Podcasts about institutes

Join us with guest Patrick Degn who has been an instructor in the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion for more than 25 years. In this episode we will explore the story of King Ahab and Jezebel and the abrupt introduction of the man who tried to counteract their influence: Elijah.

In episode 497 of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb bring the Parable of the Talents to a close with one of the most theologically rich discussions in recent memory. Beginning in Matthew 25:24, they zero in on the one-talent servant — not merely as a cautionary tale about productivity, but as a profound case study in distorted theology. The servant's fatal error wasn't laziness alone; it was a fundamentally false picture of his master. That mischaracterization produced a craven, fearful inaction that the hosts argue maps directly onto the eschatological stakes of the parable. Drawing on Calvin, William Ames, and Reformed confessional commitments, Tony and Jesse make the case that right theology is never merely academic — it shapes the whole of life, and ultimately determines one's eschatological destiny. Key Takeaways The one-talent servant's core failure is theological, not behavioral — he constructs a false image of his master as harsh and exploitative, and that distorted theology governs everything that follows. False theology produces fatal inaction — the servant's fear is not godly fear but a craven dread rooted entirely in his mischaracterization of the master's character. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are inseparable — following Calvin's Institutes, the hosts argue that a right understanding of God as gracious and generous will produce active, trusting faithfulness, while a distorted view produces fearful, minimal compliance. The parable is fundamentally eschatological, not merely practical — interpreting the talents primarily as spiritual gifts or ministry opportunities misses the point; the parable is about who belongs to the master's kingdom and who does not. Character precedes action — the faithful servants do not become faithful by producing returns; they produce returns because they are faithful. The wicked servant buries his talent because he is wicked, not the other way around. William Ames understood the servant's sin as a violation of the ninth commandment — by burying his talent, the servant effectively bears false witness against God's own estimation of the gift, rejecting both the gift and the Giver. The "outer darkness" language is not out of place — it is the natural eschatological conclusion for someone who never genuinely knew or trusted the master, making the parable a picture of what it means to be outside the grace and presence of God entirely. Key Concepts False Theology as the Root of Inaction The most striking feature of the one-talent servant's account is not what he did — or failed to do — but what he believed. He tells his master, "I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed." Tony and Jesse point out that nothing in the parable supports this characterization. A master who entrusts his servants with what amounts to decades of wages — hundreds of years' worth of labor between three servants — is not a hard, exploitative figure. He is astonishingly generous and trusting. The servant has constructed a theological fiction, and that fiction becomes the prison of his own inaction. This is not a peripheral observation; it is the interpretive key to the entire parable. What we believe about God determines everything about how we live before Him. The Knowledge of God Shapes the Whole of Life Calvin famously opens the Institutes with the observation that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are so bound together that it is nearly impossible to determine which is logically prior. Jesse draws on this insight to show that the one-talent servant's self-understanding — timid, fearful, paralyzed — flows directly from his distorted image of God. A person who genuinely knows God as gracious, generous, and long-suffering will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding will retreat into fearful, minimalist compliance. This is not merely a first-century observation. It is a diagnostic tool for self-examination: the shape of our obedience reveals the shape of our theology. Reformed orthodoxy has always insisted that right doctrine is not academic — it is the engine of the Christian life. Character Precedes Action — The Anti-Works-Righteousness Reading One of the most important guardrails Tony and Jesse set up in this episode is against a subtle works-righteousness reading of the parable. It is tempting to hear the parable and conclude: do productive things for the kingdom, and you will be welcomed as a good and faithful servant. But the hosts argue that this inverts the logic of the text entirely. The faithful servants are not commended because they generated a return; they generated a return because they are faithful servants. The wicked servant buries his talent because he is wicked — his character drives his conduct, not the reverse. Justification and sanctification alike are received by faith in Christ alone, and no reading of this parable should suggest that our eschatological standing is secured by our productivity. The sheep act like sheep because they are sheep. That punchline, Tony notes, will carry them straight into the sheep and the goats passage next week. Memorable Quotes "Who is it that's not going to be saved in the last day? It's the people who don't recognize the master. The people who think that the master is a hard man who reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has not scattered. Well, if we think that's who God is, we have a lot of trouble coming our way." — Tony Arsenal "A person who genuinely knows the living God as gracious, generous, long-suffering, with that kind of hesed kind of love — that person will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding is always going to retreat in this fearful, minimal kind of compliance." — Jesse Schwamb "The sheep act like sheep because they're sheep. They don't become sheep because they do sheep things. They do sheep things because they're sheep." — Tony Arsenal Full Transcript Welcome to episode four hundred and ninety seven of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse  And I'm Tony, and this is the podcast with ears to hear Hey, brother  [00:00:42] Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. We're back at it again. We're hanging out in Matthew's gospel, the 25th chapter, and it's time to, I think, close out the Parable of the Talents, where we've got two servants that double their master's money, and one who buries his in the ground like a Calvinist who's confused predestination with doing nothing. And of course, all of this irony is the faithful servants, they can't even take credit. The master supplied the capital, the ability, and apparently even the bull market. It's grace all the way down. But meanwhile, the one talent guy returns exactly what he was given and he gets absolutely wrecked, and we're gonna dig into that. Gonna dig into- ... that later.  [00:01:26] Affirm or Deny Segment [00:01:26] Jesse Schwamb: But before we do, it's what everybody's waiting for. It's that time in the podcast where we affirm with something that we really like or we recommend or we think is undervalued, or we deny against something that's exactly the opposite. Not worth it, no good, get it out of here. So Tony, are you affirming with or denying against?  [00:01:43] Tony Arsenal: I'm denying against something related to the World Cup. Um-  [00:01:47] Jesse Schwamb: Okay ...  [00:01:48] Tony Arsenal: I am not a purist, so please don't hear me as, like, elitist soccer dude who is resistant to any sort of changes, but, um, I didn't actually even know this was happening. Are you following the World Cup at all, Jesse? [00:02:01] Jesse Schwamb: I'm trying to. I'm not against it, I'm just finding myself- Yeah ... stuck in  [00:02:05] Tony Arsenal: trying to like- There, there's a lot going on.  [00:02:06] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah ... yeah, coordinate everything.  [00:02:07] Tony Arsenal: Um, one of the things that they... And they're at weird times this year too- Yes ... at least so far they are.  [00:02:11] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly.  [00:02:11] Hydration Breaks Rant [00:02:11] Tony Arsenal: Um, one of the things this year that I noticed that I didn't know was happening, and I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, is, uh, I, I guess I understand why they're doing it, but they've instituted what they're calling mandatory hydration breaks-  [00:02:25] Jesse Schwamb: Oh,  [00:02:26] Tony Arsenal: I've read about this uh, into the games. Yeah. And essentially what this has done is it's turned a game that used to be, uh, and has always been two 45-minute halves-  [00:02:38] Jesse Schwamb: Mm-hmm ...  [00:02:38] Tony Arsenal: um, uh, with overage time, right? So, like, the, the ref will sometimes just, like, add a couple minutes. Usually it's, you know, three to five, maybe 10 minutes at the most to the end of the, the half. They've turned that from, uh, two 45-minute halves into now four, what is that? Like, 23-minute quarters, 22 and a half- Right ... minute quarters. Um, and they're not always quarters. They're not always evenly split. They sometimes do the hydration break early or later. Um, this is awful. It's just awful, right? One of the, one of the, um, maybe this is me being a little bit of a soccer purist. One of the things about soccer that makes it a challenging sport is the endurance of it.  [00:03:21] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:03:22] Tony Arsenal: Right? And contrary to what I think most people think when they watch soccer, um, it's one of the few games, few professional games that doesn't have a ton of breaks- Right? There's not a lot of times where, where match play actually stops for any real amount of time. Um, and that's what stoppage time is. It's not intended to be something like football, where there often is time on the clock where the clock is still moving, but the game is not, like, actively progressing forward, right? Right. You have to do something special to stop the clock. In soccer, uh, at least historically, 45 minutes of play is 45 minutes of play. It's, it's 45 minutes of actual actionable play. And now, um, you know, they stop the game. The clock doesn't continue, but now the game stre- like, the, the game itself stretches longer 'cause they've introduced these additional breaks. So I'm denying, uh... This just sounds like s- I'm such a ghoul here. I'm denying mandatory hydration breaks, not because I want soccer players to get sunstroke. Uh, they get plenty of water. There's plenty of times they get to stop and get water. It's- And this is... We didn't have mandatory hydration breaks when the World Cup was in Qatar. Right. Right? And everybody, for the most part, was fine. Like, the players were all fine. There were no casualties on the field. I don't even recall, like, major medical problems on the field. We're in LA now. Yeah, it's warm, summer, but come on, guys. Like, let's, let's, let's be real. This is not, uh, this is not rec league. This is not, you know, U15 league play with, with kids. These are adult men who condition for a living. Like, this is their job, is to be conditioned and for their bodies to be in peak performance. So it's just... It just interrupts the game. I don't know. I'm, I'm being a little crotchety here, but I feel like I have a right to be 'cause this is my show, and I can do what I want to. That's absolutely true. So I'm denying hydration breaks, mandatory hydrat- hydration breaks, which change the game. And a commentator actually commented about that on, on the match the other day. Um, it changes the dynamic of the game. It changes the strategy of the game. Um, it changes the whole feel of the game, right from the strategy of how long you have to be able to go, right? This will change how- how footballers have to condition themselves, 'cause they're no longer having to condition themselves for two 45-minute halves. They're having to condition themselves for four 22-and-a-half minute quarters, um, which is not the same game as, as that. So anyway, we'll- it's yet to see, be seen if that has any real impact on the outcome of any games or anything like that. But it was annoying to me, so I'm denying mandatory hydration breaks. [00:05:59] Jesse Schwamb: That's great. We haven't had a good denial in a little while on this podcast. I think that's fantastic. I mean, not the break, but the denial itself. Plus, and I don't wanna be... You'll have to tell me if I'm speaking conspiratorial here, because most of my apparent World Cup and general sports news still comes from The Wall Street Journal, so that might be a weird place to get it. But- ... the, I became aware of this through an article that was lamenting the exact same thing. Yeah. It was just basically all the arguments that you said. Like, it's weird, and the game wasn't designed this way, and it's definitely like an interruption. It's definitely like an insertion.  [00:06:32] Ads and Soccer Purism [00:06:32] Jesse Schwamb: And then, of course, was all the stuff about, isn't this really about just allowing commercial break time, and it's more about that, and we're just conveniently saying that we need the hydration breaks. And what else would they, we have them do if we needed to force them to take a break but say, "You know what? Why don't you guys take a knee and get some water- Yeah ... while we show you some ads?" So I imagine that doesn't sit well with people either.  [00:06:52] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. I mean, I'm sure that that's the case. Again, I, I haven't even been able to watch a full, full World Cup match, so I don't, I don't know... I don't even know how long the hydration breaks are, to be honest with you. But yes, it's an interruption in play where they can cut to commercial. And whether that was why they put this in place or not, or whether they're just utilizing it, it's obnoxious. Like, part of the fun of watching soccer is that there is no commercial break for the first 45 minutes. Right. Um, that's just part of- Which is unusual in sports ... part of the joy of the game, is that it's a continual game with no real breaks. Um, even when, like, a player is injured because, you know, there's an injury on the field or something like that, um, even when that happens, they don't cut to commercial because there was no planned commercial. They don't have anything there. Right. So, um, it's changed, like, the way... Y- you know, even, even things like this is gonna change how uniforms are thought out, because sponsorship money through uniforms used to be the m- one of the main commercial-driving, like, sponsorships for, um, for the game. So I'm just annoyed by it. [00:07:53] More Rule Changes [00:07:53] Tony Arsenal: There's an- a couple other things that I'm annoyed by this year. They have this... It's kinda like that automatic up call checker thing we talked about. Right. They have this, like, um- They call it mistaken identity, uh, recheck. Basically where if a player is fouled or appears to be fouled, they can, someone can flag it and it will recheck it and, like, digitally the system tells them whether there was a foul or not. And like I said before when we were talking about this a little bit before, um, there is a real element in the game, or there has been a real element to the game historically, where the ump is almost like, or the ref is almost like a third player, and you have to be wise and play the ref. Um, you have to, you know, there's, there's an element of a little bit of, uh, espionage and subtle- Right you know, subterfuge here going on in the game that I think people outside the game who are just watching, they look and they think like, "Oh, yeah, that guy flopped." But there's a whole, like, art and there's a whole form to that, and there's real cost if you do it poorly. Um, and so, like, we've already had one instance where a yellow card was called on a player. Uh, the other player simulated the foul. Um, and so they reversed it and gave the other guy a yellow card, but they did that after the game. Um, which, which is a whole other thing. Like, you play a whole game, um I could talk about this all night. Like when you get, when you get a red card- ... you're, you're out for an entire game, not just- Right the rest of this game. You're out for an entire game. Your position is out for an entire game, so that might mean you start the next match down a player. Well, what does that mean if you are given a red card sort of posthumously after the match, right? Right. Like, you- it's changed the whole calculation because for the whole game, that player, uh, was playing as though he didn't have a yellow card. And that, maybe that's good, maybe that's bad, but he was playing the game as though he didn't have a yellow card, and then all of a sudden now he does. Um, he doesn't go... I don't think he goes into the next match starting with a yellow card. Um, a- and so I'm kind of like, "Well, what's the, what's the point?" But, um, you know, some of that plays into, like, if there's ties and ties, match, match point ties, then they start looking at who has penalties and stuff. But either way, it's annoying that they, they're introducing this. Like, we didn't need to have... Yes, there's probably a place for reviewing a, a bad ref's calls. Right. They've also added, like, automatic on offsides. There was a whole strategy and a whole part of the game of forcing a person offsides, of drawing a person offsides, being offsides without looking like you're offsides. Some people may look at that and go, "Well, that's cheating," but no, it's actually just part of the game. Right. Like, playing the ref and understanding that is part of the game. And now it's still part of the game, but it's part of the game in a different way, and that's... Maybe I am just being a purist, but I just, I don't like it. I don't like it. Give me back my beautiful game the way it's always been and get off my lawn, get off the turf, get off my pitch, whatever. Um, I'm denying the fact that the World Cup is not as it's always been. But also, like, we don't need this stuff. Like, the World Cup has been fine for how many years?  [00:11:03] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:11:03] Tony Arsenal: We don't need water breaks like this- W- i- you know, if it was like last World Cup, five players died from dehydration in the middle of the... Like, okay, like yeah, let's do some water breaks. But like, nobody died. Nobody even had major medical emergencies. I think a couple people had to come out of the game a little early 'cause they weren't well-hydrated. But like- Right ... run to the side, get a water bottle. Like, you can do that in the middle of a game. There's nothing- Yeah ... against the rules to stand by the sideline, drink when someone's doing a substitution or even in the middle of the game. I've seen that happen, where someone will sprint over to the sideline, they'll take a drink of water, and then they'll throw the cup back over. So anywho, we should move on. This could be my entire, my entire rant of, for a whole episode- Good ... against the weird changes in, in World Cup soccer, so.  [00:11:48] Jesse Schwamb: Listen, I love it.  [00:11:49] Peacock Spanish Hack [00:11:49] Jesse Schwamb: My favorite hack, uh, for World Cup soccer so far this year, and this was given to me by a colleague, uh, and a brother, I think this is fantastic, is right now because my wife is convalescing, we have all the subscriptions temporarily to allow, like, the full healing process to take place. Watch whatever you want, wherever you want. Except for the World Cup, because the, uh... I- it was just, like, where you could actually get it in English was, like, crazy expensive, at least for me. So here's the thing, though. Somebody reminded me uh, that we have Peacock and that because of Telemundo, could just watch and stream the entire World Cup in Spanish. So guess what, loved ones? We're learning a lot more Spanish- I love it ... and we're watching the World Cup with the announcers on. I'm not turning off that, 'cause that's the best part. And, you know, I'm getting, like, 25% of what's being said, but it is awesome. And there's- Yeah ... a lot more energy and excitement. So if for some reason you have Peacock and you're saying, "Oh, I'm missing the World Cup," technically you don't have to. It's all there for you. That's amazing. Just you gotta embrace Spanish.  [00:12:46] Tony Arsenal: That's amazing. And yes, actually, it probably is more entertaining.  [00:12:49] Jesse Schwamb: It is.  [00:12:50] Tony Arsenal: Um, and you don't, you don't need to... You really don't need to understand what the commentator is- No I mean, like 90% of the time the commentator's like, "Oh, he's having a good year," and, uh- ... yeah, like, "Oh, yeah, yeah, he's looking real great. Do you see how his, uh, laces are laced up?" Like, they're just trying to fill time.  [00:13:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:13:05] Tony Arsenal: So it doesn't really matter what they're saying. And when it does matter what they're saying, you'll get it just from the-  [00:13:11] Jesse Schwamb: Yes [00:13:11] Tony Arsenal: just from what the announcer's voices are doing. So I'll have to check that out. Yeah, the, the matches are at weird times, at least so far. I think, I think that once we get out of group play, m- a lot of the matches shift to the East Coast, so there'll be, uh, a little bit more normal times.  [00:13:25] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:13:25] Tony Arsenal: But, like, the first, the first, uh, US match was at 9:00 Eastern Time, and then, like, the last one's at 10:00 Eastern Time. Yeah.  [00:13:32] Jesse Schwamb: So  [00:13:33] Tony Arsenal: late. Yeah, super late, and it's a, it's a three-hour match by the time you, you get done with halftime and everything. So yeah, it'll, it'll... It's, it's frustrating. Although historically, um, every time the men, the men's team has won their first match, they've gotten out of group play, and every time they've lost their fir- first match, they have not gotten out of group play. And we, we really, really won our first match. Yes. Yeah. So I think, I think we'll get out of group play. I think probably, depending on how the, the cards roll, um, we'll probably, we'll probably get through our first elimination round, maybe our second, but we're not gonna go much further than that. Um, even, even that would be a, a pretty good victory, so- Anyway, football is life, right? Danny Ross. Um, do, did you watch Ted last night? Yes,  [00:14:24] Jesse Schwamb: I have seen it. Yes.  [00:14:25] Tony Arsenal: That was good. Football is life. Um, that's me this time of year. Like, I wore a soccer jersey to work on Friday, and nobody could tell me I couldn't do that, and I didn't care. So- I  [00:14:33] Jesse Schwamb: love it ...  [00:14:34] Tony Arsenal: uh, nobody even tried. Everybody, everybody's fine. Everybody loves soccer- How dare they ... and loves the World Cup, so. Yeah. That's the truth. Anywho, save me from this. I, I literally could talk about soccer all night. This is the one sport that I get like this. And the... Not even the one sport. The one sporting event that I get like this about is the World Cup. I love it. So you've gotta, you gotta stop me or I'm not gonna, not gonna stop. Let  [00:14:54] Jesse Schwamb: it out.  [00:14:54] Hydration Tabs Recommendation [00:14:54] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I would say, like, we could play that game with our affirmations and denials where it's, like, six degrees of separation, but we only need one. And this is gonna sound like it was planned, but it wasn't. Your denial, of course, as you've just well articulated, was about hydration breaks. Turns out my affirmation is actually about hydration. So-  [00:15:11] Tony Arsenal: Jesse's affirming hydration breaks. We're about  [00:15:13] Jesse Schwamb: to fight. Yeah. No, I'm, I'm definitely not a- affirming hydration breaks, but this might be the kind of hydration they're having. I don't know, but it's the one I'm gonna recommend. So where I live, it is the summertime, and where I live, we get both the heat and the humidity, and that's the oppressive part, isn't it? It's where it feels like the inside of a dog's mouth. And so I actually just came back from a run, and my go-to hydration break for myself is, uh, Nuun, N-U-U-N. And here's the reason why, is I've had Gatorade, I've had all the... I've had Liquid IV, I've had all that stuff. Most of the time it's r- too sweet. Nuun is just these effervescent dissolvable tablets that you drop into water, and it creates this low sugar electrolyte drink. It has all, like, the normal stuff. It has sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, all that good stuff, but there's just one gram of sugar. And it's this convenient little tab. Like, you can just get this whole little roll of tabs. You can carry them with you if you're going hiking or you're camping or you're out and gonna do a run. You just drop them into a bottle of water or whatever size water you want. I usually go 32 ounces is the way I like it. They have all, all kinds of flavors. It's just the right thing. Like, it's... It is like the refreshing thing of water, but when you're like, "You know what? I wanna taste something that's not water." So Nuun is, like, the right thing. I may have referred to it before, so I'm sorry if I did. But I'm referring with you can order it on, like, Amazon or any kind of, I don't know, general kind of camping or sports-oriented store is probably gonna be there. But it's... For me, it's the right thing because I don't know about you, but I find most sports drinks, like, in general too sweet. Like, you, you start... You have one, and then if I get through it, I'm kind of like, "Ugh, now I feel like my mouth is, like, really just coated in sugar, and that's not what I wanted." Yeah. So this feels like you're, you're getting a little less sweetness, but you don't feel guilty afterwards like you've just consumed a bunch of sugar. I will admit, I drink one I guess it's like 12 ounce Gatorade every week, just one. And this is because there's a delightful and loving, like, 72-year-old woman in our congregation who brings, I believe it's her own, she invests this every week. She brings for the team that is doing the worship through music Gatorade, uh, because she thinks we need to be replenished. So really, we have a hydration break- ... right before the service. But she, it's so beautiful and so delightful, I will never refuse it, and I am also on often parched at the time. So-  [00:17:31] Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  [00:17:31] Jesse Schwamb: it does work out, so.  [00:17:31] Tony Arsenal: Jesse's worship team goes real hard. They need to hydrate in the middle. They do a mandatory hydration break in the middle of the- It's, yeah middle of the service.  [00:17:39] Jesse Schwamb: It's mandatory. Yes. We are strict.  [00:17:41] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And it's an, it's a good time for announcements and commercial breaks. Um, yeah. I, I think, uh, and you're... I don't know if you're gonna believe me when I say this. With all of the Nuun that passes its way around the family home when we're all here- Yeah at summertime, I've never had-  [00:17:57] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, really? ...  [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: Nuun. Yeah. We never tried it. I think our go-to for, for sort of powdered energy drink or powdered, uh, sports drink is little Propel packets.  [00:18:05] Jesse Schwamb: Um- Oh,  [00:18:05] Tony Arsenal: that's not bad either. Propel's not bad. I like Propel. It's very sweet, but it, it doesn't- Yeah ... um, Propel- doesn't add sugar. I think that they've, they've got their formula where it's a sugar-free formula. Um, but it is very sweet. So sometimes I'll only do, like, a half a packet of Propel- Yeah ... which I know kind of, they, they argue that or they, like, advertise as, like, "It's the perfect balance of electro-" I don't know if it's the perfect balance of electrolytes, but- Um, but some is better than none probably. Yeah. And, uh, Propel is not better than Nuun apparently, so.  [00:18:36] Jesse Schwamb: I, I, I think Nuun is, like, top shelf electrolyte. And you can get it, like I said, in lots of flavors. One of the fun things is you can get it caffeinated or uncaffeinated. I mean, most, most of it is uncaffeinated. But if you're like you wanted to have some, they have a what they call Kona Cola, and it is cola-flavored and has caffeine. It's amazing, because it's, like, just slightly effervescent, a little bit bubbly. Not too much. It's still, like, refreshing, but if you like the cola flavor, which as you know is its own distinct combination of elements and spices, then it's right on. So- Yeah ... it's really nice. So there you go. Yeah. Nuun- I- And if you're gonna take a hydration break because you're being forced to while you're playing soccer, I highly suggest you choose Nuun. That's the way to go.  [00:19:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what they're drinking. I think most of the time they're just drinking water.  [00:19:26] Jesse Schwamb: Probably.  [00:19:26] Tony Arsenal: So I, I don't... I mean, I, I think you're supposed to drink something with some electrolytes, so maybe they have some electrolyte-  [00:19:32] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah ...  [00:19:32] Tony Arsenal: water in it. I don't know.  [00:19:33] Jesse Schwamb: I don't know. Probably.  [00:19:34] Join the Telegram Group [00:19:34] Jesse Schwamb: Here's the thing. If you wanna tell us what you like to drink or when you are, let's say, serving the Lord's people by participating in worship through music and you're forced to take a hydration break, as I am at times, then you need to go to t.mereformedbrotherhood. Put that into your browser right now. Take a hydration break and put t.mereformedbrotherhood into your browser and that will send you to a link for Telegram, which is just a little chat app in which we have a small corner of the world. It's brothers and sisters listening to the podcast, interacting, and it's about time, actually, we probably had some kinda taste test stuff-  [00:20:11] Tony Arsenal: Yeah with,  [00:20:12] Jesse Schwamb: like, these kinda hydration drinks. There's so many of them now. Some of them are, like, purposely salty. Some of them are really sweet. Some have all these crazy and wild flavors. Some of them have all kinds of caffeine. So let us know what you like, but best way to do that- Please ... is join the Telegram group. [00:20:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And please do not, uh, do not make your church stop their service for a hydration break. Please don't do that. The only hydration break I wanna hear you talking about in your church service is a baptism. So please-  [00:20:38] Jesse Schwamb: I knew that's  [00:20:38] Tony Arsenal: where you were going ... do not interrupt the Lord's day for a hydration break. Just if you need water, just, like, step out of the room, take a drink of water, come back. Or if you're in a church that lets you have water in the sanctuary, like most do, just take a drink. That's true. You don't have to- Yeah ... stand up. You don't need to have- That's good ... anyone interpret. Just take a quick drink and then be quiet. Just  [00:20:54] Jesse Schwamb: go to the sidelines, maybe sub out- Mm-hmm ... with somebody else who can play bass, and take a quick drink.  [00:21:00] Tony Arsenal: Exactly. Come back. Yeah. Or just dump the, dump the Propel powder straight in your mouth.  [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: I thought you were gonna say like have somebody come up, preferably like an elder, and just hose you down with a thing of Gatorade while you're, while you're  playing  [00:21:10] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, exactly. Just go up to the baptismal font, take a scoop of water, dump the Propel directly in the baptis- no, I'm just kidding. I shouldn't joke about that stuff. Yeah.  [00:21:19] Back to Matthew 25 [00:21:19] Tony Arsenal: Anyway, Jesse, I'm excited because although we are probably gonna round out this parable, we're not done with these parables because- Oh, yeah, that's  [00:21:28] Jesse Schwamb: right [00:21:28] Tony Arsenal: although we're gonna finish this parable this week, we'll probably finish it and get started talking about, uh, the next, the little chunk of text, which is not a parable, but we can't really, uh, divorce it from these parables 'cause they're all telling, they're all making the same or a very similar point about what the kingdom of heaven will be like in relation to the end times- Mm-hmm in relation to the eschatological, um, outcome of all things. Uh, and, and Christ in his teaching, um, he kind of rounds out this teaching and finalizes what these parables mean by talking to us about the sheep and the goats. Um, which again, is not really formed like a parable, but, uh, but it has very similar structures. It has some similar elements to it. Um, but it, it's so integral to what these, all what this sort of like, uh, anthology of eschatological parables mean in all the discourse. We really have to cover that to, to cover the others fully. But tonight we're gonna finish our discussion about the parable of the talents, which I'm excited about because I think we're gonna, we're gonna round out on some stuff that, um, I, I hope you've heard, uh, is probably not as, um, prominent as it should be. Uh, and this, we talked about last time that this parable has been, uh, not necessarily applied properly in many popular- Right ... teachings. Uh, and so I'm, I'm sure you've heard not so great interpretations. Hopefully we're gonna give you an interpretation that's a little bit more accurate and faithful to what the Bible teaches. [00:23:00] Reading the Parable Text [00:23:00] Jesse Schwamb: And so we're gonna pick it up in verse 24 of Matthew 25, because you'll probably recall, and if you haven't it's because you need to go back and listen, that we talked about the first two of these servants and the return that they were able to garner on the investment which the Lord gave them when He went away. And then there's the third dude. So we're gonna pick it up there and go all the way to the end of this, which allow us to close it out. So beginning verse 24, "And the one also had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you'd be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, have what is yours.' But the master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave. You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed; therefore you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have at least received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has 10 talents. For to everyone who has more, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he does not have,' excuse me, 'what he does have shall be taken away. And throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"  [00:24:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  [00:24:19] Textual Notes and Transition [00:24:19] Tony Arsenal: There, there's some, um, some textual things about this that I think, uh, we sh- should at least acknowledge. I don't know that we're gonna dig too deep into them. Um, it is very possible to, um, to read verse 30 Almost as an interpretive statement in itself rather than part of the, um, part of the parable itself. And, and so let me, let me see if I can, can parse that out. So if we read it as though it's part of the parable, then it is the s- the, the master in the parable who is saying, "And cast the worthless servant into the darkness; in the place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." I think that's the most natural reading, so I'll, I'll put my cards on the table that I think that we should read this as part of the parable itself. It's also possible linguistically and grammatically to sort of read this as an explanation, where Christ is now taking this principle of what has happened with the worthless servant, right? That even what he has will be taken away. And then, and then to sort of read this as a commentary that sort of, uh, like we saw before, um, kind of bridges this section with the next. So instead of reading, "And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness," uh, as though it were part of the parable, that it was this master within the parable saying this, we can read this as Christ saying that this is what will happen to those who are worthless servants. And then that follows up with, in verse 31, kind of h- connecting to when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all nations. Right. Th- this next sort of, like, more explicit, non-parabolical, um, uh, eschatological teaching. I think that former one is more natural, but just because it's, it's present in a lot of the commentaries that this is there, I wanted to at least call that out. I don't know that it makes a ton of difference in terms of how we understand the parable, but I do think, you know, part of what it means for us to wrestle through this is not just to take a particular position on the text, but to discuss, like, some of these ambiguities that are present. Um, and, and sometimes, um Sometimes I think we need to be cautious and really think through, because, uh, let me, let me rephrase it this way. None of the teaching in the Bible is sort of uninterpreted, untranslated, raw teaching of Christ. All of this is coming to us from the apostles retelling it, and yes, inspired by the Holy Spirit, so all of it's God's Word. But it's not as though, um, it's not as though Christ was first speaking in Greek. That's the big thing. But there are some places in the New Testament, in the Gospels, where it's not always clear whether a passage is Christ speaking or the, uh, the Gospel writer interpreting what Christ is speaking. This is one of those places where there's a little bit of a question mark about that. Um, again, I think the most natural reading is to read this as part of the statement of the master within the parable, but I did wanna just comment on that before we moved on much further.  [00:27:31] Buried Talent Scandal [00:27:31] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's helpful because I think we've gotta understand that end in light of how it's evolving. And we, we're starting with that stark contrast between the first two, which receive this great reward, which receive accolades and praise, and then you have this one talent servant's response is all about hiddenness. He just digs a hole, puts it in the ground, and hides it away. Which by the way, of course, we talked about this in the other parables, like in the ancient world, burying valuables was recognized as a form of safekeeping. I mean, I think even Josephus mentions that. We talk about the pearl of great price. There was something to be known for, well, I have this valuable thing. The best place for me to, the best place for me to put it so that it isn't compromised is in the ground, in a secret place. And there's like a surface level, I guess, reasonableness to that act. But what's interesting and where it comes in with that heat that you're kinda talking about, that ends up being in the end this grand statement of the eschatological, eschatological reality, is that the parable here with this one talent servant treats all that action as like complete catastrophic failure. And I, I think as much as I can understand it, it's because the master did not give him this talent to protect it from loss. He gave it to him for, to use it for gain And so the servant has mistaken the nature of that commission entirely. He substituted like the security-seeking for risk-taking faithfulness. And so I think that informs some of then what happens in these latter verses here, like when we get all the way down to 30. Because I think when we read that, we see the, like the redistribution as scandalous. But the scandal really is in this lack of actions. Like gifts exercised grow, but gifts buried, they just atrophy. So the one t- talent servant's talent is taken because he's, he's already been treated as n- as it was, was nothing. He's functionally like forfeited it by burying it. And so the transfer of the 10-talent servant is the formal confirmation of what his own choices had, had already produced. I think there is something there about like the eschatological reality, reality that will unfold in the judgment, which of course leads to, into the end of this chapter  [00:29:36] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right on that.  [00:29:39] Misreading The Master [00:29:39] Tony Arsenal: Um, what we see the problem with the one talent servant is not, um, not that he's not productive.  [00:29:49] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:29:49] Tony Arsenal: I mean, I think that's, that's actually the symptom of the illness, not the illness itself. What we see with the, the one talent servant is that he misunderstands his task, as you're pointing out, but more foundationally, he misunderstands his master, right? And that, that's really the, the main point of the parable when we kinda get... You know, Christ, um, when He's telling a parable, He explains the parable. Sometimes He doesn't explain the parable at all. He just sorta drops the parable and then moves on. Other times He will give the interpretation itself, like directly. We saw that in the parable of the, uh, of the soils or the parable of the sower. Um, and, and other times the kind of like the main explanation of the parable is, is actually embedded in the parable. And I think for this parable, the main explanation is when the, the one talent servant, uh, comes forward and he, when he's explaining why he did what he did-  [00:30:47] Jesse Schwamb: Right [00:30:48] Tony Arsenal: he says, "Well, I knew you were a," uh, let me just find it for sure here. He says, um, "I knew that you were a..." I just lost it. My brain is totally lost here. You ever have that happen where you're trying to find a word- Yes ... on a text and you just can't? He says, "Master," in verse 24, he says, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid. I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours." There's a number of statements in here that just don't make any sense. Like, they're just... Like you said, a lot of these parables have kind of like a chump figure, where, like, he's sort of like the designated idiot of the parable. [00:31:31] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:31:32] Tony Arsenal: In this instance, there's so much wrong that it's almost hard to find something right. And, you know, he starts out, he says, "I knew you were a hard man." There's nothing in the parable, there's nothing that suggests that this is a hard man. There's nothing to suggest that. He, as we said last week, he trusts these servants with an almost unimaginable amount of wealth, right? He just leaves hundreds of years worth of wealth in the, in the, like... And it's not even like he's going off to war and he may never be coming back. He's just going on a journey.  [00:32:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:32:05] Tony Arsenal: He's just traveling for a little while, and he's like, "I'm gonna leave 100 years worth of labor with this guy and 40 years worth of labor with this guy and 20 years worth of labor with this guy." He, what, what, in what world is that a hard man who just blesses and trusts his servants with that amount of unimaginable wealth? But then he says, "I knew that you, uh, reaped where you did not sow and gathered where you scattered no seed." First of all, um, what kind of person accumulates this kind of wealth without reaping, uh, without the, like, a- apart from the principle of reaping and sowing and gathering and, and scattering? Like, he obviously is a very successful businessman. Um, the, the fact that this, uh, servant is couching this in agricultural terms, I think it's reasonable to think that this is a very successful landowner who has made good use of his land, has turned a profit Obviously he's reaping where he sows and he's gathering where he scattered or he wouldn't have this kind of money to throw around to leave with his servants in the first place. But the servant doesn't recognize that the fact that he was given one talent is in fact the master reaping or sowing and scattering the seed of these talents. So he's saying like, "Well, you reap where you have not sown," but the fact is like he was sown a full talent worth of resources and he, the, the master expected to reap what he had sown when he gets back. So this servant He's worthless and he's lazy, but he's also just kind of dumb in that he just doesn't- Right ... recognize the reality of what's going on. He has an incorrect understanding of who the master is. He thinks he's a hard man, when actually he's an incredibly trusting and generous master, right? The, the ESV masks this as servants. We're not talking about hired hands here. We're talking about slaves. Right. We're talking about h- probably about household slaves. This is doulos. These are the slaves that work in the fields, um, as opposed to, like, diakonos, which are the slaves that work in the house, right? These are, these are field servants. These are laborers that are indentured or are, are in servitude, and he gives them enough wages, enough labor, enough money, they could just take off and leave with it. They could buy their own freedom with this. Right. He trusts them with that. That's not a description of a hard man, a hard, lazy man who sows w- reaps where he doesn't sow and gathers where he doesn't scatter. So the primary issue here with this servant is not that he's lazy, although he is lazy. It's not that he's wicked. He is wicked. It's that he doesn't recognize who the master is. He doesn't understand who the master is and what is expected of him as a servant of that master, which I think, I think, as I've thought about this over the last week or so, I think that actually says everything about the eschatological import of this, right? Yes. Who is it that's not going to be saved in the last day?  [00:34:56] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:34:57] Tony Arsenal: It's the people who don't recognize the master. Right on. The people who think that the master is a hard man who reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has not scattered. Well, if we think that's who God is, we have a lot of trouble coming our way. [00:35:10] Fearful False Theology [00:35:10] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that is the heart, right, of this dude's sin. It's a false theology of God that produces then this fearful inaction. Because, like you said, it's not just that he's been lazy. He has constructed this weird, distorted picture of his master, and then he allows that distortion to govern his behavior. So this, quote-unquote, "fear" is not like the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom, but it's this kind of craven dread that's rooted in a mischaracterization of the master's entire character. And one of the things that I think, among many, that's really great about the Reformed theological tradition is that it's always assisted, and I th- hopefully we along with it in our conversations, that, like, the right theology is not merely academic. It does shape the whole life, which is why, like, Calvin famously opens his institutes with this observation that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self are bound together. So- Yeah ... a person who genuinely knows the living God as gracious, generous, long-suffering, with that kind of hesed kind of love, who is good- W- that person will be motivated to active, trusting faithfulness. A person who privately believes God to be harsh and demanding is always, I think, going to retreat in this fearful, minimal kind of minimum champion-type compliance. It's the same thing, I think I always think about this for some reason, and mention it a lot probably, but it's the same thing with Joseph's brothers finding all their money back in the sacks-  [00:36:31] Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  [00:36:32] Jesse Schwamb: with their food. It's, like, in that instant moment, all they have is fear and dread. And it- for this guy, that's exactly what he has. But it doesn't start, like you're saying, merely because he realizes that he should have done more, or he's comparing his return with that of everybody else, or even that he's going back and taking a look at his own actions and finding them to be full of want or lack. In fact, he does a really good job, at least in his own mind, theologically justifying his behavior. So here, what he, the real crime, the real shame, the real sin is that somehow he views the master as harsh and demanding and exploitative. That's wild. But of course, that was the root of everything else, which I think does give us pause to reflect on our own lives, like I said, as we come to understanding how this parable reads us. [00:37:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:37:21] Red Letters And Commentary [00:37:21] Tony Arsenal: And, um- Part of the reason why I think it's important to understand what I was talking about earlier with, you know, the, the Gospels are an interesting sort of like composite document in that, yes, they contain the true sayings of Jesus, the true, true, um, words of Christ. But this is also, a- and I promise that this will loop back around, this is, um, this is important for us. The red letters are no more God's word than the black letters, right? Mm-hmm. And what I mean by that is, like, the, the so-called words of Christ in scripture are not more inspired or more profitable than the words that are the commentary of the apostles. And I only say so-called, and I'll explain why I say that. As I said, like, Matthew is translating, uh, he- first of all, he's recalling what Christ has said. He's, he's probably not, um, sitting there with a, with a quill and a, you know, a piece of paper or a piece of parchment- Right ... transcribing what's, what Christ is saying as he goes. Right? He's, he was there. Matthew was there. He's recalling what Christ has said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He's making editorial decisions about what Christ taught in terms of like, what of Christ's teaching do I capture? What do I summarize? And I think there's ... It's important because every word is inspired, but also it's understandable. And what I mean here, and what, the reason I'm kind of belaboring that is I think there's an interesting thing that happens in verse 29. It says, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. And from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken." So this, this concept actually that, um, that verse 30 might be, uh, might actually be Matthew's commentary or even Christ's explanation of the parable, I think that actually, that actually expands to verse 29 in some of the commentators. So if we read it this way, and I think this, this may be valuable for us to at least ponder. If we read it this way, verse 27 is still the master in the parable space. It says, "Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10 talents." There's a way of understanding this text, uh, and it's grammatically acceptable. I think theologically it doesn't change a lot, but it's worth us at least considering this. There's a way of reading this text where that's the end of the parable, and then Christ is explaining the parable, or Ma- or even maybe Matthew is commenting on the parable. It says, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But to the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Now, I think that, um, as I said, the most natural way to read this is that the parable proper ends with verse 30, that all of this is part of the parable, all of this is the master in the parable speaking. But I do think verses 29 and 30 take on a more explanatory, um, uh, explanatory role, and this is the main reason why. The, the one parable, one talent servant in the parable, he's not properly described as the one who has not, right? He had one talent. He was given one talent. Right. It's not as though he had zero talents. The one who has not, even what he has will be taken away, and the one who has, more will be given.  [00:41:01] Has And Has Not [00:41:01] Tony Arsenal: This is actually, I think, where we can go really sideways on this parable. I hear this parable often interpreted as sort of this understanding that, like, God has blessed His people with certain gifts, and we have to use our gifts in the kingdom to be productive, and people who use their gifts in productive fashion will be given more responsibility and more opportunities. People who don't use their gifts, whatever opportunities they have will be taken away from them. Now, I, I would argue that's probably true on a practical level, um, and that's just actually just true in general, right? Right. A person who has responsibility, th- think of, like, your working environment. M- you know, all, most of our listeners are not working in regular pastoral ministry. This is one of those areas where I think, actually, the corporate world is more representative of how things are. Um, in the corporate world, if you are given responsibility and you excel and use that responsibility well and you are a productive servant of your company that you work for, you're going to be given more responsibility, whether that's in the form of a promotion, which is the ideal circumstances, or whether that's just your responsibilities as assigned, a job description expanding without pay. Either way, if you do a good job, if you, if you take the sphere of influence, the sphere of responsibility that you're given and you do a good job and you shepherd that well and you steward that well, that sphere of influence, that sphere of responsibility will expand. Um- If you squander it and you sit in your office watching TikTok videos or listening to music and you don't use that, uh, responsibility well, that sphere of influence will shrink, and ultimately it will shrink until you no longer have a job, right? It works a little differently, I think, in, like, traditional pastoral roles, and I think there are some in our audience that, them, are in those roles that this may not fit. That's a good general principle. I don't think that's what this is teaching. Like, I don't think this, this parable is about, like, productive ministry opportunities. Right. And if it was, we wouldn't be talking about people who have none, have not, right? We would be talking about people who have less. We'd be talking about people who are given less responsibility. The person who has no responsibility is who's in view here. And that's why- Mm ... I think it actually, this is shifting, this ex- explanation, whether it's, uh, sort of like an explanation, an explanatory punchline to the parable that's part of the parable itself, or whether it's Jesus or Matthew commenting on the meaning of the parable. The difference between those two things is important for us to think about. It's not so important in terms of what the actual meaning is. Because the difference here is that what we've now done is we've shifted from the context of a financial grounded analogy in the parable to now a broader discussion about the fact that there are those who have, and there are those who have not. And the people who have will be given more, and the people who have not will be taken away from. And if we were talking strictly financially, then now we're, like, in, like, Occupy Wall Street, 1% kind of era. We're talking about salvation. We're talking about, um, we're talking about the fact that God gives salvation to some, and He does not give salvation to others. He gives grace to some, and He does not give grace to others. And to those who have grace, more grace will be given. To those who have not grace, more will be taken away. And the outcome of that- Is that the worthless servant who is the one who has not, the worthless servant will be cast into the outer darkness, right? This is a, an explanation of what it means to be a worthless servant who ultimately ends their time. Ends is not the right word. Who ultimately has the outcome of s- of outer darkness for all eternity. If this parable is just about how we use our giftings and our skills and our money for the kingdom, and we're expected to be productive and to, like, increase the kingdom through our tithing and through our, like our service, then this comment about, like, the outer darkness is really out of place. Unless, unless we earn our salvation by that. Which of course we know we don't.  [00:45:22] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Right.  [00:45:24] Wicked And Slothful Heart [00:45:24] Jesse Schwamb: Here's how I think everything you said is true, and the scripture actually bears this out because it was exactly where you're going with that, which is we're talking more about the identity. Like, what, what makes this servant or slave worthless? That's the critical question. And then if we understand that, it'll help inform how we then interpret this idea of sheeps and goats, which we'll get to in a whole other episode. But if you look at verses 26 and 27, where the master then responds to this slave calls him wicked and slothful, slothful, right? So that his, his basically lack of usefulness comes embedded or underneath those two terms. So one, obviously the wickedness here is moral. It's a failure to fulfill a covenantal obligation to the master, which we've been talking about. So again, it's not just about laziness. Like there's, there's so much more there. It's as if that's the entry point for the master to bring condemnation on him in two forms. One is that wickedness. The second is this idea of like slothfulness, which is dispen- I was gonna say dispensational, but what I meant to say is dispositional. So it's like, uh, like a subtle inertia of the will, and together they're describing a person, and I think this is a critical point. This is a person whose heart has never been genuinely aligned with the master's purposes. Now, when we understand it that way, I think, then everything that follows makes a lot more sense because it's not just about bad timing in the market. It's not just about being fearful that you're gonna lose money and you're risk-averse, so therefore you hid, hid everything. It's really this idea that this, this s- slave, this one talent slave, he was not on board, not vibing with, not aligned with, however you wanna say it, with the master's purposes from the very beginning. And there is maybe we might say like a minimum of faithfulness, even interest on the deposit that God requires. But the question of course is never am I doing what the five talent servant does, but it's always am I using what I have been given? And in this way, like are we finding ourselves aligned, that our hearts are leaning into, that we find ourselves tilting towards what God has for us, both understanding who He is and who we are in light of who He is. What I find interesting is I found some really unique commentary from the great puritan William Ames in his book Conscience, with the Power and Cases Thereof. That's a title that only a puritan could- ... forward, um, where he actually treats this failure. So getting again to the sense of like why is it so grievous? Like in other words, why does the action of this servant, which we've already kind of touched on, lead into basically a character attack on the servant, and why is the connection between those two things legitimate? What he basically says is that he treats the failure to use one's gifts as God has given as a violation of the ninth commandment, which is bearing false witness against God's own estimation of those gifts. So this slothful servant, by burying his talent, effectively says, "This is not worth using." That is like the thing that God has given me, who God is Himself, I reject fully and outright. So why would that person then not be cast into outer darkness in kind of keeping with both like the, the breadth and scope of this parable, but also essentially what it's teaching about who this last, you know, servant is? [00:48:33] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and you know, as you say that, I think too, um- There's an element of this that is Because it ties to this servant's misunderstanding of the master, and then, a- and I think you're, you're bringing Calvin in here and, and sort of the idea that our knowledge of God and our kn- knowledge of self are so, like, intertwined that it- Right ... it's almost difficult to understand which comes first. Yes. Yes. Calvin concludes that the knowledge of God is logically prior, but he, he also acknowledges that, like, it's really tough to sort of like figure out which one is more logically prior. This servant starts from the understanding that the master is a wicked master, that he is an immoral, lazy master. I- and it's, it's ironic. It does- the text doesn't say this, but I think it's a reasonable extrapolation. Um, the, the wicked, slothful servant projects his own wickedness and his own slothfulness onto the master, right? He, he projects that the master is a wicked man, is a hard man, and also that he's lazy. He, he does- he reaps where he doesn't sow, he gathers where he doesn't scatter. And the action of the, of the, the character of the servant is not derived from his inaction. Right. It's his inaction that- Yes ... causes the, or it's his, his character- Character ... that drives his lack of action, right?  [00:50:12] Sheep Goats Identity [00:50:12] Tony Arsenal: The good and faithful servants, they're not, and this is where we're gonna come when we come next week. Like, this is where we're gonna go when we get to next week's. Just as maybe, like, I, I want you to listen next week, but you probably don't need to, 'cause I'm gonna give you the whole punchline here.  [00:50:27] Jesse Schwamb: Wow.  [00:50:27] Tony Arsenal: The sheep act like sheep because they're sheep.  [00:50:29] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:50:30] Tony Arsenal: They don't become sheep because they do sheep things. They do sheep things because they're sheep, and the goats do goat things because they're goats.  [00:50:37] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:50:37] Tony Arsenal: The wicked, lazy servant does wicked, lazy servant things because he's a wicked lady- lazy servant, right? He buries the talent in the ground because he's a wicked, lazy servant. The good, faithful servants j- just do what good, faithful servants do. They, they make a return on the master's talents because that's what they do, right? And I think where we have to be really careful and where, uh, the other pitfall that this parable can bring us to, and I kinda referenced it a little bit earlier, is there can be sort of this subtle works righteousness that creeps in, that we can believe if we're really good and productive for the kingdom, then that's what will earn us the good and faithful servant commendation when we, we cross into glory. The reality is there are those who cross into glory and hear good and faithful servant, right? There are those who will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master." And there are those who will not. They will have what little they have taken away from them, and they will be cast into the outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth, right? That's not a statement on what we've earned. It's a statement on who we are.  [00:51:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:51:49] Tony Arsenal: So you can either be the faithful servant who trusts the character of the Lord, who doesn't think Him to be a hard man, who reaps where He doesn't sow and gathers where He doesn't scatter. You can trust the master, and in the act of trusting the master and knowing His character, you just do what good, faithful servants do. You work hard, you follow the servant, the master's lead, and you produce a return on what is there. Right? In, a- and we didn't talk about this too much. In effect, these servants are reflecting the nature of the master.  [00:52:23] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:52:23] Tony Arsenal: Because you don't get to the point where you can leave 100 years worth of wealth to one servant, and 40 years worth of wealth to another servant, and 20 years worth of wealth to another servant if you have not yourself been a productive, faithful person who knows how to reap and sow appropriately, right? [00:52:42] Gospel Joy Or Darkness [00:52:42] Tony Arsenal: That is the key to this parable,

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A surprisingly overlooked problem in water leak prevention takes center stage in this episode: getting smart water devices installed is only half the battle.Paul Vacquier, founder and CEO of Beagle Services Inc., shares his unconventional path from practicing law in California to building the insurance go-to-market strategy for Flo by Moen — and ultimately launching Beagle to address a critical gap he discovered along the way. With an estimated 30 to 50% of installed smart water valves sitting offline at any given time, homeowners and insurers may be operating under a false sense of security. Paul illustrates the stakes with a $900,000 claim that traced back to a single unplugged valve.The conversation covers Beagle's full-stack service model, featuring employed (not contracted) technicians, ongoing device monitoring, and its Watchdog platform, which proactively reaches out to homeowners with offline devices ahead of severe weather events.The episode also explores the broader shift underway in insurance, where carriers are beginning to require smart water devices as a condition of coverage, and where agents are evolving from price-shoppers into genuine risk advisors, helping craft mitigation strategies tailored to a client's specific exposures.Resources:Beagle Services: https://www.beagleservices.com/The Institutes: https://web.theinstitutes.org/Predict & Prevent website: https://www.predictandprevent.org/Sign up for our weekly Predict & Prevent newsletter: https://www.predictandprevent.org/newsletter/

What if earthquakes could be forecast up to 25 days in advance? That's the premise behind one of the most unconventional companies in risk management today.Itamar Zabari, CEO and CTO of AstroTeq, joins host Pete Miller, CPCU, to explain how his company leverages cosmic radiation data combined with multi-channel machine learning to do exactly that. Itamar shares the origin story behind the venture — sparked by his wife Noemi's astrophysics Ph.D. research — and explains how their approach fundamentally differs from traditional seismology, which currently offers only seconds of warning at best.The conversation explores the enormous implications of early warnings. Itamar shares the example of nuclear power plants being able to move to safe mode ahead of a major event — potentially preventing disasters like the Fukushima meltdown in 2011, which caused nearly half a trillion dollars in damage and widespread radiation contamination.The episode also covers what advance warning means for insurance and risk management, where earthquake forecasting could eventually become a coverage requirement similar to sprinkler systems or anti-theft devices. Itamar also addresses the skepticism AstroTeq has faced from traditional seismologists — and makes the case that earthquake forecasting not only is possible today, but already is happening.Resources:AstroTeq.ai: https://astroteq.ai/The Institutes: https://web.theinstitutes.org/Predict & Prevent website: https://www.predictandprevent.org/Sign up for our weekly Predict & Prevent newsletter: https://www.predictandprevent.org/newsletter/

Diese Folge ist schon vor Monaten in der Podimo App veröffentlicht worden. In der Podimo App findet ihr schon jetzt 60 kostenlose Folgen, die ihr ganz ohne Anmeldung oder Abo hören könnt – Einfach nur die App öffnen und ‘12 Leben' finden: https://podimo.de/12leben Zusätzlich zu den 60 kostenlosen Folgen findet ihr dort auch die neueste Staffel im Premium-Bereich. _ 21. Juli 2023: Das Handy der 13-jährigen Milena vibriert. Sie hat eine neue Chatanfrage. Ein Typ, den sich nicht kennt, hat auf ihre Story reagiert. Milena antwortet ihm und sie beginnen miteinander zu schreiben. Über die nächsten Tage und Wochen bombardiert ihr neuer Kontakt, Lukas G., sie mit Nachrichten. Bald ist Milena gefangen in seinem Netz aus Manipulation und Drohungen. In dieser Folge hören wir Jasmin Scholl. Sie ist Opfer von Cybergrooming geworden und spricht stellvertretend über ihre Erfahrungen. Außerdem haben wir mit dem Cyberkriminologen Prof. Dr. Thomas-Gabriel Rüdiger gesprochen. Er ist Leiter des Institutes für Cyberkriminologie an der Hochschule für Polizei des Landes Brandenburg und spricht darüber, welche Präventionsmaßnahmen es im Netz geben muss, um Cybergrooming zu verhindern. Triggerwarnung: In dieser Folge geht es um Kindesmissbrauch, körperliche und sexualisierte Gewalt, sowie digitale Gewalt. Kinder & Jugendtelefon: 116 111 (rund um die Uhr) Hilfetelefon “Gewalt gegen Frauen”: 08000 116 016 (rund um die Uhr) Telefonseelsorge: 0800 111 0 111 (rund um die Uhr) Opfer-Telefon vom Weißen Ring: 116 006 (7-22h Uhr) Hilfe & Onlineberatung findet ihr auch bei der Nummer gegen Kummer: https://www.nummergegenkummer.de/ Mehr Infos bekommt Ihr auf der Homepage der Online Datenbank für Betroffene von Straftaten: www.odabs.org Habt ihr Feedback? Dann könnt ihr uns eine E-Mail schreiben: 12leben.podimo@gmail.com "12 Leben – Verbrechen an Frauen" ist ein Podcast von Podimo. Hosts: Helen Schulte und Massimo Maio Autorin dieser Folge: Katharina Fräbel Schnitt und Sound: Frieder Maurer & Luca Sartori (hipitch) Ausführende Produzentin: Madeleine Petry

J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at Gallagher. He began his career as an intern in 1972, worked his way to Chief Executive Officer, and, in 2006, was appointed Chairman of the Board. In 2003, Mr. Gallagher joined the board of trustees of The Institutes. In this episode of In the Know, Chris Hampshire and Pat discuss his successful career, his perspective on where the insurance industry is today, and where it is heading in the future.   Key Takeaways ● Pat's successful career started with a fire and an internship. ● The definitive culture at Gallagher. ● Attributes of desirable acquisitions. ● Pat's message to anyone considering a career in insurance. ● The number one attribute of a successful leader. ● Questions Pat asks himself when making big decisions. ● A five-year look to the future of the industry. ● Pat's advice to his early-career self.   In the Know podcast theme music written and performed by James Jones, CPCU, and Kole Shuda of the band If-Then.   To learn more about the CPCU Society, its membership, and educational offerings, tools, and programs, please visit CPCUSociety.org.   Follow the CPCU Society on social media: X (Twitter): @CPCUSociety Facebook: @CPCUSociety LinkedIn: @The Institutes CPCU Society Instagram: @the_cpcu_society   Quotes ● "Culture is the most important attribute to success or failure." ● "Insurance is the greatest business on the planet." ● "Anyone can find a way to have a positive influence in the insurance industry."  

John Bushman served as a bishop for 6.5 years, as a member of many bishoprics, and currently serves as a Gospel Doctrine teacher. He has been a Seminaries and Institutes of Religion coordinator, Institute instructor, and is now a Seminary instructor. He has also taught EFY and FSY for 20 years. John loves hiking and going on adventures of most any kind. Links King Before Kingdom Watch the video and share your thoughts in the Zion Lab community Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community Highlights John Bushman explores the necessity of a “faithful revival” centered on Jesus Christ rather than the institutional church. He argues that while the restored church is essential, members and leaders often mistake the “kingdom” for the “king,” leading to a checklist-based faith. The discussion focuses on transitioning from a culture of “legalism” to one of genuine “regeneration” through a relationship with the Savior. 00:04:04 – Importance of Collaboration in Leadership 00:05:39 – The Most Important Part of Sacrament Meeting 00:08:06 – The Concept of Revival in the Church 00:10:57 – Spiritual Sleep in the Church 00:12:16 – The Challenge of Routine in Worship 00:13:04 – The Importance of Understanding “Why” 00:14:28 – The Purpose of Church Services 00:19:00 – Faith vs. Knowledge in the Gospel 00:24:01 – The New Covenant vs. Old Covenant 00:27:25 – The Role of Jesus in Salvation 00:28:47 – The Shift Towards Jesus-Centered Worship 00:30:35 – The Importance of Personal Conversion Stories 00:32:51 – The Relationship Between Church and Christ 00:36:20 – The Role of Church Leaders in Focusing on Jesus 00:39:21 – The Concept of Legalism in Faith 00:44:50 – Moving Beyond Legalism to Grace Key Insights The “King” vs. the “Kingdom”: Bushman emphasizes that the church is the vehicle (the kingdom), but Jesus Christ is the destination (the king). A faithful revival occurs when the focus shifts from just belonging to the organization to surrendering to the Savior. Conversion vs. Testimony: A testimony often focuses on the truth of facts (e.g., Joseph Smith was a prophet), whereas true conversion is the decision to stop doing things one’s own way and surrender life to Jesus. The New Covenant of Faith: Bushman clarifies that “faith” in the New Testament is better understood as “trust” or “reliance,” similar to the trust one places in a surgeon. It is an internal change of heart rather than just an outward performance of commandments. Avoiding “Spiritual Autopilot”: Routines, such as the sacrament or repetitive church meetings, can lead to a “spiritual sleep” where members go through the motions without emotional or spiritual connection to God. Regeneration Over Prohibition: True change (regeneration) happens when a person no longer desires to do evil because their heart has been changed by grace, which is more effective than “prohibition” or simply following a list of “don’ts”. Leadership Applications Pattern Interrupts in Meetings: Leaders can revitalize routine ordinances by adding brief, 60-second “pattern interrupts”. For example, a bishop might briefly challenge the ward to think of one specific way to remember the Lord during the upcoming week just before the sacrament is administered. Shifting the “Why” of Meetings: Leaders should evaluate if their meetings are designed to increase knowledge (factoids) or to facilitate a “worship service” that connects individuals with divinity. Focusing on Redemption in Interviews: When working with members on repentance or baptism, John suggests focusing on the member’s commitment to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives rather than just confirming they believe the Church is true. The award-winning Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints’ mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Find Leadership Tools, Courses, and Community for Latter-day Saint leaders in the Zion Lab community. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Benjamin Hardy, Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Kirby Heyborne, Taysom Hill, Coaches Jennifer Rockwood and Brandon Doman, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 800 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

How a young Wesleyan discovered Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law and experienced a radical transformation that continues to this day.

Now we continue with Jesus and His disciples in the upper room during this last passover of our Lord Jesus Christ before He was crucified.Our Bible is open to Mark 14:22-25.In these verses Mark writes Jesus' words concerning the meaning of the bread and cup of which they were about to partake.Dr. Mitchell brings out the fact that it is not our value we place on the blood of Christ, but the value that God places on the blood of Christ.The Lord's supper is a remembrance of a person, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ God in the flesh, the God-Man who died for our sins and rose again on our behalf.Here in Mark 14:22 is Dr. Mitchell with our sole ground for our redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast.

In Episode 245 of Theology In Particular, Pastor Joe Anady and Dr. Daniel Scheiderer are joined by Dr. Drew Sparks, who follows up on previous discussions about habit by presenting a summary explanation of the cardinal (or "natural") and theological virtues.   Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.    Recommended Resources:  Wilhelmus à Brakel Christian's Reasonable Service William Ames Marrow of Theology Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology John Owen, Works, vol. 3 Thomas Goodwin, Works, vols. 6 & 8 Petrus Van Mastricht, Theological-Practical Theology, vol. 5

Tracy Morgan is a psychoanalyst in private practice in NYC seeing individuals, couples and groups. She is a member of the faculty at CMPS, a founding member of Das Unbehagen and the founding editor of the award winning podcast New Books in Psychoanalysis. She has published on a variety of subjects ranging from Gay and African American history, social movement theory, and psychoanalysis. Her most recent publication, Must We Drown in the Wake? Notes on Addressing Racism at Psychoanalytic Institutes was recently published in the journal Group. And the essay was nominated for a Gradiva Award for best article in the field in 2025. Ashis Roy, PhD, is a psychoanalyst and scholar affiliated with the Indian Psychoanalytical Society (Kolkata) and the International Psychoanalytical Association (London). His clinical practice serves adults, young adults, and couples, informed by over a decade of pedagogical and institutional leadership. Previously, as a faculty member at the Centre of Psychotherapy and Clinical Research, Ambedkar University, Dr. Roy was instrumental in institutional development and the clinical training of psychoanalytic psychotherapists. Currently, he serves on the faculty of the China-American Psychoanalytic Alliance (CAPA). His research resides at the intersection of clinical praxis and cultural psychoanalysis, with a specialized focus on the application of psychoanalytic frameworks to Asian and South Asian sociocultural contexts. An active contributor to international scholarly dialogue, he hosts psychoanalytic segments for the New Books Network. Dr. Roy is the author of the book Intimacy in Alienation: A Psychoanalytic Study of Hindu-Muslim Relationships (Yoda Press, 2024), which examines the psychodynamic complexities of inter-communal intimacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis

First up on the podcast, a new path to calculating the Hubble constant. This value for the universe's speed of expansion is typically determined in one of two ways, one favored by cosmologists, the other by astronomers. But the resulting values from these methods are consistently different. Staff Writer Daniel Clery joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss how reappearing bursts from deep space, lensed by gravity, could resolve the dispute over the speed of the expanding universe. Next on the show, freelance producer Elah Feder talks with Mauro Costa-Mattioli, principal investigator at Altos Labs' Institutes of Science, about tuning the “integrated stress response” (ISR) in mouse brains. The ISR pathway turns off much of protein synthesis in cells as a response to stressors such as viral infections or oxygen deprivation. The ISR is overactive in some models of cognitive dysfunction—suggesting the downregulated protein synthesis may hamper brain functions such as memory formation. In his paper, Costa-Mattioli and colleagues show turning on the ISR pathway causes memory problems in mice and turning off the ISR can restore function in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. Although this research was in mice, it suggests cognitive dysfunction associated with many different disorders may involve the ISR—making it a good therapeutic target. This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy. About the Science Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First up on the podcast, a new path to calculating the Hubble constant. This value for the universe's speed of expansion is typically determined in one of two ways, one favored by cosmologists, the other by astronomers. But the resulting values from these methods are consistently different. Staff Writer Daniel Clery joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss how reappearing bursts from deep space, lensed by gravity, could resolve the dispute over the speed of the expanding universe. Next on the show, freelance producer Elah Feder talks with Mauro Costa-Mattioli, principal investigator at Altos Labs' Institutes of Science, about tuning the “integrated stress response” (ISR) in mouse brains. The ISR pathway turns off much of protein synthesis in cells as a response to stressors such as viral infections or oxygen deprivation. The ISR is overactive in some models of cognitive dysfunction—suggesting the downregulated protein synthesis may hamper brain functions such as memory formation. In his paper, Costa-Mattioli and colleagues show turning on the ISR pathway causes memory problems in mice and turning off the ISR can restore function in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. Although this research was in mice, it suggests cognitive dysfunction associated with many different disorders may involve the ISR—making it a good therapeutic target. This week's episode was produced with help from Podigy. About the Science Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Deconstructing Comp, what was intended to be a conversation about when substance use is considered industrial… turned into a much deeper exploration of how, and why, care in workers' compensation often breaks down.Yvonne and Rafael talk to Dr. Tomer Anbar and Dr. Ramsey Ali and enjoy a powerful, layered conversation that challenges how we think about care in workers' compensation.Dr. Anbar takes us back to the origins of the workers' compensation system: why it was created, how it was structured, and where the “architecture of care” has started to break down over time. He reframes workers' compensation not just as a set of rules and processes, but as a living ecosystem that requires alignment between medical care, human behavior, and system design.A central theme emerges throughout the conversation: we need to stop chasing a diagnosis! Dr. Anbar says, “At some point, we have to stop chasing the diagnosis and start treating the human in front of us.” Anbar suggests that instead of focusing solely on labeling conditions, we should shift toward a better understanding of function, behavior, and the full biopsychosocial picture driving recovery, or the lack of it.Dr. Ali builds on this foundation with a deep dive into PTSD and substance use disorders (SUD) in the workers' compensation setting; two conditions that are often misunderstood, underdiagnosed, or treated in isolation. Dr. Anbar explains how this contributes to disability and unnecessary epidemics. Together, they explore how these conditions intersect, how delayed recovery takes hold, and why fragmented care models often miss what matters most.Dr. Anbar also introduces the concept of psychoneuroimmunology, highlighting the connection between the mind, nervous system, and immune response, and reinforcing the idea that recovery is complex, dynamic, and deeply human.This episode invites listeners to think differently about causation, complexity, and the human experience behind every claim, and challenges the industry to move beyond diagnosis-driven thinking toward a more integrated, evidence-based, and human-centered approach.Dr. Anbar references a recent article in PRIMA Public Risk Magazine titled, How Risk and Claims Leadership Are Reversing the PTSD and Disability Crisis Among First Responders.Yvonne mentions a recent Institutes of Health webinar titled When Substance Use is Industrial. ¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp 

The Data Behind Insurance's Retirement Wave with Matt Rigsby   Description: Matthew Rigsby is a Principal Researcher for Enterprise Research at The Institutes, where he supports education and professional development through market research and business intelligence projects. His recent work includes a white paper called "Talent Transformation: Key Metrics for the Insurance Workforce," which explores the impact of the demographic shifts facing the industry. In this episode of In the Know, Chris Hampshire and Matt discuss the findings from this paper about the aging workforce and the loss of institutional knowledge from retirement and technical positions. He also shares how companies see these challenges manifesting in today's work environment, and the steps they are taking now for a promising future in the insurance industry.   Key Takeaways ● Matt's career began with teaching in South Africa and South Korea. ● His work at The Institutes married Matt's business and teaching degrees. ● An overview of the "Talent Transformation" white paper. ● Strategies for approaching the loss of talent in the aging industry. ● Company demographics that Matt approached for the white paper. ● Out-of-the-box approaches to the Silver Tsunami. ● The role of AI in filling the talent void. ● Positive and negative impacts of the retirement wave. ● Changing the traditional model of ranking and seniority. ● Matt's 5-year look to the future of the industry. ● Surprising findings from Matt's experience with research in the industry. ● Matt's insights for anyone considering a career in the insurance industry. ● Upcoming generational research at The Institutes. ● Matt's advice to his early-career self.   In the Know podcast theme music written and performed by James Jones, CPCU, and Kole Shuda of the band If-Then.   To learn more about the CPCU Society, its membership, and educational offerings, tools, and programs, please visit CPCUSociety.org.   Follow the CPCU Society on social media: X (Twitter): @CPCUSociety Facebook: @CPCUSociety LinkedIn: @The Institutes CPCU Society Instagram: @the_cpcu_society   Quotes ● "I love education research, and The Institutes offers a great way to be doing that."   ● "The aging workforce is the number one thing that professionals are worried about across the industry."   ● "Many respondents could see the positive impact of the retirement wave."   ● "There is a lot of knowledge that needs to be passed on, and if it could be integrated into a career pathway, that would be great."  

We are breaking off from our journey through the 19th century to talk about an interesting book that was recently published by P&R – an illustrated version of John Calvin's Institutes, geared toward young readers. You may remember John Calvin from an earlier episode. Join Linus, Leia, and Sean as they chat with Martin and Joy Williams about turning Calvin's important work into a comic book kids can understand. Thanks to the generosity of our friends at P&R Publishing, we are pleased to offer two copies of Martin and Joy Williams' book, John Calvin's Illustrated Institutes: Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves. Enter here to win.   Show Notes Previous Kids Talk Church History podcast about John Calvin: https://kidstalkchurchhistory.podbean.com/e/john-calvin/

Around the world, young adults are finding community, discovering their divine identity and deepening their conversion to Jesus Christ by attending institute classes.   This year marks the 100th anniversary of Institutes of Religion, an education program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Institute began in one building in 1926 near the University of Idaho and is now a worldwide program with more than 2,700 locations in more than 170 countries.   Brother Chad H Webb, administrator for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion and the first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, said young adults can be "part of something historic" in this centennial year. He and Yaw Danso, an associate administrator for Seminaries and Institutes, join Church News reporter Mary Richards on this episode of the Church News podcast.  

This week on FnA Presents, we're catching up on everything we missed! Life and work got a little crazy last week, but that just means there's a lot to talk about.We kick things off with some Hollywood drama as Shia LaBeouf makes headlines again after his recent Mardi Gras arrest and controversial interview. From there we jump into trailer talk with the brand new Mortal Kombat 2 trailer, which finally looks like it's delivering the tournament fans have been waiting for, and the final season trailer for The Boys, where Homelander might actually be taking over the world.Next we head back to Westeros to talk about the emotional Season 1 finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, where Dunk and Egg begin their journey together on the road as hedge knight and squire.On the gaming side of things, Fred may finally be stepping away from the Wasteland after another long run through Fallout 4. Mods, Brotherhood loyalty, destroyed Institutes, and endless settlements… but burnout might finally be setting in. But something else has pulled him back in — ARC Raiders. After a rough experience with sweaty PvP players, some recent changes to the matchmaking system and new enemies have made the game feel fun again. Plus we take a look at Crimson Desert, the upcoming open-world RPG releasing March 19, 2026 that could end up being one of the biggest games of the year.Before wrapping up, we dive into some Marvel news, including updates on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the latest leaks and rumors surrounding Avengers: Doomsday.Who takes down Homelander?Is Mortal Kombat finally doing the tournament right?Is Fred really done with Fallout… or will the Wasteland pull him back in again?Join us for another episode of FnA Presents.If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to like, follow, and share the show. Let us know your thoughts in the comments — who do you think takes down Homelander, and are you excited for Mortal Kombat 2?#FnAPresents #MortalKombat2 #TheBoys #KnightOfTheSevenKingdoms #ARCraiders #Fallout4 #CrimsonDesert #Marvel #SpiderManBrandNewDay #AvengersDoomsday #GamingPodcast #GeekCulture

In this episode, Douglas Wilson considers artificial intelligence as a modern speaking idol and discusses how to make distinctions between the useful and the demonic. Then he examines the New Testament word metraloas, or murderers of mothers, to underscore the weight and breadth of the fifth commandment in the Christian life. Finally, he reviews Bruce Gordon’s biography of John Calvin’s Institutes, tracing how that monumental work rose, declined, and was recovered across the centuries of church history. For more from Doug, subscribe to Canon+: https://canonplus.com/

Brandon Bennett currently serves as a Professor of Religious Education at Brigham Young University–Idaho. He previously worked for more than a decade in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion in Utah and Texas, where he was blessed to teach the restored gospel to many remarkable youth and young adults. Throughout much of his adult life, he has held callings working with the rising generation, focusing on strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ and helping them build a firm spiritual foundation. His experiences as a religious educator and youth leader have reinforced the importance of teaching truth “in plainness” (2 Nephi 31:3). Teaching doctrine with clarity and simplicity has, therefore, become one of his great priorities and convictions. He believes that as we seek to clearly understand and faithfully apply the principles taught in the scriptures and the words of the prophets—free from false assumptions—we place ourselves in a position to more fully receive the Savior's power, peace, and direction in our lives. Brandon shares faith-filled thoughts on finding purpose in pain through Jesus Christ. This livestream explores why trials come—from our own choices, mortality, others' actions, or divine tutoring—and how the Savior's touch can give any experience meaning. Rather than saying “everything happens for a reason,” Brandon reframes the idea: through Jesus Christ, everything can have a reason and purpose. Drawing on scripture, doctrine, and the story of the man born blind, this discussion offers hope, perspective, and practical faith for anyone navigating hardship—and for leaders counseling others through it. Links Watch the video and share your thoughts in the Zion Lab community Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community Highlights 00:02:31 – The Challenge of Offering Comfort in Trials 00:03:29 – Introduction of Brandon Bennett 00:04:04 – Background on Brandon’s Presentation 00:05:57 – The Complexity of Trials and Comforting Statements 00:07:35 – The Impact of “Everything Happens for a Reason” 00:09:20 – Understanding Trials Through Personal Experience 00:10:07 – The Nature of Adversity 00:11:21 – Orson F. Whitney’s Quote on Pain and Growth 00:12:54 – The Role of the Savior in Our Trials 00:14:27 – The Importance of Perspective in Trials 00:15:58 – The Role of Empathy in Leadership 00:20:51 – The Danger of Speculative Doctrines 00:23:12 – The Power of Empathy in Healing 00:25:04 – The Role of the Savior in Our Trials 00:26:33 – How to Involve Jesus Christ in Our Lives 00:30:25 – The Doctrine of Christ and Accessing His Power 00:34:25 – The Paradox of Grace 00:40:05 – The Nature of the Savior’s Love and Acceptance 00:42:12 – Conclusion and Final Thoughts on Trials and Healing The award-winning Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints’ mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Find Leadership Tools, Courses, and Community for Latter-day Saint leaders in the Zion Lab community. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Benjamin Hardy, Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Kirby Heyborne, Taysom Hill, Coaches Jennifer Rockwood and Brandon Doman, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 800 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

In this episode I continue my sporadic series on various campus ministries. I am joined by Charles Askew and Caysie Ashton, campus ministers with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). Charles and Caysie bring their unique perspectives to help us better understand the ministry of RUF and whether it might be right for you. In this podcast we discuss: What “Reformed” means How Casey and Chuck got involved in RUF How RUF got started The core mission of RUF How to find a RUF chapter What to expect at a RUF chapter How chapters differ campus-to-campus What is required to be involved in RUF What makes RUF distinct from other campus ministries Why RUF doesn't have a curriculum that students go through How RUF helps students build deep relationships RUF's weekly activities for students  RUF's strengths and weaknesses Why students should look into joining a RUF chapter The importance of just showing up Why we shouldn't fear the “secular” university Resources mentioned during our conversation: RUF website & various RUF chapter's Instagram accounts C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (especially “The Golden Book of the Christian Life” section) Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will

MedPod Today: the podcast series where MedPage Today reporters share deeper insight into the week's biggest healthcare stories. This week, MedPage Today reporters discuss the revolving door leadership at NIH's Institutes and Centers, UnitedHealthcare's controversial new Medicare Advantage policy, and a bill that would erase two decades worth of certain types of state nursing board discipline. Episode produced and hosted by Rachael Robertson. Sound engineering by

We're back, and life got realIt has been the lightest recording stretch the show has had in almost ten years. Adam owns the delay and explains why. Since the last episode, baby Mary arrived very early at around 27 weeks and about two pounds. She was baptized immediately, and there is a question about whether she was also confirmed due to the use of holy oils and the circumstances.A few days after birth, Mary underwent an intense and invasive surgery that lasted more than six hours. The surgeon later said it was the hardest operation he had ever performed. The procedure connected her esophagus to her stomach, and the family is now living the day to day reality of the NICU: small adjustments, constant monitoring, and a careful balance with oxygen, blood pressure, heart rate, and long term risks.The charity that is hard to receiveA theme that keeps surfacing is gratitude, and how hard it can be to receive help when you want to be in control. Adam and David thank listeners for prayers, meals, transportation help, and the quiet generosity that shows up when you least expect it.They give a major shoutout to the Ronald McDonald House, which provided a place for the family to stay near the hospital, along with meals and support that would have been financially impossible otherwise. Adam also mentions friends and patrons who opened their homes and brought food. It is a reminder that “village” is not a cliché when your world turns upside down.Also, in the middle of all this, Adam's son Leo drops a classic kid moment at Mass: during a serious homily he leans over and asks when he will get to meet J.B. Mooney, the professional bull rider. Fatherhood keeps you humble.What they're drinkingDavid brings a bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society featuring Royal Brackla. The tasting notes are ridiculous in the best way, described like “dessert in the workshop,” with custard, toffee chunks, marshmallow, and an unexpected “carpenter's shop” vibe. It even has a hint of iodine that makes David think of Islay, without the heavy peat and smoke.A relic in the hotel roomA priest from the diocese drops off a first class relic of St. Gemma, telling Adam to keep it while the family walks through this trial. Adam and David talk about the reality of having the body of a saint in the room with you, and the comfort that brings, especially when the road ahead is long.Lent and temperance: not a “no,” but a “yes”The episode's main topic is temperance, framed as the Lenten virtue that touches everything. The simple kid definition they love is: temperance is having a healthy amount of everything. Not perfect, but memorable.They push back against the idea that temperance is just restriction. Temperance is not merely refusing the extra piece of cake. It is also the positive ordering of your life so you can say yes to the right things at the right time in the right way: exercise, prayer, rest, work, family presence, joy, celebration.The key theme: virtue is always a yes. The “no” exists to protect the “yes.”St. John Cassian and the “bread” of SodomOne of the most interesting turns comes from St. John Cassian's Institutes. Cassian argues that Sodom's first sin was not the obvious sin people associate with Sodom and Gomorrah. He points to Ezekiel and emphasizes surplus, abundance, and gluttony. Cassian's logic is that the disorder starts low and spreads upward: feed the appetite, then the passions grow louder, the will weakens, and eventually the mind rationalizes what it should never have chosen.They connect this to the common sense link between food appetites and sexual appetites. If you cannot curb the basic, you will struggle to curb the...

What if inflammation isn't something to "fight"… but a signal your nervous system can't turn off? In this powerful conversation, I'm joined by Kevin J. Tracey, MD — President and CEO of The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and a global leader in neuroimmunology and bioelectronic medicine. Dr. Tracey is best known for discovering the inflammatory reflex — the neural circuit through which the vagus nerve actively regulates the immune system. His work changed how we understand inflammation, chronic disease, recovery, and healing itself. And for high-performing, driven, midlife athletes and professionals… this science explains why so many people are stuck. In this episode, we connect Dr. Tracey's groundbreaking research directly into my FLOW Foundation™ framework:

On this episode we are joined by fromer Universal Orlando Show Director, Blake Braswell to talk to us about his trip to the Franklin Institute for Universal Theme Parks : The Exhibition.  Join us in The Producers Club Follow us: LINKTREE     

In this episode of Conversations with Interpreter, Thora and Avram speak with John Thompson about his paper from the 2025 Abraham and His Family Conference held at BYU in May 2025. Thompson, an Egyptologist who is a retired teacher for Seminaries and Institutes and a content creator for Scripture Central, discusses the idea that the life of Abraham as described in both Genesis and in the book of Abraham shows a progression in hiscovenant relationship with God. Thompson argues that this relates to Abraham's almost being sacrificed and then being commanded to sacrifice his own son. Although the scriptures talk about this in terms of the relationship between sons and fathers, the pattern presenting in scripture is part of the experience of everyone on the covenant path. The post Conversations with Interpreter: Episode 4 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

It's Tuesday, February 17th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson and Timothy Reed 90,000 Nigerians displaced due to Islamic violence More than 90,000 Catholic Nigerians have been displaced in the Southern Taraba State since September 2025, reports International Christian Concern. According to the Catholic Diocese of Wukari, over 100 people have been killed and thousands more wounded in that same time frame. U.S. funds United Nations, Dept of Ed, and Nat'l Institutes of Health The Trump administration is still funding the United Nations.  President Donald Trump approved another $3 billion dollars to the international organization in early February, according to Reuters.  The U.S. has averaged $2.5 billion dollars of funding each year for the United Nations, over the last twenty years.  America joined the United Nations back in 1945, and is its largest donor.  And, despite vowing to close down the U.S. Department of Education during his campaign, the president has signed a government funding bill that will jack up the Education Department budget 2025 levels by $217 million for a total of $79 billion. That's $12 billion more than the administration's original request. Plus, the National Institutes of Health gets another increase of $415 million over Fiscal Year 2025. In total, $48.7 billion of taxpayer money will keep this bureaucracy alive and flourishing. Republican states take action to cut property taxes Several Republican-majority states are working to reduce and eliminate property taxes for citizens. North Dakota, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Texas have made progress. Plus, Tennesseans will consider a ballot measure this November to eliminate the property tax. Several states are also working to trim or fully end state income taxes, with nine states having zero income tax in 2026.  One-third of young women call themselves homosexual or transgender The Gallup polling organization released new numbers on Americans identifying with a list of sexual perversions.   Now, 9% of U.S. adults call themselves sexually perverted, up from 7% in 2023, and 3.5% in 2012. The increase has occurred with the younger generation primarily. Now, almost a quarter of 20-somethings and roughly one-third of young women call themselves homosexual or transgender. Also, 10% of the 30 to 49-year-olds claim these perverse identities. Transgender murderers kill at 10 times rate of general population As The Worldview reported on February 12, the mass murderer held responsible for perpetrating Canada's worst school shooting in recent history was a man pretending to be a woman, reports LifeSiteNews.com. Jesse Van Rootselaar killed his mother and seven others, and wounded 27, before killing himself in the massacre in a remote town in British Columbia. Another man pretending to be a woman, Robert Westman, was the perpetrator at the Annunciation Catholic School shooting last August. At least five other mass-casualty shootings are attributed to men and women attempting to change their gender. That includes the Aberdeen, Maryland Rite Aid shooting, the STEM School killings in Denver, Colorado, the Club Q massacre in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the Covenant School massacre in Nashville, Tennessee. Also, the Iowa Perry High School perpetrator appeared to be pushing the transgender agenda. A recent study from National Review found that transgender suspects participate in mass shootings at a rate of 10 times that of the rest of the population. Alabama's Governor signs Child Predator Death Penalty Act Alabama Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed the Child Predator Death Penalty Act into law late last week, reports WVTM13.  This law assigns the death penalty to crimes of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and first-degree sexual assault of victims under age 12. Biblical law assigns a serious penalty to those who kidnap or seize people against their will. Exodus 21:16 says, “Now one who kidnaps someone, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall certainly be put to death.” Kansas governor vetoes law to keep boys out of girls spaces Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly  vetoed a bill passed by the Kansas legislature that would have kept biological males out of women's bathrooms.  The bill would have prosecuted any men, pretending to be women, who trespass in women's spaces, on repeated offenses. Hopefully, the state legislature will override the veto, given that the Republican Party holds a two-thirds majority in both houses.   So far, 20 states have passed laws that ban men from invading women's spaces. Proverbs 17:13 reminds us, “Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.” Puerto Rico affirms value of human life from conception Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón  signed a bill that affirms the humanity and dignity of an unborn child, from the moment of conception.   Governor González-Colón said the bill “classifies as first-degree murder the intentional and knowing killing of a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the unborn child at any stage of gestation within the mother's womb.” This was passed mainly for purposes of homicide and criminal law. While this personhood law does not automatically ban abortion outright in Puerto Rico, pro-lifers are hopeful it will pave the way for future legal protections of unborn babies. 47% of Americans think visitors from other planets have visited Earth  (theme from the movie E.T.) Interest in extraterrestrials and UFOs is at an all-time high in the United States. A “Yougov” survey found 47% of Americans believe extraterrestrials have visited the Earth. Former President Barack Obama says ET's probably exist. But he clarified on Instagram that, “I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us.” Pokemon card sells for $16 million And finally, a trading card has netted the highest private sale amount in history.  A Pokeman card took in over $16 million over the weekend. That beats the last world record sale of a 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card, which sold for $12.6 million in 2022. There were only 41 of this particular Pokemon card produced in 1998. That compares to 75 billion Pokemon cards printed in 2025. Pokeman is a game wherein the players play-act the harnessing of the power wielded by demons or monsters. Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, February 17th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ. Extra print stories United States military strikes ISIS in Syria The US military conducted strikes on more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria since the beginning of February.  According to US Central Command, or CENTCOM, the attacks "struck ISIS infrastructure and weapons storage targets with precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft." CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper said, “Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria. Operating in coordination with coalition and partner forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS makes America, the region and the world safer."  More than 50 ISIS terrorists have reportedly been killed in the past couple of months by the United States military. Tensions remain high between the US and the Middle East, with all eyes on potential military action in Iran.  US House passes SAVE Act The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act requiring those who vote in American elections to provide proof of citizenship. The bill passed 218-213, with every House Republican voting in favor of the measure. Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar also crossed the aisle to vote for the law. The law is touted by Republicans as a simple way to secure American elections and to eliminate cheating and foreign influence. Americans also overwhelmingly favor the requirement of a photo ID to cast a vote. However, the bill faces a hard road in the Senate, with Republicans holding only 53 seats, but needing 60 votes to pass the SAVE Act. Psalm 67:4 says, “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon Earth.”

Blair Glaser joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about her time on a Catskills ashram during her twenties in the 1990s, yearning and the thrilling and perilous idolization of other human beings, spiritual development, group think, revisiting our experiences with curiosity and excitement, navigating writing about others, pitching agents and digesting their feedback, writing in scene in a sustained way, growing thematically, digging deeper, allowing the unconscious to inform our writing process, being the stewards of our stories, and her new memoir This Incredible Longing:Finding My Self in a Near Cult Experience. Info/Registration for Ronit's 10-Week Memoir Class Memoir Writing: Finding Your Story https://www.pce.uw.edu/courses/memoir-writing-finding-your-story   Also in this episode: -composite characters -working with smaller presses -our foundational, formative experiences Books mentioned in this episode: -Permission by Elissa Altman -Seven Drafts by Allison K. Williams -Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg   Blair Glaser, MA, is a writer, speaker, leadership consultant and licensed psychotherapist who helps create collaborative cultures and increase bottom lines across sectors including finance, law, healthcare, entertainment, and nonprofits. She has run a variety of workshops at renowned retreat centers, including Women Writing to Change the World. After working for six years for V's (formerly Eve Ensler) nonprofit V-Day, a movement to stop violence against women and girls, she developed and facilitated The Vagina Monologues Workshop, a creative approach to sexual empowerment for women, and later worked with actor-activist Jane Fonda on an empowerment workshop for teenage girls.    Glaser earned her B.S. in theater at Northwestern University and received her master's in Drama Therapy from Vermont College and The Institutes for the Arts in Psychotherapy, where she eventually served as a senior faculty member.  She was a New York-licensed creative arts therapist from 1998 to 2022, when she left therapy to work full-time with leaders and organizations. Glaser was the first ever online actor-advice columnist when her weekly column “Ask Blair” appeared on Playbill On-Line.    More recently, her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Longreads, Quartz, The Muse, HuffPost, Shondaland and literary publications such as Dorothy Parker's Ashes, Brevity, and the Mantlepiece. Her new memoir is This Incredible Longing:Finding My Self in a Near Cult Experience.   Connect with Blair: Website: www.blairglaser.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairglaser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blair.glaser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blair_glaser/ Substack: https://thehistack.substack.com/ Books: www.blairglaser.com/books Events: www.blairglaser.com/events   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

Diane Hanlon serves as Head of Sales and Market Development at The Institutes. With more than 23 years of experience in Fortune 500 B2B sales, account management, and contract management, Diane brings deep expertise in business development and client relationship management. Before joining The Institutes, she held senior sales leadership roles at On Call International, a Tokio Marine HCC company, and Enterprise Holdings. In this episode of In the Know, Chris Hampshire and Diane discuss sales leadership and insurance industry careers, the latest initiatives at The Institutes, and the value of the CPCU designation journey in her career.   Key Takeaways ● Diane did not take the traditional risk management path. ● The most appealing aspects of the insurance industry. ● Benefits of consulting within the sales sector. ● Characteristics of successful salespeople. ● Protocols for retaining B-to-B sales arena opportunities. ● Questions to ask yourself before moving into the sales sector. ● Addressing industry talent gaps. ● Adapting to future technologies in the insurance industry. ● The evolution of training and development. ● The future of international insurance education and career path development. ● Diane's experience with international insurance interconnectivity. ● Advice to anyone who is considering a career in insurance. ● The 'addictive' journey of earning a CPCU designation. ● A five-year look at the future of the insurance industry. ● Diane's fulfilling advice to her early career self.   In the Know podcast theme music written and performed by James Jones, CPCU, and Kole Shuda of the band If-Then.   To learn more about the CPCU Society, its membership, and educational offerings, tools, and programs, please visit CPCUSociety.org.   Follow the CPCU Society on social media: X (Twitter): @CPCUSociety Facebook: @CPCUSociety LinkedIn: @The Institutes CPCU Society Instagram: @the_cpcu_society   Quotes ● "There are so many transferable skills that can be used in the insurance industry." ● "Building relationships is the key to the successes you're going to have." ● "The skills that someone needs today are going to look different in the coming years, and people need to be adaptable." ● "We work with all verticals to ensure they have what they need to be better at what they do."  

Fingers Malloy is officially the worst person in the world. At least according to Tony Katz — who is now sick, blaming Fingers for transmitting a cold through the internet, and attempting to smoke a cigar anyway like the grown man he is. This week on Eat Drink Smoke, Tony and Fingers power through head colds, sinus misery, and questionable medical science to bring you the Crowned Heads Belgian Blue (2025) — a hard box-pressed, crease-sharp, San Andrés-wrapped cigar that might actually be capable of giving you a paper cut. Is it peppery? Cocoa-forward? Woodsy? Impossible to say when your nose is completely useless… but that won’t stop the debate. Along the way: Cigars as a COLD prevention (according to the Fingers Malloy Institute of Institutes for Institutes) Why smoking with a cold is a terrible idea — and why they did it anyway Grocery stores were closing for Christmas, and the panic of running out of tarragon The case for growing your own herbs… or at least inventing Pocket Parsley HOA rules, neighbor signatures, dumpsters, and why HOAs attract a certain type Why parsley is pointless, basil rules, and Captain Crunch is the real garnish Rob Reiner, Spinal Tap, Hollywood logic, and why “the show must go on” The secrets to living past 90 (according to the internet), including butter, routine, walking, and sheer stubbornness Fingers Malloy Sr., 87 years old, eating like a legend and proving cholesterol fears are a myth Vacation cigars, $2 sticks, and why the ritual matters even when the flavors don’t It’s bourbon, cigars, food, culture, and two guys refusing to cancel a show just because their sinuses are trying to kill them. Light one up.Or don’t.They’ll do it for you. Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media! X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmokeFacebook: @eatdrinksmokeIG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast The Podcast is Free! Click Below! Apple PodcastsAmazon MusicStitcher SpotifySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.