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When Jesus had every right to demand, He chose to kneel and serve.In this closing message of the Made to Serve series, John Gunter teaches from John 13, reminding us that a gospel-shaped life looks like a towel and a basin, not a title and a throne. If you want to reflect Jesus, you do not wait to be asked. You simply serve where you are. This message calls the church to return to the example of our Lord, who made humility the mark of greatness.Key Takeaways:Serving others is not beneath us. It is the heart of ChristHumility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself lessWe each have a place to serve. Start where you are and watch what God does

Keith discusses seven ways to get a lower mortgage rate, emphasizing the historical impact of the 1940s GI Bill on homeownership and wealth creation.  Caeli Ridge, founder of Ridge Lending Group, digs into smart tactics like adjustable rate mortgages, DSCR loans, and down payment options, plus insider tips on boosting your creditworthiness, timing your rate lock, and planning ahead so you can maximize your returns.  They also explore trends like 50-year mortgages and portable mortgages, and the benefits of FHA and VA loans for first-time buyers.  Resources: Want expert guidance on your next real estate investment or mortgage? Reach out to Ridge Lending Group for personalized support and a full range of loan options—whether you're a first-time buyer or seasoned investor. Visit ridgelendinggroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE to take your next step! Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/582 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com or text 'GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, seven ways you can get a lower mortgage interest rate. We'll break them down loan types available to you that you never heard of, and learn how the 1940s GI Bill shaped the mortgage that you get today on get rich education   Speaker 1  0:22   Since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors, and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads of 188 world nations. He has a list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki. Get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com   Corey Coates  1:07   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education. You Keith,   Keith Weinhold  1:23   welcome to GRE from the Romanian Black Sea to the Egyptian Red Sea and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold, and this is the indefatigable get rich education before we discuss the seven ways that you can get a lower mortgage rate and more in the 1940s before my dad was born, the GI Bill gave veterans returning from World War Two access to cheap home loans, and that single policy decision might have done more to shape the modern American Housing landscape than Anything else in the last 100 years. Think about it, millions of young men, almost kids, really had just spent the better part of their early adulthood in Europe or the Pacific. They came home, married their sweethearts, started families, and suddenly America had this booming demand for housing, but demand alone doesn't build homes. You also need money. You need access to credit, and that's where the GI Bill stepped in. It didn't just thank returning service members for their sacrifice. It handed them something way more powerful, the ability to buy a home with little money down a low interest rate and underwriting standards that would frankly look like a fantasy today, that access to credit sparked one of the biggest housing booms in American history. You had these entire suburbs that sprang up overnight, Levittown in New York, Lakewood in California. These were master planned communities, and they really became a blueprint for Post War America. We had the booming 50s, and this had a lot to do with it. Here's the part that most people don't understand. This wasn't just about housing. This was about wealth creation, because for better or worse, home ownership has been the primary wealth building vehicle for the American middle class these past 100 years, when you give millions of people a subsidized path into property ownership, you're not just giving them a roof. You're giving them equity appreciation, leverage, tax benefits. You're giving them the engine, this flywheel that spins up generational wealth in a lot of ways. The GI Bill is the earliest institutional example of what I at least tell you here on the show, real estate pays five ways. Now they didn't call it that in 1947 but that's exactly what it was. Veterans earned appreciation as suburbs grew. They had amortization working for them, they collected tax advantages. Inflation slowly eroded their fixed rate mortgage balances too. And here's the thing, these weren't even speculative investments. They were homes that they lived in. Now, of course, the GI bill wasn't perfect. It expanded opportunity for millions of people, but it excluded a lot of people too. Lenders and local governments often blocked black veterans and other minorities from accessing the same benefits. That's a whole story unto itself, but the takeaway for today is, when you combine demographic momentum with favorable financing, you can remake a nation, and that's why housing policy still matters today, which we'll get. Two shortly, when you change access to credit or just tweak it, you change the trajectory of families and markets for generations, and the GI Bill proved that. So when we talk about interest rates, affordability, supply shortages, or any of the high frequency housing data that we cover here, remember that the stories aren't just about numbers. They really are about people. They're about giving ordinary Americans the chance to build wealth the same way that those World War Two veterans did through ownership, stability and the quiet compound leverage, not compound interest. Compound leverage that real estate delivers over time.    Keith Weinhold  5:49   I'm bringing you today's show from, I suppose, a somewhat exotic location. I am inside Caesar's Palace, which is right near the very middle of the famed Las Vegas Strip, that's where I'm at. The hotel staff is always accommodative of the show setup. This might seem a little strange to you, because I'm not a gambler. The reason I'm here is that my brother lives 25 minutes away, and I've been with him during Thanksgiving. Next week, I'll bring you the show from Buffalo, New York, and then two weeks from now, I have something heart warming to tell you about that, and it is a real estate story. I'll be broadcasting the show from upstate Pennsylvania. I'll be there to visit my parents. My brother's also coming in from Nevada to be there. That's where the four of us, mom, dad, my brother and I will sit around the same dining room table in the same kitchen of the same home that my parents have lived in since the 1970s nothing has changed, and all four of us know our spots at the table. And actually, it's not even called the dining room table. It is the supper table, as my parents call it so, from flashy Caesar's Palace today to Buffalo and then to Appalachian simplicity in Pennsylvania, the stability and continuity of my parents living in the same home and four wine holds sitting around the table during the holidays, it is so rare. I imagine less than one or 2% of people can do this. I'm just profoundly grateful and proud of Kurt and Penny Weinhold for being the best, most stable parents I could have asked for. It's almost too much to ask, and if you don't have that in your life. Ah, you can do something about that. You can provide the same decency and stability for your children.    Keith Weinhold  7:50   Let's talk about seven proven ways you can get a lower mortgage rate with this week's terrific guest. Though, we'll focus on investment properties. A lot of this applies to primary residences as well.   Keith Weinhold  8:07   We are joined by the founder of the lender that's created more financial freedom for real estate investors than any other mortgage originator in the nation, the eponymous Ridge lending group. And though that sounds impressive, my gosh, she didn't even need that introduction for you the listener, because she's one of the most recurrent guests in show history. Welcome back to GRE Caeli Ridge,   Caeli Ridge  8:30   I am delighted to be here as always, Keith, thank you for your support and acknowledgement. I love what you do, and I'm hoping that I can bring more value today to your listeners in what it is that we do, educating the masses, right?   Keith Weinhold  8:42   You've been doing that here for about 10 years. And yes, we're talking about a woman with a reputation for writing emails in all caps, yet still maintains a great relationship with everybody. I mean, congrats, shaile. I couldn't possibly pull that off myself.   Caeli Ridge  8:58   Thank you, Keith. And you know, I'm going to stay by my all caps, man, it's a speed thing. It all boils down to the number of seconds in the day that I can just move quickly through an email. Yeah, I love my all caps.   Keith Weinhold  9:09   Apparently recipients are still replying, well, you can get a lower mortgage rate in at least seven ways. You can get an adjustable rate mortgage, do a midweek lock in, negotiate seller credits. Have a high credit score. Do a two one buy now, which is kind of old school, but some home builders are using it boost your DTI or buy now, not later. Those are some of the strategies for lowering your mortgage rate. What are your thoughts with regard to that?   Caeli Ridge  9:39   I think all of those are viable. I would just say on the adjust for a mortgage. The pushback I would give there is, is that for residential property, specifically, single family, up to four units, we are not finding that spread between the arm and a 30 year fix. We've been the industry as a whole, secondary specifically been on the inverted yield. Now this gets a little tough. Nickel, and I won't go down that rabbit hole, but 08, 09, the housing and lending crash created an environment within secondary markets where an inverted yield has made a 30 year fixed mortgage more favorable in the rate department. Now that's not always going to be the case. I am a huge fan of the adjustable, but what would work right now is an adjustable with the all in one not to take too much time on that topic, but that would be an adjust rate mortgage that I think would save interest or reduce the rate of which interest is accruing,   Keith Weinhold  10:30   the all in one loan, which we discussed extensively back at the beginning of this year here on the show. Long term, though, I have seen adjustable rate mortgages work for a lot of people, because really, the compelling proposition of the arm is that it guarantees that you get a lower rate in the near term, and yet there's only a chance that you're going to have a higher rate in the long term   Caeli Ridge  10:53   and further. Let's I mean, let's dissect that a little bit. I am a huge proponent. I love an adjustable rate mortgage when the arm is pricing a half or a full percentage point plus over a fixed especially for non owner occupied and the reason for that is, and this is statistically speaking, feel free to look this up, guys, the average shelf life of a mortgage for an investment property is about five years. Great point, right? And we know that if that's the case, right, we're refinancing to harvest equity. We're refinancing maybe to reduce an interest rate from where the market was before, et cetera, et cetera. So that would be the first thing I would say. And then also remember, you guys the first 10 years of an amortized mortgage, 30 year fixed, amortized mortgage, how much of that payment is going to the principal? Because people will often push back by saying, well, either an interest only, or an adjustable and what happens if it changes or it goes up? Most of your payment is going to the interest anyway, and that reset to harvest equity. Borrowed funds are non taxable. We always say that, right? I think it's fully justified. So I love an arm, I just don't know, in comparison to a 30 year fixed today, like a five year ARM versus a 30 year fixed we are in a place that it makes sense, but normally, to your point, absolutely. Fan   Keith Weinhold  12:06   that spread needs to widen for the arm to make more sense. What about doing a mid week rate lock in? Is that a thing?    Caeli Ridge  12:13   Yeah. And you know, I don't have any empirical evidence here. Okay, I don't have any data points that actually prove this, except for 25 years in the business and locking loans every day of my life. There's something about a Monday and a Friday. And I have some conspiracy theories. I don't know that. I it's necessary to share them here, but midweek locks tend to be more favorable in both points and interest rate than you'll find on a Friday and a Monday. I think largely it has to do with, you know, the stock exchanges shutting down for the weekend, right? You got a Friday, you got two days in between. You got foreign markets, and all the things that can explode and happen during that amount of time. So I think they hedge a little bit. So on Friday, going into the weekend, I think that there's something about that and why interest rates are a little less favorable. And then Monday, of course, coming off the weekend, similarly, maybe there's some truth to that too.   Keith Weinhold  13:02   Now, negotiating seller credits has really been a trend to help with affordability. Tell us about specifically what you're seeing there, what's common.   Caeli Ridge  13:11   So we're talking to investors. I can tell you that the loan products you guys are going to have access to are going to cap you, okay, you're going to cap at, per guideline, 2% of the purchase price. Okay, remember that your points that you're paying when you get into locking an interest rate are going to be calculated on the loan size, all right. So the first thing to know is seller paid closing costs, maximum is going to be 2% per underwriting guidelines. That 2% is based on your purchase price. Anything that you're paying points for is going to be on the loan balance, the loan size, so there's going to be a little extra there for you that can contribute or can pay for some other closing costs, right, depending on the numbers. Now, if you're smart enough, or lucky enough, or whatever, the market is viable enough that you can negotiate more than 2% from the seller to pay towards closing costs, you're going to be limited on what you can do on the loan side. But let's say that you go and you've negotiated 4% seller will pay 4% towards your closing costs. Then in that case, you can reduce, you got the two points that you're allowed per guideline. And then you can reduce the purchase price by the difference you don't want to leave that money on the table.   Keith Weinhold  14:15   That's how it's done. And then there's just simply having a higher credit score. What's the highest credit score that really helps you get the lowest mortgage rate for both primary residences and non owner occupied properties. Loan product   Caeli Ridge  14:29   type dependent. But I would say overall, 760 and above is kind of that threshold. There are products that go 780 maybe even on the rare occasion, 800 and above. If I had to pick a number as the absolute pinnacle, I'm going to go 780    Keith Weinhold  14:41   All right, so having a credit score above those thresholds really doesn't help get you a lower interest rate. It's really just a little flex that you've got an 811, credit score, or whatever it is. Now the two, one buy down. That's something that we used to see long ago. A few home builders are bringing it back. And what that does it allow? Homebuyers to pay a lower interest rate for the first two years with the seller covering the difference, and that allows the seller to get their price. They don't have to lower the price of the home at all. But the two one buy down, and you see that written, two, one that has been employed more recently. Tell us about that.    Caeli Ridge  15:18   Well, the builders are struggling in some cases, right? The affordability buzzword is all over the place. So they've had to get creative and find ways in which they can move their inventory. So I think they've done a good job at kind of shaving off some of their margins to satisfy or improve the terms for the consumer. So I like the two. One, if you can get it   Keith Weinhold  15:37   now, one can boost their DTI as well their debt to income ratio and Taylor. When we've talked about that before, we've usually talked about reducing your debts in order to improve your DTI. However, a lot of people don't think about the fact that, oh, well, you can increase your income that lowers your DTI to help you qualify. So tell us what is the max DTI that you can have   Caeli Ridge  16:00   maximum debt to income ratio, in most cases on a full dock loan is going to be 50% now, depending on the type of income that you earn or that you've demonstrated, how you calculate that can get a little bit tricky. But if you're just a straight w2 wage earner, we don't have, you know, commissions or bonuses or anything that we consider variable income, then you just take your gross income times 50% whatever that number is, all of your liabilities on the credit report, we do not count ordinary living expenses like food and gas and utilities and cell phone bills. It's the minimum payments on the credit report. As long as whatever that add up is fits within that 50% you're good to go.    Keith Weinhold  16:37   Now, when it comes to improving our DTI to get a lower mortgage rate, I tend to think it's easier to knock out some debts to improve your DTI. But what about the other side of it? What about increasing your income to improve your DTI, lower your mortgage rate and qualify? Can you talk about some of the strategies for increasing your income with respect to DTI?    Caeli Ridge  17:02   Absolutely. And the biggest one, I think that we probably want to focus on most is going to be on a schedule E, right? That's the one that you're going to have more control over. So when we talk about rental income and how we might be able to boost that first, it might be important to share that there are two ways in underwriting that we will calculate or quantify rental income. The first way is called the acquisition year formula. I'll give you that in just a second. It's very easy, but the way I think we focus on here, because acquisition year is going to be what it is, you're going to have very little ability to manipulate or change that once our rental properties fall on our tax return, specifically the Schedule E of a federal tax return, you as the taxpayer or the borrower are going to have some access to maximize or increase the income, or, let's actually get a little bit more granular there to maximize the gain or minimize the loss, by means of depreciation, maybe a cost seg, maybe we make sure that one time, extraordinary expenses are demonstrated on the tax return in the appropriate way so that underwriting can add those things back. So I know that this sounds technical, but the scheduling is the way that I would say is the easiest for an investor to maximize income, reduce debt to income ratio. And I will close by saying that ridge lending, I think one of our most valued value adds is the ability to help our clients look at their draft tax returns on an annual basis and present them with, Hey, listen, Mr. Jones, if you file this way, this draft tax return, if it files this way, this is what it means to your debt to income ratio. Here's my advice, right? We go into a lot of depth there with our clients.   Keith Weinhold  18:39   That is a smart, long term planning piece that most mortgage companies are not going to give you. They're not going to be forward looking, looking out for your next three years of growing your income property portfolio. And shortly, we'll talk about a way for you to qualify loans where you don't have to show tax returns or W twos or pay stubs. But while we're talking about how to get a lower mortgage rate and some creative ways to do that, I brought up, buy now, not later. And what do I mean by that? What I mean is say, properties appreciate even 3% over time. Buying now, I mean that is going to net you more equity if you buy now rather than waiting, than it would in the savings from a rate drop, when you look at the appreciation run up, however, if rates go up, then you get both the lower price and the lower rate by buying now, not later.   Caeli Ridge  19:32   And I would add to that, we have to remember that in addition to a very modest 3% in the home appreciation, we should be appreciating our rents at even a modest 2% a year, right? Depending on where you are, et cetera. I know that there's exceptions to the rule. And then finally, we got to add in that tax benefit, what you're going to get in your deductions, et cetera, et cetera.   Keith Weinhold  19:51   Yeah, great point. Well, I brought up seven ways that you can get a lower mortgage rate. Can you share a few more with us? Some common ones? Because I know. That almost everyone that calls in there wants to inquire about mortgage rate as well.    Caeli Ridge  20:03   Everybody wants, yep, everybody wants to talk about the rate, despite my vervet opposition to say, do the math. Do the math. Do the math. You know, the easiest one there would be buying down the rate. I'm going to try and formulate an example. Let's say you've got a really high wage earner and in the thick of their earning years, and they're trying to prepare for retirement down the road. It's a longer term burn. They desperately need tax deductions, and the deal that they're looking at, yeah, it's okay, but they want some extra expenses on the Schedule E, maybe they buy the rate down by three even 4% because points on an investment loan transaction are tax deductible, so that might be something, and they obviously benefit from the lower interest rate. Now I may push back on this, and I think again, I know I sound like a broken record here, but we really need to do the math. What are we getting versus what are we giving up to get a 6% or five and a half percent interest rate? What does that mean in real, tangible cost, and what's that? Break even? It's actually a fairly simple calculation. When you just divide the difference in what you're getting versus what you're paying for, and that'll give you the number of months that it takes to recapture the incentive versus the expense. But that would be the easiest one. Keith, I would say buying down points, using paying additional points to get that lower interest rate,   Keith Weinhold  21:20   buying down your rate. It could feel good in the short term, but it's often not the best long term or even intermediate term move when you do the math, as you always like to say, well, you the listener here, you know that you can qualify for mortgage loans, for rental properties without needing a w2 without needing a pay stub and without even needing to show tax returns, because you need all those things for a conventional loan, but for a DSCR loan, debt service coverage ratio, you don't. So talk to us about the pros and cons of a DSCR loan versus a conventional   Caeli Ridge  21:53   loan. Okay? And I've got a hook here too, because I think the listeners are gonna be very, very pleased to hear at the end of this statement, what's happening with DSCR in conjunction or comparison, rather to the conventional so DSCR everybody means debt service, coverage ratio. It's a very simple formula. We are going to take the gross rents and divide it by the principal and interest and taxes and insurance and association. If it applies, that's it.   Keith Weinhold  22:18   $1,000 in gross rents, $800 in p i, t i, that yields a DSCR of 1.25 Correct?   Caeli Ridge  22:25   Yes, you're absolutely right. The one that I use as I, just to keep it simple, is 1000 rents, 1000 piti. That's a 1.0 right? As long as the gross rents are equal or greater than the p i, t i, you're going to be in a position to get the more favorable rates. Now that's not to say that we can't go below a 1.0 ratio. You can actually have a property, we have products that will allow the DSCR to be a point seven five. That would mean, in this scenario, if you had rents, gross rents of 750, and the piti was 1000 you can actually get that loan done. That is allowed. The rate gets a little bit hairy. So more often than not, we're at the 1.0 and above. So this is just a really great way for investors who are either recently self employed, maybe they're adjusted gross, they just write everything off for reasons that you can imagine. Why? Right? They don't want to pay the taxes. It could be 100 different reasons. The DSCR option is such a great solution to provide a 30 year fixed mortgage same same similar leverage, if not sometimes even better than a Fannie Freddie, than a conventional loan, you can usually leverage a little bit more, in some cases, on a DSCR like a two to four, for example, two to four unit residential property, Fannie Freddie, they kind of cut those loan to values a little bit, and the DSCR loans don't care about that. So you can get the same leverage as a single family would in a DSCR. The only other primary difference is these DSCR loans are going to come with prepayment penalties. Typically, the standard is about three years, but we're usually not refinancing in the first 36 months. Anyway, if you know that that's applicable to you, then you'd have to buy the prepay down or out, which you can do otherwise. DSCR is amazing. Oh, and I'll give you the little hook here. So something I have observed this is maybe very recent 4550 ish days, the margin for interest rate difference between conventional and DSCR is really starting to narrow. DSCR products are really performing well, and that interest rate improvements that we've been seeing for those products is not far off from what the Fannie Freddie's are, and I've even seen examples where DSCR beats a 30 year fixed Fannie Freddie rate. Now those are for the higher loan amounts. I can explain if you want, but otherwise, that's good news.   Keith Weinhold  24:36   Okay, this is really good news. It's a time in the cycle where dscrs could very well make sense for you without that huge documentation Shakedown that you need with W twos and pay stubs and everything else. There are a lot of nascent trends in the mortgage industry, and we're trying to separate some of them from being rumors, from being something that can truly happen. We're talking about 50 year mortgages and poor. Affordable mortgages. More on that. When we come back, you're listening to get rich education. Our guest is Ridge lending Group President, Chaley Ridge   Keith Weinhold  25:07   You know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program. When you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest, start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom family investments.com/gre, or send a text now it's 1-937-795-8989, yep, text their freedom. Coach, directly, again. 1-937-795-8989,   Keith Weinhold  26:18   The same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage, start your pre qual and even chat with President Chaley Ridge personally, while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com, that's Ridge lending group.com   Dana Dunford  26:50   this is hemlanes co founder, Dana Dunford. Listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream.    Keith Weinhold  26:58   welcome back to get rich education. We're talking with Ridge lending Group President and Founder, Chaley Ridge about how you can get lower mortgage rates, and also about some trends in the industry, separating what's really a rumor in what could really happen squaring on 50 year mortgages and portable mortgages, those are both things only being discussed by the administration to help with affordability. FHFA Director Bill Pulte created some jarring news recently when he publicized this. What are your thoughts on the 50 year mortgage?    Caeli Ridge  27:39   You know, on a primary residence basis, I'm not so sure I need to maybe put some more thought into that. But for an investment property, I love it. Man, anything to keep that payment down so that, because, remember, we talked about earlier in the show here the percentage of mortgages, let's just use our 30 year fixed for a second that for a rental property that start on day one and then stroke a check 360 times later to pay that to zero. Is a fraction of a percent right? We are refinancing these things. We are selling them and doing 1031 exchanges. So anything that can keep my cash flow higher and my payment lower, I am all for it. Now, the people that push back and say, Well, I want to pay off my mortgage in 15 years. I don't want to pay extra interest, you are welcome to do that. So there's a second piece to this that I think is equally as important as maximizing cash flow, and that is your qualification. All right, if this comes to pass, and right now, it could just be noise, okay, and I'm speaking specifically for investment property, but if this is available to us, the debt to income ratio component, because think about it like this. So I'm going to keep using my 15 year and my 30 year, because that's kind of what we understand. The payment difference between a 30 year 360 month and a 15 year 180 month can be substantial depending on the loan size. I mean, it can be hundreds and hundreds of dollars for the individual that is dead set and say, I don't want to pay the higher interest. I want to pay these things off. We may have arguments about that whole strategy to begin with, but overall, if they still want to do that and that's their decision, Fine, take the 30 year fixed payment. Take the 30 year fixed mortgage. Apply the difference. You can figure out that payment difference very easily. Apply it religiously. Every month. You will cross the finish line in about 15.4 years. Download an amortization calculator online. You can find them everywhere. Plug in your numbers, and you'll see what I'm talking about. If you were to do this, let's say the difference is 200 bucks a month, and you send it in every month with your 30 year fixed mortgage payment, you will cross the finish line to pay that thing off in about 15.4 years. So yes, you'll pay a few extra months of interest. But what have you done to your qualifications, right, your payment now on your debt to income ratio, when we're looking at this thing for a future optimization, never take the shorter term amortization, ever, ever, ever, you won't pay the higher interest that the 30 year or the 50 Year will probably come with because you've accelerated the payoff so long, if that's your choice. Now for everybody else that really wants. To maximize that cash flow. And they get that, they're going to be refinancing this every five, six, whatever it is, years take it, man, I am all for the longer term amortization on a rental.   Keith Weinhold  30:10   I agree with you. I even like the 50 year on a primary residence, but yeah, Chaley, right here on the show, several weeks before Bill Pulte made the announcement, I actually talked about the 50 year mortgage and compared it to the 30 and the reasons that I like it because I knew there was a chance it could be coming, since this administration is trying to do so much to help out with affordability, people buy based on a payment, not a price that lowers the payment. A 50 year mortgage helps you benefit from inflation, and there are a lot of other advantages that have to do with that, although you probably are going to pay a higher interest rate on a 50 than you would a 30. And you know, Chaley, when the 30 year mortgage had its Advent just after World War Two, I'm going to guess 75 years ago, people were having this same conversation like, oh, 30 years, my gosh, you're never going to pay off the home. And really, that's not what it's about.    Caeli Ridge  31:01   Not at all, not at all. And remember, you guys, I would encourage everybody listening to this to actually go get that amortization table and see how much interest is baked in and how it is applied and paid. It is the back end of any of these amortized mortgages where the principal actually starts to get applied in a meaningful way. The 50 year mortgage, or the longer term amortization is a huge advantage. I'm speaking for investors. Mostly. I love it.   Keith Weinhold  31:26   Some people say, are you nuts? Look at how much more interest you're paying over the life of the loan on a 50 year mortgage versus a 30 year mortgage. We already touched on that you're not going to keep that loan for the life of it, and if you just take the difference from the lower payment that a 50 Year gives you, and invest that in 8% return, you are going to crush 2x to 3x oftentimes, what the paltry interest savings are over several decades,    Caeli Ridge  31:26   and somebody else is making that payment right. We have tenants that are responsible   Keith Weinhold  31:47    100% and then there's something that I don't know if portable mortgages would fly. And what this means is that when borrowers move, they could keep the rate, keep their term and keep their lender, presumably for the new home you might have seen it in the news. You the listener that Fannie May remove the minimum credit score requirements from desktop underwriting. And Chaley, I think you let me know elsewhere that those changes don't affect non owner occupied, but of course, it could affect the broader housing market in pricing. What are your thoughts about lowering the credit score requirement   Caeli Ridge  32:28   so similar to the portable stuff, until it really reaches mainstream and it affects the non owner occupied I'm not deep diving into those things. The basis of it, though, is, is that, yeah, they're removing that minimum credit score requirement from a du underwrite that stands for desktop underwriter, as you said, that is Fannie Mae's sophisticated, automated underwriting system, and I think it's just going to give more eligibility to lower income households and people trying to become homeowners that have found the barrier for entry very restrictive because They have credit issues.    Keith Weinhold  33:00   Well, let's talk about FHA and VA loans, something that we have rarely, if ever touched on. Our listeners know that I started out making my first ever property of any kind, an FHA loan with three and a half percent down on a fourplex, living in one unit, renting out the other three. Tell us about some trends there in FHA and VA loans   Caeli Ridge  33:21   we actually just did house hack campaign. We did a webinar on it, co living, all those different ways in which, you know, the younger generation, especially, and this is true for anyone. I don't want to pigeonhole it, can get themselves into home ownership and propel them into the real estate investing as an asset class. I am such a big fan of this model, in this strategy, for anybody that's interested and willing to kind of coal mingle or habitat, like you did a four Plex at three and a half percent down, you've got three tenants that are making your mortgage payment. VA, likewise, any of the Gubby loans, which include VA, FHA, USDA, you can get high, high leverage and up to four units. So I'm a huge fan of that. And then the CO living is another thing that I think is not quite mainstream, but I think it's gaining steam    Keith Weinhold  34:09   for those that don't know what we're talking about, you can use an FHA loan with a three and a half percent down payment, as long as you live in one of the units, your credit score can even be pretty low, and you can do that with a single family home, duplex, triplex or fourplex. You can get those same benefits with a VA loan and zero down   Caeli Ridge  34:29   USDA also zero down if you're in the right zip code. How does one qualify for a USDA loan? You know, there's a website I would have you check out. We don't do a ton of those. We have the ability, of course, but there's income restrictions and all of this. They've got, actually, a pretty slick website where you can go online, type in the zip code, make sure it's in a rural area, what your income is. There's all these inputs, and it'll tell you if you'd be a candidate for it. But yeah, it's good. Rates zero down. I like the product.   Keith Weinhold  34:56   Well, there have been a lot of newsy items when it comes. Comes to mortgages. Caeli and I think we should drop back before we're done here and talk about the basics. Just basically, what does it take to get a non owner occupied loan for residential income property?   Caeli Ridge  35:12   You know, there's so many options for investors today that I would say that if you have access to and even with what we just said, house hack. I mean, listen, if you've got 3% down, three and a half percent down, you can probably assure yourself you can get into a property. And if you can't qualify from a income debt to income ratio perspective, you've got three or four other models, which include DSCR, bank statement loans, asset depletion loans, overall, I would say that this is an individual conversation. Chances are you could probably qualify today, and if you can't, one of the things that I love about Ridge lending is, is that we're going to help you plant the seeds and show you how to qualify. If it takes you three months or six months or a year, that's what we do.   Keith Weinhold  35:56   Yeah, we've definitely noticed the difference here and that you do help that investor with long term planning? I do my own loans at ridge, and my assistant here at GRE she recently got the ball rolling with you in there at Ridge as well.   Caeli Ridge  36:11   Brenda, yes, yes, that was fantastic. We are very looking forward to helping her.   Keith Weinhold  36:16   Well, you know, chili, I've come here with a lot of questions that I had. What's the question No one's asking you, but you wish that they would.   Caeli Ridge  36:25   I think it probably would be for me, planning. You know, we get a lot of questions about interest rates. That's kind of top of mind for everybody. More about planning, having people that are interested in real estate as an asset class and an investment have the conversations to say, this is where I'm at today. This is where I'd like to be in five years. Tell me how to get there, and we can have those high level conversations that really sort of reverse engineer it and say, Okay, this is where you stand today from an underwriting perspective. This is where you need to be, and here's how we're going to get you there. It's always about planting seeds and creating those roadmaps, as I like to say so I would say that that would be top of my list.   Keith Weinhold  37:02   That's exactly what you do in there, and that's really what sets you apart. Well, remind our audience how they can get a hold of ridge.   Caeli Ridge  37:11   Yes, there's a couple ways. Of course, our website, Ridge lending group.com Please email us info at Ridge lending group.com and then call us toll free. 855-747-4343, 855-74-RIDGE  is an easy way to remember.   Keith Weinhold  37:25   It's really been valuable this time. Chaley, thanks so much for coming back onto the show.   Caeli Ridge  37:29    Appreciate you. Keith.   Keith Weinhold  37:36   Oh yeah, good pointed info from Chaley over at Ridge, I think that the important things for you to remember from our conversation is that, gosh, isn't it so glaring like in your face that you have options. All these options when you engage with a lender, you're going to learn that there are probably loan programs that you've never even heard of, some that you might fit into and even if you aren't adding more property, if you're not in that phase, there are ways that you can take your existing loans and consolidate them or refinance them, or use them to produce a tax free windfall for yourself and the US is often the envy of other world nations with the flexibility that we have here in our mortgage market. I've never known anyone that does this better than Chaley and her team. I mean, they are real difference makers. If you learn something on today's show, hey, Don't hoard the good stuff. Engage in the nicest kind of wealth redistribution. Tap the Share button right now and share this on social, or text this episode to one friend who'd appreciate it. That would mean the world to me. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Speaker 2  38:57   Nothing on this show should be considered specific personal or professional advice, please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively   Keith Weinhold  39:25   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, getricheducation.com  

The days are getting short and the nights are getting long, but Denver is already feeling the holiday spirit. And we're back with our monthly guide to the best of Denver. That means we've got plenty of recs for how to make the most of your Mile High December, from a cozy greasy spoon cafe in Lakewood to a Christmas-y comedy show sure to make you bust a gut.  If you're new here, welcome! We've put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Denver community.  Also, check out Market in the Park-et's Sweater Fest this weekend! It's a great place to get started on your holiday shopping, and we're sponsoring the “Beautiful Sweater Contest” — Send us your pics! For even more tips on how to make the most of December in Denver, check out our newsletter Hey Denver's take on what to do this month.  If you enjoyed today's sponsored interview with Andy Cambron, the CEO of Multipass, learn more here. Check out their upcoming events below! Elf Yoga Krampus Konvention Holiday Tea-Family Experience The Fantastic Hosts' Family Extravaganza Learn more about the other sponsors of this December 1st episode: Warren Village The People Park Colfax Bid Multipass Ballpark Denver And we're also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more membership.citycast.fm about how to become a member of City Cast Denver. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here citycast.fm/advertise.  Got questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at denver@citycast.fm  Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our xoptions for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

On today's show: Isn't working out supposed to make you feel better? Because Bill doesn't feel that way. Is it "circle back after the new year" season yet? Good Vibes at 6:55! "Wicked: For Good" opens today and then Sabrina Carpenter is going to have "Alice In Wonderland". Hash It Out: Dave is sick of his neighbor Mark's leaves making it over into his yard. Alyssa's College of Knowledge! Alyssa is very unhappy about the remodel at Malley's in Lakewood. Plus, what is the unexpected thing that makes you cry? And a list of topics to avoid at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Jaime Castro, a longtime officer who leads the Dallas Police Association, the city's largest and oldest police union, was placed on administrative leave Friday while the department conducts an internal affairs investigation. The exact nature of the investigation was unclear Monday. In other news, a ferocious scam is making a comeback, thanks to artificial intelligence and other modern-day techniques like caller ID and social media messaging. Texas ranks 11th in the nation in victimization with an average per person loss of $1400; Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch used the KPMG Plaza at Hall Arts in downtown Dallas on Monday as a stand-in for downtown Chicago. The production shut down Crockett Street in the Arts District between Ross Avenue and the Hall Arts Center's parking garage entrance from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate crew; and Dallas Tex-Mex restaurant Muchacho, known for its queso, margaritas and fajitas, is slated to open in Lakewood next year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it look like to live a life shaped by the gospel, not just saved by it?In this first message of the Made to Serve series, John Gunter preaches from Philippians 1 and 2, calling the church to unity, humility, and Christlike service. This message challenges listeners to look beyond personal comfort and embrace the mindset of Jesus, who emptied himself, became a servant, and gave his life as an example for us to follow.Key Takeaways:Unity is not about agreeing on everything. It is about agreeing on the most important thingHumility lifts others up instead of lifting yourself upA gospel-shaped life reflects Jesus in relationships, service, and sacrifice

Tiffany is diving deep into cosmetic surgeries, how far is too far? PLUS scammers are still scamming, this time a man's image has been used for over 15 years by dating scammers. AND a car chase in Lakewood. That and more on KFIAM-640!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HOUR 1 Hour 1 of Rush to Reason hits the ground running as John Rush welcomes Steve House, former Colorado GOP Chair and longtime health-care executive, for a rapid-fire look at the future of AI, medicine, and education. What happens when artificial intelligence reads your bloodwork better than your doctor? Could peptides disrupt Big Pharma the way streaming crushed cable? And why have drug launch prices jumped from $2,100 in 2008 to over $180,000 today? Steve breaks down the explosion of AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Quarrio—platforms that can analyze symptoms, generate medical summaries, explain drug interactions, and even role-play ER physicians or comedians like Bill Burr. If AI can help people avoid unnecessary appointments, reduce anxiety, and make smarter decisions, will unions, bureaucracies, and giant health systems try to block it? John and Steve push further: Could AI slash labor costs, reinvent classrooms, and eliminate menial tasks across entire professions? Will institutions embrace it—or fight it? And are we heading toward a world where advanced expertise becomes accessible to everyone? This hour is provocative, funny, and packed with bold predictions. HOUR 2 Hour 2 explodes with political heat as John Rush breaks down the real story behind the government shutdown and the six Democrats who crossed party lines. Were they acting on principle—or trying to affect last week's elections? With 42 million Americans on SNAP, John asks: Why is dependency rising when jobs are everywhere? Should drug testing, tighter restrictions, and accountability be required before taxpayers foot the bill? Caller Dan pushes the discussion into health-care reform, HSAs, and free-market medicine, sharing shocking billing stories. John argues conservatives are missing a huge opportunity by refusing to use AI as a communication tool—while the Left embraces it. Caller Jeff raises the case for lifestyle-based insurance rates, while Brad from Lakewood unleashes a blistering critique of GOP messaging, low turnout, and Trump's reliance on Truth Social. If conservatives can't communicate their wins, how do they expect to win elections? This hour is fiery, blunt, and unapologetically honest. HOUR 3 Hour 3 delivers political fireworks, hard data, and eye-opening corruption. John Rush welcomes “Jerzee Joe,” (https://www.youtube.com/@jerzeejoe3145) who arrives with statistics showing how broken the system is. Why are only 0.25% of federal employees fired for cause when private industry averages 3–5%? Why do blue states like New Mexico and New York lead the nation in SNAP dependency, while Wyoming and Utah stay near 5%? And how can one man collect six sets of SNAP benefits across multiple states? Joe reveals massive NGO fraud, including a St. Louis nonprofit that burned $11 million on luxuries and a Minneapolis restaurant claiming to feed thousands—but feeding only 40 paying customers. He then exposes the Chicago Teachers Union for spending $173,000 on a “recording studio” with a pool in New Mexico. The hour shifts as market analyst Scott Garliss (https://cscottgarliss.substack.com) breaks down panic surrounding Michael Burry, AI stocks like NVIDIA and Palantir, and whether an “AI bubble” is looming. Are pessimists fueling fear while long-term investors reap the rewards? Fast, sharp, and packed with revelations—this hour pulls no punches.

HOUR 1 Hour 1 of Rush to Reason hits the ground running as John Rush welcomes Steve House, former Colorado GOP Chair and longtime health-care executive, for a rapid-fire look at the future of AI, medicine, and education. What happens when artificial intelligence reads your bloodwork better than your doctor? Could peptides disrupt Big Pharma the way streaming crushed cable? And why have drug launch prices jumped from $2,100 in 2008 to over $180,000 today? Steve breaks down the explosion of AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Quarrio—platforms that can analyze symptoms, generate medical summaries, explain drug interactions, and even role-play ER physicians or comedians like Bill Burr. If AI can help people avoid unnecessary appointments, reduce anxiety, and make smarter decisions, will unions, bureaucracies, and giant health systems try to block it? John and Steve push further: Could AI slash labor costs, reinvent classrooms, and eliminate menial tasks across entire professions? Will institutions embrace it—or fight it? And are we heading toward a world where advanced expertise becomes accessible to everyone? This hour is provocative, funny, and packed with bold predictions. HOUR 2 Hour 2 explodes with political heat as John Rush breaks down the real story behind the government shutdown and the six Democrats who crossed party lines. Were they acting on principle—or trying to affect last week's elections? With 42 million Americans on SNAP, John asks: Why is dependency rising when jobs are everywhere? Should drug testing, tighter restrictions, and accountability be required before taxpayers foot the bill? Caller Dan pushes the discussion into health-care reform, HSAs, and free-market medicine, sharing shocking billing stories. John argues conservatives are missing a huge opportunity by refusing to use AI as a communication tool—while the Left embraces it. Caller Jeff raises the case for lifestyle-based insurance rates, while Brad from Lakewood unleashes a blistering critique of GOP messaging, low turnout, and Trump's reliance on Truth Social. If conservatives can't communicate their wins, how do they expect to win elections? This hour is fiery, blunt, and unapologetically honest. HOUR 3 Hour 3 delivers political fireworks, hard data, and eye-opening corruption. John Rush welcomes “Jerzee Joe,” (https://www.youtube.com/@jerzeejoe3145) who arrives with statistics showing how broken the system is. Why are only 0.25% of federal employees fired for cause when private industry averages 3–5%? Why do blue states like New Mexico and New York lead the nation in SNAP dependency, while Wyoming and Utah stay near 5%? And how can one man collect six sets of SNAP benefits across multiple states? Joe reveals massive NGO fraud, including a St. Louis nonprofit that burned $11 million on luxuries and a Minneapolis restaurant claiming to feed thousands—but feeding only 40 paying customers. He then exposes the Chicago Teachers Union for spending $173,000 on a “recording studio” with a pool in New Mexico. The hour shifts as market analyst Scott Garliss (https://cscottgarliss.substack.com) breaks down panic surrounding Michael Burry, AI stocks like NVIDIA and Palantir, and whether an “AI bubble” is looming. Are pessimists fueling fear while long-term investors reap the rewards? Fast, sharp, and packed with revelations—this hour pulls no punches.

HOUR 1 Hour 1 of Rush to Reason hits the ground running as John Rush welcomes Steve House, former Colorado GOP Chair and longtime health-care executive, for a rapid-fire look at the future of AI, medicine, and education. What happens when artificial intelligence reads your bloodwork better than your doctor? Could peptides disrupt Big Pharma the way streaming crushed cable? And why have drug launch prices jumped from $2,100 in 2008 to over $180,000 today? Steve breaks down the explosion of AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Quarrio—platforms that can analyze symptoms, generate medical summaries, explain drug interactions, and even role-play ER physicians or comedians like Bill Burr. If AI can help people avoid unnecessary appointments, reduce anxiety, and make smarter decisions, will unions, bureaucracies, and giant health systems try to block it? John and Steve push further: Could AI slash labor costs, reinvent classrooms, and eliminate menial tasks across entire professions? Will institutions embrace it—or fight it? And are we heading toward a world where advanced expertise becomes accessible to everyone? This hour is provocative, funny, and packed with bold predictions. HOUR 2 Hour 2 explodes with political heat as John Rush breaks down the real story behind the government shutdown and the six Democrats who crossed party lines. Were they acting on principle—or trying to affect last week's elections? With 42 million Americans on SNAP, John asks: Why is dependency rising when jobs are everywhere? Should drug testing, tighter restrictions, and accountability be required before taxpayers foot the bill? Caller Dan pushes the discussion into health-care reform, HSAs, and free-market medicine, sharing shocking billing stories. John argues conservatives are missing a huge opportunity by refusing to use AI as a communication tool—while the Left embraces it. Caller Jeff raises the case for lifestyle-based insurance rates, while Brad from Lakewood unleashes a blistering critique of GOP messaging, low turnout, and Trump's reliance on Truth Social. If conservatives can't communicate their wins, how do they expect to win elections? This hour is fiery, blunt, and unapologetically honest. HOUR 3 Hour 3 delivers political fireworks, hard data, and eye-opening corruption. John Rush welcomes “Jerzee Joe,” (https://www.youtube.com/@jerzeejoe3145) who arrives with statistics showing how broken the system is. Why are only 0.25% of federal employees fired for cause when private industry averages 3–5%? Why do blue states like New Mexico and New York lead the nation in SNAP dependency, while Wyoming and Utah stay near 5%? And how can one man collect six sets of SNAP benefits across multiple states? Joe reveals massive NGO fraud, including a St. Louis nonprofit that burned $11 million on luxuries and a Minneapolis restaurant claiming to feed thousands—but feeding only 40 paying customers. He then exposes the Chicago Teachers Union for spending $173,000 on a “recording studio” with a pool in New Mexico. The hour shifts as market analyst Scott Garliss (https://cscottgarliss.substack.com) breaks down panic surrounding Michael Burry, AI stocks like NVIDIA and Palantir, and whether an “AI bubble” is looming. Are pessimists fueling fear while long-term investors reap the rewards? Fast, sharp, and packed with revelations—this hour pulls no punches.

Send us a textPatrick Dethlefs has always let his instincts guide him. While he found early inspiration as a young musician everywhere from Jimmy Page to The Allman Brothers, the Colorado native put most of his energy into original material.“I don't think I was a big learner of other people's songs, even in the beginning,” Dethlefs says. “First getting the guitar, I think I just learned chords and put them together in a different way.”The current chapter of Joel Van Horne's story begins with a family cabin in Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest. The Lakewood native grew up in a musical household, but the memories and moniker of that special retreat, built and named by his grandfather, inspired the defining stage of his artistic journey as Covenhoven.“It's a very meaningful place to me and my family,” Van Horne says. “I wanted to make a record to say thank you to my grandfather.” Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below!If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact our editor at info@themountainear.com and/or our podcast host at media@themountainear.com! Head to our website for all of the latest news from peak to peak! SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the coupon code PODCAST for A 10% DISCOUNT for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS! Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website! Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear! Listen and watch on YouTube today! Share this podcast around by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout!Thank you for listening!

Do you want to see your church become passionate about the original songs your worship team is writing?   Alexandra Osteen from Lakewood Music reveals the simple language shift that transformed their congregation from passive listeners to passionate champions of their original worship songs. In this episode, you'll discover:  • The one word change that creates instant ownership  • How to connect your songs to your church's DNA  • Why writing for your local church first, creates global impact  • The storytelling strategy that gets your team invested  Imagine walking into Sunday service knowing your congregation is genuinely excited to sing the songs God wrote through your team. This isn't just about getting people to tolerate your originals. This is about creating a culture where the language of your community becomes the declarations they sing throughout the week.  Listen now to discover Lakewood's proven strategy for congregational passionate ownership.   Worship Online is your new secret weapon for preparing each week. With detailed song tutorials and resources, you and your team will save hours every single week, and remove the stress from preparing for a set. Try a free trial at WorshipOnline.com and see the transformation!   Mentioned in the Episode  Lakewood Music's New Release  ---  If you like what you hear, please leave us a review! Also, shoot us an e-mail at podcast@worshiponline.com. We want to know how we can better serve you and your church through this podcast.  Don't forget to sign up for your FREE 2-week subscription to Worship Online at WorshipOnline.com!  The Worship Online Podcast is produced by Worship Online in Nashville, TN.

In this episode of the Parsha Review Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores Parshat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23–25), beginning with Sarah's lifespan—“100 years and 20 years and 7 years”—which Rashi interprets as her retaining the innocence of a 20-year-old at age 100 and the beauty of a 7-year-old at age 20. The parsha immediately transitions from her passing to Abraham sending Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac, teaching that marriage must be built with the end in mind: not just someone to live with, but someone to die with, focused on long-term purpose and legacy. Abraham, the icon of chesed (kindness), seeks a wife embodying kindness to balance Isaac's natural gevurah (sternness) inherited from Sarah. Rabbi Wolbe stresses that the patriarchs' actions are binding signs for us: prioritize good character over fleeting glamour, as external beauty fades but inner goodness endures.Rabbi Wolbe contrasts superficial “falling in love” (external attraction) with Torah-based matchmaking, where intellect precedes emotion—investigating character through references, teachers, and friends before ever meeting. True love (ahava) stems from hav (to give); the more one gives selflessly, the deeper the love grows. He urges couples to be givers, not takers, and to humble themselves like dust (lakol tia) to honor each other's perspectives, creating a new unified “us” from two distinct individuals. The parsha's repeated narrative emphasizes looking beyond surface miracles to inner essence—Rebecca's proactive kindness to Eliezer and his camels proves her character. Marriage is Hashem's tool for perfection: spouses challenge and elevate each other, building a unique harmony. Rabbi Wolbe shares personal anecdotes, including his son traveling from Lakewood to Montreal to pursue his future wife, reinforcing that men must actively seek and invest effort. He closes with stories illustrating commitment for children's sake and the Mishnah's advice to marry young to avoid entrenched selfishness._____________This episode of the Parsha Review Podcast is dedicated in honor of Lenny & Teresa FriedmanDownload & Print the Parsha Review Notes:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ncaRyoH5iJmGGoMZs9y82Hz2ofViVouv?usp=sharingRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on November 11, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on November 13, 2025_____________Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parsha-review-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1651930083)Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/22lv1kXJob5ZNLaAl6CHTQ) to stay inspired! Share your questions at awolbe@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Subscribe and Listen to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Torah, #Parsha, #Genesis, #Marriage, #Relationships, #Soulmates, #Ancestors, #Sarah, #Abraham, #Kindness, #Unity, #Differences, #Isaac, #Rebecca, #Kindness, #Selflessness, #PersonalGrowth, #Partner, #Purpose, #Priorities, #Therapy, #LifePartner ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the Parsha Review Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores Parshat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23–25), beginning with Sarah's lifespan—“100 years and 20 years and 7 years”—which Rashi interprets as her retaining the innocence of a 20-year-old at age 100 and the beauty of a 7-year-old at age 20. The parsha immediately transitions from her passing to Abraham sending Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac, teaching that marriage must be built with the end in mind: not just someone to live with, but someone to die with, focused on long-term purpose and legacy. Abraham, the icon of chesed (kindness), seeks a wife embodying kindness to balance Isaac's natural gevurah (sternness) inherited from Sarah. Rabbi Wolbe stresses that the patriarchs' actions are binding signs for us: prioritize good character over fleeting glamour, as external beauty fades but inner goodness endures.Rabbi Wolbe contrasts superficial “falling in love” (external attraction) with Torah-based matchmaking, where intellect precedes emotion—investigating character through references, teachers, and friends before ever meeting. True love (ahava) stems from hav (to give); the more one gives selflessly, the deeper the love grows. He urges couples to be givers, not takers, and to humble themselves like dust (lakol tia) to honor each other's perspectives, creating a new unified “us” from two distinct individuals. The parsha's repeated narrative emphasizes looking beyond surface miracles to inner essence—Rebecca's proactive kindness to Eliezer and his camels proves her character. Marriage is Hashem's tool for perfection: spouses challenge and elevate each other, building a unique harmony. Rabbi Wolbe shares personal anecdotes, including his son traveling from Lakewood to Montreal to pursue his future wife, reinforcing that men must actively seek and invest effort. He closes with stories illustrating commitment for children's sake and the Mishnah's advice to marry young to avoid entrenched selfishness._____________This episode of the Parsha Review Podcast is dedicated in honor of Lenny & Teresa FriedmanDownload & Print the Parsha Review Notes:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ncaRyoH5iJmGGoMZs9y82Hz2ofViVouv?usp=sharingRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on November 11, 2025, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on November 13, 2025_____________Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parsha-review-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1651930083)Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/22lv1kXJob5ZNLaAl6CHTQ) to stay inspired! Share your questions at awolbe@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content.  _____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Subscribe and Listen to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Prayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Torah, #Parsha, #Genesis, #Marriage, #Relationships, #Soulmates, #Ancestors, #Sarah, #Abraham, #Kindness, #Unity, #Differences, #Isaac, #Rebecca, #Kindness, #Selflessness, #PersonalGrowth, #Partner, #Purpose, #Priorities, #Therapy, #LifePartner ★ Support this podcast ★

Every time we see the hand of Hashem in our daily lives, it strengthens us to internalize that He is constantly orchestrating every event that takes place. A woman told me her family lives in an out-of-town community. Last year, during winter break, a few boys went away for Shabbat to their neighborhood. They originally planned to stay on a different side of town, but at the last moment, those plans fell through, so they ended up coming to her side of town for Shabbat. The problem was, they had nowhere to eat. Her father was asked if he could host two of the boys for Shabbat lunch. Normally, he does not like having boys over when his teenage daughters are home. But that Shabbat, something extremely uncommon happened — all his daughters were away. So he happily invited the boys in. They immediately took a strong liking to one of them, a thoughtful and refined boy whose family lives in Switzerland and who was learning in Lakewood. After Shabbat, they learned more about him, and this year, baruch Hashem, he married their daughter. How were they going to find the right match for her? Hashem brought the boy from across the world, directly into their home. The yad Hashem was unmistakable. A man told me another remarkable story. He received a phone call from an acquaintance in Israel asking for help. This acquaintance explained that his young son had a rare illness called PKU, where the body cannot break down protein. To get the necessary nutrition, the child needs a special formula called phenyl-free. But recently, the manufacturer had stopped producing it in Israel, leaving the three hundred people who rely on it scrambling to find it elsewhere. The father said he didn't know anyone in the United States. This man was the only person he could think of. He told him that he and his wife had been trying to figure out who to call, but nothing came to mind. Then the mother went to pray on Rachel Imenu's yohrzeit at Kever Rachel in Beit Lechem, pouring out her heart for her child's needs. That night, suddenly, this man's name came to mind. He told him, don't worry, I'll help you. He searched online and found the formula on a website. It was expensive, and there were sixteen cases available. He immediately asked friends if they wanted to participate in the mitzvah of helping these families. Baruch Hashem, together they bought all sixteen cases. The order was set to arrive at his home, and he knew someone flying to Israel that week. At first, the delivery date said it would take several days, which meant the traveler would miss it. But later that night, the shipping estimate suddenly changed, and the delivery was scheduled for the very next day. When this man saw where the formula was being shipped from, he nearly fell off his chair. The cases were coming from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The mother had gone to pray in Beit Lechem by Kever Rachel, begging for Hashem's help with this exact formula. And the very next day, the formula was shipped from Bethlehem. Hashem showed that He was listening in the most precise, unmistakable way. They received so many cases that they were able to distribute them to other families in Israel who desperately needed them. The yad Hashem was so clear. Every detail, every timing, every connection — all orchestrated with exact precision. And when we pay attention, we realize He is sending us messages like these all the time.

Prayer is not a reaction. It is preparation.In this final message of the Prepared series, John Gunter teaches from James 5 about how prayer and perseverance go hand in hand. We are called to bring every situation to God whether it is suffering, celebration, sickness, or sin. True community is built through authenticity, shared burdens, and the faith to trust God even when life hurts.Key Takeaways:Faith is not just tested by trials. It is revealed in how we respondPrayer is not passivity. It is participation in God's workConfession and restoration build unity, not shame

Send us a textBrenda Fraser is a mosaic artist using vintage jewelry to create stunning wall art.As a mixed media artist, Brenda Fraser has received many awards including “People's Choice Award” for Steampunk Summer” at Soulard Art Gallery in St Louis; “Best in Mixed Media Category” from St. Peters Cultural Arts Center, and won a “People's Choice” award in Lakewood, Colorado. She is 2025 Fellow with Artists Inc and earned a prestigious spot with the 2025-2026 “Emerging Artists and Entrepreneurship Program” with the St. Louis Art Fair. She is a member of the Best of Missouri Hands. She also was accepted into a juried shows at the Quincy Art Center (Illinois), the Hermann Art Walk, the Green Door Art Gallery in Webster Groves, Wentzville Recreation Center, Artisans in the Loop, Edwardsville Arts Center, Wentzville at Crossroads Arts Council and at Framations in St. Charles.She is one of the featured artists at the Missouri History Museum's “Sold on St. Louis” gift shop. In 1996, while living and working in fundraising on the East Coast, she and her mother were driving and had a car crash. Only Brenda survived.Brenda was told that her life was a miracle.  A private session provided some profound understanding. Brenda made a list of the qualities of the partner she desired, and she showed up. Brenda moved to Missouri in Oct 2004 and started attending CSL St. Louis earlier that summer.Thru CSL, she learned of a Hindu guru (Dr. Pillai) who taught Wayne Dyer the "ah" meditation, and from that workshop, big shifts occurred. Instead of buying a set of Mala Beads from Dr. Pillai, she learned and created her first set of Mala beads.  Her partner, Patrice repaired Brenda's mother's broken rosary (broke during the car crash of 1996), and they ultimately started making jewelry in 2005 and selling it. They sold their jewelry for 15 years until Covid hit. In 2013-14, she raised the funds and made plans to travel to Ghana to work with women who are jewelry makers, using beads made from recycled glass. The experience was profound in many ways. She mentored and inspired the women to further their education, and to leave the impoverished village to move to the capital city where the work paid more. One woman took her advice, Regina went to school and moved to the capitol. Brenda has her mentor for 11 years and occasionally sends her funds.Brenda's work in fundraising and in art has been a supportive energy for healing others, promoting good causes and healing for herself.Support the showDonate – CelesteFrazier.com

4pm: Video Guest – Bill Kirk – Washington Gun Law // Lakewood man faces felony charges for death threats against Gov. Ferguson // Trump foe Boasberg hit with articles of impeachment // 5 takeaways from Seattle, King County elections // Video Guest – Eitan Levine – Comedian and Offical NYC Jewish Spokesman // The Voters Who Propelled Mamdani to Victory // Mamdani calls out Trump in victory speech

After 28 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, 4 years leading Birmingham PD, and now serving as Chief of the Lakewood Police Department in Washington, Chief Patrick Smith has seen nearly every side of policing. A former U.S. Marine, Chief Smith shares how discipline, innovation, and compassion have guided him through a career that's spanned both coasts and multiple agencies. In this episode, he reflects on how he built Birmingham's Real-Time Crime Center from scratch, introduced new technology in Lakewood that reduced stolen vehicles by 67%, and why leadership lessons from the Marine Corps still shape the way he leads today. Chief Smith also dives into what makes a true “A-Player” officer, the power of compassion in law enforcement, and how staying grounded in who you are—no matter your rank—defines lasting success in policing.

Most arguments are not just about what someone said. They are rooted in what we want.In this message from James 4, John Gunter explains how submission is a spiritual posture that prepares us for obedience, peace, and humility. When we fail to prepare our hearts, we react in pride, blame others, and miss the opportunity to reflect Christ. This message is a call to submit early so that we are not left scrambling when the pressure comes.Key Takeaways:Conflict is often the result of unmet desires and prideSubmission to God brings peace, clarity, and spiritual authorityYou cannot resist the enemy if you are not standing under the authority of God

Some Washington farmers are not pleased with President Trump’s decision to increase beef imports from Argentina. A Lakewood man has been arrested for making ‘veiled’ threats to Governor Bob Ferguson. Old footage of Zohran Mamdani shows the NYC mayoral candidate saying ‘the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.” // LongForm: GUEST: Saul Spady on if Seattle’s local economy is heading in the same direction as Detroit.  // Quick Hit: J.K. Rowling is calling out Glamour UK magazine for featuring nine biological men as their ‘women of the year.’

This time, we have another big home haunt hop and DFC Expo to share!

A person can plan, prepare, and work as hard as possible, but without Hashem's help, nothing will succeed. We make the efforts, but the outcome is never in our hands. From the simplest tasks of daily life to the greatest undertakings, we are dependent every moment on the blessing of Hashem. Be'ezrat Hashem , Living Emunah on the Parashah Volume 2 is about to be released. During the summer, I received a phone call from one of the sponsors who was going to help bring this project to fruition. He explained that he had fallen on hard times and was not going to be able to fulfill his pledge. I wished this man berachah v'hatzlachah , and then I turned to Hashem and asked Him to please send a different messenger to help. The very next morning, I overslept and missed my alarm. That small mishap caused me to pray in a shul I did not normally attend. After tefilah, as I stood in the lobby, a man recognized me and asked if I had time to hear a nice hashgachah peratit story. I told him most definitely, and he began. He told me about his associate, whom we'll call Yehuda, who was in the nursing home business. For nearly three years, Yehuda had been trying to secure a meeting with a very influential man in the industry. At last, the meeting was scheduled — Thursday night in a Manhattan restaurant. But Yehuda gave a shiur every Thursday night in Lakewood, and he never missed it under any circumstances. Now he was torn. This was the opportunity he had waited for, yet it would mean skipping his shiur. He tried to reschedule, but was turned down. Finally, with great strength, he told the man he could not attend and canceled the meeting. At first, he felt terrible. Three years of waiting, and he had given it up. But then he told himself: A person never loses by doing the will of Hashem. That Thursday, he prayed Minchah in Lakewood, as usual, being that he didn't have to travel to Manhattan. In that very minyan, he met a man who was even more prominent in the nursing home business than the one he had originally been scheduled to meet. He introduced himself, arranged a meeting, and ended up with a deal far greater than he could have imagined. Yehuda was overjoyed. By holding onto his shiur, he saw Hashem's blessing so clearly. When the man finished his story, I thanked him — and then asked if he might know someone who would be interested in sponsoring Living Emunah on the Parashah Volume 2 . His eyes lit up. "What? Living Emunah on the Parashah? I'm the number one fan of that book! I've given out over forty copies of the first volume. It has brought so many people closer to religion. It would be my greatest honor and pleasure to help sponsor the new volume." And just like that, the missing sponsor was replaced. It was then that I understood why I had overslept that morning. Hashem guided me to the shul where the very person I needed was waiting. Everything gets accomplished only with siyata diShmaya. While we were talking, a rabbi visiting from Israel overheard part of the conversation. He walked over and asked, "Are you sharing hashgachah peratit stories?" When we said yes, he told us he had one of the greatest stories that ever happened — and it happened to him personally. With Hashem's help, I will share that story tomorrow.

In our 101st episode of Kosher Money, we take you out of town to Columbus, Ohio, one of America's most surprising, affordable, and fast-growing Jewish communities.If you've ever wondered what out-of-town Jewish life really looks like, this episode will open your eyes. Rabbi Avi Goldstein and Meir Perlmutter share how Columbus became a thriving hub of Orthodox life, complete with kosher restaurants, strong schools, affordable homes, and a deep sense of connection.We explore:

In this episode of the OnStage Colorado Podcast, hosts Alex Miller and Toni Tresca look at some recent A&E news — including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival's season announcement and a chat with Ballyhoo Table & Stage founder Julia Tobey on the new venue's grand opening this Saturday.Later in the podcast, Alex chats with Scot Merchant, creator of the new musical Ichabod, which has its world premiere at Denver's Mizel Center Oct. 30.Also in this episode, the Top 10 Colorado Headliners — upcoming shows from around Colorado that may be worth checking out. Here's the list in no particular order:Ghostlight, Oct. 29, Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and Nov. 12, at various venues in the Denver metro areaEdgar Allan Poe Is Dead and So Is My Cat, Oct. 31-Nov. 16, Buntport Theater, DenverLa Traviata, Nov. 1-9, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, DenverHedwig and the Angry Inch - remount, Nov. 6-23, Ballyhoo, DenverR.U.R., Nov. 6-23, Spring Ensemble Theatre, Colorado Springs, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Schoolhouse Theater, Parker, through Nov. 16Dracula, Main St. Live, Trinidad, through Nov. 2Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Denver Center Garner Galleria, through May 10Misery, OpenStage at Fort Collins Lincoln Center, Oct. 31-Nov. 29Alibis & Other Lies, What If Theatre, Lakewood, through Nov. 1

What we say is not just about communication. It is about preparation.In this fourth message from the Prepared series, John Gunter teaches from James 3 about the power of the tongue. Our speech reveals our heart. It builds or breaks relationships. It gives life or causes damage. Prepared believers do not wait for the heat of the moment to decide how to respond. They pray, pause, and speak with grace.Key Takeaways:Small words can cause great harm or deep healingPrepared faith speaks from a heart full of grace, not reactionDelayed words can protect relationships. Reckless words can destroy them

Dodgers Host Tim Cates joined the show to preview Game #1 of the World Series — Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays — bringing the energy from his morning show “Sax and Cates in the AM” on AM 570 KLAC with former Dodger Steve Sax. Then Conway floated a hilarious idea: Vegas oddsmakers are already betting on California's next governor — and “Governor Tim Conway Jr.” has a nice ring to it!

This week Dominic Garrini calls in from a 1987 payphone to discuss the new upcoming "Cultivate" concept debuting in December at The Roxy in Lakewood, Ohio. 

Do you react to people based on appearances, comfort, or past tension? Or are you prepared to respond with mercy?In this message from James 2, John Gunter explores what it means to live out a faith that treats others the way God treats us. This sermon is a call to see people as children of God, not projects or problems. You cannot wait until the conflict comes to decide how you will respond.Key Takeaways:Favoritism contradicts the heart of the gospelFaith that is ready to love will always find a way to actMercy does not mean weakness. It reflects God's character in you

The adoption of the Hart-Celler Act in 1965, triggered a wave of immigration to the U.S. not seen since before the First World War. But these newcomers were now far less likely to have come from Europe than Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. And they were far more likely to settle in suburbia than the “inner city.” In The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945 (Oxford UP, 2024) Becky M. Nicolaides analyzes the consequences of mass migration by looking at how four LA suburbs reacted—wealthy San Marino and Pasadena, working class South Gate, and lower middle class Lakewood. She invites the reader to consider whether in becoming more diverse, a community becomes more tolerant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The adoption of the Hart-Celler Act in 1965, triggered a wave of immigration to the U.S. not seen since before the First World War. But these newcomers were now far less likely to have come from Europe than Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. And they were far more likely to settle in suburbia than the “inner city.” In The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945 (Oxford UP, 2024) Becky M. Nicolaides analyzes the consequences of mass migration by looking at how four LA suburbs reacted—wealthy San Marino and Pasadena, working class South Gate, and lower middle class Lakewood. She invites the reader to consider whether in becoming more diverse, a community becomes more tolerant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The adoption of the Hart-Celler Act in 1965, triggered a wave of immigration to the U.S. not seen since before the First World War. But these newcomers were now far less likely to have come from Europe than Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. And they were far more likely to settle in suburbia than the “inner city.” In The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945 (Oxford UP, 2024) Becky M. Nicolaides analyzes the consequences of mass migration by looking at how four LA suburbs reacted—wealthy San Marino and Pasadena, working class South Gate, and lower middle class Lakewood. She invites the reader to consider whether in becoming more diverse, a community becomes more tolerant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

The adoption of the Hart-Celler Act in 1965, triggered a wave of immigration to the U.S. not seen since before the First World War. But these newcomers were now far less likely to have come from Europe than Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. And they were far more likely to settle in suburbia than the “inner city.” In The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945 (Oxford UP, 2024) Becky M. Nicolaides analyzes the consequences of mass migration by looking at how four LA suburbs reacted—wealthy San Marino and Pasadena, working class South Gate, and lower middle class Lakewood. She invites the reader to consider whether in becoming more diverse, a community becomes more tolerant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

The adoption of the Hart-Celler Act in 1965, triggered a wave of immigration to the U.S. not seen since before the First World War. But these newcomers were now far less likely to have come from Europe than Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. And they were far more likely to settle in suburbia than the “inner city.” In The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles After 1945 (Oxford UP, 2024) Becky M. Nicolaides analyzes the consequences of mass migration by looking at how four LA suburbs reacted—wealthy San Marino and Pasadena, working class South Gate, and lower middle class Lakewood. She invites the reader to consider whether in becoming more diverse, a community becomes more tolerant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming up: He's home. A father of two and husband of a seriously ill mother is reunited with his family after he was released from ICE detention. This comes after the surprising ruling of an immigration judge. Ramon Lopez brings us this exclusive.  Next: The Bay - the big park project near downtown Sarasota - is expanding north, into the next two phases. We have the details. Then: Gotta go? Hopefully not during a city commission meeting. Suncoast Searchlight brings you breaking news about plumbing at Sarasota City Hall.Finally: Manatee County is opening up public use of a big chunk of county-owned agricultural land near Lakewood Ranch.

A personal episode as Waldie is one of the biggest influences on L.A. in a Minute, I sit down with D.J. Waldie - the preeminent author of Los Angeles, who finds the "poetry and meaning in the confines of regular life in Los Angeles. A native & resident of Lakewood (the most impactful neighborhood in the world) since 1946, Waldie's unique perspective and acute insights inspired Joan Didion to describe him as infinitely moving and absolutely original. Waldie is the author of the powerful and seminal work, Holy Land, and continuing with California Romantica (w/ Diane Keaton), Becoming Los Angeles, and the his newly released Elements of Los Angeles.

Littleton, Colorado, wants to ban everything other than single-family homes. The neighboring town of Lakewood wants to allow more housing variety. Norm and Abby dive into what's driving these radically different responses to the housing crisis and what happens when cities try to exempt themselves from change. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES “Two Denver Suburbs Take Different Paths as Residents Face Housing Crunch: We Can Manage It, but Just Barely.” by John Aguilar, The Denver Post (October 2025). Abby Newsham Painting Instagram X/Twitter Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom.   This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Click here to learn more about membership.

More and more motorcycle riders are dying on Colorado roads. Last year, 165 motorcyclists died, the highest number ever recorded in our state. Sgt. Ivan Alvarado with the Colorado State Patrol explains some of the reasons behind the trend. Then, we speak with Laurie Montoya, the founder of the Lakewood-based non-profit, BikerDown Foundation, which advocates for and helps bikers who get injured and their families. Plus, Colorado jazz musician Tony Exum Jr. is back on stage in Denver on Saturday. 

It is possible to sit in church, hear the truth, and walk away unchanged. That is not what God calls us to.In this second message from the Prepared series, John Gunter challenges us to move from being listeners of the Word to doers. Drawing from James 1, this sermon explores how preparation means building a lifestyle of humility, reflection, and responsive faith.Key Takeaways:Being quick to listen is part of spiritual trainingObedience must happen before the pressure comesGod's Word shapes us only when we allow it to lead us into action

Pat Abernathey is the owner of Caring Senior Service of Boulder. He joined Caring Senior Service in 2005 as the Marketing Director. After holding many positions within the corporate structure -- most recently as Franchise Business Consultant -- he opened his own franchise office in Boulder. He later began managing offices in Lakewood and Fort […]

WhoStephanie Cox, CEO of the National Ski PatrolRecorded onJune 3, 2025About National Ski PatrolFrom the organization's website:The National Ski Patrol is a federally-chartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association. As the leading authority of on-mountain safety, the NSP is dedicated to serving the outdoor recreation industry by providing education and accreditation to emergency care and safety service providers.With a primary focus on education and training, the organization includes more than 30,000 members [Cox says 32,000 on the pod] serving 650 patrols in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. Our members work on behalf of local ski/snowboard areas and bike parks to improve the overall experience for outdoor recreationalists. Members include ski and bike patrollers, mountain and bike hosts, alumni, associates, and physician partners.The National Ski Patrol operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, deriving its primary financial support from membership dues, donations, user fees, and corporate sponsorships. …The national office is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and is staffed with full-time employees that handle administrative duties.Why I interviewed herThe Storm focuses unapologetically on the lift-served variety of skiing. I'll often reinforce that point by teasing Uphill Bro for skiing in the wrong direction or making fun of myself for being a lazy U.S. American happy to ride a machine up the mountain. That, mostly, is a shtick to express my preference for an ordered ski experience over the wild variety. Acres of glades twisting down the mountainside – yes, please. But I'll also take that groomed run-out back to the six-pack. This all-you-can-eat variety of skiing feeds the adrenaline monster, stows energy for the bristling explosive down. The fun part. But my hyperbolic preference for the down is also a sort-of cover-up. Because what really glues me to the trail-labeled and lift-laced bumps is that gigantic and ever-present panic button floating alongside me: ski patrol.Oh I just ran into a tree? Well that's inconvenient because now I can't remember how to speak English or why I have eight empty Miller Lite cans in my backpack. But no need to fret. Within five minutes a corps of uniformed professionals specifically trained in the idiosyncratic art of piloting an injured moron down an ungroomed hillside on an eight-foot-long sled will materialize with crackling radios and stabilize me. It's kind of amazing. Like who thought of this? I guess the same person who came up with lifeguards at the beach. When a squirrel misses its branch and falls 75 feet to the forest floor there is no Squirrel 911. Just a variety of bobcats and coyotes who are about to find an easy dinner. Humans are quite amazing animals in this way, setting up systems both highly effective and borderline invisible that grant us wide margins of error to in most cases survive even catastrophic misjudgments.Depending on your view of human nature, the existence of ski patrol is either the most or least predictable miracle layer of organized commercial ski centers. The cynical may interpret this network of makeshift shacks and their occupants as liability shields, a legal hey-we-tried taskforce vaguely taming the chaos inherent in an impossible and awkward activity. But a more generous interpretation might view ski patrol as the most benevolent component of a ski area, the only piece not intended to generate income, an acknowledgement that any one of us, on even the gentlest slope, could in an instant need someone who knows exactly what to do.I prefer that latter interpretation, but the truth is of course a complex blend of the cynical and the generous viewpoints, interlaced with a million other factors. We are all vaguely aware of this, which doesn't mean we can explain it. I mean, why is ski patrol at every ski area? The question is both simplistic and baffling. Well of course there's ski patrol because there always is. OK. But shouldn't there be some live-free-or-die exception in the rowdy ski world of backwoods trails axe-cut by misanthropic good ole' boys putting two middle fingers to society's nine-to-five, collared-shirt expectations? Like “hey man, look at the waiver, if you break your leg it's not my goddamned problem.” But there they are, anyplace there's a ski lift, wearing that same plus-symbol uniform, enforcing that same yellow-signed skier code, blanketed with that same aura of stoic unsurprise and readiness: ski patrol. Is this omnipresence simply custom and tradition? State or federal law? Insurance requirement? Do patrollers work for the ski area or for some agency or entity? An imposition like restaurant food inspectors? Enforcers like a city's police department? Attendants like stadium ushers? It's hard to say without asking, so I asked.What we talked aboutTouring ski patrols across America; #SkiVirginia; Ski Patrol's philosophical evolution over time; patrol saving my butt in Maine; how NSP ensures that patrollers are prepared to deal with the worst injuries at even the smallest ski areas; evolving and adapting over time; “this organization is by and large run by volunteers”; Avy dogs; why ski patrol is everywhere; organizational history; the relationship between NSP and individual ski areas; who funds NSP; paid versus volunteer patrollers; “one of my big goals for the organization is to make sure that all patrols fall under the NSP shield”; a couple of major ski area patrols that are not part of NSP; the general public “is not going to notice the difference” between a paid and volunteer patroller; where most of the paid patrollers work, and why; the amazing number of years the average volunteer patroller commits to the work; the rising cost of living in mountain towns; why NSP does not involve itself in pay or benefits conversations between patrollers and resorts; staying neutral on unionization drives; what it means to modernize NSP; and applying tech to help police on-mountain collisions.What I got wrong* I referenced a recent snowless winter at Wintergreen, Virginia, and said it was “in 21/22 or 22/23.” It was the winter of 2022-23, which, according to Snow Brains, was the ski area's third snowless winter in a decade, after the 2016-17 and 2018-19 campaigns.* At one point in our conversation, I mentioned “voluntary volunteers.” Which I don't know Man talking is hard I guess.Why now was a good time for this interviewI'd initially reached out to Cox as a follow-up to my podcast conversation with United Mountain Workers union President Max Magill, conducted in the wake of the December-to-January Park City patrol strike that leveled the ski area and sent owner Vail Resorts spiraling:National Ski Patrol, it turns out, has no involvement in or position on unionization. That was a bit of a record scratch but also clarifying: patrol union drives, at least for now, lack a national sponsor that could propel the movement to critical mass. Still, it seemed odd that a national organization's most visible umbrella would stand neutral on the trajectory of a tectonic movement flexing against consolidating, ever-more-distant management and escalating mountain-town affordability crises. So we talked about it a bit anyway.What I've learned, 212 episodes into The Storm, is that organizations and entities are rarely – maybe never – what you expect them or want them to be. In episode 11, recorded in January 2020, just a few months after The Storm's launch, I asked Win Smith, then National Ski Areas Association board chair and onetime owner of Sugarbush, the now very-innocent-seeming question of what the organization was doing to subsidize small or independent ski areas. Smith patiently explained that the NSAA was a trade organization, not a charity (I'm paraphrasing), and that their mission was education, lobbying, and helping to establish uniform operating standards and best practices, not a U.N.-style stabilizing force money-cannoning resources where necessary. I get that now, and have developed, through extensive interaction with the group, a deep appreciation for what the NSAA is and does, even if it is not the thing 2020 Stu thought it was or should be.I guess that's the point of The Storm Skiing Podcast: a dumb guy asking dumb questions like “so when are you going to build a gondola over Interstate 90 to connect Alpental to the rest of Summit at Snoqualmie?” and letting the nice smart people say “well wouldn't that be nice but we have other priorities,” when they mean, “sure let me pull $100 million out of my back pocket to build a more-or-less useless lift that would also spark two decades of environmental litigation and has as much chance of clearing airspace over a federal road as a Russian stealth bomber.” Luckily I don't mind asking dumb questions. They emerge from an impulse to sort reality from fiction, to tell the story of modern lift-served skiing by tapping the brains who understand some little corner of it. Podcast NotesOn recent Ski Patrol leadershipThis could maybe go under the sometimes-included “questions I wish I'd asked” section, but really I don't wish I'd asked about it, as I have inherently little interest in organizational human drama, or the appearance of such. In this case, that maybe-drama is the rapid recent turnover in NSP leadership, aptly described by Jason Blevins last year in The Colorado Sun:The former executive director of the nonprofit World Child Cancer heath organization arrived at the National Ski Patrol two years ago, becoming the fourth director of the organization in only five years. The former bosses reported conflicts with the group's member-elected board of directors. An online petition was calling for an overhaul of the venerable organization that formed in 1938. Staff were bailing after years of turmoil that included board members twice suing their own organization. The group was losing its relevance in a quickly shifting ski resort industry.Cox landed with a plan. She started visiting ski patrols across the country. She shepherded an overhaul of the organization's training programs. She enlisted staff and kept them onboard. She mended fences with her board.Whatever happened before, Cox just hit her third anniversary with the organization, and I was mostly interested in her efforts to modernize the 87-year-old NSP.On skier visit numbers nationally and in ColoradoColorado annually accounts for nearly one in four U.S. skier visits. Here's the breakdown from last winter, according to the Kotke end-of-year survey, the definitive statistical ski industry report published annually by the NSAA:On breaking my leg at Black Mountain of MaineMost of you are tired of hearing about this, but if you're new here, this is my big ski-patrol-saves-my-ass story:On federal chartersAn important piece of the NSP why-does-it-exist puzzle is its status, since 1980, as a federally chartered nonprofit organization. Congress charters such organizations “to carry out some regional or national public purpose,” according to a 2022 report on congress.gov. As with just about anything, a comprehensive list is frustratingly difficult to find (that's why I moonlight as ski area spreadsheet mad scientist), but federally chartered organizations include such vaunted entities as the American Red Cross, the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, and Disabled American Veterans. Here's a probably-not-entirely-accurate list on Wikipedia, and a government list from 1994.On “14 patrols unionizing across the west”Here's a list I compiled of unionized ski area groups back in January. I haven't updated it, so there may be a few additions since:On Snow AngelsThis is a pretty good gut-check conversation for the Speed Gods among us:On Wachusett's anti-theft systemSki theft sucks, and some ski areas are better at fighting it than others. One of the best I'm aware of is Wachusett, Massachusetts, which has installed a comprehensive system of ski-rack-to-parking-lot cameras that has reduced thieves' success rate to near zero. “A lot of times, the police will be waiting for them when they get home with the stolen board,” longtime Wachusett President Jeff Crowley told me on a 2022 visit to the ski area.The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing all year long. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Ep. 77 - Many of you know Dallas PD's Joe King as the host of the compelling podcast “ATO: Bridging the Divide” which supports the mission of the Assist the Officer Foundation. Joe joined The Dallas Police Department in 1997, starting out in the Southeast Division. We talk about why he chose law enforcement, an early critical incident that sticks with him to this day, and how he quickly was drawn to street level narcotics and gangs which he worked for 20 years.On July 7th, 2016, everything changed for Joe, the Dallas Police Department and Dallas. That night, while DPD was working an anti-police protest, a shooter opened fire on officers working the protest, killing five, injuring nine other officers and two civilians. Those we lost are known as the Dallas Five, and they include one of Joe's close friends, Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens. Joe recounts how the tragic events of that night unfolded with much of the killing horrifyingly playing out on live television. He details the SWAT response and the hours-long standoff that resulted in the shooter's being neutralized by a bomb on a remote-controlled bomb robot.The shooting was the deadliest incident for US law enforcement since 9/ 11, surpassing the March 2009 shootings of four officers in Oakland, CA, and the November 2009 murders of four officers just south of Seattle in Lakewood, WA known as the Lakewood Four. Their deaths were preceded by the ambush murder of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton less than a month earlier. I lived in the greater Seattle area at the time and experienced the devastation of this tragedy. When the Dallas Five were killed, as I tell Joe, I may have been thousands of miles away, but my heart was with Dallas.Joe shares the impact on him and his fellow officers. His journey through grief and the cumulative effect of prior traumas led him to seek help through the Assist the Officer Foundation's confidential counseling.Joe has since joined the board of the Foundation which is a non-profit that not only provides trauma support but also financial assistance to first responders in need. Joe amplifies the mission with the “ATO: Bridging the Divide” podcast for which he interviews first responders from Dallas and around the country. They share their stories of trauma and resilience and how their agencies handle wellness.Joe also helped create and serves on Dallas PD's Wellness Unit which takes a very proactive role in caring for Dallas police officers. That Unit and ATO were both put to the test following the 2024 ambush murder of Officer Darron Burks who, only a few months out of the Academy, was shot and killed while in his patrol car. Joe says, “the Wellness Unit snapped into action that night. It was really a night-and-day response from 2016 to 2024 with critical incident response.”Thank you, Joe for all you have done and for all you do.I'd like to honor The Dallas Five for their service and for paying the ultimate sacrifice to protect the rest of us:Senior Corporal Lorne AhrensOfficer Patricio Enrique ZamarripaOfficer Michael Leslie KrolSgt. Michael Joseph SmithDART Officer Brent Thompson And to honor

Flyin' Jay of the band Year of the Dragon (formerly of Fishbone) is our guest this week to chat about the new YOTD ep Dragon Burn out now on Manic Kat RecordsFLYIN' JAYhttps://yearofthedragonband.comhttps://www.instagram.com/illtrombonehttps://www.instagram.com/year_of_the_dragonhttps://www.manickatrecords.com/year-of-the-dragon-dragon-burn/?srsltid=AfmBOopjd5X-JXpXrCyzD9fkhsS9rm3Q6G_lGzondzkV37OA2ECZ6SpSPCHInstagram - www.instagram.com/powerchordhourTwitter - www.twitter.com/powerchordhourFacebook - www.facebook.com/powerchordhourYoutube - www.youtube.com/channel/UC6jTfzjB3-mzmWM-51c8LggSpotify Episode Playlists - https://open.spotify.com/user/kzavhk5ghelpnthfby9o41gnr?si=4WvOdgAmSsKoswf_HTh_MgDonate to help show costs -https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/pchanthonyhttps://cash.app/$anthmerchpowerchordhour@gmail.comCheck out the Power Chord Hour radio show every Friday night at 8 to 11 est/Tuesday Midnight to 3 est on 107.9 WRFA in Jamestown, NY. Stream the station online at wrfalp.com/streaming/ or listen on the WRFA app.Special Thanks to my buddy Jay Vics for the behind the scenes help on this episode!https://www.meettheexpertspodcast.comhttps://www.jvimobile.com

On today's show: Good Vibes! Bill was rudely awakened on Sunday morning by his oldest son. We're trying out Monday "Moaning" and Tom from Lakewood gets it started with something that annoyed him this morning. Alyssa's College of Knowledge! Is one of Taylor Swift's songs off her new album a diss track and if so, to who? Plus, does anyone regularly take naps in their car?

ou do not become wise by accident. It takes intentional preparation.In this first message from the Prepared series, John Gunter opens the book of James with a challenge to stop being reactive and start being ready. He walks through how trials shape endurance, why asking God for wisdom is non-negotiable, and how spiritual maturity is built before the storms hit.Key Takeaways:Faith that prepares today is the faith that endures tomorrowGod gives wisdom generously to those who askPreparation beats temptation when pressure rises

Send us a textR' Binyamin Greenspoon, LCSW, is the Clinical Director of Nesivos, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing mental health services and support to the Lakewood community. With a Master's in Social Work from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, he's a state-certified crisis counselor and EMDR consultant.R' Greenspoon has guided thousands of young people and their families towards healing and success through his work at Nesivos. The organization offers a range of services, including assessments, mentors, case-management, and parent support groups.For more Brainstorm go to...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aPCiuzsIoNKYt5jjv7RFT?si=67dfa56d4e764ee0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brainstorm-with-sony-perlman/id1596925257Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brainstormwithsonyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainstormwithsony

Send us a textHi everybody and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host Brian Weinstein. Today, we continue our 2025 miniseries where we preview each venue on Phish's late summer tour by visiting an old favorite: the Ameris Bank Amphitheater in Alpharetta, GA–colloquially known simply as “Alpharetta.” And when I say “an old favorite,” I mean for the band and fans.Today's guest -Dave Defeo–has never missed a Phish show at Alpharetta, and has lived in the area for over two decades, so he's well equipped to give us the skinny on the amphitheater and its surrounding area. What I love most about this episode is that, since Phish has been playing Alpharetta for 15 years, there's not too much new information to give about it (although we do our best), but there is a treasure trove of Phish history at Alpharetta. I don't have the patience or capacity to check this, but I think there are more musical clips in today's episode than any previous Attendance Bias episode. All good ones, too!More than that, Dave owns and operates a restaurant just outside Atlanta called “My Parents' Basement” that sounds like a dream come true–food, arcade games, comic books–all the stuff you wish you had in one place. But he'll describe it more in just a few minutes.So let's talk about pinball, Lakewood, and Rage Against the Machine with Dave DeFeo to get ready for September 16 and 17 at the Ameris Bank Amphitheater in Alpharetta.Support the show

#393> Sponsored by Legacy Judaica.> Peruse the catalogue: https://us.bidspirit.com/ui/catalog/auction/legacyjudaica/63888/1?lang=en> Live auction Sunday, September 14th, 1PM ET at Estrea, 978 River Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701 > To join the SeforimChatter WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DZ3C2CjUeD9AGJvXeEODtK> To join the SeforimChatter WhatsApp status: https://wa.me/message/TI343XQHHMHPN1>  To support the podcast or to sponsor an episode follow this link: https://seforimchatter.com/support-seforimchatter/or email seforimchatter@gmail.com (Zelle/QP this email address)Support the show

Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle is complaining about ICE ramping up operations in Seattle. New video has been released in the attempted kidnapping of a bikini barista in Lakewood. There were some underwhelming economic numbers released today. // The Left’s claim that it’s harder for people who want a COVID vaccine to get one is ridiculous. // Guest: State Rep. Stephanie McClintock (R-Vancouver) on cell phone bans in schools.