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What if you could live abroad and enjoy a lower cost of living while building a fulfilling career? Laura Marks shares her inspiring story of moving to Argentina and how she's redefined what it means to live an enriching life.  Ready to learn how you, too, could embrace location independence and transform your career and lifestyle? Tune in to learn about the joys of asado, the power of community, and the financial benefits of geo-arbitrage! Financially savvy travelers, join my newsletter: https://thethoughtcard.substack.com/  Want to save more money for travel? Check out all my best money-saving episodes neatly organized in Spotify playlists. Happy listening!    

Advent Series–Sr Magdalen Mather OSB—Zechariah, Listen (read by Max Norden) (In the readings for 19 December, an angel appears who upends life for Samson's mother and Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, with the unlikely news for them. Consider your life and how your expectations have been upended—especially in these last years of pandemic. We might have expected to stay healthy, to stay employed, to retire, to own our home, to travel, and any one, or all, of these may not have eventuated. How do you keep silence enough to hear the voice of God saying to you, in the circumstances of your life, “Do not be afraid! Listen deeply to my presence and action within you and see what wonders will be born!”)

This week:   Text: John 17:13  

The 96/15 Challenge - WELCOME the LORD with Worship - WAIT upon the LORD and Listen - Read the WORD of God - Release your WORRIES to Jesus Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) – [25] “Therefore I tell you, do not WORRY about your life… [33] But SEEK FIRST his kingdom 1. The Kingdom of God is ETERNAL. 2. The Kingdom of God is CONDITIONAL. a. Repentance b. Change c. Humility d. Being Born Again e. Doing God’s Will 3. The Kingdom of God is NEAR. 4. The Kingdom of God is INTERNAL. Luke 17:20-21 (AMP) – [20] Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, [21] Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]. “The Pharisees asked when God’s Kingdom would come, not knowing that it had already arrived. The Kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of God’s Spirit in people’s lives and in relationships. We must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of God’s Kingdom. Instead, we should look for what God is doing in people’s hearts.” (Life Application Bible Notes) Romans 14:17 (NIV) – [17] For the KINGDOM of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. “Not the EXTERNALS, but the ETERNALS must be first in our lives: righteousness, peace, and joy. Where do they come from? The Holy Spirit of God at work in our lives. If each believer would yield to the Spirit and major in a godly life, we would not have Christians fighting with each other over minor matters. Spiritual priorities are essential to harmony in the church.” (Wiersbe Commentary) 5. The Kingdom of God is POWERFUL. 1 Corinthians 4:18-20 (NIV) – [18] Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. [19] But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. [20] For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. “After all, it is power that counts, for the kingdom of God is not concerned principally with words but with action. It does not consist of profession, but of reality.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary) 6. The Kingdom of God is UNSHAKABLE. Hebrews 12:26-29 (NLT) – [26] When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” [27] This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. [28] Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. [29] For our God is a devouring fire. 7. The Kingdom of God is INHERITED. Matthew 25:31-34 (NIV) – [31] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. [32] All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. [34] “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’” “Rewards in the kingdom of heaven are given to those who serve without thought of reward. There is no hint of merit here, for God gives out of grace, not debt.” (NIV Study Bible Notes)

SEEK FIRST The 96/15 Challenge - WELCOME the LORD with Worship - WAIT upon the LORD and Listen - Read the WORD of God - Release your WORRIES to Jesus Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) – [25] “Therefore I tell you, do not WORRY about your life… [33] But SEEK FIRST his kingdom… “Jesus’ followers must settle the question of priorities and make the Kingdom of God their primary concern. To do that, we must consistently honor and represent the Kingdom. Then the way we deal with family, friends, work, leisure, etc., will all be transformed. What is most important to you? People, objects, goals, money, pleasure, and other desires all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don’t actively choose to give him first place in every area of life.” (Life Application NT) Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV) – [9] “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, [10] your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. “The Kingdom of God belongs to the present as well as the future… [it is] the rule, the reign, the government of God in this age in the hearts and lives of those who yield themselves to Him, and in the next age over all the world. (George Ladd, Gospel of the Kingdom) Psalms 45:6 (NIV) – [6] Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your KINGDOM. Daniel 7:13-14 (NIV) – [13] “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his KINGDOM is one that will never be destroyed. Matthew 25:34 (NIV) – [34] “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the KINGDOM prepared for you since the creation of the world. Revelation 11:15 (NIV) – [15] The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The KINGDOM of the world has become the KINGDOM of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” 2. The Kingdom of God is conditional. a. Repentance Matthew 4:17 (NIV) – 17] From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the KINGDOM of heaven is near.” b. Change Matthew 18:3-4 (NIV) – [3] And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the KINGDOM of heaven. [4] Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the KINGDOM of heaven. c. Humility d. Being Born Again John 3:3 (NIV) – [3] In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” e. Doing God’s Will Matthew 7:21 (NIV) – [21] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the KINGDOM of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 3. The Kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:29 (NIV) – [29] He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. [30] When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. [31] Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the KINGDOM of God is near. 4. The Kingdom of God is internal. Luke 17:20-21 (NIV) – [20] Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the KINGDOM of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, [21] nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the KINGDOM of God is within you.” Romans 14:17 (NIV) – [17] For the KINGDOM of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 5. The Kingdom of God is powerful. Matthew 11:12 (NIV) – [12] From the days of John the Baptist until now, the KINGDOM of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. Matthew 16:19 (NIV) – [19] I will give you the keys of the KINGDOM of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 (NIV) – [20] For the KINGDOM of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 6. The Kingdom of God is invincible. Daniel 2:44 (NIV) – [44] “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. Hebrews 12:28 (NIV) – [28] Therefore, since we are receiving a KINGDOM that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 7. The Kingdom of God is inherited. Matthew 25:34 (NIV) – [34] “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV) – [19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Matthew 5:3 (NIV) – [3] “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the KINGDOM of heaven.

Even in the middle of this crazy season, we can find hope and joy and laughter! We don't have to be miserable just because so many things around us are miserable. We can rise above! I want to give you some very practical ways to do this! Here are 12 quick ways to add joy to your life. Links & Product Info Melanie Redd's Email - mredd@lwf.org Women Living Courageously - https://womenlivingcourageously.org/ Melanie has a brand new devotional book you may enjoy. It's called, “Just Rest: A 90-Day Devotional Journal.” The Book Link on Amazon - https://amzn.to/3r0h4bE *Get Your Free “12 Quick Ways to Add Joy to Your Life” printable on our website. Go to the front page of Women Living Courageously and look for the sign-up in the top middle of the page! Here's the link - https://womenlivingcourageously.org/ Related Podcast Episode you may enjoy – “Get Your Smile Back.” Listen/Read at this link: https://womenlivingcourageously.org/i-found-my-smile-again-you-can-too/

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for February! (Euphoria, Inventing Anna, Brene Brown, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, Todaytix &more) Black Joy Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iqU0IPvdyN5Md8dMbrFne?fbclid=IwAR2W0-dKZHlAvF9quwZISG7BjX8k0-yzqmV5iVXIvVz3DPaa-NnUmTfNjM4 Bamboo Lap Desk: https://www.amazon.com/Sofia-Sam-Multi-Tasking-Laptop/dp/B015X48RI4/ref=sr_1_19?crid=E5M2E2TW7LNT&keywords=bamboo+lap+desk&qid=1645481282&s=office-products&sprefix=bamboo+lap+desk%2Coffice-products%2C119&sr=1-19 Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Grand Crew, Abbott Elementary, Maggie Rogers, Search Party, Doc by Chocolate Milk & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Queens of the Universe, West Side Story, Naima by John Coltrane, The Story of Miriam Rivera, Drunk CNN anchors & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Queen of the Universe, Passing (the movie), Star Trek, Doogie Kamealoha, 8-bit Christmas, Lake Street Dive, Soul Train & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Elio, A Boy Band Christmas, Ciara's lost era, NCT, Yellowjackets, the Searchable Museum, House of Gucci & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Love Life, Waiting for Impact with Dave Holmes, Twice's New Album, Will Smith's Memoir, Chad Kimball, Everyone's Gay on TikTok, Drag Race over saturation & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Phony Ppl, Cimafunk, The Color Purple & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Tina Turner's Simply the Best, Love Jacked on Netflix, Foundation on Apple TV, Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Nine Perfect Strangers, Squid Game, At Home Karaoke, Twice's 2000, Curated Albums, The Tonys & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (The Other Two, My Mama Told Me, Malcolm Gladwell, The 2000s Made Me Gay, Yebba, Holly Humberstone, Leon Bridges, Nine Perfect Strangers & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Schmigadoon, Kim Petras, An Extraordinary Union, RHOP, Mo Beauty, RuPaul's Drag Race Live Vegas & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Desus and Mero, Kelly Stamps, Listener-Supported Radio, The Onyx Hotel Tour & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Happy Endings, Casey Wilson, Lizzo, black romance novels, Gossip Girl, Drag Race Holland & more) https://www.vulture.com/2021/08/song-review-lizzo-cardi-b-rumors-lyrics-analysis.html ----- Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week. (The Gaze, Industry Baby, The House, Behind the Music & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week. (Lupin, Purse First Impressions, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Sesame Street Bopz, The Glore Psychiatric Museum, paid audience work & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Sam Jay, Fast and the Furious musical, Talia Hibbert & more) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week. (Hacks, Voices of Fire, anxiety of reentering society, The Bonfire of the Vanities & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week. Plus, our first special guest! (Invincible, Spice Girls, London Hughes, Wicked the Novel & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Online dance classes, enneagram results, Planet Earth & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (The Public Library, Motown Cont'd, Black History Museums & more) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Blue's Clues, Billie Holiday & more!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (As a reminder—we can't actually add songs to the end of the episode. We were lied to and accidentally lied to you. Our collective bad.) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! (Also, we unintentionally lied and can't actually upload songs to the end of this episode. But go check out the songs for yourself!) Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

Our Watch, Listen + Read suggestions for the week! Dance Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2f1mVO5E3swS7UcFTFt2Jp?si=4fcc8ec0ffed4974 Follow us at: https://www.instagram.com/antoineishereforyou/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/erika_mendence/?hl=bg --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcultureprescription/message

In this episode we revisit the “expanded” scientific skillset, discussing skills such as written and oral communication, marketing, people skills, listening, reading, networking, and literature search. Dr. Luay Nakhleh teaches us how to improve each of these skills. He explains how he continually asks himself, “How did I do?” He also explains how we can use this question to improve ourselves, in addition to feedback from others. Dr. Nakhleh then elaborates on further ways to improve skills. For instance, describing how our writing skills can be improved through a more mindful analysis of what we read. For each skill, Dr. Nakhleh attempts to define what it looks like to do that skill well. For instance, he addresses what it means to be a good listener and a good reader. Additional topics discussed include the role of social media in science and how to become an effective communicator when english is not your first language.

A conspiracy theory that holds that many in the elite are part of a sex trafficking cabal, QAnon’s supporters has increasingly moved into the mainstream. Many also attend evangelical churches. It’s appeal in our community is World magazine’s cover story for this week and also was the subject of recent longform article for MIT Technology Review.  But the phenomena is not limited to the United States, as Mark Sayers, the senior leader of Red Church in Melbourne, Australia, witnessed when he recently saw followers in shirts with symbols tied to the movement in his city.  “It's really interesting, cause as I looked at it, I began to see it less as a conspiracy—I mean, there are elements of conspiracy theory—but it's really a new religious movement,”said Sayers, who is also the author of Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture. “And I wonder if it's the first great internet religion. It’s not the only one out there, there are other online internet religions growing and other conspiracy theories flying around—this is just one of them. But I think there is some concern in it.” Sayers joined global media manager Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen in a discussion for listeners who are trying to reach family members or other loved ones who have accepted these beliefs. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Mark Sayers Visit our guest’s website: Mark Sayers Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First published on my blog on May 29th, 2016: https://helenaroth.com/doing-gentle-20-listen-read-watch/ Website: https://helenaroth.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/helenaroth FB: https://www.facebook.com/HelenaRothChangeAgent Audio production: Caspian Almerud Photography: Anders Roos http://www.andersroos.nu/ Soundtrack: Olof Jennfors Ljudtjänst http://jennforsljud.se/

Despite the fact that the widely esteemed theologian J. I. Packer never lived in the United States, the theologian greatly influenced American evangelicals. One key way this transpired occurred through Packer’s longstanding relationship with Christianity Today. Packer’s first piece—a lengthy article on the opportunity and challenges for evangelicalism—was published in 1958. After the publication of his best-known work, Knowing God, he became contributing editor at Christianity Today in 1983 and then senior editor in 1985. He continued to serve the magazine in similar roles for the next three decades. In 1992, he wrote about how he envisaged his relationship with the publication: One role of CT, which is a features-news-and-thought journal anchored in the historic faith, is to keep you posted, one way and another, on the theological front. I suppose I should see myself as a kind of point man for this purpose. But most of all, I want to be a plumber and sewage man, as I said when I started, and most of all, I want CT always to be showing how head and heart should be joining in mature discipleship today. Head-without-heart journals and heart-without-head journals make for misshapen and underdeveloped Christians. It is important that we should find and follow the better way. Timothy George, distinguished professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, was a contemporary of Packer’s at CT.  “I would say his role at CT was a mentor to the whole enterprise, especially to all the editors,” said George. “For me and others that worked with him constantly in those days, we respected him and looked to him as someone who was a pioneer in the very thing that we were giving our lives to.” George joined global media manager Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss Packer’s CT legacy, the controversy he sparked over his convictions of the Bible’s inerrancy, and who is following in his footsteps today.  Take Quick to Listen’s survey! Read our JI Packer coverage What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Hello Jose Domingo with Journeys of Faith here.Journeys of Faith - Founded by Bob and Penny Lord - Announces Watch. Listen. Read. on Demand!Now you can Access our Library of Books. Audios.and Videos. on Demand at one convenient location for pennies per month.Our media Libraries focus on Miracles of the Eucharist,Apparitions of Mary,Lives of the Saints and moreThis is how we can continue to go forward with our Ministry of Evangelization through Communications and also help you while you help us.God created us to become Super Saints.We are all on a Journey to Sainthood. Journeys of Faith Ministry is about Evangelization through communications, spreading the Good News of the Gospel.We are all called to become Saints, and each of us has been created uniquely with special features and gifts by God.Our goal is to spend eternity in union with Our God in Heaven. We will focus on our Catholic Culture of Life, Prayer and testimonies from daily life that will show us how to live as a Christian here and now and become a Super Saint in Heaven.We are making our entire Book. Video. and Audio. libraries available to you our Patrons containing:298 ebooks250 audiobooks175 videosSuper Saints PodcastsIn addition you will have early access to any new media we create!Ad free ContactStart your free trial today! You will not be billed to until first of the monthNo contract required Choose from four packagesYou can cancel at any time,Download the free Patreon App on your device.This is a great way for you to help Journeys of Faith expand our reach and help you and your families get immersed into the Catholic Faith!Please share this post with your friends and family.If you know anyone home schooling, please let them know about this offer. This is excellent for home schooling.Thank you for your support.Support the show (https://bobandpennylord.store/pages/we-need-your-help)

Take Quick to Listen’s survey! In 2014, Louisiana enacted a law requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court struck down the law. Legislators said the requirement would improve the level of care that clinics provide for women. Abortion regulations in Louisiana and other conservative states have resulted in clinic closures and corresponded with falling abortion rates nationwide. Beyond the Supreme Court’s power, the federal government plays a key role in terms of shaping public opinion around abortion, says Alexandra DeSanctis, a staff writer for National Review and the host of the For Life podcast. “But I think in terms of what comes before courts, and what actually goes into effect, what actually matters for the everyday American in terms of how they think about abortion, is policy at the state level,” said DeSanctis. “And I think that even among pro-lifers, there are plenty of people who think you couldn't even really pass a ban on abortion through the U.S. Congress. ...So I do think if this is going to be a successful fight for pro-lifers, we have to think first and foremost of the micro-level, local and state policy first.” DeSanctis joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss what was surprising and unsurprising about the SCOTUS decision, what makes John Roberts tick, and if trying to get cases to the highest court in the land should be the goal for pro-lifers.  What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Alexandra Desanctis Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

What have you been up to during "Iso"? Jacqui and Lisa have been going through the ups and downs of home-schooling, getting out into nature, kids on devices, and honing vegetable gardening skills. Here they share some sustainable-focussed gems that they have found in recent times. Watching The Biggest Little Farm film - https://www.madmanfilms.com.au/the-biggest-little-farm/ The Story of Plastic - https://www.storyofplastic.org/ Listening Podcast - Joe Rogan’s interview with Joel Salatin (http://www.polyfacefarms.com/) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-7O3fOXXKo Cait Flanders -The Year of Less - https://caitflanders.com/the-year-of-less/ Reading Waste Not: make a big difference by throwing away less - Erin Rhoads https://www.therogueginger.com/ Naturally Inspired - Simple DIY Recipes for Body Care and Cleaning - Krissy Ballinger https://theinspiredlittlepot.com.au/naturally-inspired-diy-recipe-book/ Other things we talked about included an online crash course in permaculture - https://highsierrapermaculture.com/online-courses/ and Taranaki Farm in Woodend, Victoria http://www.taranakifarm.com.au/ Sustainable You can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and sign up to our mailing list for bonus material through our website. If you have an idea for an episode, or want to ask us something in more detail, send us an email! If you enjoy listening to our show, we would love you to give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This episode is produced by Fran from 17th Street Audio.

In recent weeks, American cities, suburbs, and small towns have seen an explosion of protests reacting to the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Even as many have commented on the racial diversity of the demonstrators, many of those organizing the marches are young African Americans activists. But while black pastors have organized several marches in major cities like Chicago and Washington DC, they have not been at the forefront of a movement that arguably began back in Ferguson in 2014.  “While you may have had many black pastors and clergy who may have shown up at events, and you may have had a lot of people from black churches who were at these marches and protests, from 2014 to the present, by and large, this has not been a theological movement,” said Watson Jones III, the senior pastor of Compassion Baptist Church in Chicago. “It hasn't been a movement that has started in the basements of churches, in prayer meetings, and altars that flooded out into the streets.” Despite this, Watson believes that some of what is fueling many of the young black activist leaders ties back to this institution.  “Much of how they do what they do are examples of things that early clergy and faithful Christians did in the ’50s, ’60s, and even ’70s, but there is an absence of clergy leading this movement,” he said. Watson joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss why the black church’s approach to activism has never been a monolith, how the community’s preaching is speaking to current events, and the extent to which the black church is struggling to keep young people engaged.  What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Watson Jones III Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

"To embrace leisure, we don't have to let go of progress. [Our] constant pushing is now impeding our progress. We work best when we allow for flexibility in our habits . . . [w]e can and must stop treating ourselves like machines that can be driven and pumped and amped and hacked. Instead of limiting and constraining our essential natures, we can celebrate our humanness at work and in idleness. We can better understand our own natures and abilities. We can lean in not to our work but to our inherent gifts." —Celeste Headlee Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing , and Underliving For the past 10 weeks I have had the good fortune to go to work with both of my dogs. Why? Because I have been working from home. I am able to take them for a short walk about the neighborhood before I step into my office and remote classroom, then take a break around 10:30 am as we sit on the garden porch, soaking in some sunshine and thinking about what I might want to enjoy for lunch in a few hours time. Lunch is leisurely because I can cook it, savor it, not be rushed to eat it or interrupted and our afternoon outing after about 70-90 minutes of work after lunch is to the mailbox and about the neighborhood. Returning to the office if need be to tie up loose ends, check my work email one more time (I only check my school email three times a day), when the day concludes, I am not exhausted, but I do feel productive. Admittedly, the scenario I shared above is due to an unwanted global occurrence, and I miss my in-person connections with my students and colleagues, but what I do not miss is the excessive expectation to always be checking my email, regularly being interrupted so that I lose my focus/students' focus and requirement for a long inflexible work day (meaning not healthy breaks, a constant expectation of being "on"), and being rewarded for giving more beyond the work day even if it reduces the quality of my home life and personal relationships. I am not complaining directly about a system that surrounds so many of us, but trying to be honest about the reality of why I was quietly thankful to have the time at home these past 10 weeks to catch my breath. I did my best to examine why, and while the emotional toll for those of us fortunate enough not to have our health and livelihoods taken away was unhealthy and exhausting, overall, I found great refuge and restoration this spring whilst staying at home, finding a schedule that worked for me as I continued to remotely teach and blog and just be home. I also found much more time to read books that have been patiently sitting in my shopping cart, and two books furthered my exploration into how exactly improve the working environment when we begin to step back into the workplace. I have a few ideas. Take a look below. 1.Understand the history of the current work culture "We are investing our time and energy and hard-earned money in things we think will make us more efficient, but those things end up wasting our time, exhausting us, and stressing us out without bringing us closer to or our goals." —Celeste Headlee Journalist and bestselling author Celeste Headlee reminds readers in her recent book Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing , and Underliving (Amazon; Bookshop) that "[o]ur working habits changed dramatically a little more than two centuries ago" (aka as the Industrial Revolution), and not largely for the better. In fact, humans came to be seen as being capable of producing regularly and steadfastly with minimal breaks much like a machine. Humans are not machines. Our ability to be productive and creative and resilient comes from adequate and regular and in equal measure amounts rest to that of the amount of time we work. No wonder we're exhausted. 2. Enable the mind to think well so you can respond compassionately Often we are reacting instead of responding to situations in life that arise unexpectedly or unwantingly. At the time, we are not aware because either we have always behaved in such a way or because we do not know or have not been taught a better way. Dr. Sylvia Boorstein speaks about equanimity, and as it pertains to the mind, equanimity "is the capacity of the mind to hold a clear view of whatever is happening, both externally and internally, as well as the ability of the mind to accommodate passion without losing its balance. It's the mind that sees clearly, that meets experience with cordial intent. Becuase it remains steady, and thus unconfused, it is able to correctly asses the situations it meets." How to become clear thinkers? We acknowledge we do not know everything, and we take a step back and ask helpful questions with a calm tone. We choose to educate ourselves seeking out experts in the field we wish to learn more about - whether in book, audio, video or conversation form. We become comfortable with not having a concrete and absolute response immediately or at all and acknowledging the gray in nearly every situation that presents itself. And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, we rest the mind regularly and well. This includes good nights of sleep, regularly a slower pace in our schedules, days and weeks and a cultivation of environments that enable us to lower our stress levels and feel safe. "And because we are humans and have empathy built into our brain structure, when we are touched by what we encounter — and when our minds are balanced — we respond with benevolence." —Sylvia Boorstein, Ph.D., author of Happiness is an Inside Job (Amazon; Bookshop) ~Responding vs. Reacting: The Difference, episode #145 3. Let go of the busy mentality When we reduce the constant go-go-go mentality, we give our lives breath, and figuratively speaking, we give our lives oxygen to live better and thus to improve the quality of our lives. Letting go of busy feeds a cycle of life improvement because as you are letting go of busy, you are improving your decision making skills, reducing the unnecessary stress and constantly cultivating the life you want to live rather than creating more problems, more headaches and less time to adequately address and handle them. Interestingly enough, studies have shown that we may actually think we are busier than we actually are, but it is the delusion of busyness that is the cause for our mind to feel harried and thus our decision-making abilities to suffer. For example, if you feel pressed for time, this perception can lead you to making bad choices about how you spend your time. Conversely, if you feel you have time to spare, the study revealed people feel healthier and happier. So much of the quality of our lives rest in our minds. Harness the awesome tool of your mind, and you will improve your approach to living. ~Listen/Read episode/post #115 - The 8 Benefits of Banishing Busy 4. Quality productivity is not a result of excessive time given. "If you silence your phone, close your inbox, and really focus on getting a report done, research shows you'll finish 40 percent faster, have fewer errors, and have plenty of time to take a short walk around the building and let your brain relax." — Celeste Headlee Studies that were done decades ago have proven that more time does not equate to more output and certainly not a quality output. In 1951, researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology discovered that people who put in excessive hours were the least productive of all. The most productive were the workers who worked 2-5 hours a day, so 10-20 hours a week. Recently, in Sweden, a hospital attempted to improve the working conditions for the workers, reducing their hours to six hours a day, and no more than 30 hours a week. The hospital was prepared to hire extra workers to make up for the loss of productivity, but do you know what happened? As reported in The New York Times, "The unit [performed] 20 percent more operations, generating additional business from treatments . . . that would have gone to other hospitals." Quality over quantity and in this case it surpassed even that of the hopeful that it would simply be equitable in output. 5. Allow yourself to focus on a single task entirely and without disruption Simply, turn off the notifications. If you work at a job that expects you to be constantly responding to emails broach the topic of productivity as studies have demonstrated if we cannot give ourselves fully to a task, we cannot do our best work. What this means for me at home is that I have been checking my school emails three times a day during the school day - when the school day begins, at noon and at the end of the day. If this will be a shift for those expecting to hear from you, perhaps send an automated response for the first month or two (or leave it in your footer) when people can expect to hear from you, how frequently you check your email, etc. so that they are not expecting an immediate response and should not worry when they do not receive one. 6. Invest in leisure "Research shows employees who feel more detached from their jobs during their time at home are emotionally healthier and more satisfied with their lives. They're less likely to feel emotionally exhausted, and they report getting better sleep." —Celeste Headlee Leisure time is separate from "free time" or "spare time" as Headlee defines it. Spare time is the time we find in between the work we do for our income. Leisure time is entirely separate from work. As she describes it, leisure time is "unpolluted" by work - no emails, no work calls, nor worrying about how your activity might impact your work life. Speaking for myself, while I and many other educators have been at home these past 10 weeks, it has not been leisure time during the work week. I am still, if I am not teaching online, checking my emails, responding to expectations, grading papers and aware of my actions during the school day, etc. My leisure time begins on the weekend, after the school day has ended each work day and will fully begin when our summer holiday starts later this week. The mind behaves differently when we are on leisure time, and it is imperative that we regularly welcome it into our daily schedule. Each of us will do it differently during the work week and weekend, and perhaps even our holidays, but do make sure you have leisure time in your life to savor and enjoy. It will make a tremendous difference in the quality of your life. 7. Give your mind space to become clear "Just take one breath and another and another, with as much attention in every way as you can. The confusion will sort itself out. Inclined in the right direction, the mind takes care of itself." —Sylvia Boorstein, Ph.D. The untrained mind can be a weapon of destruction to ourselves and others. A trained mind, one that is understood, that is strengthened to think well, critically examine and refrain from rash assumptions due to lack of emotional intelligent understanding is an artist's prized possession. However, it is a choice to become a student of our mind. Boorstein writes, "I do not think the mind needs lots of instruction, but I do think it needs to be encouraged and continually inspired." Feed your mind well. Be conscious of what is presented to it (limit social media, be aware of the news and how much you intake, observe how you feel around certain people, the books you read, the videos, shows and television you watch). Choose to feed it with what you are curious about. Delight in learning something new and do not feel guilty for not knowing what the zeitgeist believes is most popular or most noteworthy of the moment. Give your mind space to have clarity, and when it has clarity regularly, it will be your best friend. ~How to be the Master of Your Mind, episode #20 So how can we institute these needed changes if research has repeatedly demonstrated the need to observe that we are human beings, not machines? We need leaders who are well-educated with the resources that demonstrates convincingly that the quality of work will not diminish and likely will increase when we see our employees as human beings. Yes, it is a culture shift, and it will take time, but it takes courage and strong, patient leadership to clearly communicate the benefit to the worker first, knowing that the company, the department, the school, our futures, will be all the better. And even if you are not in a position of leadership at the moment, communication with your leadership body, build a consensus amongst your co-workers. Schedules and approaches change with data, trusted experts and informing the public as well as those it will directly effect, as well as indirectly. If nothing else, you can start at home and setting boundaries on your work and home life. Cultivate leisure time, practice the strengthening of your mind and begin to see your being settle, relax and enjoy your daily life far more. Petit Plaisir —Sicilian Lemon Biscuit from Shortbread House of Edinburgh ~purchase in the states from Chelsea Market Baskets, NY ~purchase in the UK directly from Shortbread House of Edinburgh Learn more about the history of shortbread below in a short video about the Shortbread House of Edinburgh company. https://youtu.be/ez5mLaHPXpA ~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #283 ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify

Transcribed highlights of the show can be found in our episode summaries. California’s Department of Health’s reopening guidelines for houses of worship contain bitter news for those who love corporate worship.  “Strongly consider discontinuing singing, group recitation, and other practices and performances where there is increased likelihood for transmission from contaminated exhaled droplets,” the report warns. In another section it notes, “ Activities such as singing and group recitation negate the risk-reduction achieved through six feet of physical distancing.” Absorbing this is tough news for those who feel most connected to God and others through music. “There is something about articulating our emotional state and using music, using song, as a means of expressing ourselves before the Lord. And that's deep in the Christian tradition, from singing and praying the Psalms to the early hymns in the New Testament like in Luke's gospel and peppered through Paul's letters,” said Glenn Packiam, associate senior pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “There was also a reputation that early Christians get. In Pliny’s letter to the emperor, he says, “These strange Christians get together before sunrise and they sing these hymns to Christ as if to a God.” “There's something about song that helps us express more than just what the words of the song are saying,” continued Packiam, who is also the author of the forthcoming book, Worship and the World to Come Exploring Christian Hope in Contemporary Worship. Packiam joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss how his church has handled the pandemic from a worship perspective, what makes corporate singing special, and what it means that eschatology is missing from our worship music.  What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Visit our guest’s website: Glenn Packiam Read more about Packiam’s church: New Life After the Fall of Ted Haggard Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Last week, a video was leaked of a white man shooting and killing Georgia jogger Ahmaud Arbery in his neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia. While Arbery’s death occurred in February, the alleged shooter and his father were only arrested last week following a massive public uproar following the release of the tape. Many Christians, of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, have condemned the Arbery’s killing. But widespread condemnation from the church for these types of killings was not always the case.For years, for white Christians, “the critique of lynching rarely moved beyond ‘Lynching is anarchy, and we need to kind of reinforce the rule of law,’” said Malcolm Foley, a PhD candidate in Baylor University’s Department of Religion, whose dissertation examines African-American Christian responses to lynching from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Not surprisingly, the black church took a much more forceful response to these atrocities.“Many black pastors were commenting on this and saying, ‘If you can either stand in a mob of thousands of people and watch a black man be set on fire alive, or if you are one of the people holding the rifles that riddled this body with bullets, you're most likely not a Christian,’” said Foley, who is also the director of discipleship at Mosaic Waco. Foley joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss the colonial history of lynching, how beliefs about white women provided justification for this violence, and how lynchings changed the theology of the black and white church. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Malcolm Foley Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Last week, Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas announced plans for the city’s reopening. Churches are among the institutions that will be allowed to open this month: with one caveat. Any business or establishment that allows people to stay for more than 10 minutes must allow attendees or customers to sign a sheet with all their contact information, to allow for contact tracers to contact them if there was later a COVID-19 outbreak at the establishment.The conservative Christian law firm Liberty Counsel compared Kansas City’s actions those of Nazi Germany. “The Germans did this very thing to Jews – collecting the names and locations of all known synagogue attendees - in the early days of the Nazi regime,” Founder and Chairman Mat Staver wrote in a fundraising appeal. “Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined Nazi-like measures designed to surveil, track and spy upon what was once a FREE American people. Yet that is exactly what Kansas City’s misguided government officials are now demanding.” Kansas City mishandled this situation, says Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention’s policy arm. “I have almost no doubt that this was taking place due to very well-intentioned people, but there's a reason why that raises a sense of alarm in all kinds of people–and not just the conspiracy theory, propagating people who are complaining about having to wear masks in the grocery store,” he said. “...I think governments, even when they're well-intentioned, have to think through what are the implications going to be, how can somebody use this policy I'm putting into place in another time and for another reason, and how am I communicating it?” Moore joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss how COVID-19 may shape religious freedom battles in the future, where churches should look for wisdom and guidance as they reopen, and what he finds surprising about how congregations have responded to social distancing. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Russell Moore Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

"Mycelial networks act as a resource transport layer and communications network connecting organisms in the biosphere. This enables organisms to voluntarily trade resources and knowledge across species lines. Increasing trade leads to increased specialization (division of labor), further increasing biodiversity (wealth and resilience) in the ecosystem." - Brandon Quittem After the long wait, we are finally covering Part 4, the conclusion, of Quittem's incredible "Mycelial Money" series, exploring Bitcoin as a catalyst for the evolution of our species. Drop some applause here

Transcribed highlights of the show can be found in our episode summaries. In recent weeks, we’ve entered a world without professional sports and where millions of people are forced to remain in their homes. In other words, we’re entered a world ripe for a weird Netflix show to become a cultural phenomenon.  Enter Tiger King, a docuseries exploring the bizarre world of Americans who own dozens of exotic animals, including tigers and lions. So what makes big cats so alluring to people anyways? Part of it is their unique intelligence, says Mike Mooring, a professor of biology at Point Loma Nazarene who studies jaguars in Costa Rica.“I think that from time immemorial, people have had both this primeval fear coupled with a fascination with the big cats because they're mysterious,” said Mooring. “They come and go. You don't know where they are. They are elusive. They kind of pop out of the night and then they disappear.” Mooring joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss whether big cats can be tamed, what makes these felines special, and how studying wildlife in Southern Africa led him to Christ. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Read God Loves Protected Species. And the Poachers Who Kill Them. Read The Behemoth’s archives Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Transcribed highlights of the show can be found in our episode summaries. Super Tuesday is upon us. After a primary here and a caucus there, Tuesday is when the greatest number of US states hold primary elections and caucuses. As the Democratic field narrows down, what type of success have candidates had in reaching out to Christians? The AND Campaign’s Justin Giboney and Michael Wear joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and CEO and president Tim Dalrymple to discuss the efforts that the Democratic field has made to reach religious voters, why white evangelicals vote so consistently for Democrats, and if Republicans will ever court black Christians. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Tim Dalrymple Learn more about the AND Campaign Follow Justin Giboney and Michael Wear Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Transcribed highlights of the show can be found in our episode summaries. Last week, CT published an investigative report on allegations of spiritual abuse by Steve Timmis, who previously served as the CEO of the church planting ministry Acts 29. But long before assuming the leadership in 2014, Timmis was known for his model of intensive gospel community developed at his 120-person church in England known as The Crowded House and for his books like Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community. But not everyone who was part of Timmis’s close-knit church community felt warmly toward the church leader. According to our report:  Fifteen people who served under Timmis described to Christianity Today a pattern of spiritual abuse through bullying and intimidation, overbearing demands in the name of mission and discipline, rejection of critical feedback, and an expectation of unconditional loyalty. People in these environments aren’t always aware they’re being abused, says Lisa Oakley, the co-author of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse: Creating Healthy Christian Cultures. “Psychological abuse is not a one-off. It's usually a series of incidents which when told by themselves can seem minimal,” said Oakley, now an assistant professor for the developmental psychology team at the University of Chester. “It's when you put that story together that you actually start to see this pattern of control.” Oakley joined digital media producer Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss what people should do if they think they are being spiritually abused, how spiritual abuse can also affect pastors, and why it may be hard for people in close-knit communities to realize the unhealthy state of their church’s leadership. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen Follow our guest on Twitter: Lisa Oakley Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

Transcribed highlights of the show can be found in our episode summaries. When did we forget God? It’s a provocative question. And it’s the name of outgoing Christianity Today editor in chief Mark Galli’s latest book. After years working in this world, Galli believes that evangelical Christians’ strong suit today is the love of neighbor be it prayer gathering to evangelism to social justice to acts of mercy. We talk about God a lot and worship him and pray to him regularly. But on the other hand, relatively few Christians take with equal seriousness the command to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. If we do talk about the love of God, it is said that we love God by loving our neighbor. True enough, but that is hardly a complete answer, nor one that would have satisfied Christians of other eras. So what would look like to love God with this sort of passionate and all encompassing fury today? Or, to put it in classical terms, what it looks like to strive to behold the beatific vision, that is, the vision of God himself, a striving driven by an unswerving desire to know God intimately, face to face, and thus to love him with earthly and heavenly intensity? For his last Quick to Listen episode Galli digital media producer Morgan Lee spoke with Hans Boersma, the author of Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition, to discuss would look like to love God with passionate and all-encompassing fury today and what difference this move might make in our lives and in the world around us. What is Quick to Listen? Read more Subscribe to Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our host on Twitter: Morgan Lee Subscribe to Mark’s newsletter: The Galli Report Visit Hans Boersma’s website Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder The transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola

What if I could train myself to stop focusing on my circumstances rather than the Lord? Kristian Stanfill's song "Always" reminds us of the greatness of our God as compared to the trouble that may surround us. David's Psalm 3 offers this same option. Let's explore it together. On this episode I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: Writing in your Bible Annotating Making observations Making a list Consult and outside resource Listen/Read in a variety of translations Share with a friend! Following the cross references How the first verse of the song leads us to the first verse of Psalm 3 Copying and pasting the Psalm into a word processing document in order to print out and annotate Annotating - marking up a text to indicate places of importance or something you don't understand, thereby increasing deeper understanding Bracketing the Psalm Psalm 3:1-2 - Looking at circumstances Psalm 3:3-4 - Refocusing on God Psalm 3:5-6 - Resulting in rest and peace Psalm 3:7 - A request Psalm 3:8 - A declaration Following the cross reference to 2 Samuel 13-18 to read about David and Absalom - the inspiration for David to write this psalm in the first place   Additional Resources The story behind the song "Always" by Kristian Stanfill - New Release Today Article Lyrics - KLove Chords and lyrics - Worship Together This Week's Challenge Read Psalm 3 for yourself. Make your own observations and identify your own patterns in this song of lament. David offers us an example of sincere faith we can follow in the midst of troubling times. Let this Psalm change your prayers and remind you of the rest and peace offered by our Deliverer.

Alternate title: Values, Alignment, and Customer Questions Marketing is about aligning your product or service with the values of your customers, then helping them overcome the objections they might have about purchasing the product or service. There are three steps to start overcoming your potential customers' objections: Align your product or service with values Align those values with the right customers Answer the most common questions that come up between the first contact with your brand, and the point of sale Links: Pyramid of values HBR article on the elements of value --- Does trying to grow and market your social enterprise overwhelm you? Strategy Made Simple offers coaching to help social entrepreneurs develop marketing systems so they can market with confidence and grow their impact. For more information, please email Matthew@StrategyMadeSimple.ca   Get Podcast and Blog updates Do you have any comments about this episode? Please tweet @MatthewRempel and I will respond as soon as possible. Listen/Read on StrategyMadeSimple.ca Strategy Made Simple: Keep it Simple

Season 5 of The Simple Sophisticate podcast kicked off earlier this year in September. Just prior to beginning, I shared the schedule of the season (see below) so that listeners would know for sure which Mondays they could tune in to find new and inspiring content. But I must admit, as today approached, it was odd not to offer listeners something to begin their week (as only two new episodes were scheduled in December), so I have decided for the remaining three Mondays of 2018, to share with you the top downloaded episodes from previous seasons. Today, one of the top episodes from season #1 is shared - episode #23: The French Way - 20 Ways to Create a Luxurious Everyday. This particular episode was not only one of the top five episodes downloaded on iTunes during our first season, but it has since been viewed 7K+ on YouTube. You can view the complete list and links mentioned during the episode here, and as an update to the season's schedule, I will be airing a brand new episode of the podcast on TUESDAY January 1st! After all, it is the beginning of a new year, and I couldn't wait until the 7th to kick off the new month. So that means, you will have a top episode from the archives airing on Monday December 31st and the next day, Tuesday January 1st - a brand new episode to inspire you as you step into the new year. Wishing you a wonderful penultimate week before we say adieu to 2018. ~View the SHOW NOTES of EPISODE #23 (originally posted in February 2015) ~Listen/Read the Top podcast episode of all-time here - The 8 Pillars of A Simply Luxurious Life, episode #1 ~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #238 ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify

It’s been a bloody year in the Central African Republic. Two months ago, a massacre claimed the lives of dozens of people in the country after suspected Islamist rebels attacked a group of civilians. The massacre was just the latest in a wave of violence for the country of 4.5 million. At the beginning of this year, the CAR’s capital had been considered a safe haven in the war-torn country. It was the only place the government claimed control, as three-quarters of the landlocked nation is occupied by armed groups. But since the spring, the country has witnessed an upsurge of violence, notably with attacks targeting churches and church leaders in the capital city, Bangui, and Bambari, another important city in the country. Four Catholic priests were targeted, with three of them killed in separate Islamist attacks. In response to the violence from the past couple years, a militia composed primarily of Christians has also committed atrocities against Muslims. But the unrest hasn’t divided the church, says Paul Mpindi, the director of Mission French Africa; a radio ministry that focuses on evangelism, discipleship, and stewardship in French-speaking Africa. “I’m so thankful for the Catholic Church and Protestant church because they are working together,” said Mpindi. “The bishop there has been at the forefront of the peace transition, helping the government, helping the rebels, and working with the Muslims.” Mpindi joined associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli on Quick to Listen to discuss why violence is once again on the upswing, who really makes up the country’s “Christian militia,” and what it will take for peace to prevail in the country. This podcast is brought to you in part by Christianbook.com, a huge selection of Christian books, Bibles, gifts, music, and more. This episode of Quick to Listen is brought to you by Kingdom At Work, a movement that seeks to inspire, equip, and ignite leaders to advance God’s kingdom through their influence in the marketplace. To attend one of their workshops or learn more, visit KingdomAtWork.com. What is “Quick to Listen”? Read more Subscribe to Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Twitter Follow our host on Twitter: Morgan Lee Follow our guest’s website: Mission French Africa Subscribe to Mark’s newsletter: The Galli Report Music by Sweeps Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee, Richard Clark, and Cray Allred

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #218 ~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify “A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.” ― Erasmus While traveling during the past four weeks in France, I found that I was finally able to default in conversation to a handful of expressions to, on the most basic level, demonstrate I comprehended what was being said - bien sur, absolutement, parfait, ouai, je comprends, merci, de rein, à demain. Again, as you can see, a very basic level. But, there was no longer a pause before I spoke whenever any of these words or phrases was warranted. My mind no longer had to think, I just spoke.  In this instance, I was tickled. Finally, an aspect of the French language, after many years of sporadic studying, was becoming a default in my brain. A muscle had been strengthened to the point of habit. But, again, my responses were basic, simple, surface. "Doubt the default." When I heard Adam Grant utter this simple, concise, alliterative statement in his TED Talk about original thinkers, my attention was captured. It happened three years ago upon arriving in Bend and moving into my new home that I ran into a new neighbor. The circumstances were we didn't know each other, simply put, and I uttered in conversation with this perfect stranger, "trust me, I understand what you mean." At the time, I didn't think about that phrase before I said it, I didn't really consider the weight of such words - "trust me", I just said it out of habit. Default. And I wouldn't have even reflected upon this fact had the woman engaging me in conversation not said, "I don't know you to trust you." The topic of our conversation was about our dogs, but the truth was, she didn't know me, and she was fully present in the conversation. While I thought I was, the words I chose said otherwise. Ever since this conversation, I have thought carefully about what I say in conversations out of habit, filler, silence-enders, space holders. I have done my best to eliminate words such as "like" from my informal speech after I recognized how many times I would say it when, had you asked me, I would have guessed the word never entered into my syntax. Aside from the words I chose,  I began to dive into my living habits, my thinking patterns, and it was with my trip to France that I recognized many cultural defaults as well that I had not even considered addressing. Quickly, another word for "default" is a habit. By definition, a habit is something that frees our mind up to focus on other tasks. So as long as the habit is helpful and contributes to the quality of the life we desire, a habit is a very good thing. Selecting water as your drink of choice, looking for the positive, smiling instead of frowning, wearing the same uniform to work to eliminate wasting time in the morning - all very helpful habits. But habits, defaults, can also be hindering our ability to live a better life, a more thoughtful life, a more engaging life, especially when we don't even realize we have these unhelpful defaults. Below I'd like to share with you a list of potential defaults already in your life inspired by what I saw, experienced as well as caught myself doing without thinking. 1. Not taking a grocery tote into the market In France, when you go to a supermarket, they will not provide you for free with a plastic or paper bag to place your groceries. If you, as I did on my first occasion, do not bring in your canvas tote, market tote, or anything to carry your groceries, you will have to pay for their grocery bags (ones you can use on your next visit). The price was quite small - ten centimes - but it caught my attention immediately. A good habit could easily become ingrained in my memory of bringing a grocery tote to the store if I knew I would have to pay for a new bag each time I shopped throughout the week. (In one instance, I simply placed all of my groceries into my tote - handbag; and I also saw many people bringing their market baskets to the brick and mortar stores as well - multi-purpose.) 2. Expressing a negative energy during first impressions When I travel, I love to listen. When I listen, I am better able to observe, and it also enables me to see more clearly, and more accurately, someone's true nature. What do I mean by this? Having had the opportunity to meet many people from all different walks of life, it was often the first impression that upon reflection was the most accurate to their true disposition. When we don't know someone, and the environment is safe, what is your first reaction when you meet them? Most of the people I met expressed warmth which made those few who did not stick out like a sore thumb. Because it is the first impression, their negative or positive energy has little or nothing to do with me, and much more to do with where they are in their life at that moment. 3. Driving faster than necessary Driving on the roads in France, the country roads, the autoroutes and everywhere in between, it became quickly apparent that most French drivers drove the speed limit. I later had a conversation with Sharon Santoni about the laws of the road and my observation, and once she explained the drivers' point system (each Euro driver begins with 12 points and they can be lost for speeding (automatic surveillance along the roads), using a cell phone, etc.), it became clear as to why the pace of the roadways felt very civilized. No matter where in the world you drive, it would be interesting to consider the defaults you adhere to when you are behind the wheel. What is deemed acceptable, what is not? Buckling up - good. Glancing at your cell phone - bad. Driving a manual car during my entire trip which was something I am accustomed to, but my current car for the past four years here in the states is not a stick, upon arriving home, my left foot automatically began looking for the clutch without success. My brain had defaulted in four short weeks to expecting to use a clutch. This is good news. Not only can we change the defaults that are not helping us, but they can be  "reprogrammed" quite quickly with frequent, repeated practice. 4. Not greeting the shop keeper, artisan, taxi driver, etc. The many travel writers and travelers of the world, have done a magnificent job of sharing the importance of saying "bonjour" if one is in France, but in nearly every other country in the world as well, upon entering any business, vendor, etc. in order to begin to set a cordial tone. From time to time, I would notice a traveler, in my case, I zoomed in on Americans, but that's not to say other world citizens don't make the same mistake as well, immediately begin making an inquiry of the proprietor without extending a salutation. And while often, the staff would attempt to help them, an opportunity to build a better rapport was missed. I began thinking about this simple habit of focusing first on the human connection before homing in on the task which brought us to the store, market, etc. The difference is there are feelings and emotions involved that must be considered when we choose to first focus on making a human connection. And when we do this, we are being present. No, we do not know how the interaction will go, but the chances that it will go well are greatly increased. 5. Assuming a market will always be open I quickly learned that I needed to plan my grocery shopping well before my stomach became hungry. While this detail was something I remembered from my previous trips, staying in vacation rentals, I usually wanted to cook my own meals, so making sure a market of some sort was open (restaurants are usually opened each day of the week for at least lunch and dinner) was a shift from my approach in the states. In the states, if I have forgotten an ingredient for dinner on a Sunday, I don't think twice about heading to the market for a quick pick up. Having to know in some capacity that I had what I needed for my meals in advance also enabled me to just relax and enjoy a leisurely Sunday or any afternoon during the week as the outdoor markets wrapped up around 1pm and most restaurants in the small towns shut down between lunch and dinner. 6. Eating the same food year round In Provence, the melons were nearing their peak ripeness, but green asparagus season was all but over. White beans were a treasure to be purchased and savored during these months strawberries were to indulge upon like candy. However, if I were to return in November, as most of the markets are opened year-round, I would see completely different selections. Now, we know the seasons offer different fruits and vegetables, even seafood, but it can sometimes become easy to forget when we shop in a supermarket and only stick to the same food each trip. The appreciation for the food that only comes once a year is something we can celebrate in our cooking as we dine on the rich flavors. In so doing, we actually do help our waistline as we become satiated more quickly and do not overeat as we are eating real food with natural, wonderful flavor. 7. Perfect and impersonal The idea of a perfect home, a perfect outfit, perfect hair, a perfect life, as we know is a futile pursuit. And to this point, most intensely, it was the decor that woke me up throughout this trip as I appreciated the signature touches made available by the treasures one can find at the many brocante markets. Now this is not to say, one cannot decorate a home outside of France without the access to brocantes. Absolutely not, but what I think is tempting is to make everything look ideal immediately in our homes - paintings, furniture, tabletop vignettes, etc. And as Sharon Santoni and I were talking, a beautiful home that is the sanctuary for the inhabitants is one that has layers of unique and thoughtful decor choices, and these layers take time. When I stepped foot onto Sharon's property, enjoyed meals with her family, and stayed in her guest cottage, it was immediately clear that they lived there. I couldn't purchase her decor details", but I could be inspired by them because it was more than the things, it was the stories that came with them. 8. Speedy and surface conversations As I shared at the beginning of my post, it can be easy to say certain catch phrases without really thinking about what the words themselves mean. While idioms exist in every culture, sayings that mean more than what they are literally saying, it's not the idioms I am talking about here. When we are in a different culture that asks of us to reach beyond the language we are most comfortable with, often the conversation can be slow. While this may be frustrating as we want to talk quickly like locals, it shows thoughtful care. We want to make sure what we wish to say is said and not something that will offend or confuse.  I find that sometimes in conversations we say more words than our necessary. Just as in every other arena of our lives, quality over quantity. When we choose our words carefully, we can say so much more. Excessive use of superlatives (best, largest, toughest, most amazing, prettiest) waters down the actual compliment if all you use are superlatives for something you either love or loathe. Precise words and thoughtful timing of when we engage in conversation, demonstrates we are listening, we care and we are trying to understand. 9. Drama is necessary and thus inevitable Initially, it was my lack of access to the regular news sources I look to or listen to on a typical day when I am in the states that made me realize that I had been accepting the noise of problems, clashes and pain as normal. But even with the shows and books we read, we can come to expect, even look for, the clash, the conflict, the drama, that must be there somewhere. The truth is, often things to work out. In fact, it is human nature biologically to remember the instances that didn't work out more readily than the times that did for survival. But when we accept this biology, we ignore that when we are aware of why this happens, we can shift our expectations, our reactions and instead rest more easy, enjoy the steady, even balance of our lives that go well quite often. Why look for the drama when it truly doesn't need to be there? 10. Assuming an incapability I can't travel alone. I can't drive in another country. I can't live without [insert something that you cannot travel with]. Often when we travel we discover something, if not many, things about ourselves we were not consciously aware of. Many of these discoveries are awesome, exciting bits of information that awakens us to our best selves, but sometimes we discover that we have been limiting ourselves unnecessarily. If our default in our minds is "I can't" instead of even just "I'll give it a shot" when a new task or new experience is placed in front of us, we may miss out on the most beautiful London plane trees lined country roads in France (see below), or meeting Walter Wells (I ended up after attempting to walk to class at Patricia Wells' cooking class the first night, getting lost, and ended up calling Walter who came and found me and picked me up in his car to take me to their property for dinner - we had a lovely conversation). We often sell ourselves short regarding what we are truly capable of doing, and we especially do so when our default setting is immediately "I can't". Yes, you can. You may have to do a bit more homework, save a bit more money, or have some patience, but "I can't" is often more an expression of hoping that we could so badly but we just don't know how. "Default choices often remain unchanged for no reason other than being the default, either because of this lack of information or humans' status quo bias." —Marvin Ammori Adam Grant was right, we should doubt our defaults because when we don't we are either living unconsciously or not living as full of a life as we could if only we had more information to make different choices and take different actions. Kristin Armstrong states it frankly, "We either live with intention or exist by default." When we live with intention, we are living well. We may not have success on our first attempts at speaking differently, acting differently or engaging differently, but we are doing it out of a conscious choice to live more authentically, thoughtfully and more engaged with the world we are living. While traveling to France made this concept of living with defaults quite glaring to me, we don't have to travel outside of even our own town to know that we may have defaults that are not serving us or defaults that are limiting our full potential whether it be in our appreciation of life, our relationships, even our success at work. All it takes is a choice to reflect and ponder, why do I greet people the way I do? Is that the energy I want to extend? If so, that's awesome, but if you recognize you want to make a change, you can do that too. When we doubt the default, we are choosing to be selective about the habits we allow to be habits in our lives. It's when we do not know we have these habits that we step on our own toes, so to speak, and trip ourselves up without realizing we are the ones slowing our progress down. And that is great news, we each have the skills and the opportunity to stop tripping and start striding into the life we love living. ~SIMILAR POSTS/EPISODES YOU MIGHT ENJOY: ~20 Ways to Live Like a Parisian, episode #127 ~15 Everyday Habits to Live a Life of Contentment, episode #93 ~Why Not . . . Live a Life of Quality? ~Listen/Read more French-Inspired podcast episodes here. ~Learn more and subscribe to TSLL's weekly newsletter here. Petit Plaisir: ~Filt shopping bags (made in Normandy, France) more colors here and here A net and rope company based in Caen, France, since 1855 with a goal of creating environmentally-friendly products.   ~Sponsor of today's episode: Lola  Use promo code SOPHISTICATE to save 40% off all subscriptions

This is now our third and last episode in our series on work.  We’ve talked about the Christian work ethic and honorable work (i.e., what sorts of jobs Christians should shoot for as well as avoid) and now today we are talking about work’s opposite: rest.  This is a really important topic to consider.  Listen Read more about Off Script 11: Resting from Work[…]

This is now our third and last episode in our series on work.  We’ve talked about the Christian work ethic and honorable work (i.e., what sorts of jobs Christians should shoot for as well as avoid) and now today we are talking about work’s opposite: rest.  This is a really important topic to consider.  Listen Read more about Off Script 11: Resting from Work[…]

Have you been meaning to watch old holiday film classics but never get around to it? Or are you just as disturbed as we are by some of the mid-century Christmas TV programming (looking at you, Rudolph)? In Episode 31 Meagan and Sarah talk about our favorite - and not-so-much - holiday movies, TV, books, and music. Join us!

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