to our being the church.  There are all sorts of things that are even essential to being the church.  But without love at the centre, without love as our taproot, without love as our foundation, we will never be the church that Jesus and the Spirit want us to be.  Think of Paul's exhortation to the Corinthians.  They were a church full of spiritual gifts.  The people were doing amazing and astounding things in the name of Jesus.  But Paul writes to them and says, “Without love, it's nothing.  Without love, you might as well be a clanging cymbal, a bashing gong.”  You Canadians might say that the church in Corinth was a “gong show”, because it wasn't built on love.  Without love as the root and foundation, it's all for nought.  Without love, there is no glory. This is what Paul's getting at when he prays: “that through the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power, through his Spirit, in your inner being.”  Paul wants us to see the riches of God's glory laid out for us.  Like little Addie going to the kitchen to look in the refrigerator and the pantry, to see the bacon, to see the ice cream, to see that big bag of potatoes, to handle the cans of soup.  To know those riches and to know that she has no reason to be afraid anymore.  To know not just that she's been adopted into this family, but to know that its riches are now and fully her riches.  This is what Paul wants for us.  To see the riches of God's love, to experience the riches of God's Spirit, and to know that we belong to him.  We are his people, his family, his sons and daughters—and to know it in our inner being, deep down, where it shapes who we know ourselves to be.  Brothers and Sisters, to know that new creation is our inheritance. And somehow, it's in this community called the church, this community that brings together everyone, people who are different, Jews and gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, slave and free—Canadian and American, native and immigrant, Conservative and New Democrat, young and old, homebody and adventurer, Star Wars and Star Trek, Coke and Pepsi, Ford and Chevy, introvert and extrovert—somehow in this community in which we're brought together, so different, and yet united in the Messiah, made one body, and our life together is dependent on these people so many of whom are so, so different from us, it's here that we begin to plumb the unplumbable height and depths of God's love. Plumbing the heights and depths is an image that weaves its way from the Prophets all the way through to the end of the story in Revelation.  Think of the Prophet Zechariah, who exhorted the people of Judah to rebuild the temple after they returned to Jerusalem from their Babylonian exile.  But there was more to it than the earthly temple.  Zechariah had a vision in which a man was measuring the whole city and his measuring became a promise—a promise of a temple and a city even greater, one that no wall could contain, one in which the Lord would dwell with his people and become the wall himself.  Ezekiel has a similar—and much longer—vision in which he measures the new temple—a new temple larger and greater and more awesome than anything that had ever stood on Mount Zion and that image from Ezekiel is then picked up by John in Revelation.  To plumb the height and depth and width of God's love is to know, to grow to understand God's purposes for us as his new temple. It's interesting, because Paul has already written about this new temple as being full of the wisdom of God—like a storehouse for the nations, for new creation.  And that's something Job talks about: the wisdom of God, longer than the earth and broader than the sea.  In Sirach, in the Apocrypha, the great sage envisions Wisdom herself, coming to live in the temple.  He knew the world is not as it should be; he knew his people, Israel, were not as they should be; they needed God's wisdom to set them to rights—and it would start, it would flow forth from the temple as a show of God's glory.  This is who God wants us to be, through the Messiah: people who know God's wisdom, people who embody his new creation in the midst of the old.  A people full of light and life in the midst of darkness and death.  A people who will challenge the principalities and powers of the old age by our very existence.  A people who will proclaim God's glory to the ends of the earth. Think again of Paul's line of thought so far.  One of the difficulties of peaching just a little piece or half a chapter of a letter like this week by week is that we lose sight of the bigger picture or bigger argument.  But remember back to Chapter 1.  I said last week, if we want to understand Ephesians, just look at the “tens”.  Chapter 1, verse 10, Paul stressed that it is—and always has been—God's plan to unite heaven and earth.  That's how he created the cosmos to be in the first place: heaven and earth overlapping; he and humans living together; he, sharing his love and his life with us.  And ever since we sinned and drove a wedge between ourselves and God, he's been working to make us fit again for his presence.  And so he's sent, he's given his Messiah—to bring it all back together, to embody new creation himself: God and man, heaven and earth united in one person.  And then, in 1:23, Paul wrote that the church is the Messiah's body and—it still amazes me to read it—the church is the fullness of the one who fills all in all.  Remember, that language of filling and being full of God's presence, that's temple language.  And then in 2:23, Paul told us that it's through the gift of God's Spirit who lives in us that God has begun to fulfil his promises to dwell with his people.  The church as God's temple is the signpost that points forward to God's future when that wedge will be completely withdrawn and heaven and earth, God and man restored to each other. And this is why Paul stresses, why he says it's so essential the church be filled with God's fullness.  Our being the temple, our being filled with the presence and love and glory of God, is the witness to his promise to one day flood all of creation with the knowledge of his glory.  I think Paul wants us to hear Isaiah 11 echoing in his words here.  Remember we looked at Isaiah 11 back when we looked at Ephesians 1.  That was Isaiah's prophecy of the coming King.  Under his wise rule the wolf and the lamb will lie down together at peace and the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  And so Paul prays that in our prayer, in our worship, in our life as the church, we may already know the reality of all this so that we might live, not just in hope of God's future, but as people actively pulling God's future into the here and now. Now, think again of little Addie.  She'd never seen a refrigerator or a freezer or a pantry full of food.  That kind of plenty was beyond her imagination.  And that's how God's riches were for those gentile Ephesian believers.  They knew that the world is not as it should be.  We all know that in our bones.  Like Addie surely knew that it's not good to be hungry.  But what's the solution?  And, if God is going to set things to rights, what will that even look like?  We've had a glimpse.  We've known the gift that God has given us in his son, who has given his life to purify us from our sins.  We've known the gift of his Spirit, whom he's poured into us to give us a taste of renewal and new creation and life together with him.  And if we've listened to the story of God and his people we've heard of the garden, heard of the temple in which his presence once dwelled, we've heard of the exodus and Pharaoh's water-logged chariots, and the manna in the wilderness.  We've read John's Revelation and had a glimpse of the end of the story, even if only in symbols and its full glory veiled.  We've seen the kitchen and the pantry stocked with food.  And yet that's only the beginning.  It's only a hint of what's to come.  And so Paul prays again in verses 20 and 21: “To the one who is capable of doing far more than we can ask or imagine, granted the power which is working in us, to him be glory, in the church and in Messiah Jesus, to all generations, and to the ages of ages!  Amen.” Brothers and Sisters, God's glory isn't just to be revealed in the future.  It's here and it's now and he means for it to be revealed in us, his church, in the same way he's revealed it in Jesus.  Whatever vision we have of the church, Brothers and Sisters, God's vision for us is bigger and wider and deeper and higher and greater than we can ever ask or imagine.  C. S. Lewis once preached a now famous sermon on the “weight of glory”.  That's where he rebukes us saying that we are far too easily pleased.  We're like children, happily making mud pies in a slum, when we've been offered a grand holiday at the sea.  “We are half-hearted creatures,” he says, “fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us.”  And maybe we've progressed a bit in the church, but we're all too often still obsessed with politics or denominational divisions or even otherwise good things like theology.  But not love.  It's funny how we can centre ourselves even on all the good things that revolve around the love God, but somehow miss the need ourselves to be centred on that gospel love. We need to be captivated by the gospel, by Jesus, by his cross and by his resurrection and by his ascension.  We need to be captivated by the life of the Spirit into which we've been plunged.  We need to be captivated by the promise of new creation, even though we'll forever struggle to envision it this side of eternity.  We need to be captivated by God's glory, because he doesn't just call us to be spectators to it.  No. He's called us into the story.  He's led us in our own exodus, from slavery to sin and death so that we—as fickle and confused and anxious as we often are—should live in the here and now, learning to be plumb the heights and depths of his love so that we might make his glory known in the earth.  As inadequate as we may feel, we are his poiema, his workmanship, his grand and glorious piece of art, painted with the blood of his son and shining forth the glory of his Spirit. This what he's saved us for.  To be the vanguard of new creation, making known his glory.  And if that's scary or overwhelming, Paul reminds us that the very one who has saved us is capable of doing infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.  In other words, the fridge and the pantry are full of more food than we can ever imagine.  This is our God.  So come to the Lord's Table this morning and as you join with your brothers and sisters to eat the bread and drink the wine, be reminded of the infinite riches of love in our Father's house.  Look back to the cross and look forward to his promises, know the life of his Spirit, and in faith slip your hands into his and now that you are his son, you are his daughter, redeemed and renewed that you might know his love and shine forth his glory. Let's pray: Gracious Father, in our Collect today we acknowledged our sins and thanked you for the grace and mercy by which you have redeemed us and made us your own. Remind us always, we ask, of your great riches, that we might know the great height and depths and width of your unending love.  And not just know your love, but as we know it, that we might live it—to love you and to love each other and in doing so, to shine forth your glory and to make you known in the world. Through Jesus our Lord we pray.  Amen. [1] Practice Resurrection (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010, 159-60. [2] Ibid., 154.

The mercy and the sovereignty of God are the twin pillars of your life. They will stand by your deathbed, and with strong and tender hands lift you to God.

Comic Book Chronicles Ep. 592: Focus Up, Calderu! - Agent_70 is back this week after his adventures at NYCC 2024...but the guys won't be talking about that until Next week's show! We will get his impressions of the Attack on Titan musical

Rabbi David Aaron first encountered Kabbala at the young age of eighteen. Now, kabbalistic thought is a central influence in his life, leading him to strive to see a “ray of godliness” within every person. Rabbi David Aaron is the Co-Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Orayta and the author of eight books, including Seeing God and The Secret Life of God. He is also a noted teacher and international speaker. Now, he joins us to answer eighteen questions on Jewish mysticism with Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy including how human beings are facets of the divine, that Judaism is meant to make life easy, and how men and women are equal but not the same. Here are our questions: What is Jewish mysticism?How were you introduced to Jewish mysticism?In an ideal world, would all Jews be mystics?What do you think of when you think of God?What is the purpose of the Jewish people?How does prayer work?What is the goal of Torah study?Does Jewish mysticism view men and women the same?Should Judaism be hard or easy?Why did God create the world? Can humans do something that is against God's will?What do you think of when you think about Moshiach?Is the State of Israel part of the final redemption?What is the greatest challenge facing the world today?How has modernity changed Jewish mysticism?What differentiates Jewish mysticism from the mysticism of other religions? Does one need to be religious to study Jewish mysticism?Can mysticism be dangerous?How has Jewish mysticism affected your relationships with yourself and with others?What is a Jewish teaching that you always take with you?

A new MP3 sermon from Reformation Church of Elizabeth is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: God's Infallible, Infinitely Certain, Eternally Established Plan for Your Salvation Subtitle: Romans Speaker: Kevin Swanson Broadcaster: Reformation Church of Elizabeth Event: Sunday Service Date: 3/1/2026 Bible: Romans 8:28-30 Length: 61 min.

B"H This is your daily reminder that Hashem loves you. Not in theory. Not in some distant theological way. With an eternal love. Ahavat Olam. A love that we say twice a day because we forget. It's not meant to stay in the siddur. It's meant to land in your heart. To be felt. To be lived. And when we access that love, especially on Shabbat, when the noise quiets and the distractions fall away, we're meant to pass it forward. Shabbat is the gift that lets us feel that love more clearly and bring it into our homes, our words, our relationships. Hashem loves you. Infinitely. Forever. Shabbat Shalom. #Judaism #Shabbat #God #Emunah #Love To watch Torah Thoughts in video format, click HERE Subscribe to the Torah Thoughts BLOG for exclusive written content! Please like, share and subscribe wherever you find this!

Ceci n'est pas une podcast. This is piano which is from 2008 which is explained further in the intro to the SOS108 coming soon. The logic pro from zoom conversion boogooaloo was not expected, mate. ENJOY THIS INTRO MUSIC FOR THE SHOW COMING SOON. The actual file is forthcoming. This is to honor the anniversary and to launch the part of the files recorded which logic pro recognized - drag and drop the file and it's not showing up so until that is resolved in the next 24 to 48 hours, enjoy the phantasmal return of Six Of Swords!

TRANSCRIPT Gissele: Hello, and welcome to the Love and Compassion Podcast with Gissele. We believe that love and compassion have the power to heal our lives and our world. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more amazing content. Today we’re talking with Rashi Nayar, and she’s on a mission to shift humanity from lower states of consciousness to higher states of consciousness. Gissele: I’m so, so excited to talk to her today. We’re gonna have a great conversation and she’s gonna do a practice with me. Maybe you can tag along as well. So welcome Rashi. Hi Gissele: Rashi. Rashi: Hi Gissele. Rashi: I’m so honored to be here with you. Gissele: Oh, thank you so much for being on the show. I’m really looking forward to it. Gissele: What led you to be on this mission to increase the consciousness of humanity? Rashi: My own path to increasing my own consciousness, you know, to operate from higher states of consciousness, which is peace, joy, and love. You know, these are actually who we are and we explore that more as we go along. Rashi: But I was very depressed for 18 years of my life, you know, since [00:01:00] 2007 when I lost my dog and in a car accident. And that was the first time I had experienced unconditional love that way, you know, someone loved me for who I am, not for, I had to prove myself or I had to perform. I had to be someone. Rashi: I could just be whatever. And he loved me that way, right? And it’s very beautiful to get that type of love from someone in that way. And when I lost him, he was only two years old and he met with a car accident and he died in my arms. But that was like it was like an opening. And it was like my heart broke for the very first time. Rashi: I had never experienced something like that before and I was grieving, but that was the first time I started asking questions like, who am I? Why am I here? What’s our true purpose? What is God? What is enlightenment? You know, all of that. Because what my soul was longing for was to connect back to that unconditional love that I had experienced from him. Rashi: But I didn’t know, [00:02:00] I was always looking outside, you know, outside myself. And I entered toxic relationships because I thought that other people were gonna give that to me. I was very disappointed and I was very depressed. I wasn’t chronically depressed. I was depressed, but I was also living in a low, low grade anxiety for a very, like, very long time until 2025. Rashi: This year when I lost another family member, I lost my aunt to ms. So that episode really shook me to the core and it forced me to sit in stillness with just with myself. Like no more reading books, no more going outwards, right? Because that’s what I always did. I would go to a spiritual retreat. Rashi: I would, you know, go outwards, read books, do therapies, you know, do coaching. I did a lot of work, technically a lot of healing work, and maybe that was required, but. Nothing really significantly changed. You know, I was still the same. I was [00:03:00] still living with low grade anxiety and I was still the same. And but this time I went inwards and I connected with the part of myself that is infinite, that is peaceful, that is love. Rashi: And I realized that everything that I thought about myself or the identity that was caring was actually not who I truly was or not, or not who I am. The identities or the masks that I was wearing, you know, the mom, the entrepreneur, and the aunt and the friend, all of those were really masks and identities that I was carrying. Rashi: But who I truly am, my most authentic self is actually free already. She’s already free. And it’s not even a, she, I wouldn’t even, we cannot really label, right? It’s, it’s. The vast infinite being that we are is inherently peaceful. Is [00:04:00] inherently open. Infinitely joyful. Infinitely blissful and loving. Rashi: Compassionate. That peaceful, that’s who we are inherently. And I, stayed in that high, right? Let’s just say I was in those higher states of consciousness for three days straight and I was floating. Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: Yeah. I was so high. But then came the day I went down, the anxiety was back again, and I was like, wait, I thought I was enlightened. Gissele: I did it. What happened? Rashi: But that is what what’s supposed to happen, because now. I could see the contrast, right? I had experienced something so profound, and now there’s the contrast or the lower states of consciousness, which is fear, anxiety, lack. I was back, I was back in the fully humanness, you know, the human part of me, but [00:05:00] now my aunts, so she passed away and three days later she, she was in my head, she kept telling me, Rashi, love yourself. Rashi: Rashi, love yourself rash. It’s like, it was constant. And I realized that I didn’t love the parts of me that were so-called dark or negative. I was trying to get rid of anxiety. I was trying to get rid of the darkness, right? I was trying to resist whatever I was experiencing in the moment, and that was profound because now my only job is to love myself unconditionally. Rashi: In all parts of myself, the shadows they call it in the psychology. But I realized that the parts that I’m trying to get rid of, the anxiety, the so-called depression, the low level depression that I was constantly feeling the numbness or the sometimes of sometimes just sadness, [00:06:00] like it would just come up. Rashi: What if I fell in love with those parts of myself? Then what would happen? And that became the journey that became the practice. And when I did that, I no longer resisted those. So it was just the experience and me in love with whatever what is right, whatever the experience is. And now I’m whole, now I’m not broken, you know, there’s some, nothing’s wrong with me. Rashi: You know, and that was the narrative that I lived with for 18 years. If something is wrong with me, I need to be fixed. I need the healing, I need the therapy. But really there is nothing inherently is wrong with me. We all experienced this human side of things and what if I fell in love with the humanness, Rashi: And that’s why the being that I experienced, so in those three days when I experienced the so-called enlightenment or the awakening, it was when I touched my being. And our being is inherently free. We who we are, our [00:07:00] authenticity, we are inherently free. We are peaceful. And yet the human side of things or you know, how we grow up, our conditioning, our identity, our beliefs that we carry, all of that is there. Rashi: And that is the conditioning. So the constructed itself or the human is still there, but we cannot try to get rid of it. It’s like, you know, the snake leaves its skin. By its own. We cannot force the skin. We cannot rip the skin out of the snake, you know? So it’s going to happen only when we fully and completely fall in love with who we are in the humanness. Rashi: And that brings me back to that connection, to that love, to that peace that resides within all of us. So that’s in a nutshell, that that’s the story. That’s why I do what I do. Gissele: beautifully said. First I wanna go back to the, the loss of your dog as a person who had a dog. Gissele: Never wanted a dog to be honest, but we got one for a family and felt completely in love with the dog. And after [00:08:00] 13 years to have lost him. And I realize now that he had to go the way that he did. But he did teach me about unconditional love and patience and forgiveness and joy. And so the grief that you experience after having that can feel very overwhelming. And so where I was going with this question is, the human experience can feel so real, I have sat with some really difficult emotions it’s almost as if your mind tells you that something’s gonna happen something bad or you’re gonna die. Gissele: What do you say to people that say, you know, This is all we are because this is what we can concretely see and touch and experience. How do you go from that to understanding and embodying the fact that we are more than this reality? Rashi: Yes. Oh, that’s such an important question. Something that I live with almost every day. Rashi: You know, there’s this low grade anxiety that I still experience on a daily basis. [00:09:00] The only thing that’s different is I’m no longer resisting it. Gissele: Hmm. Rashi: So, you know, and we human beings, we are either, we’re only living in two A states at all time. We’re either to attach to the state that we want, which has happiness, joy, love, bliss, or we are resisting the lower states of consciousness, which is anxiety. Rashi: We’re really in, in these two states or all times. So it’s like when we get that love from the dog or the baby, you know, I have two babies, two little girls. And I’m like, I want it all the time. Right. So now there’s attachment, because if she says something like, I have a 4-year-old, which is a, she’s a very mischievous toddler. Rashi: Right. When you say something that can feel like hurtful. I mean, I don’t take her things seriously because I know better, but Gissele: yeah, Rashi: for someone else it could feel like, what, what would just happen? Like we were in love and now, or the, the spouse says something, right? Like, I have my husband who really triggers me, so he’s, he’s like my [00:10:00] best enemy, right? Rashi: Like he’s my favorite person, so mm-hmm. He says some things that can feel hurtful, and in the beginning it really used to bother me because I would resist those things. I would resist the experience of whatever’s happening in the moment, right? But now I lean into it, and that’s the difference when we are getting this anxiety or when we are getting something and the experience doesn’t feel pleasant. Rashi: The mind itself because the mind is like that. Mind wants to go navigate towards pleasure and it wants to avoid pain. That’s how the mind is, right? Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: But we are not the mind though. So in the moment, if we can witness the mind’s neuros, whatever it does is like trying to resist. What we do is we say, first I love you mind. Rashi: Because the thing is the mind in itself is what it’s doing. It’s movement what it’s supposed to be doing. [00:11:00] And the second thing is, I love you, anxiety and that love it. It’s the experience that feels heavy, that feels not good, right? And that experience now is infused with love. So there’s no longer a problem with what is, with the experience itself. Rashi: And there’s a beautiful book written by Byron Kitty and her, the name of the book is Loving What Is, and apparently, you know, she’s enlightened, you know, every like, so she’s the enlightened being, right? We can talk in that way. I’m not enlightened for sure, but that’s what she meant. I didn’t understand it back then. Rashi: But this is what she means is whatever our experience is, if we are not attaching ourself to it, which means we are not craving more of that, or we are not resisting that, [00:12:00] then we have no problem with the experience. So the experience in itself is not a problem, Gissele. It’s our relationship with the experience that’s the problem. Rashi: So the anxiety in itself is not a problem. It’s how I relate to anxiety, how I see it. That in itself is the issue here. So if we’re like, okay, anxiety is here, can I love it? Can I lean into it? And when I do, and it can feel scary because some people might think that if I lean into that, that means it’s gonna expand, it’s gonna grow more. Rashi: Right? That’s sometimes where the belief is, and I definitely have that, but it’s actually what happens is the other way that anxiety or that bubble becomes love. And you know, there’s a great saint in India, I really, really respect him. He’s no longer in body and that’s, I always keep this picture over here. Rashi: Mm-hmm. [00:13:00] His name is named Carol Baba, and he was apparently he’s the same behind Apple. You know, Steve Jobs went to his temple. Rashi: I love him. I’ve never met him, but somehow I love him. Rashi: And, you know, love has no logic. Gissele: And it has no boundary either. It doesn’t, it doesn’t mean that you can’t love somebody who’s passing. And I think that’s the difficulty perception about, we think that when somebody crosses over that the love ends. I still love my dog bear and I still think about him. Gissele: I think about caressing him. I think about, I talk to him. But anyways, go on. Rashi: Yes, you’re right. Exactly. So, because love is unconditional and love is who we are. Mm-hmm. Which I’m going to take you back to so you can experience it yourself. But he used to say that suffering brings us closer to God. Rashi: Mm. And God is love. And so suffering, meaning anxiety, pain, whatever, chronic pain. I mean, people who are his devotees and people who have written books about him, they [00:14:00] said that, I’m so glad that there’s this pain in my life because it helps me take back to him love or God. And that’s exactly what we’re doing here, is we are saying, whatever comes to our experience, I love you. Rashi: Anxiety, I love you. Guilt, depression, grief, It can feel really hard in that moment, but that is the portal, the bridge between the lower states of consciousness, which is anxiety, fear, all of that to higher states of consciousness, which is love, peace, joy, abundance, that love and saying it mentally in the beginning it could feel like a mental repetition. Rashi: Everything is like, and then you’re like, I love you. I honor you. Even if you’re here, I love myself and I love, I mean, that’s loving kindness. The practice of loving kindness meta in Buddhism is loving ourselves and then loving people in our lives and loving [00:15:00] what is, you know, so that’s a tool that if people can use then, you know, I would love to hear how their life transforms. Gissele: Hmm. Yeah. it’s definitely something that I use myself and what I realized was that the more love I had in my heart for myself, the more it overflowed to other people. Like I didn’t need them to be different. I didn’t need them to change ’cause I didn’t need them to give me anything. Gissele: I really resonated with what you’re talking about, resistance. I noticed that one thing about myself is when I encountered the most resistance to what was happening, my inability to accept and surrender, had to do with my belief that if I surrendered, I was giving up. Gissele: That was accepting. What is that? it’s like saying that there was no hope or no chance Rashi: Mm-hmm. Gissele: I didn’t realize that the deeper thinking behind my resistance had to do with that. This has power over me, so if I give into it, it’ll take me, it’ll do what it wants to do. Correct. And so when I let go of that story [00:16:00] and allowed myself to surrender, there was a level of peace, but it was hard to get there. Gissele: I just wanna acknowledge what you’re talking about is so brilliant, but it can feel really challenging. And it doesn’t have to, but it can. Because I remember when I would ask for guidance from my higher self God source universe, the guidance that I always got was Love it. Choose it. Gissele: And I’m like, well, I don’t wanna choose this. I don’t wanna accept this. And so, but I would lie to myself thinking that I was not in resistance, but I was in resistance. ’cause my body was so tight. Rashi: Yeah. Gissele: And so, it can feel difficult to let go of that resistance. And we are. Gissele: Not really taught to surrender. we’re doers. Rashi: I just gotta keep grinding it out and eventually this is gonna come through. Gissele: how is that counterintuitive to allow love? Rashi: I love that question because I was exactly what you’re describing. For 11 years of my life, I was a [00:17:00] serial entrepreneur. I’ve scaled my own businesses to seven figures plus. And I learned it from my dad. Rashi: You know, it’s a learned behavior. You keep pushing through, you just keep doing, you know, and that’s discipline. Yeah. And consistency. Like those words feel really good. Discipline, consistency and but it didn’t feel good to my body. Gissele: Oh, Rashi: right. It does. It feels like, oh, it, it felt like I’m choking, but I still kept pushing through and I burned out very much. Rashi: So that’s why, you know, I no longer do what I used to do for 11 years and it just didn’t feel aligned anymore. I wanted to open my heart. I wanted to lead from the heart. So, to answer your question, Gissele, when you say that you are the doer, I wanna take you into this is again, a constructed and identity. Gissele: Yeah. Rashi: Right. This is, again, something that we have [00:18:00] adopted from our environment and from our parents, maybe from our teachers, someone we really admired because they had this habit of keep going and it felt really inspiring, right? Because they accomplished so much and the narrative that we. Play in our head is if we keep doing that means, you know, we’re bring, we’re service. Rashi: This is service to humanity and we’re serving, we’re adding value. All of that feels really good, right? Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: And it feels like we’re in service. But the highest service, and I haven’t come to that point myself, but I get glimpses of that, is surrender. And I’ll tell you why. The highest service is surrender is because when we are surrendered, we are now the channel for God will to flow through us what God wants us. Rashi: And that is the path of least resistance. The [00:19:00] path of least resistance is when we are, it’s not my will, it’s God’s will. The problem. The problem, we don’t have a problem. The brain has a problem. And this is, now, let’s go back to scientifically, understanding the scientifically how this works is the brain wants to solve problems because our brain is from the ancestors we lived. Rashi: Our brain is coming from survival. You know, it, it doesn’t know how to thrive. It knows how to survive, right? And survival means keep pushing through. It means keep solving problems because there could be a line behind us and if we don’t solve problems, we are gonna die. So the brain is used to solving problems. Rashi: So it’s not necessarily you that wants to do, it’s your brain that wants to fix the problem. Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: So Rashi: once you understand who you are, then you don’t relate to your brain as yourself. That, and that’s what we do, is we relate to our brain’s [00:20:00] mechanism or our mind’s workings as ourselves. We identify that that’s who I am, but that’s not who we are. Rashi: when we realize who we are, then we are free. Then we can see the workings of the mind as the workings of the mind. And we’re like, ah, that’s what the mind wants us to do right now. But what do I wanna do? Which means I, the, which I’m gonna take you to let you experience that for yourself. So we can do that whenever you’re ready. Gissele: Yeah, of course. I just wanted to mention a couple more things. in my life surrender has been so fundamental. Mm-hmm. It’s led to some magical things happening. But what I noticed was that on the things that mattered the most to me, or had the most limiting beliefs about surrendering is really difficult. Gissele: Mm-hmm. I could surrender, like small things or things that I believed could happen, but the things that were bigger, that bigger than I thought I could hold in my container, I [00:21:00] had a hard time really releasing or surrendering. Rashi: Mm-hmm. Gissele: And so for me, the, the whole concept of surrendering has been a minute by minute step by step by step. Gissele: I’m surrendering a little bit more. ’cause people think, well, I just surrender and then it’s. But if you have limiting beliefs around it, surrender can feel really dangerous. It can feel, it can feel unsafe. And that was one of the things that, the word that came up for me every time I tried to surrender about the different things I was surrendering about is like, this feels unsafe. Gissele: This feels unsafe. So like you said, being able to soothe your mind in, in your emotions and saying, you’re safe. You know, we got this. Mm-hmm. we’re just taking a baby step. That, for me, has gone a long way, Gissele: I continue to surrender more and more every single day and it feels so good to not feel like you have to carry the whole world with you. That you have God, Source, Universe helping you. And usually things turn out way better than I even anticipated. but here’s how stubborn I am [00:22:00] or this ego person is. Gissele: That should have been enough. Like how many times does the universe have to show me, like these magical things. And I’m like, well, but not in this case. Gissele: I wanted to ask you a couple more questions. The first one is talking about who we are. I’ve heard many people that say that we are God because everything is God source energy. We are God, we are made from that. from the same source and that God’s will is our will and our will is God’s will. And I had to kind of grapple with that. Gissele: And the reason being is because it’s not that I think it’s like blasphemous or anything like that, is that I kind of fell into a pitfall where I thought I could force my will. Rashi: Yeah. Gissele: Rather than being like, what’s my genuine will? what’s my genuine identity? and if I truly believed it, I wouldn’t be resistant to anything. Gissele: If I truly believed I was a creator of my life, of my thoughts and emotions and [00:23:00] God was working through me and I’m made up of the same juice as everything else, and I wouldn’t resist anything in my life. I would just choose something else. Gissele: Just curious as to your thoughts about that. Rashi: Wow. Again, this is amazing because yes, we are God, but yes, we are also humans, you know? Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: God gave us this body, very limited body, right? I mean, where I come from, the Hindu culture, in our religion, we have flying gods. Rashi: You know, there’s a monkey, God called Hanman. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. He used to fly, right? And so he has completely crossed the gravity, right? He is broken all the laws. So neem, KLI, Baba, he was apparently the avatar of Numan because he could be in three different places at the same time. So people in Delhi were like Baba’s with us, but in people in Aaba, they, but Baba’s with us has that possible. Rashi: And then there’s people in Bombay, they’re like, but Baba’s with us. How is that possible? So he completely nullified [00:24:00] the, the laws of the universe, which is laws of gravity. And he was a, people used to say that he was God, and so he had commanded or he had done a lot of, or sadana, which is a lot of the yogic practices to come to that. Rashi: But we don’t do that. You know, we’re mothers and we live in a household, so obviously we don’t have that luxury to, you know, meditate first since morning until night. We can’t do that. Yeah. So, right. So we have to address, we have to understand that we are limited in the body sense, but we are also unlimited with our mindsets that what we can think we can create. Rashi: So in that sense, yes, we are God, but yes, we are also a human being. So the ego in itself is not a problem. That’s what I wanted to say is ego in itself is not a problem as long as we can witness. Stay as the witness and we can witness the ego play [00:25:00] out. Gissele: Yeah. Rashi: Ego, meaning the constructed self. And also if we talk about the brain, the brain has a certain neurological pathway, a neural pathway that has been established and the non-dualistic teachings, the avea, they call it the spider web. Rashi: or the veil. the Christians call it the veil, and it’s the neural pathway in the brain that has been established as our identity, our beliefs, our thoughts, our perceptions. Mm-hmm. All of who we think we are, the constructed self or the ego. We are getting away from that, you know, and I, at least I have 39 years of that to get away from that. Rashi: To collapse that completely and to come to higher states of consciousness, which is completely a new neural pathway. Establishing that is a muscle, it’s almost like lifting weights in the gym. It takes practice. So this is a practice, and like you said, the [00:26:00] surrender is not a one, one thing. I mean, Gissele: yeah. Rashi: I think Ekhart Tolle he’s written about this, that the surrender just happened and he just disappeared. Right. And he became enlightened just like that, which I thought I had experienced before. But there are some beings that have experienced that, and they stayed in that bliss and that joy, I don’t know what that is to feel like for me it’s a practice and I don’t have a problem with that. Rashi: I’ll tell you why. Because I’m able to see the constructed self and the neurosis that come with the constructed self itself for sad. You know? Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: I wanna see it like that. I want this to unfold as it is unfolding, because then the suffering, the ego is a portal. It becomes an invitation to come back to myself every single day. Rashi: Every single day. Now, I’m a conscious creator. I’m consciously choosing to [00:27:00] return to my original state, which is peace, which is love, which is joy, which is compassion. there’s a part of me, the ego, and I can still hear the voice be like, are you kidding? You? You not wanna be enlightened? Rashi: Like, forget about all of this. I’m no longer chasing it. For 11 years, I did chase the enlightenment. It becomes the shiny object, right? As we are chasing the seven figures, we wanna be a millionaire. It’s the same thing with spiritual money, which is enlightenment. Rashi: Everyone wants that. But what’s the problem with us right now? What if there is no problem with us as we are? That’s, you know what if the way you’re surrendering is the way you’re surrendering is the way you’re being, is the way you’re healing is the way you’re healing is exactly how it’s supposed to be. Rashi: It makes you whole and complete. It’s how the creator wants to experience herself through you with all the mess. It feels very [00:28:00] messy. Yeah, but what if that’s how it is supposed to be? And that is what is like if you’re not resist surrendering, that’s perfect. No, no problem with that. So. We can have a spiritual identity as well. Rashi: You know, spiritual people are high, right? That’s all of the identity They’re not supposed to resist, they’re supposed to surrender. That could be a contracted self as well. So what the invitation here is to just live as yourself completely and to love yourself and meet yourself for where you are. Rashi: And I think you’re doing a great Rashi: job at that Gissele.. Gissele: Thank you. you mentioned, spiritual people. I feel like what I chose to come here to learn was really to learn about love. Mm-hmm. Like true unconditional love and compassion. And Gissele: I understand it. I can say to you, we must love all including those who we deem as our enemies . In fact, some of our enemies are our [00:29:00] best friends because they are helping us remember who we are. Rashi: Okay. Gissele: And yet there is a small part of me that still believes that some people that behave in negative ways, that are very hurtful, that they should be fought or that we should fight injustice and fight oppression. Gissele: Even though to me that’s just another level of resistance. Right? But there’s like this little me, this little kid because of her family dynamics that still see somebody as like somebody needing that saving and other people needing to be less, selfish, And so, and that’s what I’m grappling with. Gissele: To create a true, loving, equitable, compassionate world for all. I have to emphasize the all, it has to include those who are most hurtful. It has to include people Yeah. Who are hurting other people And so I think that’s the thing I grapple with. On the one hand, [00:30:00] I can understand that we’re not really this reality, that this is just sort of like a play. Gissele: Right? And yet at the same time, it’s hard for me to witness the suffering of people who are, don’t believe that or are not experiencing that. And to see people suffer on a daily basis Rashi: Yeah, exactly. Rashi: Exactly. Very, very powerful what you just said. And I wanna ask you a question here. You said there’s a part of me. That still doesn’t really like that, you know? Gissele: Hmm. Rashi: There’s a part of me that doesn’t really, that’s resisting my invitation is what would happen if you really fell in love with this part of yourself that’s not loving? Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: because then there’s freedom to really be, we include all dualities within us. We do, we are the saint and we are the [00:31:00] sinner. Because the seed of whatever the other sinner is doing is within us as well. Rashi: It’s just, we’re not choosing to act on it. That’s all we’re doing, but the seed is there. I mean, we still get negative thoughts. I remember I used to get thoughts like hate hating other people. I would get jealous of other women or like all of that. Rashi: Right? So apparently less than wholly less than saintly. Right. That’s who I am. What’s the problem with that? that’s the thing. If I can accept and love the parts of me that don’t feel so holy, that don’t feel so loving, then what would happen? Then I’m free. Gissele: Hmm. Rashi: Right. So that’s the invitation, because the thing is who you are, Gissele everything is it? Rashi: It apparently looks like the world is happening outside of us. It looks like that. Like we have a body and the world like me. I’m happening outside of you in the Zoom room, but [00:32:00] actually I’m Happening within you. Because you are awareness who we are. We are pure awareness. let me take you back to when we are babies. Rashi: Right? So when the baby’s born fresh out of the mother’s womb, it never says I am Rashi. No. Right? It never says I’m a girl or a boy. It doesn’t say I’m zero years old. Nothing. Right? But what it, what? It’s in a state. It’s in pure being state. Pure being, which means aware or I am. Gissele: Hmm. Rashi: Just this.. I’m not this or that. Rashi: I am. And when we say this to ourself, and I would, I want to invite you, Gissele, to say this to yourself when you can even close your eyes because I really want you to experience this firsthand and even the listeners. Yeah, of course. Rashi: Okay, so, alright, so just close your [00:33:00] eyes. Okay, so now go back to when you were a baby, and I don’t want you to go back and track your memory because you might not have a memory of being a baby, but I want you to have this as an experience, like a direct experience and directly experience yourself as just being born Rashi: fresh. Rashi: No thoughts, no emotions, particularly no judgements, no perceptions. It’s just this pure state of I am Rashi: or I am aware. Rashi: Pure awareness, pure presence, pure being.[00:34:00] Rashi: See yourself, have a direct experience of yourself without any name, without form, without any identity. Just pure nothingness. And Rashi: let me know when you’re there. Gissele: Okay? Gissele: I’m there. Rashi: Okay. So stay as you are. This is your original nature, original state of being. Stay as you are. If any thought arrives or comes to your awareness, you can just ask it to wait outside. We’ll ask it to wait outside the zoom room for a bit and we can [00:35:00] take our thoughts later on. We can pick up our identity later on. Rashi: You can pick up your name, beliefs, everything later on. But for now, just stay as you are. I am. Rashi: And now I’m gonna ask you some questions about your true nature. So as you are just the state of I amness, just pure awareness, are you inherently peaceful or your inherently disturbed? Rashi: Mm-hmm. Yes. Okay. So as you are. I am. The other question is, are you open or you’re closed.[00:36:00] Gissele: Open. Rashi: Mm-hmm. Open right now. Stay as you are. Just empty, empty, empty. Stay as the awareness that you are Rashi: now as you are. The next question is, do you have an age? Gissele: No. Rashi: No? Okay. Hmm. Okay. Stay as you are. So if you don’t have an age, were you ever born? Rashi: Yes. Rashi: I want you to even bring your memories out. Take your memories outside the zoom room, keep them out, and just stay as you are. Come back to just pure awareness. [00:37:00] And the invitation here is to have a direct experience of who you are. So as you are, who doesn’t have an age, were you ever born? No. Mm. So if you were never born, will you ever die? Rashi: No. Yes, exactly. And stay as you are. We’re going to go deeper. Rashi: When you stay as you are direct experience, Rashi: are you finite? Which means can you be put into a box like a body, or you are infinite and the body is also within you. Just see this, see this very clearly, and I want you to have a direct experience. Your mind might tell you something else, but that’s [00:38:00] just a thought. So I want you to have a direct experience of this. Rashi: Stay as you are. Are you finite or you’re infinite? Rashi: Are there any boundaries Rashi: between you and the experience Rashi: as you are? Rashi: No. No. Right. Rashi: Hmm. Rashi: Are you naturally accepting as you are or you are naturally in resistance, Gissele: naturally accepting? Rashi: Hmm, yes. Rashi: As you are? [00:39:00] Is there a problem? Gissele: No. There are no problems. Rashi: There are no problems. So as you are, are you whole and complete Rashi: or do you need anything to complete you? Gissele: No. Rashi: Hmm. Okay. So whatever you just said, and I have coached so many people around this, I have taken so many people into this experience. Everyone had the same answer as you. So who we are is this infinite being that is inherently peaceful, that is inherently [00:40:00] infinite eternal, which means doesn’t die, was never born, and has no problems, is naturally accepting, doesn’t need anyone to complete her. Rashi: This whole is peaceful, accepting, loving. That’s a natural state of being, Rashi: and that makes us one, Rashi: that’s who the other person is as well. Rashi: And if you stay as you are, there’s a last question I wanna ask you come back to. I am. Do you even need God to fulfill you here as you are? [00:41:00] Gissele: No Rashi: Mm. So you need no one to complete you because in itself you are inherently complete. Rashi: So just now we’re gonna come out of the experience and you can just take your time just. Maybe rub your hands and slowly, when you’re ready, you can open your eyes. Gissele: Hmm. It’s interesting ’cause when I was in this class, I had an experience where I went into meditation and went into that same void and it was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I don’t think I’ve ever shared this in this podcast. It was like, I wasn’t my body. I wasn’t anybody. and I had pretty bad anxiety in those times. Gissele: And I didn’t have anything. I didn’t have anxiety, I didn’t have anything. But I didn’t wanna return. And so I guess whoever was leading the class had to kind of bring me back and [00:42:00] then and that was really skeptical in those moments. And so I thought, well, maybe this is my imagination until I got home. Gissele: And, and the babysitter kept saying that my daughter was hysterical. ’cause she kept saying, mommy isn’t coming back. She isn’t coming back. Rashi: Oh. Gissele: And Gissele: so, yeah. So that, that was interesting. And so I thought to myself, well, I don’t ever wanna go that deeply into anything so that I don’t like the choice not to come back. Gissele: But and so I’ve been trying to go to that void. But it was surprisingly easy I think what helped me was really, like you said, keep your thoughts at the door, And that was helpful. It was surprising how much I could just not think of something. Mm-hmm. And then when I observed myself thinking something, I could just say, no, go back to the door. Gissele: But I was also at one point wanting to not even like, listen to your questions either. I was just gonna be like, okay, I wonder if I should keep everything at the door. Rashi: Yeah. Gissele: But then when I let your questions in sometimes, then I would move to something else. Then I would go to a thought, which [00:43:00] means I had to go back and go, Nope, you gotta go back to the door. Gissele: Yeah. But I was great and, and it’s so surprisingly simple to remember. I just find that sometimes like to go back and hold onto those identities of like, oh, this is hard, or I’m getting stuck in anxiety. Yeah, Rashi: sure. Rashi: Yeah, Gissele: so, I have to be really conscious of Gissele: A story I’m telling myself about myself, right? Like, how much of a story am I telling about what identity I hold or what I think should be? And so the more I create a distance between the stories of who I think I am and who other people are, the more than I find I open myself to seeing their divinity in myself and and other people. Gissele: But it took me a long time to figure out that the loving all wasn’t just myself and people. It was everything. Rashi: Mm-hmm. Gissele: It Gissele: was, it was those things that we struggle with, all of it. Yeah. and there’s certain parts of the journey that I’m learning to love [00:44:00] more. Gissele: like what I was talking about, seeing children suffer it’s hard to bear as a human, quote unquote. Rashi: Yeah. Gissele: And yet I have to remind myself that that doesn’t mean I don’t do the things that I came here to do. This is why my mission is not just to learn the love for myself, but also to share that with others, whether it be helpful for them or not, not from a place of I need you to change, but from a place of like, this could be helpful to you. Gissele: Yeah. But it’s an interesting journey, isn’t it? Rashi: It is. And you know, it’s hard to bear witness to the suffering of other people. That’s because we love so much. Yeah. Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: Right? And it is hard. But the thing is that. Sometimes we get into the trap that, you know, we are supposed to be loving people, so we should be loving everyone, right? Gissele: Mm-hmm. Rashi: And when someone is doing less than loving things, we are like, oh, but I’m supposed to be loving person. I mean, I have this [00:45:00] podcast called Love and Compassion. I’m like, right, yeah. But those parts of us require the most loving, you know, there are times where, and it, this has been the hardest for me because my husband, like I said, is my biggest frenemy, right? Rashi: And he really triggers me. He shows me where I’m not free yet. So he says something and I’m not loving him in that moment, for sure. Rashi: Yeah. Rashi: Because he is pushing too many buttons, and I’m like, outta it. And the thing is, I have learned to love myself. Even when I’m not loving him now. There’s no resistance. Rashi: You know? Now I can see the neurosis of him and me, and there’s no problem. So he says something and then, you know, it’s so interesting what happens recently it started happening is when I’m like, you know, alright, I love you. Even if you’re not loving towards him in that moment, there’s a shift, there’s a very subtle shift. Rashi: It’s very [00:46:00] subtle. And now it, I’m not taking him so seriously, you know, all of this, the thing. And then he sees that I’m not taking it serious. And it’s very much in the heat of the moment, right? And he sees that, he sees presence, that I’m just quiet and I’m pouring love on myself right now. And somehow because I, the lens at which I, I’m seeing myself is changing the lens at what, how I’m seeing him as changing at the same time. Rashi: And now his lens at how he sees me and himself changes in that moment. And then he would laugh out of nowhere and, you know, and the whole serious thing becomes a funny thing now. And that’s the interesting part, is what the highest service we can do to humanity is to love all parts of ourselves, the non holy Rashi: parts, Rashi: the non loving parts. Rashi: If we can love those parts in which we like, I shouldn’t be like that. Oh, [00:47:00] actually, you know what, what? What if you love the part of you that’s being like that? Because who you are is inherently peaceful. It’s inherently loving, it’s inherently accepting. So in that moment, whatever is not accepting is the ego. Rashi: So the invitation here is to love the ego, the constructed self. Only then we can be free. Only then we can be free to be who we are, because the ego dissolves in that. When it’s seen with the light of awareness, shines on it seen and the constructed self is. Gone in that moment and then the construct itself comes again. Rashi: So this is a practice. Yeah. And at some point we’re like, you know, the Buddha used to say, we are like Bodhi, you know, we’re walking people home. That’s why we are here in this world is we’re not the Buddha yet. We’re not in like, because then we’re away from the Maya or the illusion, but we are part of the illusion so [00:48:00] that we can take people home together. Rashi: We’re walking each other home. That’s what Ram does used Rashi: to say. And yeah. I love Gissele: that. I love that. Mm-hmm. I’m doing something called Kriya yoga. Have you heard of it? Rashi: Kriya yoga? Gissele: Yeah. Rashi: With Yogananda Gissele: with yoga, yes. Yogananda. Yeah, that’s right. Rashi: Right. Gissele: I just started, yeah, Rashi: I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never done it. Rashi: So how is that going? Gissele: Fabulous. I just started But it’s interesting. Sometimes even very short practices have a big impact. Mm-hmm. it’s really interesting ’cause you don’t think like you’re doing anything. And to be honest, I came into it a little bit skeptical in terms of like, I’m used to meditating for two, three hours and I think you’re supposed to be doing like an ongoing, because I’m just learning it, I’m just starting with little practices. Gissele: But the little practices have been really powerful. Rashi: It’s the little ones that are more powerful, you know, the loving, the act of loving oneself and seeing parts [00:49:00] of us, it requires a very high level of self-awareness. You know, it’s just like we’re catching ourselves just before the ego has started to take control. Rashi: And that practice, I feel, if we can do it in action, because we live in such a busy life, right? Gissele: Yeah. Rashi: It’s a luxury to even sit in meditation for so long. You know? It’s so, I mean, it’s a privilege almost like these days, I wish, sometimes I wish I could go to these 10 day, the pasta meditation retreats and just like, yeah, Gissele: me too. Gissele: I wanna go to India. Rashi: Oh my God. Like, yeah. Rashi: If we can do meditation in action, I feel that that’s more effective then, you know, going uphill or sitting in a cave and you know, because then we come in the world anyway. Rashi: And I remember Ram Dass again used to say, if you think you’re enlightened, go and live with your family for the weekend and then come back and tell me how enlightened you are. Gissele: I don’t wanna say it’s was easier, but you can go to a cave somewhere and I think that’s what needed to happen with certain [00:50:00] yogis in terms of helping us lift the consciousness. Gissele: Sure. So that was what happened then. Exactly. But it is a lot harder, and I think I was reading this in Yogananda’s book, the, the path of the householder is much more difficult. ’cause you, you talked about the war within ourselves, there’s so many families that are in, like, they’re not talking to one another. Gissele: There’s so much conflict within Of course we have wars, the world, we’re in conflict with ourselves. And even with the people closest to us, we can’t even get to that point. How do we expect there to be no wars in the Gissele: world? right, exactly. it’s so hard to look at ourselves. At least it can feel that way, but. Being willing for me is like the beginning point. Okay. I just have to be willing. And for me, I’ve had to prioritize my time, even just to do a quick meditation, Gissele: it’s just as important as that email I gotta send orthat lecture I gotta put together. Rashi: and non I negotiative Rashi: practice. Yes, exactly. Yeah. And that’s the stage, that’s the season you’re [00:51:00] in. And I mean, I really wish I could get that time to just sit in meditation, be like, you know. Rashi: Yeah. And sometimes we just don’t get it. So. Gissele: Yeah. And that’s okay. I Rashi: mean, Gissele: it’s like you said, Gissele: the practice, the, the power of practicing in the moment I think is. Rashi: Very powerful. Gissele: Equally. Yeah, very powerful. Yeah. Rashi: Yeah. Gissele: Wow. So we’re reaching the end. I just wanted you to share where can people work with you? Gissele: Where can people find you? Anything you wanna share with the audience? Rashi: sure. So I, my website is called www.rashinayarwellness.com. And there’s an app that I have for people over there. It’s a free app. They can get download, it helps them return to who they are. And there’s a series of questions that can take them to just pause and reflect on. Rashi: And then the answer comes before there’s guidance and then there’s a specific meditation. So if people can find time to access that. And then there’s different options, you know, ways people can work with me. But I really wanna get this [00:52:00] app in as many hands as possible. I’m also writing my first book, which is called Living From Your Highest Frequency, which is, you know, love, right? Rashi: And it really talks about these lower states of. Everything that we talked about today. Yeah. And there’s tools that people can use, you know, in daily life when they don’t have time to meditate. When they don’t get that peaceful moment to themselves is to retreat within themselves on a moment to moment basis. Gissele: Mm. I love that. Rashi: Yeah. So go back to that piece because we are peace as we explored right now. So it’s the moment to moment returning back to who we are is what really can free us, can liberate us, and can really help us take bigger actions in this world. You know, without otherwise, some people can freeze and stay in anxiety for years and nothing’s happening. Rashi: So if we can live with those lower states of consciousness, but have no [00:53:00] resistance to them Gissele: mm-hmm. Then Rashi: automatically we’re in higher states of consciousness. That acceptance in itself takes us to higher places. From there, we are doing service. We are making an impact in the world without really judging ourselves because we are our biggest inner critic. Rashi: You know? So yeah. Gissele: What a perfect Gissele: way to end, because I think what you said is so, so critical, which is the minute we stop resisting something and go to acceptance, we’ve automatically shifted to something higher. Thank you so much, Rashi. You had such a great time. Gissele: Thank you for helping me remember who I really am and helping our audience as well. Please work with Rashi. Go check out her app and check out her book when it’s available. And thank you for joining us for another episode of The Love and Compassion Podcast with Gissele

Our deep dive takes us back to 1978 this week as we talk about The Boys From Brazil. In the reviews we both got to see Nouvelle Vague, and Andy also checked out Primate.Get In TouchBlueSky @filmfileuk.bsky.socialMastodon @filmfileuk@mastodonapp.ukX @FilmFileUKInstagram FilmFileUKYoutube https://tinyurl.com/yv5skc42Email podcast@filmfile.uk

Online Service Sunday February 1, 2026Grace Community Church 5102 Old National Pike Frederick, MD 21702 Pastor Jon Keeler-Lead PastorPastor Kyle Barnette-Pastor of DiscipleshipPastor Paul Wareham-Community PastorWorship Set List-As For Me And My House-Keith & Kristyn Getty/Cochren & CoHis Mercy Is More-Shane&ShaneCome Thou Fount (Above All Else)-Shane&ShaneLove Of God-Brandon Lake & Phil WickhamWelcome! Thank you for joining us today. Please check out our event on YouVersion to follow along with today's message.Make sure you head over to our website: http://www.gracetoday.org​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Email prayer requests to: GracePrays@gccfred.org

Enjoy this meditation to raise our vibration, "Light Above, Light Within, Light All Around," with author and meditation teacher, Kevin Schoeninger. This is a great meditation for health and healing, energy and focus, positive mood and flow. It awakens a felt sense of the Life Force within and Infinitely all around. Kevin is Certified as a Personal Trainer, Life Coach, Qigong Meditation Master Instructor, and Holy Fire Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. He has a Master's Degree in Philosophy, specializing in the Phenomenology of Consciousness, and been writing about and teaching these techniques for over 35 years. His latest books are Clear Quiet Mind and Raising Our Vibration: A Guide to Subtle Energy Meditation, which are available on Amazon. https://raisingourvibration.net/Discover Enlightened World Network: a safe space for spiritual growth. Explore archangels, Divine Mother, the Christ Consciousness, light codes, energy healing, and guided meditations all with the purpose of strengthening one's understanding and oneness with Source. https://www.enlightenedworld.onlineClick here to SUBSCRIBE to the Enlightened World Network YouTube channel with over 1000 videos: http://bit.ly/2KQp6PDCheck out the EWN website featuring over 150 lightworkers specializing in meditation, energy work and angel channeling Explore videos, articles and meditations. https://enlightenedworld.online

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In this science sleep story, we explore the microcosmos and discover what our bodies and the physical world around us are made of. First, I tell you about tissues and living cells, DNA, molecules, and cellular biochemistry. Then we go smaller and talk about atoms and how they bond into molecules or other forms of grouping such as metallic bonding, and how electrons and electromagnetism are at play in these mechanisms. Finally, we descend inside atoms with their main particles and what they are made of, and I tell you a bit about Quantum Mechanics. #sleep #bedtimestory #asmr #sleepstory #science Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style bedtime stories read in a calming ASMR voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep. Listen ad free and get access to bonus content on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/LightsOutLibrary621⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LightsOutLibraryov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ¿Quieres escuchar en Español? Echa un vistazo a La Biblioteca de los Sueños! En Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1t522alsv5RxFsAf9AmYfg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-biblioteca-de-los-sue%C3%B1os-documentarios-para-dormir/id1715193755⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LaBibliotecadelosSuenosov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy this meditation to raise our vibration, "Focused Breathing-Energy-Light," with author and meditation teacher, Kevin Schoeninger. In this meditation, we activate a felt sense of vibrant life energy by breathing through our energy centers, organs, and cells, then feeling the waves of vibrant presence flowing out through the whole field of Life as a portal to resting in the Source of Being. This is a great meditation for health and healing, energy and focus, positive mood and openheartedness. It awakens a felt sense of the Life Force within and Infinitely all around. Kevin is Certified as a Personal Trainer, Life Coach, Qigong Meditation Master Instructor, and Holy Fire Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. He has a Master's Degree in Philosophy, specializing in the Phenomenology of Consciousness, and been writing about and teaching these techniques for over 35 years. His latest books are Clear Quiet Mind and Raising Our Vibration: A Guide to Subtle Energy Meditation, which are available on Amazon. https://raisingourvibration.net/

Enjoy this meditation to raise our vibration, "Focused Breathing-Energy-Light ," with author and meditation teacher, Kevin Schoeninger. This is a great meditation for health and healing, energy and focus, positive mood and openheartedness. It awakens a felt sense of the Life Force within and Infinitely all around. Kevin is Certified as a Personal Trainer, Life Coach, Qigong Meditation Master Instructor, and Holy Fire Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. He has a Master's Degree in Philosophy, specializing in the Phenomenology of Consciousness, and been writing about and teaching these techniques for over 35 years. His latest books are Clear Quiet Mind and Raising Our Vibration: A Guide to Subtle Energy Meditation, which are available on Amazon. https://raisingourvibration.net/Enlightened World Network is your guide to inspirational online programs about the spiritual divinity, angels, energy work, chakras, past lives, or soul. Check out our website featuring over 200 spirit-inspired lightworkers specializing in meditation, energy work and angel channeling https://www.enlightenedworld.online To sign up for a newsletter to stay up on EWN programs and events, sign up here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/FBoFQef/web Link to EWN's disclaimer: https://enlightenedworld.online/disclaimer/#empathsofinstagram #divineguidance #archangels #lightsourcing #energytransmission

Some truths are too enormous for words—like discovering the sky is a different color while normies remain blind. Over seven years since high school, I systematically deconstructed the comfortable illusions we've lived in our entire lives. Politics and trans issues are just surface symptoms—the rot goes INFINITELY deeper. Once you flip the log over, it's completely eaten through by worms. This episode dissects our rotting worldview and reveals why everything we've been taught is fundamentally false. SPONSORS: Shopify:  Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at ⁠⁠⁠https://shopify.com/cognitive⁠⁠ - Crush your enemies with War Thunder today: https://wtplay.link/whatifalthist25 -- LINKS: Link to my second podcast on world history and interviews: ⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / @history102-qg5oj  ⁠⁠⁠ Link to my Twitter-⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/whatifalthist?ref...⁠⁠⁠ Link to my Instagram-⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rudyardwlyn...⁠⁠ - Bibliography: The Myth of Disenchantment by Storm A Secular Age by Charles Taylor A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell Forgotten Truth by Houston Smith Forbidden Universe by Lynn Picknett The Righteous Mind by Jon Haidt The Happiness Hypothesis by Jon Haidt The Elephant in the Brain by Simler The Soul's Code by James Hillman The Master and His Emissary by Ian McGhilchrist The Psychology of Socialism by Gustave le Bon The Crowd by Gustave le Bon Spiral Dynamics Intergated by Beck Sex, Ecology and Spirituality by Ken Wilber Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell The Rise and Fall of Nations by Ruchir Sharma Rise of the West by McNeil The Eye of Shiva by Amaury de Riencourt Sex and Power in History by Amaury de Riencourt Masks of the Gods by Joseph Camble Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson A Brief History of Time by Steven Hawking Modern Times by Paul Johnson Robert Monroe's Trilogy The Passion of the Western Mind by Tarnas A Brief History of Philisophy by Betrand Russel ...probably a bunch more than this. This was a multidisciplinary video. This is. good start though

Enjoy this meditation to raise our vibration, "Resting In Being Through The Hum Of Life," with author and meditation teacher, Kevin Schoeninger. In this meditation, we activate a felt sense of vibrant life energy by humming and smiling through our hearts, then feeling the waves of vibrant presence flowing out through the whole field of Life as a portal to resting in the Source of Being. This is a great meditation for health and healing, energy and focus, positive mood and openheartedness. It awakens a felt sense of the Life Force within and Infinitely all around. Kevin is Certified as a Personal Trainer, Life Coach, Qigong Meditation Master Instructor, and Holy Fire Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. He has a Master's Degree in Philosophy, specializing in the Phenomenology of Consciousness, and been writing about and teaching these techniques for over 35 years. His latest books are Clear Quiet Mind and Raising Our Vibration: A Guide to Subtle Energy Meditation, which are available on Amazon. https://raisingourvibration.net/Enlightened World Network is your guide to inspirational online programs about the spiritual divinity, angels, energy work, chakras, past lives, or soul. Check out our website featuring over 200 spirit-inspired lightworkers specializing in meditation, energy work and angel channeling https://www.enlightenedworld.online To sign up for a newsletter to stay up on EWN programs and events, sign up here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/FBoFQef/web Link to EWN's disclaimer: https://enlightenedworld.online/disclaimer/#empathsofinstagram #divineguidance #archangels #lightsourcing #energytransmission

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Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 5 What Kind of Citation? In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels. The world is a dirty place; from its darkest hole to the most beautiful idea          We were still in that moment when the sirens came on behind us. Two run-ins with the law weren't doing my academic future any favors. "Oh, crap," Heaven muttered. "What are you going to do?" "Stop and see if I can bullshit my way out of a ticket," I responded hopefully. I was going for the 'honest officer, I was only trying to get a little action with my girl here' defense. I pulled over into the driveway of an abandoned house and waited for the inevitable. I found Heaven looking at me somewhat fearfully; then it dawned on me that she'd never faced the police in an adversarial role before, such was her privileged lifestyle. When the officer, a city cop, got out of the car I did a double take; it was a woman. Going for the 'kicking boots with the girl' defense was gone and since I was with a woman it was not likely I could do a 'lone, lost puppy' plan either. "Zane?" Heaven whispered. "Are we going to , " "I'll think of something, Heaven. I'll keep you out of it," I promised, but that was all I had time for. "License and registration," the officer told me. I handed them over quickly and tried to smile at her. "Hi, Officer Campbell," I greeted her, taking her name from her uniform. She looked over my cards then leaned into the window. "Do you have any ID, Miss?" she asked Heaven. Heaven scrambled to pull out her FFU ID because that was all she had, she didn't know how to drive. The officer looked it over then handed it back to me. "So what's going on here?" she questioned us. "We are out on a date," I responded. "In all my years here I've never seen an FFU girl out on a date," the officer replied skeptically. "Well, it couldn't be all that many years," I quipped immediately which caused the woman to stare at me. "Because you look so young," I stumbled along. She stepped away from the door after a moment to mull over what I'd said. "Step out of the car," she commanded. I thought about protesting but that really was counter-productive. "Turn around and put your hands on the roof of the car," she said next. As soon as I complied she began a serious pat down, starting from my wrists, going down my arms, my collar, and then down my body. She skipped my groin, which I and my fear-hardened cock were grateful for. When she finished doing both legs she ran one hand up my ass and the other around my front to take hold of my cock. "Planning to give that tight little FFU cunt a work out, were you?" she whispered into my ear. If only she knew. "That was something I had considered," I confessed. "I'm afraid I can't let that happen," she told me. And then louder, "I'm charging you with a D W I. Come back with me to the patrol car. Are you going to be any trouble? Do I need to cuff you?" "No, I'll behave, but I swear I've not had a drink or done any drugs all night long," I promised. "We'll find out about that back at the station," she informed me as she pressed me over to her vehicle. She opened the driver's side back door and sat me down forcibly on the seat. "I'll have to call someone to pick up your girlfriend at the station. I'm afraid I'll have to impound your car for a more thorough search." "Please don't do that," I responded with a start. "She'll get in a lot of trouble. Can't she call someone to come pick her up?" "I'm afraid not," the policewoman smiled down at me in a smug and superior manner. "Besides, who do I call about you? You seem awful young to be running around all alone. Where do you go to school?" Seeing my reticence to answer, Officer Campbell went through my wallet and pulled out my FFU ID, looking it over curiously. "It's a long story," I sighed, "but it is legitimate. I'm at FFU too." "It looks like the Chancellor will be coming for two students tonight, then," she noted. "Please, is there any way you can leave Heaven out of this? It is my entire fault." This was mostly a lie but, oh, hell, why stop now? "I'll take full responsibility." And most likely get expelled. The officer studied me a moment with a tilt to her head. "Maybe there is something you can do. Can you impress me with what a good boy you can be? It would take some extreme effort on your part," she grinned mischievously. I could only nod. "Take off your pants," she commanded curtly. I saw little hope or option so I hurriedly did as I was told. Any worry that my good friend wouldn't comply was dispelled when her warm hand surrounded the shaft and gave it a playful tug. She knelt down between my legs and stroked me a few times as she took in my dimensions. "If you cum in under thirty seconds like most of your college asshole buddies, you are spending the night in jail," she instructed me. Since I could barely remember a time when I lasted less than five minutes, I shrugged and nodded. She started licking my tip then wrapped her full lips around my throbbing head and took around two inches in. Man she was good at this, making me wonder how many college guys she'd snuck up on over the years. For the next thirty seconds she energetically tried to make me out to be a liar, but she was good, not great, and I survived the experience in style. The next two minutes she took at a more leisurely pace, getting into the deed and enjoying the experience. "Let me see your tits," I suddenly felt inspired to ask. How much more trouble could I get into? She slurped on me for a few more seconds before pulling free. "Danica; my name is Danica," Officer Danica Campbell enlightened me. She also guided her head back onto my cock and began taking off her shirt and light ballistic vest. This revealed a damp wife-beater, white sports bra, and deceptively large sweaty breasts under it all, definitely more than a handful. With some deft manipulations and alternating between hand-strokes and sucking, we got the rest of her upper clothes off and I began kneading and caressing her gorgeous globes, her nipples hardening in the cooler night air. I also took the opportunity to take off my shirt as well. "I want to fuck you now," she relayed to me in a husky voice. I started to scoot back along the rear seat when Danica leaned forward resting a hand on the car's cab over the door. Her breasts hung free and I went for them, pulling them with my hands and sucking one nipple hungrily, then switching to the other. "You are making it hard to concentrate," she panted to me, but that was the extent of her protest. When she finally untangled herself from her clothes, Danica pushed my pants and shorts down and started to straddle me. I saw her rip a condom wrapper open with her teeth and felt her hands roll it down over my cock. "Are you sure you're ready?" I asked. "I wouldn't mind returning the favor." "Sweet kid," she murmured appreciatively, "but I'm sure I'm ready." She reached between her legs and smeared some of her fluids she collected over the tip of my nose, lips, and chin. I sucked on her two fingers when she let them linger, which only made her happier. Her fingers free once more, she guided them between her thighs, positioned my head to her moist opening and sank down my shaft. Danica rocked back and forth for a minute, slowly letting more of my cock slide into her until she had finally engulfed it all. She let out a deep, soulful sigh and sat there experiencing being filled up for a moment before she started to ride me. When I say she rode me, I don't mean she rocked back and forth, up and down in a rhythmic fashion; Danica rode me like a wild bronco, slamming into me like a woman possessed and leaving me with a deep seated fear that she'd dislocate my hips. The one saving grace was that she didn't last all that long, she couldn't, and when she came, she thrashed hard against me, but thankfully in a series of low growls. Her screams would have been deafening in the confines of the car's back seat. She lay against me taking deep breaths, if not breathless. "Not your average college boy," she sighed as she rested her hands on my chest. "I'm not done yet, Officer Danica," I told her. I rolled us over, putting her on the bottom and taking hold of her legs. I wedged her left foot up against the back seat and door frame and the right over the headrest on the driver's side, spreading her wide open and helpless. "Ah fuck, Danica moaned as I sank into her again, "don't you get tired?" "Can't you tell?" I grinned, "I'm trying to impress you." I ground my pubic bone into her clit for good effect with Danica's eyes rolling back in her head accentuated by a growl from deep from her diaphragm. The 'slap, slap, slap' sound of my groin smacking her soaking wet cunt filled the car and apparently echoed out into the night. Danica flailed her arms above her on the seat and tossed her head back and forth in ecstatic rapture. I really was feeling like I was doing a good job because a minute later she shuddered into another orgasm so hard, her flexing legs made her feet push out, causing the car's frame to squeak. I moved her ankles back down then turned her around, leaving her on her stomach as I worked behind her and between her legs. "Huh?" she muttered as I spread her legs farther apart and pulled her up by the hips onto her knees, doggy-style. I teased her cunt with several passes of my cock before settling on the cusp of her entrance. "Ah" we moaned in unison as I sank my cock back into her sweet cunt. I pushed forward gently and Danica slowly responded. "Oh, fuck," she added as I pushed to my maximum depth. "You like?" I asked softly as I leaned over her. "Yes, she slurred, heady with passion. ", I like it, now give me more. Please give me more now." She was the arresting officer so I felt obliged to obey, picking up the tempo and smacking our flesh together in a resounding union until she growled once more, balled her fists against the vinyl seat and snarling into the fabric. I slowed down long enough for her to start to recover, then I drove her hard once again. I caught sight of the movement at the opposite door before Heaven opened it. Danica looked up and struggled to her elbows. "I don't do girls," she gasped out between my rocketing impacts into her sex. "That won't be a problem," Heaven assured her before sitting down with her back to both of us and began to pull off her skirt and underwear. "Heaven, are you sure about this?" I cautioned her. If I was uncertain about what I saw about to happen, I was certain that Christina would have kittens (and blame me). In the end it was Heaven's choice, though, and I owed it to my date to support this. "I told you I don't, oh, my God!" Officer Danica gasped as Heaven turned around, got on her knees, and thrust her cock toward the policewoman's mouth. Danica backed up against me, trying to avoid Heaven, but I held fast. "Open up," Heaven ordered the cop as she rubbed her cock over the woman's lips. Danica shook her head until Heaven ran her hands through her hair and yanked up. Danica yelped and Heaven stole the moment to shove her cock in. "Umphf," Danica mumbled around Heaven's tool. Soon she was gurgling and slurping as Heaven made rapid use of her mouth. Initially Campbell resisted Heaven's deep thrusts but slowly her protests lessened and her moans of pleasure increased. She even went so far as reaching up for Heaven's hip and pulling her in tight. "Oh, damn, this bitch is good," Heaven moaned. Danica made a rebellious noise in response. I backed up enough so that Danica could remove Heaven's cock from her mouth. "Watch it," she scolded Heaven as she kept a hand on the younger woman's cock, stroking it rapidly and with passion. "More sucking; less talking," Heaven insisted as she stuck her rod back in Danica's mouth. This wasn't a fight I was going to get in the middle of. I decided that since Heaven was already having a ball, making Danica happy was my main concern. I ran both hands along her sides, one doubling back between her legs and starting to tickle her clit while the other cupped a breast and began teasing her nipple. By the way Danica gyrated her body under me, I could tell she was getting into it. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, Zane!" Heaven cried out. At the last moment she locked her eyes with mine as she made Danica choke on her meat and shot gob after gob of cum down her throat. Danica spewed and sputtered as Heaven finished abusing her face. The cop had only a few seconds to catch her breath before Heaven stuck her semi-flaccid member back down her throat. Heaven stole the moment to lean in and French kiss me intensely over Danica's body. Danica gamely took Heaven's cock and went back to sucking for all she was worth. Heaven took on a different approach this time, coaxing Danica along with fingers softly coiling and uncoiling her hair and gentle touches to her cheeks. Our trapped police officer became lost in her own growing ecstasy, which was only short-circuited by Heaven suddenly pulling out. "Let's switch up," Heaven suggested enthusiastically as if Danica's orifices were musical chairs. On the other hand, Danica had asked for this (sort of) and Heaven really seemed to be coming out of her shell so I nodded. I kept thrusting into Danica who, if aware of our intentions, gave no indication of any resistance. Heaven, now topless, tapped me on the shoulder when she came round and when I separated she gave me a high-five. Heaven's face when she slipped into Danica's cunt was pure bliss. "Oh, yeah," Heaven exhaled triumphantly. "This is great." "I'm sort of partial to Officer Campbell's body too," I agreed. Danica kept up a series of 'ugh, ugh, ugh's' in reaction to Heaven's exertions until I came around to the passenger side of the back seat and settled in facing her. She looked up at my crotch and then up to me with exhaustion tinged with fear. "It's okay," I stroked her hair and didn't press forward. She lowered her head to the seat for about half a minute as she absorbed Heaven's thrusts. "Here," she mumbled, as she pushed up onto her hands once more, "let me help with this." She took my condom off, grabbed my cock by one hand, and after giving me a faint grin began taking in my head. I couldn't stop myself from giving her a little extra but Danica took it like a trooper. "Damn, Zane, we are double-stuffing this cop. I bet she didn't expect this tonight," Heaven laughed gleefully. "Umphf, umph, umph," Danica mumbled between slurps and sucking noises. "That's a good girl," Heaven consoled Danica as she petted her ass and flank. "You like this, don't you?" For the longest time Danica didn't respond so Heaven teased her. "Do you want us to stop, Officer Campbell?" Another pause, then Danica pulled her lips off my cock. "No," she whimpered, "I'm loving this." She went back to sucking my cock and Heaven began slamming her hard as a form of reward. Soon enough, Danica spasmed to another orgasm and then nearly collapsed onto the seat. "Zane, I want her ass," Heaven beamed at me like a sex-possessed maniac. "No," moaned Danica, "I don't , Heaven cut that off with a sharp slap to the ass. "I've got an idea," I grinned back. I moved Danica to the back of the seat and scooted underneath her. I pulled her back on top of me and Heaven helped me insert my cock into her well-fucked cunt. "Oh, yes," Danica gasped, as I squeezed my cock into her cunt once more. That was nothing compared to the noise she made when Heaven ran several fingers over her snatch, getting her fingers nice and wet before sinking the first one into her anus. "No, Umm," the policewoman got out before I buried her protests with a kiss. When I let go she looked down at me with a captivating degree of sexual hunger that was exciting. Heaven began feverishly working her finger into Danica, making her shut her eyes as she tried to cut off the pain of her first anal experience. "Kiss me if it gets to be too much," I whispered to her; Danica nodded. On cue, she dived onto my lips twice more before Heaven had me sit still and I felt it as she urged her cockhead against Officer Campbell's anal opening. "Shit! That hurts," Danica shouted out in pain. "I'm going to own this ass," Heaven taunted her over her shoulder while moving deeper incrementally. "Oh," Danica moaned, as tears welled up in her eyes. "I can still, make you pay." Heaven draped her body over Danica's and began rubbing her taut nipples along her back. The policewoman gasped and shivered from the sensation. "You like this?" Heaven murmured to her, rubbing her rigid nipples over Danica's flesh. "I've got more where that came from." While Heaven drove her hips forward as she pumped her cock deeper into Danica's ass, she took nips out of the cop's shoulder blades and back while massaging both of her breasts with her hands. I had one hand working her clit in a sensual cycle while my other hand caressed her cheek. By the look on her face, my FFU-mate was coming into her own; a beautiful sight. "I can't take it, I can't take it, I can't take, Ah!" Danica went off one final time. "Her ass is like a vise," shouted Heaven, as undoubtedly Officer Campbell's anus was contracting around her cock during the orgasm. "Bitch, here it comes," Heaven screamed. I could sense the heat of her seed course through the thin walls separating our cocks inside Danica. Two more thrusts and I was joining them in climax. We were all pressed together for a minute before Heaven finally got her head together enough to move. "Fun-fucking-tastic," I growled. Heaven pulled out of Danica's ass with a 'pop' which gave the policewoman a jolt. In a strange turnabout that left me wondering, Heaven leaned down onto Danica one more time. "That was great, Officer Danica Campbell. This is the best sex I've ever had," Heaven related in a disarmingly tender voice. Danica looked over her shoulder and after a moment of reflection nodded. "No problem." Turning to look down at me, the policewoman added, "Now watch your driving, young man. I don't think I can let you off so easy next time." This was easy? I rolled Danica's back to the seat and carefully withdrew from her and got out of the car. The entire back seat was a mess of sweat and other fluids. She slipped down from a semi-sitting position to resting on her side, her head on an arm as she watched me get dressed. Heaven hobbled over to the far side and retrieved her clothes there. "Are you going to be okay?" I asked Danica as I finished up. "Yes," she murmured with a smile. "Get your ID from my clipboard on the roof and I hope I can trust you to not, knock up your 'girlfriend'; alright?" "I think I can manage that, Officer Campbell," I smiled at her and her little joke. She closed her eyes and I noted a satisfied smile ease onto her lips. We may have been one of the best fucks of her life. We pulled back onto the road in utter silence and I was beginning to worry about what would be going through Heaven's mind when she reached over and took my hand without looking. "Happy?" I inquired. She studied me for a moment, biting down her reflexive response. "You'll never know how, I hope you never have to know how much this meant to me," she corrected herself. "So you wouldn't be opposed to going out with me next weekend?" I asked. "Well," she smiled after a moment, "since you are my lover I really should spend some time with you, so, okay." "We'll work out the specifics later in the week," I promised as we swept into the parking lot. Dana Delivers Pain Christina and company stepped out into the glow of one of the streetlights as I parked and we disembarked from my ride. I was thinking of the best way to put things but Heaven trampled my efforts to be cool. "It was great," she bubbled. "We got a bite to eat at that Oriental place on Market Street, then went to see Wreck-It-Ralph and then, she looked around suspiciously, then she added with a whisper, "we had sex with a woman!" Christina gave me a desperately curious glance. "I mean she sucked me off and then I fucked her cunt, and I can see why Zane loves sex so much now, and then I nailed her ass and she came so hard, she collapsed. It was awesome!" The rest of the girls gathered around while I was somewhat excluded. "Heaven, what about keeping things secret?" Christina cautioned. Heaven looked past Faith and reached a hand for me which I stepped up and took. "She won't be telling anyone about this, will she, Zane?" Heaven tried to assure her best friends. "I sincerely doubt she'll want to use our encounter to hurt us, Heaven. Please believe me when I say we left her very happy with what we accomplished together," I tried to assuage their fears. "Who was it?" Christina insisted. I was against telling her and I tried to silently communicate that with Heaven but my partner decided to put greater trust in her friend. "It was a female police officer," Heaven stated shyly. "I was fooling around with Zane, he swerved, and she pulled us over." "And Zane decided it was a good idea to seduce her?" Christina accused me sternly. "No. She was going to call the campus about me, then she took him back to her car. I don't know what was said, but she then had Zane strip and she began sucking him off," Heaven defended me. "Get to the part where the three of you are having sex," Chastity asked urgently, her hands clasped together in excitement. "She was giving me a nice blowjob, I asked to see her tits, she stripped down and crawled on top of me and we had sex until she came," I began. "Then he flipped her over, hooked her legs up, and went on her until she came again. And then he got behind her, that was when I came up, and he was screwing her doggy-style and I came up to the other door," Heaven added to the story. "She said she didn't do girls so I stripped down, and when I presented my, cock to her, she balked but Zane didn't let her get away and I fed it to her and she sucked me off." "She wasn't as good as you, my friends," she informed her female companions, "but it was nice. I told Zane to change places and I, had my first cunt and it was, wow. After she climaxed again, Zane got beneath the cop and I took her ass. Now I know why Zane does it to Barbie Lynn so often, hot damn. Anyway, we all came, got dressed, and we drove home." "Oh, Heaven, it was too much of a risk," Christina persisted. "Did I mention how great the sex was?" Heaven smiled hopefully to her best friend and long-time protector. "We knew this day had to come," Hope intervened. "We all prayed for Heaven to find her own identity." "But is she a boy or a girl?" Faith questioned. "I'm, Heaven struggled to answer. "She's neither," I answered for her. "She's Heaven, and for those of us who care about her, that is enough." Heaven's look was one of stunned acceptance while Christina and Chastity looked almost pleased with me. Hope and Faith were still grappling with the concept, I could see. "Lover, let me walk you back to your dorm," Heaven smiled up at me happily. Normally it worked the other way around, I believed. "Nope," I shrugged. "There is no way you can get me home and then beat curfew, but we'll see each other in the morning." She nodded, and with the rest of Team Christina, they headed off. I caught Christina looking over her shoulder at me, giving me a sad, almost desperately worried look. I didn't have too much time to think about it as I hustled back to my own dorm and up to the Solarium at the top. I met up with Barbie Lynn after my trip to the bathroom to get ready for bed. "Hey, Zane," she greeted me. "Good evening, Barbie Lynn. Can I have a few minutes of your time?" I inquired. She brightened up then smirked slightly. "Are you sure you aren't too tired from your date with Heaven?" she joked. "That's a story for another time. Right now, I'd like to spend some time with you. I miss you when you are not around," I answered truthfully. Barbie Lynn snuggled into my arms. "I'd be delighted to spend some time with you, Zane Braxton," she purred, while she ran her hands over my chest, ribs, and finally my ass. I opened the door and chased Barbie upstairs and we tumbled into bed together. Barbie Lynn couldn't stop giggling as we wrestled around until I positioned myself over her, her legs wrapped around me, her arms pinned over her head, and a broad sexy smile on her face. The marathon of kissing came naturally, as did the press of her body against me, her nipples hard, and her sex sweet to my senses. "Have I told you how wonderful you make me feel?" I panted into the flowing tapestry of her sweet-smelling hair. "Yes," she sighed happily, "but I don't get tired of hearing you confess it." She settled into my arms and the silence had barely begun when her adorable snores graced my ears. I drifted off to sleep soon after realizing it had been one hell of a week with thirteen still to go. Birth of the Rebellion. I shared my 'solo' shower time with nine girls, with the good fortune that most of them only expected peripheral moments with me, not real sexual attention. Opal and Brigit, my original shower buddies, were joined by a few others plus my compadres, Iona and Rio. This morning, Brigit got a full-body scrubbing but I spared a few moments for my two closest friends. "I'm surprised to see you here, Iona," I confessed to her as I ran my hands over her slender shoulders. "I came here for an education," she smiled up at me. I arched an eyebrow and she flushed in embarrassment. "I mean, I came to school for an education, honest, that's what I meant." "I know," I calmed her. "I knew what you meant." I'd have been happier with the way things were going if I hadn't caught Rio and Opal huddled together giving me conspiratorial looks. Catching my suspicious glare, Rio sauntered over to Iona and me. "So, Teacher, are you going to give me any education time?" she teased Iona and me both. "I think you and I are on the other end of the Teacher-Student curve, Rio. Unfortunately, your lessons always involve some sort of pain and/or humiliation on my part," I pointed out. "Don't be such a baby, Zane. I do what I do out of love, okay, out of the love of watching you squirm, but that's love too, right?" Rio smiled sweetly. "Stop being so mean to him." Iona became upset and clutched me tightly. "Maybe if he took me out on a date, like he did Heaven, or spent more quality time with me like he does with Barbie Lynn," Rio snickered, "I'd be too tired to pick on him." "We went out on a date," I countered. "When?" Rio questioned. "Last Wednesday; we went out for ice cream," I reminded her. "Sorry. If this cunt doesn't get penetrated, it isn't a date," Rio scoffed and Iona blushed. "Rio, I thought our friendship could withstand Saturday night but I'm not going to be someone you pass the empty hours with. I'm your friend and if you think you and Iona are no different than anyone else I know here, you are sorely mistaken," I declared before Iona could have an outburst of her own. "I don't need you, Zane," Rio shot back after a moment. "I never said you did. In fact, I need you more than you might need me," I related to her. Rio fidgeted for another instant, then turned and left. Seeing that Rio had left her shower kit behind, Iona gathered their things up and followed her. I made my way to exit from this embarrassing episode when Opal grabbed my arm. "If we aren't friends, what are we?" she inquired. "Infinitely memorable," I answered with a sly grin. That earned me an appreciative look. "I'll take that," she smiled and let me go on my way. The Sparks of Rebellion Considering what our previous few mornings at school had been like, this morning was downright sedate. Rio joined Iona and I as we made our way to breakfast, where we were even permitted to sit together, and Assembly, where we did the same. Had it not been for the final announcement by the Chancellor Melrose Bazz, "Christina Buchanan has stepped down as Senior Class Body President. She has been replaced by Rhaine Ritchie," she announced. There was some stirring; for me, the look I had received from Christina the night before now made sense. They'd stripped her of her position because she's decided to not persecute me, becoming my friend instead. Well, to hell with that. I totally missed Iona's furious activities, though I would value them later. Rio and I made it easy for them, though we wished Iona hadn't tagged along. I had no real plan until she stepped up to confront me and then the first step of the operation fell into place. "Zane Braxton, I require your services," the girl with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair smirked at me. She'd brought along three playmates, how interesting. "Who is this?" I asked Iona calmly. "Rhaine Ritchie," Iona informed me, at which point I shouldered past Rhaine, a move Rio instantly followed. "Wait, what, Rhaine squawked. "You can't do this," she emphasized by grabbing my shoulder. "If you don't do as I tell you, you will be expelled," she threatened. Power comes from the belief in authority's ability to influence you. If I did what they wanted, I'd be expelled eventually. If I fought back, I'd still go down, but what the hell, everything ends. In my case, I no longer cared what the Administration had planned for me, I'd fight them standing up on my own terms. "Lady, I don't know who you are," I lied, "but if you don't step off I'm going to put you over my knee and spank you in front of God and all these students." Our eyes locked and she saw that I was ready, willing, and eager to follow through on my threat. Rhaine let go and took a step back. I turned and left without further comment; that would ruin the whole 'ignore her' effect. Rio caught up and nudged me. "What's the plan, Kemosahbee?" she inquired. "I'm making this up as I go along," I confessed. Rio laughed loudly while Iona gulped. "Don't worry, I'll think of something; I always do," which caused Rio to laugh louder. English came and went but ended with Ms. Goodswell calling me aside. "You will be meeting with Ms. Lane at one," she informed me. I nodded before she continued. "Zane, is it impossible for you to do the right thing or are you making my life special on purpose?" "Virginia," I replied, "if my only concern was to make you happy, I would do it. Unfortunately, I have to live with myself too and I can't stomach what's being done to my friends here. You must know that if I'd been left alone, I'd have done my time here and earned an education," I tried to get her to understand. Virginia reached out and placed one of her hands on mine. "I know, Zane, and I am doing what I can for you," she sighed. "Can you do something for Rio too?" I asked. "Zane," she chuckled bitterly, "I'm bailing out the Titanic with a thimble. I'm not sure what I can do for her. Mrs. Short wants her gone as much as the Chancellor does," Virginia answered. Mrs. Short was Rio's spiritual advisor. Our spiritual advisors were supposed to help us out at school, both academically and psychologically. I didn't doubt that Virginia had been doing her best to see that I wasn't booted out during my first week at FFU. Rio didn't have that backstop; all she had was Iona and me. I barely caught Virginia's gaze wander toward the door where a Rhaine-clone was standing. I hoisted my backpack and made for the girl at the door. It turned out we were far from alone, my confrontation with Rhaine having already made the news. "Listen, Zane, I'm not intim," she got out before I slipped past her extended arm (palm outward), slipped into contact with her, and twirled us around. She had barely enough time to gasp before I spun free and made my way down the hall. "Zane!" she called out in frustration behind me. I heard the giggles from the other girls as she took up the pursuit. I found Rio waiting inside the door while Rhaine and a clone waited for her to emerge. "Sorry, bitches," Rio gloated, "but my ride's here." Before they could react, I knelt and yanked down their skirts, one in each hand. The seniors squealed in surprise and tried to cover up as Rio shoved past them and joined me. She caught sight of my personal tormentor coming so she pulled me down the hall as we made our getaway. They waited for us coming out of Biblical Archeology with the added bonus of Ms. Gorman, Dean of Athletics, Head of Security, and Coach to several sports including Karate. They smiled, we smiled, and then we slammed the door and locked it. Rio looked at me with a piratical gleam in her eyes as we simultaneously made for the windows and flung ourselves outside. We took the fall from the second floor and bolted like mad for our next classes. Had I heard (I claimed to be lost in thought) Ms. Gorman calling my name, I would have been forced to stop and face some sort of pointless and painful task, but I made it to Biology safely. A text from Rio told me she'd made it to her class too. Of course, they could still keep coming, and getting to lunch proved impossible without confronting the new regime. Rhaine waited outside my door with a half dozen other ladies plus Ms. Gorman, who looked absolutely furious. "I believe you are familiar with traveling on your knees, Mr. Braxton. This time you get to do so with me on your back, my own personal beast of burden," she gloated. I looked through her, took in the other girls, then made my way to shoulder past them. "If you ignore this command," Gorman warned me, "that is grounds for dismissal." "Did someone give me an order?" I asked innocently. "Rhaine did," Gorman pointed out. "Who?" I inquired. "Rhaine, Ms. Ritchie," Gorman growled. "I don't know who that is," I pointed out blithely. "I'm, Gurr," Rhaine snarled. "Fine," a different girl spoke up, "I want you to be my mount on my way to lunch." I did nothing. "Well?" Ms. Gorman questioned me. "Well, what?" I responded. "Are you going to do what Vera has instructed?" Ms. Gorman demanded. "Who?" I grinned proudly. "You can't pretend you can't hear students just because you want to, Mr. Braxton," Ms. Gorman snapped. "I'm required to obey any lawful command of a recognized advanced student," I paraphrased my Handbook. "Any student doing an illegal or immoral action does not qualify." "These two students have done no such thing," Ms. Gorman pointed out. "Ms. Ritchie has accepted appointment as Senior Class President, which is illegal. Any student who supports her position is committing an immoral act," I countered. "Doctor Bazz put me in charge of the Senior class," Rhaine stated proudly, "after Christina screwed up and didn't put you in your place." I didn't take my eyes off of Ms. Gorman but I did reply. "She can remove Christina, I have no argument with that, but she can't appoint a replacement, a fact you would know if you bothered to read the book," I reminded them. Thank God for Iona and her eyes for minutia. This left them momentarily speechless. "Zane, you will carry my books to the Dining Hall," Brandi interrupted the group of us. "As you command," I leapt at the chance to escape. Brandi haughtily ignored the baneful looks shot her way as she stepped up and tossed her book bag to me before strutting off with me quickly following along behind her. "Thanks Brandi," I whispered to her. "What for?" she grinned back at me with a little extra shimmy in her stride. "Iona promised me some quality time with you tonight but that won't be worth a damn if I let them break you down." Ah, the wonders of enlightened self-interest and the female libido. When we walked together into the Dining Hall I noticed that Rio hadn't made it yet, which didn't bode well for her. Iona was sitting down and waved to me as I headed into the food line. As I continued to look around I also couldn't find Christina and company, which was odd and spoke of some unforeseen trouble. It also gave me an idea. When I received my food I maneuvered over to Iona but I didn't sit down, instead holding my tray and waiting. "Zane, what are you doing?" whispered Iona. "I think I know how to make our anemic resistance into a full-blown rebellion," I whispered back. It didn't take long before a few familiar faces began standing up as well in some bizarre show of solidarity for me and the cause they didn't understand yet. More and more students began joining my little protest; most I'd barely seen before. By the time Christina came in, we numbered about a hundred. Christina and her crew recognized the anomaly of our actions but had no clue what we were up to until they moved to take their new station farther down the Senior Table than before, depicting their diminished status. When Christina sat down, I sat down too, slamming my tray for extra effect. Within thirty seconds a hundred trays came slamming down in sympathy. That was round one. I wolfed down my food in preparation for round two. Rio arrived battered and bruised with bloody knees and palms. I gave her my water to pour on her knees and hands. "I have a plan, ladies," I softly told Iona and Rio. "Follow my lead unless I get decapitated, in which case you are on your own." Taking the steps toward the Senior Table was pretty frightening because my ability to remain in the school and stay in the fight depended on the beneficence and bravery of another. I walked up to Christina as she sat eating and went down on one knee with my head lowered in supplication. I caught sight of Christina twisting and observing me and my stance. A minute elapsed before Christina finally spoke to me. She knew what she was getting into; there was no tricking her into this role in events. For her, the battle was for pride, while mine was for survival. She had more to lose since the past three years of her life were wrapped up in this place. "Zane," Christina said in a passionate, caring tone, laying a hand on my shoulder, "Thank you. You may go now." I rose once more, bowed before turning away, and resumed my seat. "I think I'm in love," Chastity sighed. "I'm with you," Hope added, "You don't see many Knights of Christ anymore." "I'm not sure he qualifies as a Knight of Christ," Heaven stated, "but I like the way he's fighting." "We are in a fight alright," Christina smiled, "and Zane has put us in the middle of it." Even as she spoke those words, Barbie Lynn, Opal, and Cappadocia all came up and bowed before Christina as well, receiving her blessing and moving on. Iona joined, while Rio kept her seat but shot me a snide smile. "What's next Boss?" she said between bites of food. "A rebellion so large they just can't expel all of us; a rebellion with Queen Christina Buchanan at the head," I explained. Iona came up and getting the purpose of our rebellion expressed to the masses began. Our campus was dividing between the Pro-Christina vs. the Pro-Rhaine camps and in thirty minutes it was past the ability for the teachers to stamp out immediately. A Passionate Legal Issue My ability to bask in, and suffer through, the effects of our insurgency was diminished by my summons to see Ms. Lane but I had to admit I was feeling full of myself when I walked into her office. "It is good to see you again, Mr. Braxton. We have a good deal to talk over, so let us begin," she started, her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, her business jacket and skirt being a tasteful medium gray and her make-up done just right. She began going over the particulars of my legal predicament brought about by my situation here at FFU but my mind rapidly devolved in a different direction. I dropped my bag and began taking off my shirt while Ms. Lane kept droning on. She didn't miss my display but while there was a slight curl to her lips she kept doing her job as she saw it. Lane's smile grew as I finished stripping nude, came around the desk and then turned her chair to face me. I pushed her legs slightly apart before kneeling between them and taking her shoes off one at a time. I definitely had Ms. Lane's attention as I started kissing the tip of her big toe then drawing out further kisses along the top of her foot. Throughout it all, she never let up with her legal-ease talk; I had to admire her concentration. As my hands caressed one calf, knee, and thigh, then another as I worked kisses along her feet, I noticed two things; she was getting excited and she was wearing stockings fixed with a garter belt, both in darker beige. When I hiked up her right leg so I could plant kisses on the back of her knee along the back line of her hose she finally skipped a beat in her speech. "Ah," she moaned sensually as I kept planting those kisses and ran my fingers up beyond her stocking line to the edge of her panties. I was vaguely aware of her picking up her phone and having a brief conversation but I was a bit too preoccupied to catch much of it. "I've informed your two o'clock class that you won't be making it today," she sighed happily. That gave us an extra hour of legal 'consultations'; in Vegas I understand this kind of legal advice can cost me over a thousand dollars an hour but I was blessed for getting it for free. Ms. Lane put her phone down, stood, and unzipped her skirt. "My name is Hudson," she smiled at me as she let the skirt slip down her well-toned legs to the ground. As she stepped out of the skirt I pulled it aside and tossed it away. When she sat down I cupped her ass cheeks and pulled her to the very tip of the chair before I renewed my attention with my lips and tongue on her thighs. Hudson went back to her legal-speak with increasingly bated breath. By the time I teased off her panties with my teeth she had almost given up the pretense of a real meeting and was moaning and groaning from the progress I'd made. When I blew on her freshly exposed bald cunt she lost it, bucking up against my lips. I didn't disappoint her, diving straight in with my tongue flicking her clit before pushing in deeper with a tongue-twister. "Oh, God!" she exclaimed as she thrust up once more. "Tell me you aren't doing this to the girls here." I replied by flicking my tongue faster over her lips and clit until she vibrated into an orgasm and a few recitations of, "Oh, Sweet God!" I drank deeply from her cunt, relishing in her tangy flavor for more than a minute. We both knew this was far from over. She spread her legs wider and I started teasing her slit from the bottom with a deep lick inside. She rewarded me with one of the best things a girl can say to a guy. "You are even better than my girlfriend," she sighed deliciously. I switched to using my fingers so that I could speak. "I'd be happy to share notes about you with her," I offered. "She's a ,  ah, yes ,  a dedicated lesbian," Hudson moaned, "but I think I could say something to her about you." "Umm," was the sound of my slurping her up. "I look forward to the both of you." "You would want both of us at the same time?" she panted, tantalized by the prospect. "One at a time; both; if she is half as tasty as you, I'll take what I can get," I mumbled between flicks of my tongue. Our conversation died as I used my fingers to peel her blossom open and made deep, penetrating explorations of her sex. Slowly, gingerly, Hudson encased my shoulders and neck with her stocking-clad legs. She didn't force, so much as snuggle me into an embrace. There was really no reason to enhance my eagerness for her succulent cunt. "Oh ,  you are very good ,  Zane," she purred, "ah , ah ,  ah ,  right there ,  ah , Aaii!" With that last outburst she rose hard against my face, burying my nose into her baby smooth folds while my lips kept up a mighty suckling effort on her clit, a bit of nibbling included. She didn't say much as she was still getting her breathing under control, but I would have bet money she was a long distance runner, so short was her recovery time. Hudson let her legs fall to my sides as she leaned forward and drew me into her arms in an encompassing hold. We tasted each other for some time in a delicate ballet of discovering our need for one another. I pressed against her, then broke our kiss while drilling her in place with my eyes. I didn't feel the need to tell her I wanted her; she could undoubtedly read my mind and she gave me a light kiss and a nod giving her permission. As I ran my hands under her thighs she rose up, freeing me to grab each ass cheek and start to lift her up as I stood. Before I could even set her on the desk Hudson was unbuttoning her shirt and peeling it off. I rested her carefully on the desk's edge but before I could make my next move she kissed me and wrapped her legs around my waist. She used her legs to balance while she worked off her bra and exposing her shapely breasts to my eyes. I took that as an invitation to press Ms. Lane down and start ravishing her pale areolas and short, stubby, light pink nipples that hardened at my touch. "Zane," she sighed through a wave of pleasure, "why do I get the impression this isn't your first time with a woman?" "Umm," I expressed over my currently favorite nipple, "I feel that all that matters is that this is my first time with you. I've never been with anyone like you before." "Ah," she gasped playfully, "I take that to mean 'over a dozen'," sigh, "you bad, bad boy." I stopped what I was doing and looked up at her, my face moist with her fluids and my saliva from engaging her breasts. "This is a strange time to ask me to embrace a Purity Pledge," I teased her. "It would be unethical for me to suborn perjury," she teased back as she stroked my hair. Hudson mirrored the real affection I sent her way. "I admire honesty of character over social acceptance, Hudson. I'll lie to make someone happy but I won't lie to myself," I related and she nodded her understanding if not her agreement. "So if I'm no good in the sack you'll tell me?" she bantered playfully. "Sex is a partnership, Hudson. If it doesn't work, it is as much my fault as yours," I responded eagerly. Her eyes sparkled and the smile on her face took on a decidedly scholarly cast as if she'd judged me and not been disappointed. I returned to her chest while Hudson drew back her legs until she set her hands to the back of her knees while sweeping her papers aside. I didn't ask for permission to enter her; I did what felt natural and in sequence with the pace our bodies were setting. Only as I slid in did she let out a nasal moan of pleasure. Hudson's cunt was by no means tight, more like snug and comforting; it was a happy medium that my girth more than compensated for. She could definitely feel me rubbing against her vaginal walls and clitoris as I stroked in and out. She began to rub my hair with one hand and engaged her left nipple with the other. I was busy thrusting into her with deeper and stronger penetrating drives, one hand on her cunt and the other one holding me upright leaving my lips to entertain the right breast with all kinds of nips, bites, teases and suction. Our division of responsibilities, never spoken out loud, was working out well for us and our desire to build to our next climax. Hudson and I coasted along the edge of orgasm for twenty breathtaking minutes until she finally drew me into a kiss followed by a knowing smile and a nod. I picked up my tempo and angled her hips for maximum penetration as I took her up to what one of my early lovers had called the Mountain of Tears and Joy. In the end she clutched me tight and buried her head into my shoulder as she hissed out her maximum pleasure. Ms.  Lane barely missed a breath, pulling me into a string of kisses over my eyes, cheeks, lips, and nose. "I know it is the wrong thing," she sighed finally, "to leave you alone with all these women. What chance do any of these poor girls have against candy as sweet as you?" "I'd like to think I'm as much a victim here as any of them," I panted in reply, still slowly slipping in and out of her. "Really? How often are you compelled to have sex, Mr. Braxton?" she interrogated me seductively. "Once or twice," I offered up the truth. "Once or twice a week?" she asked skeptically. "No; once or twice a day," I confessed. "How do you manage to sex twice a day on this campus?" she sounded incredulous. "Well, there is the shower in the morning, then there is almost always an opportunity during club time, maybe sometime after dinner but before curfew, and lastly after curfew," I explained while Hudson look both aroused and surprised at the revelation. "Don't you ,  ah ,  ever get tired, bored, or sore?" she gasped. "Meh," I shrugged, "I get tired sometimes, and sore on occasion, but I've never been bored with a partner yet." "I noticed you didn't flinch when I told you my partner was a lesbian; homosexuality doesn't bother you, does it?" she inquired. "Nope; I've been with a few men in the past," I answered. "Does that bother you, being a FFU alum and all?" "It would have," she giggled in an almost mature way, "but I did a few things my first year in law school that curled my toes ,  and opened my mind." "I owe those people a big Thank You card," I teased her. "Don't, hmm, be too hasty," she murmured, "More than one was of the 'nail the Christian bitch' breed. Those were some emotionally ,  ah ,  tough times." "I never see the women here that way," I promised Hudson. "I didn't think you were that kind from the first time we met, but I checked with Virginia Goodswell to be sure," she told me. "Even ,  ah ,  wow, you really know how to make a girl feel good ,  Dana Gorman doesn't think you are a total waste of effort either." That was somewhat stunning since Dana never stopped giving me grief, right up to the effort to have me expelled. "What, hmm," I asked as my own seed began to rise, "would you have done if I hadn't come on to you?" "Zane," she laughed, "I figured that you staying on your side of the desk was as likely as having a Texan walk away from free BBQ. The way your eyes undressed me at our first get-together convinced me that if we had a private meeting this would happen, though your direct assault was unexpected. Was my perfume too much?" "Hudson ,  Ah ,  you would be irresistible in a green garbage bag and Old Spice men's cologne," I panted, followed by, "I'm going to come." "Roll over," she commanded. As I did, she untangled herself from me and slid down my body until she engulfed my cock with her mouth. She was perpendicular to me, on all fours, knees barely on the desk with my legs extending out to rest on the back of the chair. Her tongue swirled around my shaft in some erotic serpentine fashion I'd never experienced before. She must have sensed my fascination with her technique because she slurped up over my head and smiled in my direction. "Being with a lesbian gives me a great deal of expertise with my tongue," she tantalized me before going back about her sensual torture. It didn't take too much time at all before I put a hand on her cheek. Hudson went a little deeper, sucked in with her cheeks and set me off. I pumped load after load of semen into her mouth but there was no swallowing and that left me a tad curious. When I was finished she climbed panther-like over my body until we were nose to nose. She slowly opened her lips and a strand of semen began winding down toward me. I then knew what she wanted and opened my mouth as she dripped my own semen into it. A few strands into the process she lowered her lips down and kissed me. We swapped my cum for some time before I could feel her tongue and mouth suck it back up. She leaned up, rolled back her head, and made an erotic display of swallowing my entire load. "You are really fun," Hudson told me as she licked her lips. "Most guys are totally weirded out by that and won't do what you just did." "I try not to be that kind of guy," I answered. "You've done something special for me; what special thing can I do for you?" she purred. I felt a warm sense of anticipation consume me as I dialed up some of my deepest fantasies. The one thing I was absolutely sure about was that I was going to need more than one legal session. Running at the Abyss When I finally exited the school's legal offices, I figured I had a few options. Most appealingly, I could hide out for an hour and avoid Rhaine and company, but that would leave Rio out there in the cold. I was feeling stupid, I went looking for my friend. A quick call to Iona gave me a tidbit of information that had come up in my absence. More and more freshmen were identifying pro-Rhaine proponents and blowing them off like I was. There had been some severe friction but no casualties yet. I asked about Rio but Iona hadn't seen her; at the moment Iona was with Opal who was undoubtedly defending her from the pro-Rhaine forces. I went racing off to the most likely location to find Rio. My first shot was a bust but on the way to my second choice, I caught sight of her with some comp

Pastor JD provides 3-reasons from the text as to how believing, seeing and fixing our eyes, hearts and minds only on Jesus and eternity can diminish and even extinguish our biggest financial, family, marriage and health problems.

Pastor JD provides 3-reasons from the text as to how believing, seeing and fixing our eyes, hearts and minds only on Jesus and eternity can diminish and even extinguish our biggest financial, family, marriage and health problems.Social MediaMobile & TV Apps: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appProphecy Website: http://jdfarag.orgChurch Website: http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/JDFaragFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/JDFaragInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/JDFarag

Homily of Fr. Mike O'Conner from Mass on July 30, 2025 at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis, MS. Exodus 34:29-35 Matthew 13:44-46 If you would like to donate to OLG and her livestream ministry, please go to https://olgchurch.net/give

Depression Is When I Extricate Myself from the Cosmic SymphonyThis class was presented on Thursday, 14 Tammuz, 5785, July 10, 2025, Parshas Balak, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY. This is the third class in a series of text-based classes on the Maamar (discourse) of the Alter Rebbe, Al Ken Yomru Hamoshlim, in Likkutei Torah Parshas Chukas, presented by Rabbi Schnuer Zalma of Liadi on Shabbos, Parshas Chukas-Balak, 12 Tamuz, 5567 (1807).View Source Sheets: http://portal.theyeshiva.net/api/source-sheets/9729

If someone asked you to describe how much Christ has forgiven you, what words would you use? Astronomically. Astoundingly. Indescribably. Infinitely.  There are no words we can adequately grab ahold of to describe Christ's forgiveness extended to us.  It's when we understand how deeply we have been forgiven that we will live a life of forgiveness toward others.  My unforgiveness is a sign that I have never experienced Christ's forgiveness, or if I have, I have lost sight of how much I have been forgiven.  We turn to one of Jesus' powerful parables on forgiveness for a deeper understanding of how those who have been mercifully forgiven forgive mercifully. 

This podcast discusses our infinite value even in small moment.

When Ryan returns from break with the likes of 'Hotel California' by the Eagles and 'I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song' by Jim Croce, it prompts Dan to seriously consider something he has never done - write an original song. Also, maniacal comments supporting the anti-ICE riots from NEA president Rebecca Pringle leads Dan to spell out why so many exceptional teachers would be better off being judged, hired, and paid on their own merits rather than be subject to the negotiating whims of union bosses.

Seventh Sunday of Easter; Sermon based on John 17:20-26. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audible, Podcast In....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

In this powerful new series, Rabbi Josh Feigelson kicks off a 10-part exploration of Jewish ethics by diving into one of Judaism's most profound teachings: that every human being is created b'tzelem Elohim—in the image of God. This episode sets the stage for a deeper journey through Jewish ethical mitzvot like hospitality, care for the sick, and mindful speech—grounded in the belief that Jewish mindfulness isn't just about self-care, but about building a more compassionate world. Soulful Jewish Living: Mindful Practices for Every Day is a production of Unpacked, a division of OpenDor Media, and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. This episode was sponsored by Jonathan and Kori Kalafer and the Somerset Patriots: The Bridgewater, NJ-based AA Affiliate of the New York Yankees. Be in touch at a new email address: josh@unpacked.media. --------------- This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, a division of OpenDor Media. For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: Jewish History Nerds Stars of David with Elon Gold Unpacking Israeli History Wondering Jews

Introduction: John 19:28-30 - After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. What the Cross Proves About God's Love for You. (Romans 5:6-11) God's Love for You is an Unconditional Love. (Romans 5:6-8) God's Love for You is a Rescuing Love. (Romans 5:9) God's Love for You is a Committed Love. (Romans 5:10) John 1:12 – But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Philippians 1:6 – And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript Open up your Bibles with me, please, to the book of Romans in chapter 5.You know, there's that old saying, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish," right?I was thinking a lot about that concept this week, and I realized that's really true, like,in everything, isn't it?Like, have you ever taken an airplane flight?What determines if it's a good flight?How you land, right?And I was thinking about that also.Have you ever watched a movie that you're like, "Oh, this movie is so good," and thenit has this completely idiotic ending?Have you ever seen a movie like that?Do you walk away saying that was a good movie?No.Do you say, "Oh, that movie was terrible," because it didn't finish well?And I don't think we ever feel this as deeply as we do being Pittsburgh sports fans.Heavens to Mercutroy, how many pirate games have I sat through?I'm like, "Oh, this is awesome," and then we blow it into night thinning, and we say,"Oh, that game was terrible," or all penguin fans, how many times?Oh, this is such a good game, and then we lose it over time.Like, oh.But you know, the Son of God came to do some work, and He finished perfectly.John 19, Jesus on the cross, says after this, "Jesus knowing that all was now finished,said," to fulfill the Scripture, "I thirst."A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a Hissabranch and held it to His mouth.When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished," and He bowed Hishead and gave up His Spirit.And in this four-week series, we're going to be answering the question, "What is finished?"Jesus cried out, "It is finished!""What is?"Well, today, today we are going to be looking at the glorious reality that the work of reconciliationis finished.The relationship with God is restored.Would you bow your heads, please?And I'm going to ask you, just take a moment and pray for me.I was telling Pastor Taylor in my office before we came in here, "Man, I can't possiblycommunicate the gravity of this passage."You always feel that, but sometimes you feel it a lot more.And today we're going to be looking at the love of God.And I feel so inadequate to communicate it the way it needs to, but we're going to takea swing at it.All right?I may, I'll pray for you.Father in heaven, we're about to go after a topic that hits us in the heart, probablymore than anything.So we talk about your great love.So once again, we just pray against any preconceived notions any of us might have going into this.And we would honestly just take a look at what your word actually says.Father, transform us as only you can.We pray in Jesus' name.And all of God's people said, "Amen, amen.It is finished.The relationship with God is restored."We started this last week that the Bible says in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God wasdemonstrating some things.He was showing us some things.He was, a better word, proving some things.And in Romans 3.25, we saw that God demonstrated His righteousness.Jesus died to fulfill the demands of God's law.The guilt is gone.So here, in this passage, just look at verse 8.It says, "But God shows," again, better word, "proves," but God shows His love for us.And that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.You see, it's this love of God He tells us in verses 10 and 11 that reconciled us.The relationship is restored.Look, this is one of the greatest doctrines in all of God's Word, because God is not somecold-detached judge.And you would wrongly take that away from Romans chapter 3 to say, "Well, God's justthis judge, and we're guilty."Okay, and He did this judicial thing, and He pardoned us, but He's not this cold judgein the sense of now God's looking down from heaven saying, "Turn or burn, I don't care."Right?Get right or get left.Look, I made provision, accept Jesus or don't, makes no difference to me whatsoever.The glorious truth of God's Word, it's that He loves you.I mean He actually, really, infinitely loves you.And last week we talked about one of the greatest struggles we have as people is strugglingwith guilt.Am I really forgiven?But you know, there's another question that we struggle with as people, and it's thisone.Does God really love me?Does God really love me?Oh yeah, I know John 3.16.Everybody knows John 3.16.For God so loved the world.But maybe that's just like a general statement about God's disposition towards people asa whole.But does He love me?You know, there are two things that make people question God's love.And one is the awareness of my sin.Some people question God's love because you're like, "You know what, I just feel unworthy."The other thing that makes you question God's love is going through hardship.You're like, "If God really loved me, why would He let this allow this cause this horribletrial in my life to happen?"But this is the question on the table today.Am I loved by God?In other words, am I accepted by God?Is God on my side?Will that ever change?Well, I got some great news for you.God settled all of this with the death of Jesus Christ.So on your outline, the relationship is restored and we're focusing on the cross as we headinto resurrection day next Sunday.And good Friday this Friday, we're focused on the cross.Today what the cross proves about God's love for you.Does God love me?Look at the cross.That answers all of it.Let's unpack that a little bit.Number one, the Bible tells us that God's love for you is an unconditional love.It's an unconditional love.You know, I get a pause here.People say, especially in circles like ours, they're like, "Well, you know, it's not aboutreligion.It's about what?Relationship."Oh, you travel in those circles.It's not about religion.It's about relationship.And okay, that's true.But you know, technically, technically.God has a relationship with Jesus.The question is, do you have a good relationship with Him?Or do you have a bad relationship with Him?Because biblically, there's no neutral.It's not like there's these on fire, born-again, Bible-believing Christians,and these evil, wicked, nasty, violent, hurtful people who hate God,and somewhere in the middle is just that really nice person.Not a Christian, but not...There's no neutral.And in this passage, you're going to see that unsaved people, people alienated from God,are described in four ways.They're described as weak in verse 6, as ungodly in verse 6,as sinners in verse 8, and as enemies in verse 10.And we have to understand that going in.Looking at these four, weak means you're powerless to save yourself.There is not a thing you can do to get right with God on your own.You're weak.You're ungodly.You are nothing like God intended you to be by birth.You're a sinner.That means in the eyes of God, you are rebellious.And in verse 10, as I said, He uses the word "enemy."And that means you're hostile towards God.But really, this enemy concept, it's really a two-way street.As you see, by nature, we resent God's authority.I don't want somebody telling me what to do.I don't want somebody telling me the things that I want to do are wrong, so that's hostilitytowards God.But you know, it goes the other way, too.God has a holy hatred of sin.So we could say that we have a wicked opposition towards God, and God has a holy oppositiontowards us.It's a dual opposition.So something major has to happen if there's going to be any kind of reconciliation betweenthese two parties that have such hostility towards one another.Something huge has to happen.Look at verse 6.It says, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."Let's not fly through this too quickly, shall we?Can we just pause for a moment and as much as we can try to get the weight of God's lovein this statement?He said, "Christ died for the ungodly."Who does that?Who dies for rebellious, wicked, evil people?Who does that?It's a shocking statement.But Paul illustrates, look at verses 7 and 8, how he illustrates this incredible truth.He says, "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, that perhaps for a good person onewould dare even to die."But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.I love Paul's illustration.Look at verse 7 again.He says, "One will scarcely die for a righteous person."What does he mean by a righteous person?Well, a righteous person is just like somebody who's upright and a good, holy person, butmaybe you sort of have a detached relationship from them.Like for example, your favorite preacher that you listen to on a podcast.Maybe there's somebody that you follow their podcast, you listen to them and they're preachingreally blesses you, but you don't know that guy, right?That's Paul's point here, is like your favorite podcast preacher, besides me, but your favoritepodcast preacher, I had to clarify that, but you're like, "Jeff, you're not even in thetop 15."Moving on.That favorite podcast preacher of yours, if you had an opportunity to die so that hecould live, would you do that?Probably not.That's why he says scarcely.There might be one or two of you, like, "Yeah, I would do it."But Paul's like, "That's pretty scarce that somebody would die for a good person."You don't really know.But then he dials it up a notch, he goes, "Perhaps for a good person one would dare even todie."And now he's talking about maybe that holy, upright, good Christian person that we knowand love.All right?So if I were to ask, "Okay, forget about your podcast guy, would you die for Pastor Taylor?"You're like, "Wow, that really ups the ante.I would really strongly consider that one."And now we get the weight of verse 8 when he says, "But God, but God on the other handshows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."See Paul says maybe somebody would die for a good man, but no one would die for an evilman.But that's exactly how God showed His love for you.God loved you when you were a wuze.You're like a what?A wuze.I just made that word up.W-S-E, a weak, ungodly, sinful enemy.That's just in the text.I just paraphrased it.God loved you as a wuze.And God didn't say, "Look, when you get your act together, then we'll talk about salvation."God didn't say, "When you start living a certain way, then I'm going to love you."It says, "While we were still sinners, what God says is, 'Look, I love you.I sent my son to die for you.'You come to me and then we'll get your act together."See God knows you better than you know yourself.And He loves you at your worst.So that's where Paul starts.God's love for you is unconditional.Secondly, what does the cross prove about God's love for you?God's love for you is a rescuing love.It's a rescuing love.Look at verse 9.He says, "Since therefore we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall webe saved by Him from the wrath of God."I love this.You're going to see this a couple of times in this passage.Much more.Much more.What he's saying is, "If Jesus' death could do this, then much more Jesus' life can dothis."So here, Jesus' blood justified has made us righteous before God, which is...I tried so hard to think of a way to describe that and I wrote down, "Infinitely enormous."I don't know.If Jesus' blood could make us righteous before God, which is infinitely enormous, even waybigger, He says, "We will be saved from the wrath of God."And that is a profound thing in the cross of Jesus Christ that God was saving you fromHimself.He was saving you from His own wrath.But you know as a pastor, bless you as a pastor, oftentimes I hear people say, in wanting toargue, certain doctrines people will say, "You know, you're talking about God's wrath.A loving God wouldn't send someone to hell."Look, I believe that God is love and a loving God wouldn't send somebody to hell.Have you ever heard that?Pastor Taylor, I'm sure you've heard that a lot.A loving God wouldn't send someone to hell?Well, there's a lot of problems with that statement.One, it ignores what the Bible actually says about hell.You know, Jesus talked about hell more than anybody.Something like twice as much as He talked about heaven.So not only does it ignore what the Bible actually says about hell, it also ignores God's holiness.A holy God can't tolerate sin.So help me understand, if you're somebody that doesn't believe in hell, if you're somebodythat still subscribes to the loving God wouldn't send somebody to hell, are you saying thatsomebody can live their entire life rejecting their Creator, living in flagrant sin and rebellion,they want nothing to do with God, and they want nothing to do with God's gifts, and somedaywhen they die, God's going to be like, "Hey, that's okay.Come on into heaven.Let me show you around."Like, how does that work?By the way, an unsaved person would be miserable in heaven.Do you know that?An unsaved person would be absolutely miserable in heaven.You're like, "Why?"Now, that unsaved person has spent their life saying, "I don't want anything to do withGod, God's truth, God's people, worship.I don't want anything to do with that."You know what heaven is?God, His truth, His people, and worship, that would be absolutely miserable to spend ineternity.What the God you want nothing to do with.So you're ignoring God's holiness when you're selecting which doctrine you want to adhereto.Oh, and here's one.A loving God would send someone to hell.I like to quickly remind people that God's love is not in question.What more could God have possibly done to save you?The Bible says, Romans chapter 8, "God spared not his own son.God was willing to kill his son so that you could be saved."I wouldn't do that.If your salvation meant that I had to kill my son, you'd all be gone to hell.And I wouldn't think twice about it.What more could God have possibly done to demonstrate His love than by giving the most precious thingthat exists, the life of His Son.So don't please, don't come at me with this, a loving God wouldn't send someone to hell.God's love is not in question here.But church, if we brush off God's wrath, we're also brushing off the impact of the cross.We're brushing off the impact of the cross as minimizing the greatest act of God's love.But let's get real personal.Like I said at the beginning, one of the biggest reasons we doubt God's love is because weendure hardship.And I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand.But I imagine it would be high 90% of you.If I said raise your hand if you've ever questioned God's love because of a trial that you'regoing through.I bet most of those hands would go up.And I just want to lovingly encourage you.When we get in that mindset where we're doubting God's love and a hardship, what we're assumingis the way that God shows love is keeping me from trials.We've already attached that love language to God when His Word does not.And we think, okay, so God shows me love by making my life easy and trouble free.So if God doesn't do that, then He must not love me.Well, we studied the book of Job last fall.If we learned anything, it's that God loves me through hardship.No, no, no, no.God loves me with hardships.God shows the greatness of His love by meeting our greatest need, which is to be rescuedfrom sin and hell.And if that's all God's love ever did for you, is to rescue you from hell.If that was all He ever did, you should be eternally grateful.Like the goofy guy in the infomercial.But wait, there's more.And number three, write this down.God's love for you is a committed love.What does the cross prove about God's love?Well, it proves it's unconditional and it proves it's rescuing.And thirdly, it proves that God's love for you is a committed love.Look at verse 10.For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much morenow that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.Very similar to verse 9 with the much more thing, but there's a different emphasis here.In verse 9, He says we will be saved from His coming wrath.And here He's saying God will keep us saved in the meantime.In other words, He's saying if God could reconcile us by the death of His Son, much more He cankeep us saved by the life of His Son.Remember to put it another way, if God loved you when you were His enemy, how do you thinkHe's going to love you now that you're His child?That's why He uses that word here.That's the word of the day.Reconciled.This in verse 10, telling us this, God is committed to a restored relationship withyou.How committed?How committed is God?How committed?He adopted you as His child.Talk to somebody here that's adopted someone and ask that parent of the adopted kid, "Howcommitted are you?"They're committed.John 1.12 says, "But to all who did receive Jesus, who believed in His name, He gave theright to become children of God."In Christ, we are God's children and He is our heavenly Father.And as you parents know, your kids will always be your kids and nothing can ever change that.No matter how bad your kids are, no matter what bad thing they've done, nothing will everchange that kid from being your kid.When we planted this church back in 2011, we were meeting at Marshall Middle School,which is right beside Covenant Community Church.I was friends with Pastor John Price, who was a pastor there.He invited our church over to, they had a church picnic on their property.He said, "Hey, why don't you guys come over and invite your church, come over, we'regoing to get the bouncy houses and have a big thing, have a bunch of kids.And why don't you bring your family over and like to introduce you, kind of like welcometo the neighborhood kind of thing."I'm like, "Oh, that sounds like a great time."Well, so our family went and Aaron and I were in the pavilion talking to some of these wonderfulpeople at this church.And our kids were much littler at the time.And all of a sudden, I hear Cade's voice.He says, "Hey, Dad!Dad!Dad!"I look over.Cade and Owen are standing in the yard in the green space in Covenant Community withtheir pants around their ankles, urinating on the lawn.And I look over and Cade hollers, "Look, Dad!We made a P-cross!"And these dear sweet people we were talking to said, "Are those your children?"I said, "I've never seen those kids!"Somebody really needs to rein them in, you know what I'm saying?You know, as badly as I wanted to put them on eBay that day.I didn't.And Cade will tell you, grab him, he'll tell you something I've told him over and overthroughout his life.He says, "Look, I love you on your best day and on your worst.And I've told him nothing will ever change that because you're my son."And it's the same with God's kids.You've been adopted.And you know, I've been reading the Bible for a long time.There is zero Biblical language about being unadopted.We touched on this last week, you know, people often ask, "Can I lose my salvation?"And the answer to that question is, "Well, you know, if I could lose my salvation, thenI definitely would.But thankfully, it's not up to me.Because what Paul's teaching here is it's not really about how tightly I'm holdingon to Jesus.It's how tightly he's holding on to me.So if you've ever struggled with, "Can I lose my salvation?"Here's a great verse.You're going to help me out here.Philippians 1-6, can we get that on the screen?Let's do a little Bible study here, shall we?Paul says, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring itto completion at the day of Jesus Christ."That means to the very end.All right, so help me out here.Did God begin a good work in you?Well, if you're a follower of Jesus, then the answer to that is, "Yes."Okay, next question."If God began a good work in you, is he going to finish it?"Yeah, he is.Oh, one more question.Are you sure?Paul said he was.I am sure of this.That when Jesus starts something, he finishes it.True of the cross and the atonement.True of his death.Yes, true of that, but also true of adopting you and raising you and getting you to thefinish line of heaven.If God didn't save you and say, "You know what, kid, good luck, you're on your own,don't mess this up, I hope to see you in heaven."Paul makes it very clear here that God's love for you is a committed love.We have the worship team.Join us back up here.Church, God loves you.As we said and can't emphasize enough, that is not in question.He showed us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.We are rescued from His wrath.He is committed to keeping us all the way to heaven.The real question that we have to ask is not does God love us, but do you love God?God demonstrated His love for you.Are you willing to demonstrate your love for Him?You're like, "How do I do that?"Well, let's look at what the passage says.Look at verse 11.He says more than that.Which is a hilarious statement.More than all of this.He says, "We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have nowreceived reconciliation."I just want to ask you, church, will you rejoice?Rejoicing is the natural emotional result of being reconciled.And your worship should be an overflow of love and joy and gratitude for Jesus Christ,for all He is, and for all He's done, and for all He's promised that He will do.Let your worship be an expression of love.Would you stand and lift up your voices and demonstrate love for Jesus Christ? Small Group DiscussionRead Romans 5:6-11What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Have you ever questioned God's love for you? Why? What is God's response, based on this passage?What 4 words are used to describe lost people in this passage? How does this speak to the idea that “deep down, man is basically good”?Read John 1:12 and Philippians 1:6. What do these verses teach us about God's love being a committed love?BreakoutPray for one another.

The mercy and the sovereignty of God are the twin pillars of your life. They will stand by your deathbed, and with strong and tender hands lift you to God.

Immeasurably More // FramedEphesians 3:14-20 (ESV)“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”Here is Paul's Prayer• I pray that from His unlimited resources, He will empower you with inner strength - with deep fortitude - by his spirit.• As we trust in Him, Christ will take up residence in us (not just drop by every now and then).• Then our roots will grow down into the depth of God's love and will keep us strong.• And when it comes to understanding that love - may we know the scope of it and experience it. In this letter, Paul has continuously pointed us and all people to the generosity of God in Christ. • Ephesians 1:3 - Blessed with every Spiritual Blessing in Christ• Ephesians 1:7-8 - Riches of Grace - lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding • Ephesians 1:18 - Riches of His Glorious Inheritance • Ephesians 2:5 - God is Rich in Mercy• Ephesians 2:7 - Incomparable Riches of His Grace• Ephesians 3:8 - Unsearchable Riches of ChristThis is Paul's prayer and mine for us today…That we may know, and in turn experience, and then lean in to and ultimately live out of this vast love of God. This love is expressed in John 3:16-17 (ESV)“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”This love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV) “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”This love is given dimension here in Ephesians 3• Infinitely long and high and wide and deep - more so than we can ever understand fully…• And Paul says the love of God is “too great for us to understand fully.”• There is nowhere we can go that we are out of the scope of his presence and therefore nowhere we can go where we are out of the scope of his love, for “God is love” (1 John 4:8 and 16) and as the psalmist says in Psalm 139 “where can I go from your presence.”• Are we willing to allow this love of God to encapsulate us - to frame us - to define us? If not why not? Guilt, shame, doubt, etc.Are we willing to allow this love to transform us?When we take a look at people around us, we don't have an excuse to look at people outside of this frame. Are we willing to love even as we have been loved (John 13:34)? The love of God for humanity is infinitely long and high and wide and deep.So… here's a searching question for each of us…Who do we need to reframe? Where do we need to start?May our love and the way we live be the testament to the love of Christ and may his love lived out through us be the agent of transformation in our world. Our part really is to be awake to these truths, willing to live in and practice these truths and expectant of God to do the immeasurably more than we can even begin to imagine!

We peer into commerce's self-driven future and see new frontiers arising for AV-centric city planning, (more) invasive advertisement integration, commerce-based search engines, and Meta mind control. PLUS: Phillip and Brian designate their week's heroes and villains, and we get excited about the official Adobe x Future Commerce Shoptalk After Party!Think It, And It Will Be DoneKey takeaways:[9:00] News from the week: Shopify earnings, Klaviyo, bird flu, and the latest from Future Commerce.[15:30] Autonomous Vehicles Will Redesign Commerce: AVs will create massive changes in urban planning, retail, and logistics.[19:00] Amazon's Next Big Move: The company is now allowing advertisers to drive traffic off-site, signaling its ambition to become the next big search engine.[23:00] Ad Takeover: Everything – even your car's infotainment screen – eventually becomes a surface for advertisement.[42:00] Klaviyo's B2C Event: Klaviyo announces Built for B2C livestream event, happening Thursday 2/20.[49:30] Meta Brain: Meta releases research on mind reading via magnetic therapy and AI-assisted analysis.[1:05:00] Heroes and Villains: Phillip and Brian's biggest winners and losers of the past week in commerce.“Amazon is about to become the biggest search engine for product discovery. Google should be worried.” — Phillip“The Gulf of Fortune, brought to you by Panda Doc.” – Brian“We've seen heart rates submitted as evidence, truth serums outlawed by the Geneva Convention. I have to believe that things like this are not Black Mirror, but actual legitimate real things that will be used in positive and negative ways. That to me seems scary.” – Phillip “I think this is going to be a retooling of the way we think.” – BrianIn-Show Mentions:Join us at Rivea for the official Adobe x Future Commerce Shoptalk After PartyOrder LORE by Future Commerce on MetalabelFortune: Some Jeep owners are being hit with pop-up ads inside their cars.The Age of Agglomeration: Our predictions report from January.Netflix Bites (Good luck finding the menu?)Future Commerce Links:Shop our print products on shop.futurecommerce.com Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!Commerce shapes the future because Commerce is Culture™.

https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/infinitely-old-time

In this episode of the Fellowship of Kingdom Professionals podcast, Michael Blue defines the concept of a kingdom professional—someone who integrates their faith with their professional life, recognizing their divine creation and purpose to be productive and innovative. He draws parallels between the Renaissance period, highlighting figures like Henry VIII and David from the Bible, who exemplified multifaceted excellence. Blue underscores that being a kingdom professional entails excelling in various domains and contributing indefinitely to cultural and societal advancements, all while aligning with God's original mandate of infinite productivity and creativity. New podcast episodes are available every Monday wherever you listen to podcasts. Stay connected to all things Fellowship of Kingdom Professionals and connect to other Kingdom Professionals by joining our Facebook Group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/MABlueFKP To bring FKP to your locale, ministry, school, business, etc., or to learn more, contact us by email,  FKProfessionals@gmail.com. 

Most folks do a lot of mental math with their money. They see something they want to buy, they check their bank balance, and start doing some mental math on what other things that balance needs to be able to pay for before they buy the thing. The problem is, mental math gets very sloppy very quickly! Life is often just too complex, with too many variables to be able to hold all your future spending needs in your head at all times. It's too easy to spend the same dollar many times over when you rely on mental math.   YNAB helps you do money differently. YNAB gives you a simple four step method for identifying all the things your money needs to do for you now, the major things it needs to do for you in the future, and, over time, getting you to start paying next month's bills with today's money so you can finally get ahead.   Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets will go on sale on 11/18/2024 here: YNAB.com/events   Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: askjesse@ynab.com   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com   Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: @ynabofficial Instagram: @ynab.official Twitter/X: @ynab Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

A Compelling Offer Is Exponentially More Effective Than A Convincing Argument In this informative episode of the Black Entrepreneur Blueprint podcast, we dive deep into the art of creating irresistible offers that captivate and convert. Host Jay Jones unveils the secrets behind crafting offers that speak directly to the core desires of your audience, making them impossible to resist. Through real-world examples and actionable insights, you'll learn why a well-structured offer outshines even the most persuasive argument and how to leverage this knowledge to elevate your business success. Discover the transformative power of shifting your focus from merely convincing potential customers to enticing them with compelling offers that promise real value. Jay gives you eleven components of a compelling offer that you can use immediately. Whether you're an emerging entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, this episode provides the blueprint to revolutionize your approach and achieve unparalleled growth. Tune in and unlock the potential of a compelling offer today! GET MY LATEST EBOOK “Create Winning Headlines – Classic Headlines You Can Modify” AND LEARN HOW TO CONVERT MORE SALES Go to: www.MoneyMakingHeadlines.com or https://payhip.com/b/xyHFS