Podcasts about Invocation

In this thought-provoking episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony and Jesse explore the complex relationship between Christian vocation and professional ambition. Moving beyond the obvious prohibition of inherently sinful professions, they examine whether certain legitimate careers might still be inappropriate for Christians if they compromise our responsibilities to family and church. The hosts challenge the common assumption that Christians should seek maximum worldly influence, suggesting instead that faithfulness in our threefold calling—to work, family, and church—should guide our vocational choices. Drawing on Reformed theology's rich understanding of vocation, they offer practical wisdom for believers navigating career decisions and workplace responsibilities while maintaining spiritual priorities in a culture that often glorifies professional success at any cost. Key Takeaways Vocation is threefold: A proper understanding of Christian vocation includes responsibilities to our work, our families, and our church—not just our careers. Lord's Day conflicts: Professions that regularly prevent church attendance and Lord's Day observance may be inappropriate for Christians, regardless of their potential for influence or impact. Family obligations: Scripture teaches that Christians who neglect family responsibilities are "worse than unbelievers" (1 Tim. 5:8), suggesting that careers demanding excessive time away from family may be problematic. Christian influence vs. gospel proclamation: We must distinguish between transforming culture through worldly influence versus the actual proclamation of the gospel, which can happen at any level of employment. Sacrifice is expected: Following Christ often requires sacrificing career advancement, prestige, or financial gain to fulfill our primary callings. Priority check: When considering job opportunities, Christians should evaluate church options in a new location with the same care they give to schools, housing, and other community factors. God calls us to faithfulness: Our primary calling is to faithfulness in our responsibilities, not necessarily to positions of maximum influence or cultural power. Balancing the Threefold Calling The hosts challenge the idea that Christians should prioritize career advancement and influence above all else. They argue that vocation in the Reformed tradition encompasses more than just our paid work—it includes our responsibilities to family and church as well. This means that even if a career opportunity seems beneficial for "kingdom influence," we must evaluate whether it allows us to fulfill our other God-given duties. Tony points out that while some professions clearly contradict Christian ethics, others may subtly undermine our ability to be faithful in all areas of life. A high-powered executive role might provide platforms for influence but could require such time commitments that family relationships suffer or regular Lord's Day worship becomes impossible. As Jesse observes, "vocation is fundamentally God's doing," not simply about finding personal fulfillment or maximizing impact. This framework helps believers evaluate career choices more holistically. The Question of Christian Influence A central question emerges throughout the episode: Should Christians pursue positions of maximum influence to advance kingdom values? While this idea sounds appealing, the hosts suggest it often masks a "theology of glory" rather than embracing the "theology of the cross." Jesse notes that "God doesn't call us to necessarily have outside impact. What he's calling us to is faithfulness." They distinguish between the transformative power of the gospel—which can be proclaimed regardless of position—and other ways of transforming culture through worldly influence. Tony explains that "whether you're the janitor of the hospital or whether you're the CEO of the hospital, the gospel is the same and your role in proclaiming the gospel is the same." This perspective challenges Christians to reconsider whether pursuing leadership positions always aligns with God's calling, especially when such roles might compromise other spiritual obligations. The hosts argue that faithfulness in ordinary circumstances, not exceptional influence, should be our primary aim. Quotes "Would it be great if the CEO of a major Fortune 500 company could be a Christian? Yeah. That would be kind of cool. But if the trade-off is that person has to sacrifice their genuine Christian convictions, that's not worth it." - Tony Arsenal "I do think we have to sit back and ask, is that the calling? So that we're pursuing what is our vocation, not just our potential... I think there is a real temptation to somehow say like, what we need to do is to infiltrate in all the places. And I think what we mean by that is that things here will be better." - Jesse Schwamb "I think the Bible is clearer about a person who is taken away from their home more than is reasonable and more than is healthy for their family, or a Christian who never is able to worship on the Lord's day... than it is on something like identity politics and some of the tangential ways that might cause a person to need to compromise a little bit at a high level." - Tony Arsenal Practical Applications The hosts suggest several practical considerations for Christians evaluating career opportunities: Will this job regularly prevent Lord's Day worship? Does it require sacrificing time with family beyond what's reasonable? Could you negotiate Sabbath observance with potential employers? When relocating, evaluate church options with the same care given to schools and housing Consider whether a lower-paying job that allows faithfulness in all areas might be better than a higher-paying one that doesn't Full Transcript [00:00:00] Introduction and Episode Overview [00:00:08] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 458 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:16] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast where even your work is unto the glory of God. Hey brother. Hey [00:00:24] Jesse Schwamb: brother. You know that's right. It [00:00:26] Tony Arsenal: is. That's why I said it. [00:00:28] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it was. That's a great way to open. We, I think from time to time come back to the topic of work and we've got a great, I think, conversation in the queue for this particular episode. [00:00:39] Jesse Schwamb: Now it's gonna sound maybe on the face. Right off the top here. Familiar. So of course, like we've talked before, how scripture makes it clear that Christians are to be salt and light in the world. And we've talked, I think, at length about, well, how exactly do we carry out that? And though we know that we're not saved by our good works. [00:00:57] Jesse Schwamb: Again, the Bible teaches very clearly that God expects good works from Christians, that that is in fact what he saves us to do. Again, we're not saved by those good works, but the question I think still remains, and we're gonna come to it in this conversation about what exactly does he want us to do and where does he want us to do it. [00:01:13] Jesse Schwamb: So in other words, we know that according to scripture, God providentially, governs and cares for his entire creation. So how does that play out in human society given the reality of sin? So we're gonna get to topics like. Well, should Christians be in every line of work? Is that the ideal? Are there jobs or positions or responsibilities that seemingly may not be obvious that Christians really shouldn't be a part of? [00:01:37] Jesse Schwamb: Because it takes them too far afield, maybe from the responsibilities that God gives us holistically to think of our calling is and our families and our churches in our work. So it's a bit more nuanced play of a conversation we had before, but hopefully something that's gonna have all kinds of practicality wrapped around it. [00:01:55] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. So that's what's coming. [00:01:56] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I'm stoked. I think this is gonna be a good conversation and I think I, I think this is one of those topics where like there's a lot of different angles to come at it from, right? We talk about vocation and work, and we've had those conversations before, and I think other shows and other venues have had that conversation before. [00:02:15] Tony Arsenal: I don't think that I've encountered a conversation really to this like angle of it. So I'm looking forward to this. [00:02:23] Jesse Schwamb: Me too. It's gonna be great. And of course, before we get to all that goodness, all that greatness, which I'm sure is about to transpire shortly and will be of course the definitive conversation, the one to end all to, I guess both to your point, bring it into the world. [00:02:36] Jesse Schwamb: Then to shut it down because we'll have accomplished both ends in just a single hour. [00:02:41] Affirmations and Denials [00:02:41] Jesse Schwamb: Before we get to that, let's do some affirming or denying. This is the part of our conversation where you and I always pick one thing either that we're affirming with and kind of the tradition of the reformed faith, where we take something that's undervalued or something that excites us, we think has great merit or worth, and we put out into the world and say, we're standing behind this thing, or conversely, we deny against it in that same kind of tradition by saying, this thing is overvalued, not worth it. [00:03:05] Jesse Schwamb: Not our jam. So in our tradition, I ask you are you affirming with something or are you not against something? [00:03:11] Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming with something specific that will lead to something general. So, okay. [00:03:16] Exploring AI in Learning [00:03:16] Tony Arsenal: I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I've been playing around with Google Gemini, which is Google's AI platform. [00:03:22] Tony Arsenal: And uh, I've been using it in a sort of interesting way. So Google has, uh, Gemini has these things called gems, which are basically like predefined personalities or predefined. I dunno, like instructions. So they have one gem that is a learning guide where basically you can give it a topic and it will, it will deliver mini lectures, give you quizzes, you can prompt it. [00:03:46] Tony Arsenal: So like I can paste in, um, you know, I can take in Lagos, I can paste a copy of the Bible, like a chapter of the Bible into the learning guide. It'll summarize it, it'll ask me questions. It'll basically gimme many lectures on it. Um, that's the specific thing. This is such a cool technology. And in my mind, this is really where AI is strong, is that you can take large sections of text and it will summarize it and synthesize it into a very usable format. [00:04:14] Tony Arsenal: Um, so what I've been doing, like I said, is I'll read, I'll read a, a chunk of text from whatever it is I'm reading, and then I'll copy and paste that entire chunk of text if it's an electronic text into the learning. Learning guide module and ask it to act as like a seminary lecturer and quiz me on the content. [00:04:33] Tony Arsenal: Um, which really helps to solidify the content I'm reading rather than just passing my eyes over it. I'm actually, um, processing it and retaining it more. I think you could probably do something similar with just about any AI platform if you had the right kind of prompt, which is where the general one comes in. [00:04:50] Tony Arsenal: And I would encourage you, listener to think a little bit about how you might utilize this, because I think we all read lots and lots of things. Our, our, um, particular audience tends to be a little bookish, and so I'm sure we're all reading things as we go, but I'm not sure we're always processing things in the most effective way. [00:05:07] Tony Arsenal: So think a little bit about like how you might use something like chat, GPT, which is available for free, or Claude, which is available for free to do this kind of like. Almost like simulated classroom lecture. Um, and I know there are some questions about ai. Like I, I heard an argument that ai, when you're generating content is, is a sort of form of sophisticated, uh, plagiarism, which I'm not sure I buy it, but I understand the argument. [00:05:33] Tony Arsenal: This is something very different where you're really just using the, using the AI to synthesize and summarize text and sort of spit it back to you in a new format. Um, you're not trying to generate anything new. You're not trying to create anything. That you're gonna publish or anything like that. It's really just a, a form of synthesis. [00:05:49] Tony Arsenal: So I've really found this to be super beneficial. Um, I'm having a really great time at it. I'm, I'm using it for language studies, so I'm reading through mount's basics, biblical Greek. And I'll copy and paste the whole chapter in, ask it to act as a lecturer, and it will walk me through the chapter. It'll stop to do quizzes. [00:06:08] Tony Arsenal: It'll drill me on vocab as I'm going. And then when, when I up, the instruction I get is, don't move forward until you are convinced that I've mastered the content. And so when I get something wrong, it goes back and makes me redo it. So it continues to iterate until it's, until the AI has. Synthesize that I have mastered the content, and then it asks me to provide the next chapter. [00:06:30] Tony Arsenal: So it's a cool technology. It's a, it's a sort of novel use for the technology. Um, again, Google has built in modules that do this, but I think you could probably use chat, GPT or Claude or Orrock or whatever AI model you're using to accomplish the same goal. [00:06:45] Jesse Schwamb: There's no doubt that AI is great for like building study notes, helping you create space, repetition, all those like little hacks that we have long talked about. [00:06:53] Jesse Schwamb: And this provides it to you in a really bespoke course customized way, but it gets you involved. I'm with you if you wanna do this the old fashioned way. I'll go back to something I I've affirmed with before and that's this very famous book originally authored in the 1940s called How to Read a Book by Mor Mortimer, j Adler, and that is an exercise. [00:07:13] Jesse Schwamb: Helping you do some of that stuff in real time as well. Yeah, so I think there'd be a lovely compliment to say you're reading actively and then you get to test immediately that active reading by way of using ai. So even before, like, maybe even just jumping to like, well, let me read it, but I'm, I'm gonna trust that AI's gonna really kind of supplement me or fill in the gaps and just gimme what I need to know. [00:07:33] Jesse Schwamb: Trying to do that in real time. Pausing in your reading. Again, kind of studying as you go along, thinking out loud through what you've just read and then saying, alright, now test me is a great way to, 'cause who wants to like read stuff unless you can remember this stuff and then unless you can apply it, right? [00:07:48] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. So it's such a joy to be able to read things and then to remember. And if you haven't had that experience yet, I like your affirmation. I think this is a great way to test it out. [00:07:56] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, just to maybe flesh this out. So I, I asked it to, and I'm, I'm doing this sort of as an experiment just to see how it works, but also just 'cause it's, it's useful. [00:08:06] Tony Arsenal: I asked it to act as a seminary lecturer and I copied and paste the entire first chapter of the Westminster Confession. And rather than split it up by section and actually combined paragraphs that were. Um, related to each other. So it combined the list of Bible, uh, books, and then the chapter on apocrypha and gave me some like lectures. [00:08:25] Tony Arsenal: But here's what it said about, um, about chapter 10. It says, paragraph 10, declares the supreme judge can be no other than the Holy Spirit speaking scripture. This is the ultimate outworking of sola Scripture, means that every other authority is lesser authority that must submit to the judgment of the word of God. [00:08:42] Tony Arsenal: This includes decrees of church counsels. Opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, private spirits. It goes on for a little while longer. Then it says, I will give you a brief final quiz covering the whole of chapter one, and it asks questions like A historian makes the following claim. The Bible only has authority. [00:08:59] Tony Arsenal: It does because influential councils in the early church, like the Council of Carthage officially voted on which books would be included in the cannon. The church therefore gave the Bible its authority drawing from your knowledge of paragraphs three, uh, three, four, and five. Provide a two-part critique of the historian statement. [00:09:16] Tony Arsenal: Which then I had to type it out. It critiqued, um, it analyzed my answer. Um, I happened to get that question right. I did at one point think maybe this is actually just like finding a way to say everything that I say is right. So I purposely put a wrong answer in and it did identify that the answer was wrong, and then it made me go back and revisit that content. [00:09:35] Tony Arsenal: So it's very, it's a very cool use case. I'm glad that Google kind of built this in. They have all sorts of other gems. If you have, if you have a way to get access to Google Gemini, um. It's not the best AI for everything, but it's got, it's pretty versatile. It's got a lot of utility, so check it out. [00:09:53] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that sounds great. [00:09:53] Jesse Schwamb: Again, there's all kinds of fun things I think we could be using AI for to help us be better learners or to really enjoy our interaction with data and information more. Yeah. It is a really great way to conversationally help you to learn something, and that's what makes it so much better. It stands way far apart from, again, just leading, just reading or just creating flashcards or even just, just creating study notes, but that back and forth to test you on something, even if it's just like casual knowledge that you can really want to internalize. [00:10:21] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I found that to be super valuable. Again, like, man, if you're a learner, if you're a reader, if you're a human being, what an amazing time to live in the world where data is so prevalent, but it's increasingly being brought into a place where we can put our arms around it in a way in which we're trying to really understand it. [00:10:38] Jesse Schwamb: You know, I think about how we used to search for something, I mean. Used to like this that like, that wasn't like last year. You know what I mean? Like we just go on to our, your favorite search engine. Type in a topic or maybe type in even a specific question. And at best you'd have to sort through this litany, this plethora, this morass of all these links about articles that may pertain to what you asked. [00:10:58] Jesse Schwamb: Or maybe they pertain to it generally, but not really specifically. Yeah. The specificity with which you can have a conversational interaction that engenders knowledge is wild. I mean, I really think that is like the huge play of ai. Just lean into it and enjoy it. [00:11:12] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight? [00:11:16] Nasal Spray Affirmation [00:11:16] Jesse Schwamb: I'm going a totally different direction. It's an affirmation, but I'm taking it from my ears, nose, nose, and throat doctor who affirmed this to me, so I might be totally late on this. There are very few things that I can say like somebody's recommended to me or affirm. It's been like absolute game changer, like just drop dead from the first moment I used it or employed the thing that it just changed everything. [00:11:38] Jesse Schwamb: This is one of those things. Which maybe I've just already oversold, but the affirmation is with something called it's, it's spelled X-L-E-A-R, I think it's still pronounced clear, but it's called literally phonetically XL nasal spray, and it's a. This doesn't sound very exciting, but bear with me everybody. [00:11:57] Jesse Schwamb: It's a natural, non-addictive saline nasal spray featuring Zi Atol as its primary active ingredient. So if you're not familiar with Zi Atol, which I wasn't until I went to my ENT by the way I've seen for many years and only just recommended this to me. So I had some words 'cause I was working, where's this been all my life. [00:12:14] Jesse Schwamb: But Zito is a naturally occurring alcohol sugar. It's found in like many fruits and vegetables, and it can be commercially produced from like birch wine or corn fiber. It looks and tastes similar to like table sugar, but it contains fewer calories, so it can be used and is often used as like a sweetener in sugar-free foods like chewing gum, mint candies, jam, stuff like that. [00:12:35] Jesse Schwamb: Here's one of the strange side effects. That they notice though about Zi atol, and that is it totally, uh, cleanses, moisturizes and soos nasal passages. And it gives you all kinds of relief from like common congestion stuff like colds, allergies, low humidity, humidity, science, pressure, stuff like that. What it does is it actually breaks down or lubricates your inner nasal passages, including like flushing out the mucus. like it works actually with your body. So what's amazing is it's, it's really great for, it's kinda like a soap for the nose. It clears up bacteria, pollens, dander, molds, like all kinds of irritants. [00:13:14] Jesse Schwamb: It also studies have shown blocks, adhesion of other pathogens like bacterial, fungal, viral to the mucosal tissues, helping the body to wash them away. So [00:13:23] Jesse Schwamb: this thing is absolutely. Wild. And I can say for certain that if you're the kind of person like me, where let's say like you're, you're hitting the Flonase hard at different seasons because you got those seasonal allergies because of the fall and because sin is real. I'm with you. That dries out your nose. [00:13:42] Jesse Schwamb: This thing is like a, a sauna or a spa for your nose, and then it literally like clears everything out. It's almost magical. I, I'm serious. It's so fantastic. So if you've been looking for something to really help with that and it, again, it's safe. There's no drug in it. It's not addictive, so you can use it all the time. [00:13:58] Jesse Schwamb: It's just saline and zi etol. It is phenomenal. So go get yourself, do yourself a favor. Do, do your, do your nose and your sinuses a solid and, and get the solids outta them by using. X clear. I feel like a bat just flew by your face or like a giant bird. [00:14:17] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So, uh, first of all, that sounds like a really great thing to check out. [00:14:22] Tony Arsenal: Is this clear stuff? Um, I have had struggles with like sinus infections over the last couple years, so I'm gonna check this out when it gets to allergy season in the fall year. [00:14:32] Hummingbird Moth Encounter [00:14:32] Tony Arsenal: But yes, uh, one of the rare, uh, moths that I've learned lives near my house is called a, uh, what's it called? Uh. It commonly, it's called like a hummingbird moth. [00:14:44] Tony Arsenal: Have you heard of these things? Yeah. Oh yeah. Um, I've never seen them before, but the reason they're called hummingbird moths is 'cause they look like hummingbirds, but they're actually moths and I right now. Hopefully this will change eventually, but. It will have to, 'cause it gets cold here. Um, I'm recording outside and a hummingbird moth literally just flew between my computer and my face. [00:15:05] Tony Arsenal: Um, I wasn't talking at the time so you wouldn't be able to see it on the screen, which is too bad. Uh, but yeah, Jesse saw me freak out a little bit, which is uh, which is fine. [00:15:16] Jesse Schwamb: It happened the [00:15:16] Tony Arsenal: first time I saw one. I was like, is that a huge bee? No, it's just a hummingbird broth. [00:15:21] Jesse Schwamb: Somebody, everybody should look them up though, because they're kind of wild looking. [00:15:25] Jesse Schwamb: Like if you've seen it in real life, they have that hummingbird pose where the body, body is kind of laid back and the wings are going crazy. Like they literally do hover like that. Yeah. And they're, they're almost that big. The one that tried to attack you there was pretty large. [00:15:38] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. They don't, um, they, they. [00:15:41] Tony Arsenal: Move a little different than hummingbirds, which is why the first time that I saw one, I thought it was a bee. Um, because when they, when they land on a flower, they crawl inside the flower the same way that a, like a bee or a bumblebee will, um, they don't hover outside the flower like a hummingbird, but they do. [00:15:57] Tony Arsenal: They, their body is, I mean, their body is probably an, an inch and a half long like a hummingbird. Um, and it's thick like a hummingbird. They don't look like moths at all. So I'm not sure they must be part of the Moth family, I guess. Um, I'm trying to remember. It's. They have like a specific name, I wanna say Scarab, but that's not right. [00:16:14] Tony Arsenal: But it's something like that is the, the technical name of it. They're like a scarab moth or something like that. But [00:16:20] Jesse Schwamb: yeah, I've just come up. It's a wild name. [00:16:22] Tony Arsenal: This is your top 50 Entomology, uh, podcast apparently. As well as the top 50 health cath. We're gonna, we're gonna uh, com combine the two tonight, so yeah, I'm gonna check that out in the, the spring or in the fall here, Jesse. [00:16:34] Tony Arsenal: My, my allergies always go a little bit crazy when we get to September. Yeah. With all the, like leaves falling down and crumbling up and stuff, it just gets in the air, so I'll just, I'll spray some artificial sugar. It's not artificial. I'll spray some pseudo sugar in my nose and see what happens. [00:16:48] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It does have the added benefit that because it is a naturally occurring. [00:16:53] Jesse Schwamb: Sugar, like it's a type of sugar alcohol that if it drips down the back of your throat, all you get is a little like, mm, sweet. [00:17:03] Tony Arsenal: I wanna know who the first guy who was like, let me put some of this fake sugar in my nose and see what happens was it's, [00:17:09] Jesse Schwamb: I'm telling you, it, it's better than any actual, like, prescribed nasal spray I've ever taken. [00:17:15] Jesse Schwamb: You can get it like just at your g it. Yeah. Or you can get it on Amazon. I, I will, I forgot about it for a while. I, maybe I use it daily now it's become my go-to. But I mean, I don't wanna make this weird or gross, but it's the kind of thing like if you wake up in the morning and you're stuffy and you, it feels like somebody parked like a bus way up in your sinus cavity. [00:17:32] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. And you're like, I can't even blow my nose. There's nothing there where, where's all this stuff? There's nothing there. If you use this, when I use this within two, two, I'd say like seven minutes, I can just. Drop a huge load of mucus right outta my face and you feel like a million bucks. I don't know how to describe it. [00:17:49] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it's like better than like a sinus rinse or a netty pot. I know this sounds wild, like I'm way too excited about this stuff, but that clear spray is wild. And what I especially love is that it's all natural, that I'm not doing any harm to my nose or my face by using it. And that it, I just feel better afterwards because it's like moisturized everything. [00:18:08] Jesse Schwamb: So, and there's, there's, the debate is I think ongoing. There's a lot apparently, because I went down the rabbit trail and looked at all these scholarly studies and peer-reviewed journal papers, all this stuff. There's a lot, I guess, uh, still somewhat in debate about like its ability to really help prevent certain things like COVID, any kind of like nasal airborne kind of like, yeah, because it helps to flush and it prevents literally bacteria from sticking, uh, inside your nasal passages. [00:18:34] Jesse Schwamb: So that could be a benefit. I can't say anything about that. I'm not a doctor. What, [00:18:40] Tony Arsenal: what I would love is, uh, if you are a listener who has seasonal allergies or whatever, uh, if you would join our telegram chat at t.me/reform brotherhood. Well done. We have what's normally a tastings channel, which is like people get like new foods they wanna check out, or a beer they like or whatever, and they'll, uh, they'll do a little tasting and a review. [00:19:04] Tony Arsenal: I would love if some people would join the channel and do some, some clear, clear. We'll go clear, uh, a tasting of this nasal spray. Yeah, please don't show us. 'cause that's disgusting. Right. But, uh, let us know. Let us know what you think of it. I think that'd be great. So that's t me slash Reform Brotherhood. [00:19:21] Jesse Schwamb: There you go. Come hang out with us. It's a lot of fun. I see we've had some people join that group this week, so I see you out there, brother Sean. Crushing it, getting in the mix. Welcome everybody. Come again. Spend a little time in there. And there's, I love that the channel for like the conversation about our episodes is. [00:19:37] Jesse Schwamb: Hot. It's going strong. I love that. And we gave the call last week. You should listen to last week's episode when we were really speaking about, uh, God's faithfulness and a challenge of how we seek after piety, under the care and the direction, the kind direction and the convicting influence of the Holy Spirit. [00:19:55] Jesse Schwamb: So many good things were said there. I really loved reading all those. And it probably goes without saying, but I'm gonna mention it anyway. You and I read everything that pops in there. Yeah. For the most part. I mean, sometimes I look at it and there's 150 messages, right? And um, it got wild. But I go back through and always, always read those. [00:20:10] Jesse Schwamb: But I especially love like the conversation when we invite people to say, like, now it's, we'd love to hear from you. And so I think that's gonna be a large part of what we talk about. On this episode as well. [00:20:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. So, Jesse, why don't you lead us in here. This was the topic you brought up. I think it's a great one. [00:20:25] Tony Arsenal: I'd love to to dive into it here. [00:20:27] Christian Vocation and Work [00:20:27] Jesse Schwamb: I think one of the things that Christians always have to come to terms with at some point, every generation has to, but every person as well is, so where is my role as Christ child in something we might generally call like Christian activism? By which I mean like, of course, like Christians. [00:20:44] Jesse Schwamb: Attempt to improve or influence society through time, especially in our work. And as I was thinking about this recently, I think one of the hard things we have to measure out is well. Are there different places where we would, there's certainly jobs where we say Christians shouldn't hold that position because it contravenes God's law directly. [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: But what about these kind of, as we've talked about before, this threefold responsibility that we have in our callings, which you can go back to our previous catalog, which is all in the reform brotherhood.com, by the way. Listen to where we talked about this idea of like the vocation that happens in our work, in our households, in our church, and is it possible that in the work sphere that there are jobs that like Christians just shouldn't hold because it takes them too far away from their responsibilities in the other two spheres, which there are equally parts of their vocation, or if we want to put like a really fine point in it, and I don't really mean to derail the conversation with this question, but this would be exemplifying kind of what we're after here, which was like, should Christians be involved and. [00:21:47] Jesse Schwamb: In politics, are there other jobs like that where we'd say, listen, we, we tr we trust God in his sovereign superintendent will that he's always doing his good work. And you and I have talked at length about what it means to be living in the, under the normal principle of God using ordinary, normal means to do great and extraordinary things. [00:22:06] Jesse Schwamb: So how does all of that fit with our work? Are there lines to be drawn or. Does it not really matter? [00:22:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I mean, I think for the sake of our conversation, we can just sort of take some professions off the table. Right? Of course, there are some professions of course, and calling them professions is probably even, probably even a misnomer. [00:22:27] Tony Arsenal: But there are some ways to earn money that are just intrinsically sinful that are outside of the scope of the conversation, right? You can't, uh, there's no argument for a Christian to become like. An assassin or like a drug dealer or a prostitute, like, there's no, there's no valid argument or discussion to be had around those. [00:22:45] Tony Arsenal: So we can just exclude those entirely. But I think for, for the sake of this conversation, we're talking about professions that do not involve, intrinsically involve sin, um, and, and may or may not have, um. Prudential reasons why they are not the best idea. Right. So I, I'm thinking like, the one that came to mind when you asked this was like, and it's funny because I, um, I mentioned the topic to my wife and, you know, she kind of joked, I was like, well, yeah, like Christians can't be. [00:23:15] Tony Arsenal: Can't like be porn stars, like that's not something you can do as a Christian. But then, then I, she said, well, what, what other professions would it be? I said, well, like, like a professional football player, right? And like the question is like, can a Christian be a professional football player? I think instinctively, right? [00:23:29] Tony Arsenal: We all say yes. But, but is that actually true? Right. And, and I would, I would make the argument that no, like a Christian can't be a professional football player or really, really any kind of professional sports, um, figure because it, it necessarily takes you away from the gathered fellowship of Christians on the Lord's day on far too often a basis. [00:23:47] Tony Arsenal: Right? I don't think you can make a good prudential argument to say like, well. It's fine for a Christian to be absent from the lord's uh, Lord's Day worship in his congregation of membership, you know, 60% of the time. Like, I just don't think you can make that argument. So I think in a lot of these cases, the immediate instinctive answer is yes. [00:24:07] Tony Arsenal: Uh. Christians can be part of any profession, and there's a certain, there's a certain way that that's true, but when we actually start to look at the way some professions actually play out, we have to analyze that a lot deeper. And this is actually not all that different than our conversation last week. [00:24:23] Tony Arsenal: Right. Involving like a. Pop culture and like media consumption is we have to look at what is actually, what the actual cost is. Uh, opportunity cost, I guess if we want to use like economic terms, what the actual opportunity cost is here of a particular profession in respect of. Our obligations and our commitments as a Christian and our obligation to the law of God, our obligation to our Christian brothers and sisters, all of that. [00:24:49] Tony Arsenal: So I think this is gonna be a great conversation. I'm excited to get into it. Um, but I do think it's one that we should think through a little bit more than just sort of like our gut reaction. Like we, of course, Christians can be involved in any profession. [00:25:00] Jesse Schwamb: Let me add to that. 'cause that's perfect. That's exactly, you're not on the same page as usual. [00:25:04] Jesse Schwamb: That's exactly where my mind was going. And what makes like this such a rich opportunity to really explore what the scripture has to say about this particular topic? I think you're right on that we need to weigh out, which we often just kind of glance over. What are the other responsibilities by taking on a particular line of work or job. [00:25:20] Jesse Schwamb: Does that necessarily mean that we must sacrifice and preclude these other areas? We should have direct or more intimate involvement because that is also part of vocation. Part of that, like we've talked about at length before, is responsibility in the Lord's day. So we might set that up as one particular test. [00:25:36] Jesse Schwamb: To that end, another one might be exactly what you were saying. So here's like the opposite of like the professional footballer or American football or whatever. Pick your, pick your sports. What about like high level? High responsibility, let's say leadership positions like in all kinds of areas of industry that would require the man or the woman to, let's say, like be on call continually, or maybe to sacrifice long hours at that job as part and parcel of what's required to do it effectively. [00:26:04] Jesse Schwamb: And that might mean that necessarily like not being very connected with family or having to be away from their family a lot of the time. I think what we often come to is this idea that, wouldn't it be great if Christians were just everywhere and were infiltrating all the things all the time at all the levels. [00:26:21] Jesse Schwamb: I think the question here that's under the surface is, is that what God assigns in a life of vocation? And maybe it's, it's of course more nuance than that and it could be for the person. Again, I wanna be clear that, like we said before, vocation is a very specific and narrow term in that we're talking about an actual calling being called out for a particular purpose. [00:26:42] Jesse Schwamb: And if we're using that in the right way, then it's possible that with the exception of some things like the Lord's Day, the other thing I just talked about, season of life. And your particular commitments or entanglements, they might be different from person to person. Therefore, allow for a direct call that God gives to a particular purpose at a particular time. [00:27:01] Jesse Schwamb: I think what I'm really kind of weighing out here is if we understand how the reformers viewed all of this. We have to come to this conclusion that God assigns us a life and then God calls us to that life. And that really is what vocation is all about. And notice in that there's nothing that's said about choosing a vocation or finding your true vocation or being fulfilled even in your vocation. [00:27:24] Jesse Schwamb: We may experience a struggle with all of that, but vocation is fundamentally God's doing. So what is. God doing in our society. And as you said, are there roles that he's, in a way not calling, let's say like the, the quintessential or the normative, I don't wanna say average 'cause that implies the weird thing, but Right. [00:27:44] Jesse Schwamb: Kind of Christian too. And I think. We've gotta, we've gotta wrestle with that because you're right. Like we too often just run to, we need Christians in all the places now let's get them everywhere. Doing all the things. Yeah. And that might be good from our perspective, because Christians should be the best workers as we said that we should. [00:28:01] Jesse Schwamb: The most kind. There is the salt in lights everywhere. However, it takes a Christian to do all those things. And can a Christian in certain roles have great fidelity to the threefold? [00:28:13] Exploring the Theology of Work and the Lord's Day [00:28:13] Jesse Schwamb: Calling and vocation of life while upholding certain jobs and responsibilities. [00:28:19] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think, um, I think that may be like a little bit of progam is, is warranted here too. [00:28:26] Tony Arsenal: Like there, you know, there's the, the, the conversation at the top of like, some, some professions are just out of bounds. Yeah. Um, but there's also, you know, a pretty robust theology. And I think a lot of this is gonna center around. Uh, maybe just for simplicity's sake and for the fact that we have 30 minutes left of a conversation that probably could be multiple hours, um, there's a pretty robust apparatus in reform theology that is designed to help Christians understand whether or not, um. [00:28:57] Tony Arsenal: A particular activity is acceptable on the Lord's day. And we've, we've had conversations in the past about like, if, if all of your theology of the Lord's Day is about what you can and can't do, then you're missing the point entirely. [00:29:11] Jesse Schwamb: That's right. [00:29:11] Tony Arsenal: But there is an element of what you can and can't do in terms of understanding the Lord's day. [00:29:16] Tony Arsenal: Right. We're, we're not supposed to engage in worldly recreation or employment on the Lord's day. So we have to talk about what that means. And so I think. [00:29:24] Works of Necessity and Charity on the Lord's Day [00:29:24] Tony Arsenal: I think to start with, like there's categories, like works of necessity, works of charity, um, that, or, or like works of ministry, which would, would sort of be a third category that's not necessarily, um, not necessarily enumerated in many of the sources, but it's assumed that like pastors who are working on the Lord's day are not, they're not violating the Sabbath by doing the work on the Sabbath. [00:29:47] Tony Arsenal: Um, I think we have to have those categories. 'cause I think that helps us inform too, like. If you are the CEO of a major retailer, does that mean you have to work on Sunday, right? Well, probably it does. Like, it probably means that on a regular basis you're gonna be checking emails on your phone, you're gonna be taking phone calls. [00:30:05] Tony Arsenal: You've got, you might have partners in markets overseas where it, it's Sunday morning for you, but it's Monday afternoon or you know, Monday morning for them or something like that. Um. I think that the industry you're in largely is going to drive whether that's an acceptable or, or an appropriate role for you. [00:30:24] Tony Arsenal: So I could see a situation where you could make the argument that being the CEO of a of a major medical center, right. Where the work that's being done at the medical center falls easily within that sort of definition of, uh, works of necessity. A nurse who is working in the emergency room or a police officer or a firefighter or somebody who is fixing the power, like in our society, right? [00:30:47] Tony Arsenal: Electricity is, is not an option for most people. It's not a, it's not a luxury for most people. So those, those professions. It's acceptable to work on the Lord's Day when it's a work of necessity, and so the higher level leadership positions that make those possible and constrain them also, I think. Would fall under that same work of necessity. [00:31:06] Tony Arsenal: If the CEO of my hospital, I don't know if she's a Christian or not. I, I'm, I'm not speculating on that, but if, if the CEO of my hospital was a Christian or is a Christian and she has to take an important phone call on Sunday morning and miss the Lord's day because if she doesn't take care of that, the hospital's not gonna function correctly and people may not have emergency services. [00:31:26] Tony Arsenal: I don't think that's a violation of the south principle. If the same scenario is happening and it's the CEO of Best Buy and they need to take a phone call, otherwise people won't be able to buy widgets on Sunday afternoon, that's a different calculation. So I think like right off the bat, we have to start having those conversations about what's the nature of the work, what's the, what's the tell loss of the work or the end aim of the work. [00:31:46] Tony Arsenal: That's really important as well. [00:31:48] Balancing Professional Responsibilities and Christian Obligations [00:31:48] Jesse Schwamb: So it sounds like though what we're saying, both of us in a way, is that if you run that test, so to speak, like you go through that algorithm and you come out with this idea that you know, it's, you're saying your industry is more like Best Buy and less like your local hospital, then there might be significant and maybe insurmountable roadblocks to taking that position Should be as a c. [00:32:08] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I mean, that's kinda what we're saying. [00:32:10] Tony Arsenal: Oh yeah, for sure. And you know, like this is a real world application I think for a lot of people. I remember when I was in college, um, I had the opportunity to take a promotion. I worked at Best Buy. I, I'm not using Best Buy as an example for any specific reason, but I worked at Best Buy. [00:32:23] Tony Arsenal: I worked in the Geek Squad area and I had the opportunity to take a promotion. Um, and the sort of the strings that came with the promotion is that I was expected to be available to work on Sundays. I didn't have a super robust doctrine of the Lord's Day at the time. Like I wasn't super theologically versed on Sabbath theology and stuff. [00:32:39] Tony Arsenal: Um, but it just didn't sit right with me. And so initially I didn't take the, I didn't take the, um, promotion because I didn't feel comfortable saying at the time, it was mostly about like, I'm not gonna miss the church service. I didn't feel comfortable saying I need to be available. And that might mean I Ms. [00:32:57] Tony Arsenal: Church to, to be able to take this shift. Um, eventually the management adapted and said, well, we'll just figure out something else. We really want you to take the position, but that's the kind of question we have to ask. And then that same question, as you move up in an organization, it expands and you're more likely to need to be drawn away from Lord State worship or just general. [00:33:19] Tony Arsenal: Obligations on the Lord's Day. [00:33:20] Personal Experiences and Real-World Applications [00:33:20] Tony Arsenal: And I don't wanna make this entirely about the Lord's Day 'cause there are other obligations that Christians have and it probably will be interesting to get to those. But I think, um, the, the other thing maybe that I wanna push back on a little bit too is I. I, I've never been a CEO. [00:33:34] Tony Arsenal: I probably never will be a CEO. You're far closer to a CEO than I ever will be. But I think a lot of times we assume those positions have no flexibility. Right. But in reality, some of those people are absolutely able to say, I'm gonna take, I'm gonna take Sunday, and just not. Yes, I'm not gonna do work on Sunday. [00:33:52] Tony Arsenal: I'm gonna delegate that. You know? And then this is a whole other question. I'm gonna delegate that to someone else. Well, there's a whole different question that comes with that, but saying like, I'm just not going to do work on Sunday is actually within the options for a lot of positions. So that's the other question is when we take a position, do we have the option to set aside the Lord's Day? [00:34:11] Tony Arsenal: Even if we might acknowledge that occasionally, that's not gonna work out. There are oftentimes in all of our lives that we're drawn away from being able to fulfill our ordinary obligation of the Lord's Day, and I don't think that that's intrinsically sinful. If on a rare occasion you're not able to attend the Lord's Day worship or something like that. [00:34:29] Tony Arsenal: So I think those are questions we have to ask. Then what? What kind of other Christian obligations do we have? And this is hypothetical, but you're welcome to answer if you've got one in mind. Like what other kinds of Christian obligations do we have that any particular vocation or particular job might make difficult or impossible to fulfill? [00:34:47] Tony Arsenal: I think those are questions we have to ask. [00:34:49] Jesse Schwamb: I'm with you. And that's actually more where my mind goes because again, we've talked before and for some Christians it's easier to identify the stuff that certainly explicitly contravenes the Lord's Day. And I think it's more difficult to say like we, again, I think we talked before about that threefold responsibility and the vocation that is to like work that is like our industry, so to speak, and then to our household, then to our church. [00:35:10] Jesse Schwamb: So the church often does. Again, in a very finely pointed way, connect very tightly with the Lord. Say what about that household stuff? Yeah. So what about these jobs that would just make you too busy? And I think like what's interesting to your point is I agree. Like I think part of this conversation is just a thoughtful assessment of what the job entails, and then even as like maybe you're taking a job or considering a job. [00:35:33] Jesse Schwamb: Having a conversation with your potential employer about what opportunity is there for flexibility given like certain convictions that you have? All of that could fall into place neatly and I think would still be within the bounds of yes, but I think part of this is if it's truly a calling that we, we have to be praying through it and assessing whether God is calling us through that. [00:35:50] Jesse Schwamb: Part of that is passing it through the sin of what the scriptures require in each of those threefold vocational responsibilities. So sometimes I hear there is like a pushback or counter, this argument says, but wouldn't it be better? [00:36:01] The Role of Christians in Leadership Positions [00:36:01] Jesse Schwamb: Wouldn't it be fantastic if you get a Christian as an opportunity to be a CEO? [00:36:05] Jesse Schwamb: Isn't it better for them to be a CEO and to be in that role, even if they're crazy busy, even if they're sacrificing so much for their family, for their household or for the church because they simply, they're gonna be a Christian and think of the role model and the emphasis and the impact they can have. [00:36:19] Jesse Schwamb: And to that, I would say we gotta be really careful with that loved ones because God, I don't think God's calling us to necessarily have outside impact. What he's calling us to is, is faithfulness. Invocation, invocation pulls us back into those three responsibilities, and we know the way in which God prefers to work His jam is these ordinary means, these natural ways of in the normative work of our lives and faithfulness showing that his power is demonstrated in this weakness. [00:36:44] Jesse Schwamb: Somehow we're back to the theology of. Glory and theology of cross. But you know, it's interesting to me that there are no calls like in the entire scriptures, of course, to withdraw into like a private ghetto or to take back the realms of cultural and political activity. And so I think we have to be really careful about even how we kind of pull that into then how. [00:37:03] Jesse Schwamb: Our jobs that like, shouldn't it be my goal as a Christian to get as most influence as possible? And I think I wanna push back on that and say like, you know, the, the church, the Christian exists within the world as a community of word and sacrament. But it doesn't always have to seek influence in larger society. [00:37:19] Jesse Schwamb: It can. It can. And when God provides the opportunity by way of clear calling, I think internal and external that is appropriate. However, often that calling is gonna come at a much more normative level, I think. And, and I do not believe that we are somehow compromising or sub-optimizing the work that God does in the world merely because we might have a Christian that says, I don't know if it's right for me to be in this leadership role, and therefore a unbeliever is going to vault above that person's speaker or take that role on that somehow. [00:37:51] Jesse Schwamb: Again, God's superintendent will, or his strong arm is, is somehow pulled aback from what he wants to do that we need like more Christian plumbing in the world. I do kind of bristle that idea a little bit. Specifically because I wonder if sometimes we go outside of that calling. [00:38:08] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I, I'm picking up what you're putting down and I think, I think there's, um, it, it does all come back to theology, the cross theology of glory. [00:38:17] Tony Arsenal: And I'm glad that, that, that conversation happened before this. 'cause I think there's good framework there. I, I think, um, we, we as Christians can often confuse. The transformative power of the gospel with other ways of transforming culture. Yeah, that's good. Right. So, um, it is totally, um, I wanna be careful how I phrase this. [00:38:42] Tony Arsenal: I'm not post mill, I'm probably never gonna be post mill, but I'm okay with a kind of post mill theology that says that the gospel of Jesus Christ, as people become Christians, the culture will. Change along with that. And the gospel has a transformative power in that it changes individuals and individuals make up, make up the broader society. [00:39:05] Tony Arsenal: And so the society itself changes. Where I struggle with some flavors of postal theology, and this is where I think the theology of glory comes in, is there are some kinds of postal theology I'm thinking, I'm thinking, um, like Doug Wilson, they just, uh, opened A-C-R-A-C church in Washington, DC specifically with the goal of gaining influence with politicians. [00:39:26] Tony Arsenal: Right. I might be misconstruing that a little bit 'cause I haven't read all of it, but that's, that's the impression that I'm getting from some of their promotional material. I, I think we can, we can look at it and say the gospel can change culture as the gospel. And so where that. [00:39:43] Sacrifices and Priorities in Christian Vocation [00:39:43] Tony Arsenal: Levels of playing field is that whether you are, and this is where I think a genuine Protestant reform theology of vocation comes in, whether you're the janitor of the hospital or whether you're the CEO of the hospital, the gospel is the same and your role in proclaiming the gospel is the same. [00:39:58] Tony Arsenal: And you might have more people's ear as the CEO than you do as the janitor. Although I would maybe question that knowing how many people janitors interact with at the hospital, um, you may have more people's ears in a higher level position, but the message that you're proclaiming, the influence that you're wielding or you're using, I don't know what you wanna say. [00:40:18] Tony Arsenal: It's not different because it's still just the gospel. [00:40:21] Jesse Schwamb: That's good. [00:40:21] Tony Arsenal: Um. Where I think we can get confused is when we look at it and say, but we have these other opportunities to transfer, transform the culture by, um, for example, I, I'm the supervisor in my patient relations department. I'm making changes to the, to the policy and the way that we as a sort of service recovery resolution group, the way that we interact with patients, I'm making changes to that. [00:40:46] Tony Arsenal: I think those changes are consistent with the law of God as revealed in the light of nature, and I'm. I'm informed of those things and my whole outlook and ethos is shaped by the scriptures, but. I don't see the transformation of the way we interact with patients as somehow propagating the gospel, right? [00:41:05] Tony Arsenal: So we can, we can make transformation and make society better, right? If you're a politician, you can, you can legislate things that make society more outwardly in conformity with the law of God or more pleasant and more prosperous, and more flourishing, and those are all fine and well, but that's not. [00:41:21] Tony Arsenal: Building the kingdom of God in, in a strict sense. Right? And so I think what we're getting at is our, would it be great if, if, you know, the CEO of a major Fortune 500 company could be a Christian? Yeah. That would be kind of cool. Sure of That'd be nice, of course. And yeah, they could probably do a lot of good things and they could probably shape the way that that business runs and they could probably, um, have more opportunities to share the gospel. [00:41:42] Tony Arsenal: They could probably shape their business into a vehicle that, that moves forward. Missions, all those things are great, but. If the trade off is that that person has to sacrifice their genuine Christian convictions, right? That's not worth it. And I think we, we look at this and we might be able to identify certain. [00:42:00] Tony Arsenal: Obvious ways that we would say, no, it's not worth it. Right? If a CEO, uh, the CEO of a major retailer has to give way to all of the, um, transgender LGBT sexual, you know, identity politics has to give way to that in order to survive as CEO, I think we would all look at that and go, yeah, it's probably a hard sacrifice, but that's a sacrifice we would expect a genuine Christian to make at that level. [00:42:25] Tony Arsenal: Where we might not look at it is saying, well, I don't know. The Bible says that if you don't properly care for your family, then you're worse than an unbeliever. That's right. And so that CEO that is at the office for 70 hours a week and is never home, um, and their kids don't, you know, their kids don't have an opportunity to know their father or their mother because their. [00:42:44] Tony Arsenal: Constantly jet setting around the world. I don't know that we would as readily identify that as a sacrifice. I would actually argue that, that the Bible is probably clearer about that being a problem than it is about identity politics or other sort of, of social issues that, that, uh, a business person might have to. [00:43:04] Tony Arsenal: Hold their nose a little bit and, and, you know, sign off on a commercial or something that they don't necessarily want to, I'm not advocating that they should do that, but I think the Bible is clearer about a person who is taken away from their home more than is reasonable and more than is healthy for their family. [00:43:20] Tony Arsenal: Or a Christian who never is able to worship on the Lord's day, um, or, or something like that. I think the Bible is clearer about that than it is on. Something like identity politics and some of the tangential ways that, that might, might cause a person to need to compromise a little bit at a high level. [00:43:35] Tony Arsenal: So I, I think this is a, it's an interesting question that we probably don't think about it from the right angle most of the time. [00:43:41] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it's just too easy to consider this in light of if we can get more responsibility, that should always be a good thing. And I think that proclivity is, is fine and maybe even noble, but sometimes I think we do get it twisted where we get this sense that we are trying to make the world into something moral like the church. [00:43:57] Jesse Schwamb: And if we could do that in our jobs and get the most influence in that greatest sphere of impact. We should always take on those additional responsibilities. And I do think we have to sit back and ask and say, is that the calling? So that we're pursuing what is our vocation, not just our potential. [00:44:13] Jesse Schwamb: There's a lot of brilliant, God has made all kinds of brilliant people. Many of them are his children, and as a result of that, we might say like we should always again be trying to move up. And this is not to say that we shouldn't take great initiative, that we shouldn't want to try to do more and be more productive. [00:44:27] Jesse Schwamb: You and I have always been outspoken about that kind of thing, but I think there is a real temptation. To somehow say like, what we need to do is like to infiltrate in all the places. And I think what we mean by that is that things will, like, whether we wanna admit it or not, that things here will be better. [00:44:41] Jesse Schwamb: And I, I don't know all the time that what we're saying is what you just said, which was that what we're really concerned with is that the gospel get proclaimed more forthrightly. More loudly, more specifically, more cogently in all places. But that if we just had good examples of moral behavior and good character, yes, those things are profitable in and of their own ways, but there's also a lot of common grace we see God bring about good leaders who are not a Christian at high level to do that kind of thing. [00:45:05] Jesse Schwamb: And sometimes I do wonder, just depending on the job, quite honestly, whether it's really possible for Christian to be successful in that job. [00:45:14] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:45:14] Jesse Schwamb: As like the world or the industry or the company has defined it. I'm not sure that's the case, so I don't wanna put like too high a line on this. I think we're trying to just drop a bomb in some ways and say, I'm not gonna make it overly prescriptive and say like, as a Christian, you can't be a CEO. [00:45:29] Jesse Schwamb: Move on. That's not true at all. Of course, again, here are hopefully what we said about the particulars of that wrestling through it and again. Really sensing where there's an actual call on your life that God has given for that role in a particular time. But I do think we ought to question where there's always and everywhere appropriate for any Christian to take on, quite frankly, any job. [00:45:51] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. And so I'm with you. Sometimes it's super easy when I first start out in banking, when I was looking for my second banking job. I had a great interview. It was a very nice company. The bank actually doesn't exist anymore, but, uh, one of the things, one of their big, like, kind of gimmicks was they were open seven days a week. [00:46:09] Jesse Schwamb: And so I said to them, well. I attend church on Sundays. That's my day of rest and my high conviction on that. And I said, is there any flexibility with that? And they said, Nope. You would still have to be on the schedule. And though they very graciously offered me the job, I was thankfully in a place where I, I turned that down. [00:46:26] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Actually I didn't have a job at the time, but I turned it down trusting. That God would provide. And this wasn't my great act of faith on my part. It was more of just, I think what you were saying, Tony, growing in our conviction that those things really do matter. Yes. And that it's sometimes just too easy to kind of push them aside and say, I, I know it's gonna be really stressful. [00:46:43] Jesse Schwamb: I know it might take much more of my time than I want to give. I know I might be at home a lot less. I know I might have less like attentional fortitude and space to think about my spouse or my children, but it's gonna be worth it because. I'll be able to like have this big influence. I do think sometimes madness lies that way. [00:47:02] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Certainly a great deal of foolishness. This is just hopefully a call for all of us as God's children to, to think through that. I don't wanna discourage anybody from taking on bigger and bolder things for the kingdom of God. I think we all have to think about what it is that we're. Promulgating or proclaiming when we talk about the Kingdom of God coming and whether or not we're just trying to make the world a better place, so to speak. [00:47:26] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. By bringing our like quote unquote Christian influence into a setting where really that influence is now particularly strong and what it's actually compromising is the vocation that we're meant to undertake. [00:47:37] Concluding Thoughts and Future Discussions [00:47:37] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Are you ready to, for me to drop two bombs? Just, just straight up. You got, [00:47:41] Jesse Schwamb: you got two of them. [00:47:42] Jesse Schwamb: Let's do it. I, I've [00:47:43] Tony Arsenal: got 13 minutes or less left on this episode. There go. So I actually got into a pretty big, uh, like a pretty big dust up with someone way back in the day when I was in the reform hub over actually this topic. And I'm surprised I didn't think of it earlier in the evening. Um, we are using like CEOs as like kind of the proxy for this, but there's all sorts of jobs where, um, your, your job may be admirable and it may be. [00:48:06] Tony Arsenal: Right. Even something that's sort of quote unquote necessary for society. But I got into a big dust up with someone who was an overroad trucker, right? And they were constantly, um, posting in the pub at, at back in the day. They were constantly posting how discouraged they were and, and how difficult their faith was and how much of a challenge it was to just remain faithful as a Christian. [00:48:27] Tony Arsenal: And I. Originally, I kind of naively and, and I think innocently said like, well, you know, like, have you talked to your pastor about this? And the person said like, well, I don't have a regular church because I'm always on the road. And I said like, well, there's your problem. Like there's the first step is like, figure out your local church thing. [00:48:43] Tony Arsenal: He said, well, I can't do that

Order of Service: - Prelude - Welcome and Invocation - Hymn 443 - O That I Had a Thousand Voices - Psalm 90:1-6 & 12-14: Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. You carry them away like a flood; they are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: In the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers. ... So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! - Devotion - Prayer - Hymn 444 - Take My Life and Let It Be - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist)

Experience this Reiki Invocation,  a profound guided experience that fills your body, mind, and spirit with the healing light of Reiki. This session helps you release old energies, awaken your heart light, connect with enlightened beings, and remember the truth of who you are. Through the flow of Reiki energy, you'll: * Receive divine love, higher consciousness, and deep earth connection * Release the cords and layers that hide your authentic self * Expand your awareness into extraordinary reality * Align with the heartbeat of the earth, the heavens, and your own soul * Take your place in the sacred circle of life This invocation is ideal for Reiki practitioners, energy healers, and anyone seeking a deep spiritual reset. Whether you are starting your day, ending your evening, or preparing for a Reiki session, this guided invocation brings peace, clarity, and empowerment. Use this Reiki invocation to: * Prepare for self-Reiki or client sessions * Deepen your spiritual practice * Open to higher guidance and spiritual connection * Ground and center during times of change Listen in a quiet space, follow the guidance, and allow Reiki's light to reveal your inner wholeness. ✨Connect with Colleen and Robyn 
Classes: https://reikilifestyle.com/classes-page/
FREE Distance Reiki Share: https://reikilifestyle.com/community/ 
Podcast: https://reikilifestyle.com/podcast/  (available on all major platforms too)
Website: https://reikilifestyle.com/ Colleen Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReikiLifestyle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reikilifestyleofficialempo Robyn Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynbenellireiki
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynbenellireiki **DISCLAIMER** This episode is not a substitute for seeking professional medical care but is offered for relaxation and stress reduction which support the body's natural healing capabilities. Reiki is a complement to and never a replacement for professional medical care. Colleen and Robyn are not licensed professional health care providers and urge you to always seek out the appropriate physical and mental help professional health care providers may offer. Results vary by individual.  

The Prince with the Silver Hand Chapter Two: The Invocation of a Dead Demigod

Affirm your divinity and relinguish fear in the ‘Invocation Divine Dialogue' episode. As a part of the ‘Book III: Embodiment Collection' - A Life Without Separation Synced to 285HZ, influences energy fields, heals tissues and organs.

Keith prays the Invocation and Karen reads Scripture

Janis prays the Invocation and reads Scripture

Dina prays the Invocation and reads Scripture

 | Artist  | Title  | Album Name  | Album Copyright  | Lovin' Sam Theard  | State Street Blues  | The Copulatin' Blues  |   | Candye Kane  | Marijuana Boogie  | Comin' Out Swinging  |   | The Robert J. Hunter Band  | They Think That I'm Fine  | Say What (live)  |   | John Lennon  | Medley- Rip It Up-Ready Teddy (2010 Remaster0  | Rock 'N' Roll  |   | Alan Freed  | The Grey Bear  | The Great Pretender  |   | Sleepwalkers  | Sleepwalk  | The Best Of British Rock 'n' Roll (Disc 3)  | Savoy Brown (Kim Simmons)  | Shockwaves  | Voodoo Moon  |   | Troy Redfern  | The Fever  | Invocation  |   | Emma Wilson  | Nobody's Fault But Mine  | Feelgood  |   |   | Rev Gary Davis  | I Will Do My Last Singing In This Land Somewhere  | Live at Newport: July 1965  | Blind Willie Johnson  | Trouble Soon Be Over  |   | Washington Phillips  | Washington Phillips Mix  |   | Joe Louis Walker  | The Weight of the World  | Weight of the World  |   | Ross Osteen Band  | A No.1  | WILLIWAW  |   | Parlour Greens  | West Memphis (extended version)

Welcome to our monthly Reiki Community Q&A.  Here are a few of the questions and topics from June's Q&A podcast. Creating Sacred Space, Using Music During Reiki Phone Sessions: Tips for Sharing and Streaming, Understanding Music Copyright: What You Can (and Can't) Use, How Do I Know If Reiki Is Working? Signs, Sensations, and Trust, In-Person vs. Distance Reiki: What's the Difference in Experience and Energy?, Protecting Your Energy: How to Stay Clear and Centered During Sessions, Closing a Reiki Session: Techniques Like Dry Bathing (Kenyoku Ho), Cord-Cutting & Energy Release: Working with Spirit Guides for Support, Should I Practice Reiki on Myself or Others? Finding the Right Balance, The Fifth Element: Exploring Spirit, Shamanism, and the Electromagnetic Field, Do I Need Permission to Send Reiki? Ethical and Energetic Considerations, Sample Reiki Prayers: Invocations, Intentions, and Guided Words https://reikilifestyle.com/prayers-invocations/ Classes: https://reikilifestyle.com/classes-page/
FREE Distance Reiki Share: https://reikilifestyle.com/community/ 
Podcast: https://reikilifestyle.com/podcast/  (available on all major platforms too)
Website: https://reikilifestyle.com/ Colleen Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReikiLifestyle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reikilifestyleofficialempo Robyn Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynbenellireiki
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynbenellireiki **DISCLAIMER** This episode is not a substitute for seeking professional medical care but is offered for relaxation and stress reduction which support the body's natural healing capabilities. Reiki is a complement to and never a replacement for professional medical care. Colleen and Robyn are not licensed professional health care providers and urge you to always seek out the appropriate physical and mental help professional health care providers may offer. Results vary by individual.

The Presence of the Christ is here for us. How do we make contact with this important part of our own consciousness? This Lesson #157 is a kind of Invocation to the Christ to enter into our consciousness and Join us there. He has already been present; but we have been absent. His words of A Course in Miracles are for us to use, but we must make the committment to use them. Today we enter into His Presence and receive the Gifts of God. He wants us to have peace and eternal Life. Pure Joy is His will for us in all of our thoughts, words, deeds and actions.

Janis prays the Invocation and reads Scripture

The third quarter moon invites us into the Via Positiva, calling us to remember who we are in the eyes of the Divine. In this episode, we explore the lost teaching of our royal priesthood—a core insight of the early Church and a vital theme in Creation Spirituality. Together, we reflect on how reclaiming our inherent dignity challenges the false hierarchies of empire and empowers us to live in right relationship. This isn't about ego—it's about identity. You are already crowned. Will you wear it?Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.Thank you for Tips / Donations: * https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett * https://patreon.com/cedorsett * https://cash.app/$CreationsPaths* Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/New to The Seraphic Grove learn more For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com Social Connections: * BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com * Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths * Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/#Christopagan #CreationSpirituality #ChristianWitch #Paganism #Esoteric #Magic #Druidry #Mysticism #Spirituality #Occult #WitchCraft #Wicca #IrishPaganism #CelticPaganism #Magick #Polytheism #Enchantment Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Early Christian Egalitarianism00:57 Understanding Our Royal Priesthood01:31 Meet the Hosts: Charlie and Brian01:41 Exploring the Via Positiva and Royal Personhood02:17 Invocation for the Third Quarter Moon04:02 The Concept of Dignity and Self-Worth05:38 Challenges of Leadership and Self-Responsibility08:07 The Importance of Inherent Dignity15:40 Practical Steps to Reconnect with Dignity21:56 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Welcome back to Paradigms Duende Libre; Alex Chadsey, Jeff Busch, and Farko Dosumov. Their new record Invocation is a combination of homage to some specific inspirational artists, and to Creativity in general. These artists have been playing together for many … More ... The post Duende Libre – “Invocation” appeared first on Paradigms Podcast.

Book III: Embodiment The InvocationAs a part of the ‘Book III: Embodiment Collection' - A Life Without Separation Synced to 528HZ, DNA repair, reduce stress, increase confidence, and balance.

Novelist and writer Jarett Kobek talks about his book on Kenneth Anger's seminal art film Invocation of My Demon Brother. The film can be seen here. The book can be ordered here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yo, this ain't no myth, no fable, This wisdom ancient, etched in time, eternally stable. Oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ, hear the cosmic decree, The Source is whole, complete, and so are you and me. From this fullness, pure and grand, every other form takes flight, Like ripples from a stone, variety from a single […] The post Song: Invocation Sri Isopanishad appeared first on Radha Krishna Temple in Utah.

A New Geometry is UnfoldingIn this short invocation, Arabella Thais reopens The Cosmic Codex, introducing a new structure and renewed philosophical intent. No longer a loosely episodic offering, the Codex now unfolds in carefully curated arcs—each one a thematic deep dive, designed as an initiation into a different facet of time, consciousness, and the symbolic order of the cosmos.This relaunch marks a return, but also a refinement. It reflects the evolution of the project itself: from a space of intermittent inquiry to a living archive of metaphysical thought, contemplative cosmology, and aesthetic theory. With this new structure comes a new rhythm—beginning with the KAIROS arc, which initiates the Codex's next phase.All previous episodes recorded under the name Sacred Wisdom remain available and are now housed in The Archive—preserved as early transmissions, fragments of the journey that preceded this unfolding.More than a podcast, The Cosmic Codex is a place of remembering—an auditory text for those attuned to the deeper harmonics of becoming.www.arabellathais.com

Episode 063: In this episode, you are invited to listen to a guided invocation to help you become the woman God created you today--now. It isn't about striving harder, fixing yourself, or performing. It's about surrendering and receiving God's presence, His promises, and His peace. If you've been feeling stuck, disconnected, or like you're constantly waiting to arrive somewhere, this is your invitation to return to your body, root into truth, and remember that the transformation isn't coming later—it's happening now. Sit back, relax, and allow the words to wash over you. Want a FREE downloadable version of the Becoming invocation? Download >>> HERE.

By Jeanne Murray Walker

Creativity in the church...creativity from Christians...shouldn't it be excellent? After all, we worship the God of all CREATION...WE'RE CREATED IN HIS IMAGE. Pastor Sean speaks to the intersection of faith and creativity, cautioning against turning church services into mere spectacles and emphasizing authentic worship. You should use your unique gifts to uplift the community,..and be authentic.00:00 Introduction: Made for Something More00:19 Invitation to River City Community Church01:07 Reaching for Real Life Podcast Begins01:33 Women's Retreat and Mission Trips02:21 Graduation and School Events03:14 Invocation and Secularism08:05 Creativity in the Church12:31 The Power of Music and Worship14:19 Defending the Past vs. Envisioning the Future16:12 Authenticity in Worship and Creativity18:31 Community Engagement Through Creativity20:29 Love as the Source of Great Art24:27 Final Thoughts and Mother's Day

Creativity in the church...creativity from Christians...shouldn't it be excellent? After all, we worship the God of all CREATION...WE'RE CREATED IN HIS IMAGE. Pastor Sean speaks to the intersection of faith and creativity, cautioning against turning church services into mere spectacles and emphasizing authentic worship. You should use your unique gifts to uplift the community,..and be authentic.00:00 Introduction: Made for Something More00:19 Invitation to River City Community Church01:07 Reaching for Real Life Podcast Begins01:33 Women's Retreat and Mission Trips02:21 Graduation and School Events03:14 Invocation and Secularism08:05 Creativity in the Church12:31 The Power of Music and Worship14:19 Defending the Past vs. Envisioning the Future16:12 Authenticity in Worship and Creativity18:31 Community Engagement Through Creativity20:29 Love as the Source of Great Art24:27 Final Thoughts and Mother's Day

In the first installment of a two-part series on immigration, the girlies ask an important question: what gives someone the right to call a place home — and who gets to decide? Is citizenship a moral construct, or just a legal one? If borders are made up, why do they control so much of our lives? In light of the ongoing deportation horrors and increasingly aggressive border enforcement, we're looking back to figure out how we got here. From early immigration through World War I, we trace the long, messy history of who's been allowed in, who's been shut out, and how the U.S. has used immigration as a tool for control, exclusion, and scapegoating. Everyone, regardless of immigration status, has rights under the U.S. Constitution. You have the right to remain silent, the right to refuse a search without a warrant, and the right to speak to a lawyer. For more information and resources, visit ilrc.org & aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights.  This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan. To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today. SOURCES:  4 things to know about the Alien Enemies Act and Trump's efforts to use it A Brief History of U.S. Immigration Policy from the Colonial Period to the Present Day A History of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 A Letter to Columbia   American Immigration Policy in Historical Perspective Americans' Views of Deportations Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts Federal Government Detains International Student at Tufts Historical Context: The Post-World War I Red Scare How does deportation work, and how much does it cost? We break it down Immigration History Timeline Immigration judge denies bond for Tufts University student from Turkey, her lawyers say   International students are being told by email that their visas are revoked and that they must ‘self-deport.' What to know Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua Isolationism and U.S. Foreign Policy After World War I Mahmoud Khalil arrest: Can the US deport a green card holder? Newly Declassified Documents Reveal the Untold Stories of the Red Scare, a Hunt for Communists in Postwar America Red Scare Refugee Timeline   Reported: Administration officials direct ICE to increase arrests to meet daily quotas Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press Targeting of Tufts Student for Deportation Stuns Friends and Teachers The Alien and Sedition Acts The Alien Enemies Act Is Outdated, Dangerous, and Ripe for Abuse The Alien Enemies Act, Explained The Alien Enemies Act: The One Alien and Sedition Act Still on the Books    The Alien Enemies Act: What to know about a 1798 law that Trump has invoked for deportations The First Red Scare The Immigrant Army: Immigrant Service Members in World War I The Industrial Immigrant in the United States, 1783-1812 The National Constitution Center's Founders' Library    The Sedition and Espionage Acts Were Designed to Quash Dissent During WWI The U.S. Confiscated Half a Billion Dollars in Private Property During WWI To my husband, Mahmoud Khalil: I can't wait to tell our son of his father's bravery Trump is promising deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. What is it? Trump officials issue quotas to ICE officers to ramp up arrests Tufts University student can't be deported to Turkiye without court order   U.S. Immigration Timeline What WW1 civilian internment can teach us about today When John Adams Signed a Law to Authorize Deportations and Jail Critics Who is Mahmoud Khalil? Palestinian activist detained by ICE over Columbia University protests ​​‘Where's Alex?' A Beloved Caregiver Is Swept Up in Trump's Green Card Crackdown

Climate Disobedience Center organizer Nastasia Lawton-Sticklor: Campaign Prepares to Challenge Trump's Future Invocation of the Insurrection ActNational Immigration Law Center President Kica Matos: Protests Target Avelo Airlines for Its Trump Contract to Fly ICE Deportation FlightsRoots Action Political Director Sam Rosenthal: Groups Demand Democrats Convene Emergency Meeting to Counter Trump's Authoritarian CoupBob Nixon's Under-reported News SummaryLandmines in Syria killing hundredsAmerican detained by the Taliban is freedJustice Department scales back crypto casesVisit our website at BTLonline.org for more information, in-depth interviews, related links and transcripts and to sign up for our BTL Weekly Summary. New episodes every Wednesday at 12 noon ET, website updated Wednesdays after 4 p.m. ETProduced by Squeaky Wheel Productions: Scott Harris, Melinda Tuhus, Bob Nixon, Anna Manzo, Susan Bramhall, Jeff Yates and Mary Hunt. Theme music by Richard Hill and Mikata.

Welcome to our monthly Reiki Community Q&A.  Here are a few of the questions and topics from April's Q&A podcast. Invocation, Reiki and the Body, Self-Reiki Tune-up. The Power in Discomfort, Reconnecting with Your Reiki Practice, Reiki in the lower realms. Classes: https://reikilifestyle.com/classes-page/ FREE Distance Reiki Share: https://reikilifestyle.com/community/  Podcast: https://reikilifestyle.com/podcast/ (available on all major platforms too) Website: https://reikilifestyle.com/ Colleen Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReikiLifestyle Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reikilifestyleofficialempo Robyn Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynbenellireiki Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynbenellireiki **DISCLAIMER** This episode is not a substitute for seeking professional medical care but is offered for relaxation and stress reduction which support the body's natural healing capabilities. Reiki is a complement to and never a replacement for professional medical care. Colleen and Robyn are not licensed professional health care providers and urge you to always seek out the appropriate physical and mental help professional health care providers may offer. Results vary by individual.

A powerful spoken word performance drawn from the French verses of O Canada, this piece reclaims the national anthem as a sacred text—a mirror, a memory, and a mandate. With reverence and raw truth, it weaves history, heritage, and hope into a living call to unity. In a time of division and disillusionment, "Tempered by Faith" reminds Canadians that strength is forged through sacrifice, that courage is steeped in belief, and that our story—though imperfect—is epic. This isn't just a poem. It's a homecoming. A heartbeat. A vow.

Our Words & Music Podcast brings the Words of our speakers directly to you in podcast format. Words & Music presents:COLORSSongs and stories come together in a rich, emotional spectrum -each hue telling its own tale. It'll be an unforgettable night of stories and songs in ever shade.All are welcome to join us at the intersection of pop culture and faith! Our monthly Words & Music programs take place typically on the 2nd or 3rd Sunday of the month at 5PM in Plymouth Hall from September to May! During these popular services, All In features songs interspersed with personal stories from guest speakers on a unique theme, and at every performance, a free will offering is collected to support ⁠BANDWITH CHICAGO⁠.Founded in 2015, BandWith is a Chicago-based non-profit organization whose mission is to provide lasting access to high quality music and performing arts instruction to underserved Chicago communities. Beginning in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood, Bandwith is now providing free access to programs around dance, drumline, instrumental, choral ensemble and sound engineering activities.Find more of our Musical opportunities by going to:⁠https://www.wscongo.org/music/

In this episode of The Truth Vibration Podcast, you will train the subconscious mind to speak truth and own your wisdom in a way that can impact millions.Join your host, Stephanie Carlin, as she guides you into a theta brain wave state—a space where you'll connect with your highest self.Together, clear old programming and activate 7 new neuropathways for subconscious beliefs, including:It is safe to be seen by millionsHow to speak wisdom in a way that impacts millions. It is safe to be listened to and understood by millionsThat you know what it feels like to know you have a gift that is a contribution to the planet, and necessary now.Get a FREE PDF of the affirmations from today's episode: stephaniecarlin.com/pdf

Today, Hunter spoke with Nayna Gupta of the American Immigration Council. This conversation covers a recent slate of Trump Administration Immigration Policies that are a naked power grab by the President so he can detain and deport whoever he wants, whenever he wants, and however he wants without due process of law. Specifically, Nayna walks us through how the Alien Enemies Act, the designation of several cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and the new Immigration Registration requirement will work in concert to grant the President nearly limitless power to detain and deport people.   Guest Nayna Gupta, Policy Director, American Immigration Council   Resources: American Immigration Council Resources https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/ https://www.instagram.com/immcouncil/ https://x.com/immcouncil https://www.facebook.com/TheAmericanImmigrationCouncil/#   ILRC Red Cards https://www.ilrc.org/red-cards-tarjetas-rojas   Invocation of the Act https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/invocation-of-the-alien-enemies-act-regarding-the-invasion-of-the-united-states-by-tren-de-aragua/   Alien Enemies Act Explained https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/alien-enemies-act-explained https://www.justsecurity.org/109168/alien-enemies-act-litigation/   Judge Blocking the Act and Trump Ignoring the Order http://axios.com/2025/03/14/trump-alien-enemies-act-deportations https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-admin-ignores-judges-order-bring-deportation-planes/story?id=119857181 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/us/constitutional-crisis.htmlQ   Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/designating-cartels-and-other-organizations-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations-and-specially-designated-global-terrorists/   Registration Requirements https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration   Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua Please Subscribe + Rate & Review KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson wherever you listen! --- KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen. --- Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson – KMJ’s Afternoon Drive See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua Please Subscribe + Rate & Review KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson wherever you listen! --- KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen. --- Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson – KMJ’s Afternoon Drive See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to our monthly Reiki Community Q&A.  Here are a few of the questions and topics from March's Q&A podcast. Invocation, Announcements, Explore the role of spirituality in Reiki when experiencing anger. Understand how Reiki meets us exactly where we are in our journey. Embrace the concept of receiving Reiki without the need to "deserve" it. Learn how to approach and respond to critiques of Reiki. Discuss the evolution of Reiki and energy healing practices. Compare different Reiki lineages and explore which may be the best fit. Understand the concept of "free Reiki," including what it is and when it is offered. ✨Connect with Colleen and Robyn 
Classes: https://reikilifestyle.com/classes-page/
FREE Distance Reiki Share: https://reikilifestyle.com/community/ 
Podcast: https://reikilifestyle.com/podcast/  (available on all major platforms too)
Website: https://reikilifestyle.com/ Colleen Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReikiLifestyle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reikilifestyleofficialempo Robyn Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynbenellireiki
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robynbenellireiki **DISCLAIMER** This episode is not a substitute for seeking professional medical care but is offered for relaxation and stress reduction which support the body's natural healing capabilities. Reiki is a complement to and never a replacement for professional medical care. Colleen and Robyn are not licensed professional health care providers and urge you to always seek out the appropriate physical and mental help professional health care providers may offer. Results vary by individual.

Invocation de Moussa : • « Ô Allah, j'ai grand besoin du bien que Tu as fais descendre sur moi »• Rabbi inni lima anzalta ilaya min khayrin faqir رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ • Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Tunes: Gutch, Rimbault Et. Al: Robin Hood's Preferment Me: Dynamic Theme, Storm Theme, Fionnllagh MacA'Phiocar: Ghost Notes Donald Lindsay: Invocation of the Corn Mother, Two Boats Under the Moon Advocates Manuscript: Tune 58, 1, A Scots Measure, Jamies Reel (Oyster Wives Rant), The Britches Loose, The Island of Love, The White Jock O'Farrell: The Shepherds Hornpipe Walsh: Petticoat Tight, Petticoat Loose, Fitzmaurice: Loose the Belt Straight and Skillern: Cupid's Frolick, Cox's Museum, Naples Dance, Black Dance, Island of Love James Horner: The Legend Spreads Sources and Links: +X+X+ 2025: Check out Fionnllagh MacA'Phiocar on instagram https://www.instagram.com/fionnllagh/ Here is the clip of him playing with the Ghost Notes: https://www.instagram.com/p/DF0q59LN_1x/ +X+ 2001: Invocation of the Corn Mother, from Alasdair Roberts' album (with Donald Lindsay) on Appendix Out: Travels in Constants Volume Thirteen https://www.alasdairroberts.com/ +X+X+ 2025: Two Boats Under the Moon by Donald Lindsay: Check out his Crowd Funder here to get early access to the album: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/two-boats-under-the-moon +X+X+ Advocates Manuscript Most of the tunes in this episode come from the Advocates Manuscript. I also read Ross Anderson's Article about the Collection, you can read the article here: https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/archive/rja14/music/pastoral.pdf 1765: Tune 58, 1, A Scots Measure, Jamies Reel (Oyster Wives Rant), The Britches Loose, The Island of Love, The White Jock from the Advocates Manuscript All tunes but 58 appear here: https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/archive/rja14/musicfiles/manuscripts/advocates1.pdf Tune 58 is here: https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/archive/rja14/musicfiles/manuscripts/advocates2.pdf +X+X+ 1806ish: The Shepherds Hornpipe from O'Farrell's Pocket Companion https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/archive/rja14/Papers/ofarrellspc3.pdf Set From Bannocks Of Barley Meal Check out Bannocks of Barley Meal here: https://jeremykingsbury.bandcamp.com/album/bannocks-of-barley-meal +X+X+ 1748: Petticoat Tight from Walsh's Caledonian Country Dances: https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/90248459 1748: Petticoat Loose from Walsh's Caledonian Country Dances: https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/90247895 1805: Loose the Belt from Fitzmaurice's New Collection of Irish Tunes No 2: https://www.google.com/books/edition/FitzmauricesNewCollectionofIrishTu/vq4Fb5TyTK4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP7&printsec=frontcover +X+X+X+ Set from Rowly Powly Check out Rowly Powly Here: https://jeremykingsbury.bandcamp.com/album/rowly-powly 1775ish: Cupid's Frolick, Cox's Museum, Naples Dance, Black Dance and Island of Love all from Straight and Skillern's 204 Favourite Country Dances https://imslp.org/wiki/204FavouriteCountryDances(Various) +X+X+ FIN Here are some ways you can support the show: You can support the Podcast by joining the Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/wetootwaag You can also take a minute to leave a review of the podcast if you listen on Itunes! Tell your piping and history friends about the podcast! Checkout my Merch Store on Bagpipeswag: https://www.bagpipeswag.com/wetootwaag You can also support me by Buying my Albums on Bandcamp: https://jeremykingsbury.bandcamp.com/ You can now buy physical CDs of my albums using this Kunaki link: https://kunaki.com/msales.asp?PublisherId=166528&pp=1 You can just send me an email at wetootwaag@gmail.com letting me know what you thought of the episode! Listener mail keeps me going! Finally I have some other support options here: https://www.wetootwaag.com/support Thanks! Listen on Itunes/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wetootwaags-bagpipe-and-history-podcast/id129776677 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QxzqrSm0pu6v8y8pLsv5j?si=QLiG0L1pT1eu7B5_FDmgGA

Pastor B emphasizes how transformational belief leads to significant changes in behavior, anchoring us in times of turbulence with the perfect peace that Jesus promises.This episode is not just a lesson in theology but a call to action—to live out our faith vividly and with conviction, reassured by the unshakeable peace of Jesus. Whether you're confronting personal trials or seeking deeper purpose, this sermon will challenge and encourage you to transform your faith into a living, breathing testimony of God's enduring presence and power.Chapters:- 00:00:00 - Introduction- 00:00:42 - Invocation and Opening Remarks- 00:01:0 - Black History Month: General Charles Q. Brown- 00:04:18 - Reflections on the Woman at the Well- 00:05:10 - Exposition of John 4: Cements the Deity of Jesus- 00:11:50 - Discussing God's Word and His True Essence- 00:18:04 - Pastor B Draws on Personal and Cultural Reflections- 00:20:05 - Analyzing Whether Belief in God is Transitional or Transactional- 00:25:24 - Exploring Concepts of God being Omnibenevolent, Transactional, and Transformational- 00:30:02 - Metaphors on How God Blesses Our Suffering Through Seasons- 00:31:33 - Discussing the Nature of Seasons in Life and Faith- 00:36:13 - Third and Final Point on Transformational Belief and Behavioural Changes- 00:39:44 - On Modification of Behaviors Through Solid Faith- 00:45:05 - Pastor B Questions If We Have Relinquished Our Peace- 00:45:46 - Conclusion and Closing PrayerSupport the showPastor Broderick Santiago | MOSAIC CHURCHDaily Live Prayer: @MosaicMableton Facebook PageGet Connected or Learn More: bit.ly/mosaicconnection Live Generously: https://wearemosaicchurch.org/give/ www.wearemosaicchurch.orgSundays 10amWednesdays 7pmDaily Online Prayer 7am (M-F)Social Media/ YouTube: @mosaicmabletonbit.ly/mosaicprayerMosaic Church

Was the announcement of a Satanic Temple invocation at a County Council meeting an intentional response to public pushback on removing prayer? Camas resident Anna Miller questions the move in her letter to the editor. Read more at https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/letter-did-councilors-issue-an-in-your-face-to-the-citizens-that-backed-them-off-on-getting-rid-of-the-invocation/ #Camas #ClarkCountyWa #WashingtonState #LocalNews #SatanicTemple #CountyCouncil #InvocationControversy #PrayerInGovernment #FreedomOfReligion #CitizenEngagement #PoliticalDebate #CouncilPolicy

In this episode of On the Soul's Terms, I sit down with Béa Gonzalez, a novelist, teacher, and Jungian thinker, for a deeply enriching exploration of astrology, mythology, and storytelling.Béa introduces her concept of the "unresolved note," those dynamic tensions in life—reflected in astrological squares—that drive personal growth and transformation. We discuss how these unresolved notes, though uncomfortable, are essential to finding balance and depth. Béa shares how this theme weaves through her latest novel, Invocation, a story about the clash and eventual integration of differing worldviews.Our conversation flows through:The interplay of Venus and Mars as archetypes of connection and separation, and how they symbolize the constant dance between the feminine and masculine within us all.How astrology offers a language to engage with these archetypal forces, including squares as sites of unresolved, creative tension.The healing power of myth, storytelling, and dreams in a disenchanted world.The timeless relevance of mythology and its ability to bring deeper meaning to modern life.Whether it's the myth of Tristan and Isolde, the discordant notes in Wagner's Tristan chord, or the rich symbolism of Venus and Mars in their mythological dramas, this episode dives deep into how we navigate the unresolved and find creative possibilities within it.I hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation as much as I did.Image: Henry John Stock - The Poet's Dream: 'The Pursuit of the Ideal'Links to Béa:Sophia Cycles WebsiteUpcoming Course at the Jung Academy on VenusInstagram, facebook, X (Twitter), Threads, BlueSkyPlus her three books...! Talk about prolific!Podcast Musician: Marlia CoeurPlease consider becoming a Patron to support the show!Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

Our Words & Music Podcast brings the Words of our speakers directly to you in podcast format. Words & Music presents a special show in celebration of Plymouth Fellowship (PF), our high school youth group. This uplifting event will highlight the inspiring spirit, creativity, and dedication of our youth, while raising funds to support their programs and activities. Through heartfelt stories told by Danny Kienzle, Annie Dudley, and Ella Cuttica, and powerful songs, the evening will honor the strong foundation that has been built and the exciting journey that lies ahead. Join us for a joyful celebration of community, connection, and forward momentum, as we shine a spotlight on PF and its bright future! Donate to the PF Fundraiser via the following link: https://onrealm.org/wscongo/-/go?page=donor-form&givingFormUrl=PFfundraising

We talk about the TRUTH behind my research and the case of Invocation!! Let's get real and dangerous!!

INVOCATION PT1

In this talk, we give a comprehensive overview of the Path of Devotion:00:00:00 How Bhakti Yoga Works: Vaidhi Bhakti (Devotion with Rules) vs Para Bhakti (Ecstatic Love)00:04:30 The full moon of Bhakti, the scorching sun of Jñāna 00:05:47 An outline of  Swami Vivekananda's "Bhakti Yoga":00:07:10 The definition of Bhakti: " the genuine and earnest quest for God that begins in Love, continues in Love and ends in Love." 00:10:30 The philosophy of Ishvara: the formless pure non-dual Consciousness (Impersonal Absolute), which is the ideal of Jñāna and Buddhism, is exactly the same as the form of God with qualities (Personal God), which is the ideal Bhakti. 00:13:20 Swami Vivekananda's definition of God: unfathomable love. God is Love itself, i.e L.O.V.E Personified. 00:15:00  Bhakti is about realization and for this we need a guru to transmit the wordless, invisible "quickening impulse"00:16:30 Qualifications for aspirants: what kind of a student is required? Pining, patience and perseverance! 00:17:35 Qualifications for teachers: grounded in the spirit of the scriptures, pure in character and teaching for the right reasons (not for material profit)00:19:10 The role of the Avatar in Bhakti Yoga in providing a concrete form for the mind to focus on in Devotion 00:26:03 How mantras work in Devotion (and the meaning of OM) 00:30:34 Technical Difficulties!00:31:32 Technical Difficulties ends...00:34:00 Invocation of Swamiji00:34:23 The Worship of Substitutes and Images (and why its so important)00:47:30 How this idea leads to the Harmony of All Religions 00:49:17 Ishta Nishta, Steadfast Devotion to the Chosen Ideal: while all forms are equally Brahman, we should choose one and dive deep into It without hating any other forms 00:53:19 depth vs breadth in spiritual life 01:02:22 worshipping all deities through your Ishta and worshipping your Ishta through all deities 01:08:00 How to practice Bhakti Yoga, the path of Devotion: the methods and the means.Support the show

In this episode Dr. Cyndi discusses the significance of Hekate as we enter the new year, particularly focusing on the astrological implications of Hekate's position in Scorpio, then she guides us through a meditation based on Proclus' Hymn To Hekate and Janus. The conversation delves into some other astrological highlights for this year, the teachings of the ancient philosopher Proclus, and the importance of rituals and meditations in navigating the changes of the year ahead. The full class on this hymn is HERE. Key Takeaways: Hekate's influence is particularly strong in Scorpio. Proclus lived during a time of great change and uncertainty. Rituals and meditations are essential for personal empowerment. The year ahead is marked by significant astrological changes. Staying true to oneself is crucial in turbulent times. Hecate governs thresholds and transitions. The hymn to Hecate serves as a powerful affirmation. Embracing the mystery can lead to personal growth. The connection between the individual and the cosmos is vital. Change is an opportunity for transformation and healing. Navigating the New Year with Hekate Astrological Insights for 2025 Astrologers mentioned: Chris Brennan, Chani Nichols, Pam Gregory. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Proclus and Hecate 10:40 Meditation and Grounding for the New Year 14:50 Invocation of Hecate and Janus 18:34 The Duality of Hecate and Janus 20:40 Conclusion and Reflection Join The Witches Hour.

Session 4 of Catechumenate.

Host Michael Taft talks with Vajrayana teacher and author Charlie Awbery about the meaning of their practice name Rin'dzin Pamo, Tantra, curiosity, new developments in the Evolving Ground community, the role of play and spontaneity in Vajrayana, a special invocation written by them and David Chapman, when the teacher/student relationship breaks down, transformation, and how to liberate the shadow.Rin'dzin Pamo, also known as Charlie Awbery, author of Opening Awareness; a Guide to Finding Vividness in Spacious Clarity, is a meditation and leadership coach. They are also the co-founder of Evolving Ground a community of contemporary Vajrayana practice. Rin'dzin practiced and studied Vajrayana for thirty years alongside working in international development and human rights. They write at vajrayananow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free version of the show!Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Oklahoma Republicans are flipping out over a Pagan invocation in Tulsa. (0:44)— Ryan Walters: We'll go after teachers who criticize the Bible in their classrooms. (22:17)— Scamvangelist Kenneth Copeland: Donald Trump's critics will spend eternity hearing aborted babies' names. (30:59)— In Ohio, one Christian group is using tax dollars to fuel a network of private schools. (42:05)— An Iowa pastor put an atheist trying to kill Jesus in his church's Nativity scene. (51:50)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.