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"Be glad of your human heart....Pity those who don't feel anything at all.” What if the meteoric rise of the romantasy genre isn't about fae courts and dragon riders—but about our deepest and most human longings? Romantasy has taken the publishing world by storm. While some dismiss these stories as escapist fantasy, we believe their deeper power lies in how they illuminate the human heart. In this series on the alchemy of romantasy, we explore the mythic and psychological currents running through books like A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing. Through the lenses of Jung and the Hero's (and Heroine's) Journey, we examine the desire to individuate, to be truly seen, to claim inner sovereignty, to find belonging, security, and freedom—and to join with a soulmate who honors the self we are becoming. Join us as we ask why these stories resonate so profoundly right now, and what they reveal about who we are. References: Books & Series A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros Psychology & Myth Enneagram 4 type Jung & the collective unconscious The Hero's Journey – Joseph Campbell Pop Culture Moana Frozen Monica Lewinsky's podcast Related Gathering Gold Episodes Escape Hatch Fantasies What Could Have Been You Do Not Have to Be Good Bonus: Books that Changed Us Join us on Patreon for bonus content and virtual gatherings: patreon.com/gatheringgold Some of our recent bonus episodes include: What Sheryl Forgot and Victoria's Experiment | The Slipstream of Time | Give and Receiving - Shudder - Feedback | The Problem with Pedestals | Are Intrusive Thoughts like Stray Cats?
Jann Arden welcomes back friend of the show (and friend in real life), Cynthia Loyst, co-host of CTV's The Social, a renowned author and sex educator ahead of Valentine's Day! They discuss the importance of female friendships, attachment styles, the dynamics of relationships, the emerging trend of living apart, and how to prioritize pleasure and desire. Cynthia shares insights on navigating desire and burnout in long-term relationships, the pressures surrounding Valentine's Day, and the importance of understanding love languages in relationships. More About Cynthia Loyst: Cynthia Loyst is a National Bestselling Author, Producer, Television Host, and self-described “Professional Sensualist.” She is also the creator of FindYourPleasure.com, a popular online destination that celebrates decadence, indulgence and pure, unadulterated joy. Throughout her award-winning career, Cynthia has become one of Canada's most recognized and respected TV personalities and producers. Co-hosting CTV's most watched daytime talk show, The Social, Cynthia shares her fresh and genuine views to help people learn to appreciate life and all the pleasures it brings. Cynthia also hosts a fan-favourite podcast with Josie Dye called Cynthia and Josie's Unmentionables, where they discuss the delicious, messy and sexy topics that we all have questions about, but are afraid to ask. Cynthia is also a sought-after public speaker and relationship advice columnist. She has contributed to the likes of Elle Canada, Working Mother Magazine, and more. Website: www.findyourpleasure.com www.cynthiaandjosie.com Resources: https://findyourpleasure.com/mapping-your-pleasure/ https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Come-As-You-Are-Revised-and-Updated/Emily-Nagoski/9781982165314 https://thework.com/2017/10/four-liberating-questions/ #ASKJANN - want some life advice from Jann? Send in a story with a DM or on our website. Leave us a voicenote! www.jannardenpod.com/voicemail/ Get access to bonus content and more on Patreon: www.patreon.com/JannArdenPod Connect with us: www.jannardenpod.com www.instagram.com/jannardenpod www.facebook.com/jannardenpod Chapters (00:00) Introduction to Cynthia Loyst (02:24) The Importance of Female Friendships (05:04) Understanding Attachment Styles (10:06) Navigating Relationships and Personal Growth (14:00) The Role of Timing in Relationships (19:44) Living Apart Together: A New Relationship Model (24:45) Exploring Pleasure and Self-Care (28:44) Desire and Burnout in Long-Term Relationships (30:54) The Impact of 'Heated Rivalry' on Canadian Culture (32:51) Navigating Valentine's Day Pressures (39:28) Personal Love Languages and Meaningful Gestures (41:39) Rediscovering Intimacy and Longing in Relationships (45:12) Managing Anxiety Around Valentine's Day Expectations (45:58) Navigating Anxiety with Four Questions (47:58) The Nature of Worry and Its Impact (48:47) The Importance of Friendships in Relationships (50:12) Understanding Low Sex Drive in Relationships (53:05) Breaking Patterns from Parental Relationships (55:00) Voice Notes and Listener Engagement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Now & Then… Again, Wendy VanderWal Martin sits down with Matthew Vaccaro, a Divinity student, youth minister, and member of the Henri Nouwen Society's 30 Under 30 cohort. Matthew reflects on his journey from an anxiety-filled rapture theology to the spacious, compassionate spirituality of Henri Nouwen. Together, they explore loneliness, community, Gen Z's exhaustion with productivity culture, and the healing power of rest, ritual, and belovedness—offering a hopeful vision of what it means to find “home” in a wounded world. ___________ Resources & Links 2026 Conference Website - https://www.conference.henrinouwen.org/ Sponsor 30 under 30 https://www.henrinouwen.org/give https://www.retreathousecommunity.org/ https://www.gilmont.org/ Book Discussed: Reaching Out https://amzn.to/37BuyjZ (US) https://amzn.to/2AxxCBJ (CAD) ___________ SUPPORT THIS PODCAST: henrinouwen.org/donate/ SIGN UP FOR FREE DAILY E-MEDITATIONS: henrinouwen.org/meditation/ MORE FREE RESOURCES: henrinouwen.org/ FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/henrinouwensociety/ FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/nouwensociety/
Wake Me Up - Guided morning mindfulness, meditation, and motivation
A guided meditation to find the self love that you've always been longing for. Heal old wounds, move on from the past, and learn to love yourself deeper and better by repeating this practice daily. #meditation #guidedmeditation #selflove Check out the Wake Me Up Positivity Coach app: http://studio.com/wakemeup. You get: Full Access to the WMU catalog; a personal growth plan based on my guidance and coaching; simple, daily tasks (5-10 minutes a day) to guide you through your own personal transformation; your plan evolves with you as you and your life change. It's the most effective way to digest the content in Wake Me Up for creating personal change! Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Grab a 7-day free trial of Wake Me Up premium: https://goodpeoplestuff.supercast.com/ About Wake Me Up Wake Me Up is the # 1 guided morning routine podcast. Our guided morning wake ups offer affirmations, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and motivation specifically designed to help you get out of bed and start your day with a positive mindset. Stop pressing the snooze button all morning long, and turn on an episode of Wake Me Up instead. You will be happier and more successful at everything in life because of it! Try out our different kinds of episodes to see what you like. And add it into your morning routine every day. Each day, you will be happier than the day before :) Check out my sleep meditation podcast, Sleep Escape on Apple Podcasts - Amazon Music - Spotify - Youtube I make this channel to serve you. Part of that is creating tools like journals and courses to dive deeper into certain topics, all of which you can find here: https://stan.store/goodpplstuff Follow Wake Me Up on Youtube - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Amazon - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day
Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 612: Springfield Haitian Situation Update This week's episode of Voices in My Head is a little different from what was planned. The scheduled interview has been rescheduled for next week, so I will use this time to share updates from my hometown of Springfield, Ohio. Over the past several weeks, our community has faced growing tension and fear surrounding Haitian neighbors living here under Temporary Protected Status. As a hospital chaplain, church member, and resident of this community, I share personal reflections on what I have witnessed firsthand — the faith, hard work, and humanity of people who came here seeking safety, and the anxiety many are now experiencing as uncertainty and hostility have grown. This episode is a pastoral reflection and a call to prayer, compassion, and remembrance, reminding us that behind every headline are real people made in the image of God. Connect with Rick Lee James Website: RickLeeJames.com Music & merch: search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform Subscribe, rate, and review Voices in My Head wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted by: Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast Get the Audiobook, Out of the Depths: A Songwriter's Journey Through the Psalms by your host, Rick Lee James, on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0F45G6KWH?qid=1744142727&sr=1-1&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=KEDVV78ASDMS52WQFD7W&plink=3YmaWg4y0HJ0Cjfc&pageLoadId=IaamycyuJR519uYD&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1%20 ----more---- Don't forget about our music sale on Bandcamp. Use the code “10off” on RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com to get 10% off your purchase. Blessings, Rick Lee James Email: Rick@RickLeeJames.com Don't forget about our music sale on Bandcamp. Use the code “10off” on RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com to get 10% off your purchase. Blessings, Rick Lee James Email: Rick@RickLeeJames.com Blessings, Rick Lee James Get the new song - Whatever You Do VINYL SALE THUNDER by Rick Lee James ONLY $9.99. (Plus you get a free digital download of the album) VINYL SALE - “KEEP WATCH, DEAR LORD” BY RICK LEE JAMES
Summary In this milestone episode celebrating two years of the Human Intimacy Podcast, Dr. Kevin Skinner and MaryAnn Michaelis explore one of the most meaningful — and often misunderstood — dimensions of connection: physical and sexual intimacy. Many relationships struggle in this area, especially when trust has been disrupted or when couples have never learned how to build intimacy from a strong psychological and emotional foundation. Rather than viewing sexuality as the starting point of connection, Dr. Skinner and MaryAnn explain why healthy relationships are built from the ground up — with safety, communication, emotional closeness, and trust forming the base. Listeners will learn why touch is a core human need across the lifespan, how the body responds to healthy connection, and why confusion often arises when partners attach different meanings to physical contact. The conversation also addresses the impact of betrayal, trauma, body image concerns, sensory sensitivity, and internalized shame — all of which can influence how safe or unsafe touch feels. Dr. Skinner introduces the concept of discovering your resistance, inviting listeners to notice what happens internally when they experience or anticipate physical touch. Is there comfort? Anxiety? Fear? Longing? Awareness is the first step toward rebuilding intimacy. The episode also emphasizes the importance of consent, compassionate communication, and pacing. For many couples, healing may begin by temporarily removing sexual expectations and returning to simple, non-sexual forms of connection such as holding hands, hugging, or sitting close together. When emotional, psychological, and relational intimacy are strengthened, sexual intimacy becomes less confusing and more connecting — allowing couples to experience the bonding power of vulnerability, presence, and trust. Whether you are rebuilding after betrayal or simply seeking a deeper connection, this episode offers a thoughtful roadmap toward creating safety in touch and rediscovering the beauty of being fully seen, accepted, and loved. Resources Human Intimacy Conference (March 13–14, 2026) Join Dr. Kevin Skinner, MaryAnn Michaelis, and leading experts for two days of live teaching focused on healing from betrayal and strengthening relationships. Register at: bit.ly/humanintimacy Use coupon code 30OFF for a discount. Human Intimacy YouTube Channel Watch full podcast episodes and access additional relationship resources: youtube.com/@human-intimacy Related Episodes Episode 22: Exploring Sexuality — Navigating the Line Between Healthy and Unhealthy Behaviors Episode 65: Consent, Communication, and the Core of Intimacy Books & Educational Resources Treating Trauma from Sexual Betrayal — Dr. Kevin Skinner The Intimacy Pyramid & Seven Types of Intimacy teachings HumanIntimacy.com for courses, assessments, and relationship tools
Pastor Dan Burrell continues in our series through the book of 1 Peter with a sermon based out of 1 Peter 2:13-17 that is focused on respecting authority, fearing God, and honoring those around us.
Have you ever found yourself caught in a whirlwind of infatuation, unable to discern between love and obsession? In this conversation, Dr. Alexandra and journalist and author Amanda McCracken discuss limerence, a state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings. Drawing from her compelling new book, When Longing Becomes Your Lover, Amanda shares her personal journey through the complexities of limerence, shedding light on how modern dating practices and social media amplify this intense emotional state. Beyond the macro/cultural factors, you will hear about the individual risk factors that can lead to patterns of limerence, such as painful early experiences and certain neuro-wirings/diagnoses, like ADHD and autism. You will also hear about how Amanda approached healing from her limerent patterns and opened herself up to a healthy, reciprocal intimate partnership.Resources worth mentioning from the episode:When Longing Becomes Your Lover: Breaking from Infatuation, Rejection, and Perfectionism to Find Authentic Love: A True Story of Overcoming Limerence by Amanda McCracken https://bookshop.org/p/books/when-longing-becomes-your-lover-breaking-from-infatuation-rejection-and-perfectionism-to-find-authentic-love-a-true-story-of-overcoming-limerence-a/ef0e30a5bd30e10b?aid=116429&ean=9781546008538&listref=2026-most-anticipated-memoirs-and-essay-collections&next=tLearn more about Amanda McCracken: https://www.amandajmccracken.com/Follow Amanda McCracken on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thelonginglabListen to The Longing Lab Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-longing-lab/id1606581375Dr. Tom Bellamy's Living With Limerence: https://livingwithlimerence.com/about/Reimagining Love episode Crushes, First Love, and Heartbreak: Supporting Teens Through Relationship Milestones with Lisa A. Phillips https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crushes-first-love-and-heartbreak-supporting-teens/id1588419386?i=1000704425459&l=ruContinue the conversation with Dr. Alexandra Solomon:Ask a question! Submit your relationship challenge: https://form.jotform.com/212295995939274Access Resources, like quizzes and courses: https://www.dralexandrasolomon.com/resourcesOrder Dr. Alexandra's book, Love Every Day: https://bookshop.org/p/books/love-every-day-365-relational-self-awareness-practices-to-help-your-relationship-heal-grow-and-thrive-alexandra-solomon/19970421?ean=9781683736530Cultivate connection by subscribing to Dr. Alexandra's Loving Bravely newsletter: https://newsletter.dralexandrasolomon.com/Learn more on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexandra.solomon/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What if the high you're chasing isn't love at all, but the thrill of uncertainty? On pub day, we sit down with author Amanda McCracken to unpack limerence (the obsessive, anxious fixation that can masquerade as romance) and how naming the pattern helped her trade fantasy for reciprocity. We connect the dots between anxious-avoidant dynamics, social media ambiguity, and the dopamine hit of anticipation that keeps us hooked on “what if.” Amanda shares how purity culture shaped her choices, why “safe” once felt boring, and how a later-in-life ADHD diagnosis helped things click. If you've ever been caught up in breadcrumbing, ghosting, or the mental movie of an idealized other, this episode offers a clear path forward. You'll learn how to spot limerence, interrupt the rumination loop, and build self-compassion so you can trust your choices and choose people who choose you back. Plus, Amanda shares more about her podcast The Longing Lab. Listen, share with a friend who's ready for healthier love, and if this resonated, subscribe and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the show:On Patreon Buy us a book Buy cute merch Subscribe to the Babes in Bookland SubstackIf you have any comments or questions, please connect with me on Instagram or email babesinbooklandpodcast@gmail.com. I'd love to hear your suggestions and feedback!Link to this episode's book:When Longing Becomes Your Lover by Amanda McCrackenOther links:The Longing Lab PodcastThe Peace BoatThis episode is produced, recorded, and edited by me. Special thanks to my new friend, Amanda. Xx, AlexConnect with us and suggest a great memoir!Follow us on instagram! @babesinbooklandpod
Pastor Darren picks up his sermon series from the fall season, Longing, and takes us into the Judgement Seat of Christ and how this event isn't something we should be fearful of, but something we should be longing for. Thank you for listening to our podcast! We hope you have been encouraged today.Check us out on social media, or to learn more, you can visit our website at www.freedomcanyon.com.
Dive in to all kinds of Bucs chatter on The Sage's podcast. The wisdom and fun of Ira and Joe is presented by Bill Currie Ford. Click play above or listen at Apple Podcasts or Podbean.com. Many other platforms, too, including iHeartRadio. A […] The post Talking Bucs On Super Bowl Radio Row, New Hire, Today's Lessons, Chris Godwin Longing(?), And More appeared first on JoeBucsFan.com.
Lord's Day Worship Service
Song List:1- When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder2- He Set Me Free3- Jesus Spoke to Me4- He's My King5- I'm Longing for Home- Bro. Chris, Bro. Wayne, Sis. Vanessa, Sis. MarilynMessage: Bro. Daniel TidwellScripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16Invitation- Breathe on Me
In this short solo episode Mark shares a "Rambling Reflection From The Road" while at Superstars Writing Seminars talking about the important signals that seemed to come at the right time: Your feelings are valid Your opinions matter You are irreplaceable Your best is enough It's okay to take a break You are loved Links of Interest: EP 459 - Creating Experiences in Art and Story with Tanya Hales Superstars Writing Seminars James A. - Everything is Signal Stark Reflections on Pushing for Better (Team Landing Page) CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Mental Health Meter What's Your Stress Index? Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Al, Zach, John Luke, and Christian wrestle with why intimacy feels so difficult for American men—both with God and in marriage. Following along with C.S. Lewis's Surprised by Joy, they explore how knowledge alone can't produce real closeness, and why desire and longing shape the way men actually live. The guys challenge the idea that faith is about mastering concepts instead of participating in a relationship. They point toward a hopeful vision of intimacy that isn't forced or performed, but rediscovered through joy, presence, and learning to live inside God's story rather than observing it from a distance. Today's conversation is about Lesson 3-4 of C.S. Lewis on Christianity taught by visiting Hillsdale professor Michael Ward. Take the course with us at no cost to you! Sign up at http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/. More about C.S. Lewis on Christianity: Encounter the faith & wisdom of C.S. Lewis C.S. Lewis's writings bring the great questions of the Christian faith to life. Through his imaginative and invigorating style, Lewis answers these questions in ways that are compelling to those outside Christianity and energizing to those within the Christian faith. In this free, seven-lecture course, Professor Michael Ward—a leading scholar of C.S. Lewis—will explore Lewis's: argument for objective moral value in response to the rise of modern subjectivism; bittersweet path to conversion and the role of enjoyment in the Christian life; advice regarding the proper way to pray and read the Bible; teachings concerning the purpose of pain and how to confront suffering and loss; insights about the nature of heaven and hell. This course examines these fundamental topics not only through his classic works—including Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Abolition of Man—but also through Lewis's personal experiences with doubt, conversion, suffering, grief, and joy. Through this course, students will discover Lewis's core lessons regarding the truth and goodness of the Christian faith and how to apply those lessons to one's life. Join us today in discovering C.S. Lewis's enduring lessons about the meaning and practice of Christianity. Sign up at http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Chapters: 00:00 Why This C.S. Lewis Lecture Is Tough 03:02 When the Philosophy Gets Heavy 06:42 The Inklings & Writing Under Critique 11:06 Why Lewis's Conversion Feels Underwhelming 15:26 Conversion Isn't Always a Moment 20:08 Why Desire Drives Our Actions 25:26 The Beam of Light Explained 31:12 Joy as Longing, Not Satisfaction 36:58 From Holding the Garden to Living in It 42:26 Conversion as Intimacy, Not Performance 47:12 Final Reflections on Living the Story — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Pastor Andy preaches a sermon from Psalm 63 about the importance of seeking after God. Message originally preached January 25, 2026.
In this episode, we explore the strange signals people use to interpret global events, from Pentagon pizza orders and satellite data to the Big Mac Index and other unconventional measures of economic reality. We examine the decline of Google search, the rise of AI-powered alternatives, and why new tools are changing how people actually find information. For the “foolishness of the week”, we detail an unfortunate incident involving a piece of World War I artillery, before turning to a broader cultural debate about nostalgia for the 1950s. With guest Andrew Heaton, we unpack myths about work, gender roles, housing, healthcare, and prosperity, comparing mid-century life to modern standards of living. Along the way, we discuss food abundance, technological progress, wage compensation, inequality, and whether people genuinely want to return to the past or simply romanticize it from a distance. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:28 Pentagon Pizza Orders and “Pizza Intelligence” 02:51 Proxy Signals, Satellite Data, and the Waffle House Index 04:25 The Big Mac Index and Measuring Cost of Living 05:00 The Decline of Google Search and Sponsored Results 07:19 Switching Search Engines and the Myth of Google Monopoly 09:54 AI Search Tools and Why They Actually Work 11:28 Foolishness of the Week: World War I Artillery Incident 13:43 How Bad Ideas Escalate at Parties 15:51 Introducing Andrew Heaton 16:39 Was the 1950s a Time or a Place? 18:43 Economic Reality vs 1950s Nostalgia 20:58 Women's Work, Household Labor, and Misleading Myths 23:56 Food Costs, Eating Out, and Modern Abundance 25:46 Medicine, Lifespan, and Why 50s Healthcare Was Worse 27:57 Housing Size, Zoning, and the Cost of Homes 30:01 Cars, Air Conditioning, and Quality of Life Improvements 31:17 Mortgage Rates and Why Housing Feels Unaffordable Now 34:02 Manufacturing, Exports, and the “We Don't Make Anything” Myth 35:35 Agricultural Productivity and Modern Farming 37:19 Food Waste as a Measure of Prosperity 37:42 Great Depression Scarcity and Generational Habits 39:59 Transportation Costs and Higher Quality Modern Vehicles 42:50 Car Safety, Seatbelts, and Survival Rates 43:42 Wages, Benefits, and What “Compensation” Really Means 45:29 What the 1950s Actually Did Better 47:52 Inequality, Community, and Social Capital in the 50s 49:44 Technology, Isolation, and Choosing Modern Life 52:05 Longing for Silence from Technology 53:18 The Mythology of Happy Days Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Voices in My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 611: Ministry Transitions: Grief and Loss Recorded live at Worship 4:24 at Cedarville University, Rick Lee James explores how ministry transitions carry real grief and loss, even when the change is good. He invites leaders to stop trying to “fix” people or rush past endings, and instead to name what has been lost, because unnamed grief often shows up in congregations as conflict, resistance, disengagement, or quiet sadness. Using Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's grief framework as a set of helpful lenses rather than a checklist, Rick walks through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, offering practical ways to recognize what might be happening beneath the surface when worship styles shift, beloved leaders leave, routines change, or familiar symbols disappear. Along the way he shares his own story of moving from decades as a worship pastor into full-time hospital chaplaincy, a faithful transition that still required honest grieving, and he grounds the conversation in biblical lament, reminding listeners that resurrection hope does not bypass Good Friday. Connect with Rick Lee James Website: RickLeeJames.com Music & merch: search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform Subscribe, rate, and review Voices in My Head wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted by: Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast Get the Audiobook, Out of the Depths: A Songwriter's Journey Through the Psalms by your host, Rick Lee James, on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0F45G6KWH?qid=1744142727&sr=1-1&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=KEDVV78ASDMS52WQFD7W&plink=3YmaWg4y0HJ0Cjfc&pageLoadId=IaamycyuJR519uYD&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1%20 ----more---- Don't forget about our music sale on Bandcamp. Use the code “10off” on RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com to get 10% off your purchase. Blessings, Rick Lee James Email: Rick@RickLeeJames.com Don't forget about our music sale on Bandcamp. Use the code “10off” on RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com to get 10% off your purchase. Blessings, Rick Lee James Email: Rick@RickLeeJames.com Blessings, Rick Lee James Get the new song - Whatever You Do VINYL SALE THUNDER by Rick Lee James ONLY $9.99. (Plus you get a free digital download of the album) VINYL SALE - “KEEP WATCH, DEAR LORD” BY RICK LEE JAMES
Mystery-Clad Being The Primal Rhythm of Being and the Heart of All Reality by Doug Scott, LCSW I. The Nature of Mystery We have just heard [previous presenter] speak beautifully about the theme of mystery. I want to build on that foundation with a particular question: What is the nature of the mystery that we are exploring? Mystery is not that which cannot be known. Mystery is that which can never be exhausted in all the ways of knowing. It is infinitely knowable—which means we can spend eternity exploring it and never arrive at complete comprehension. Not because it withholds itself from us, but because it is inexhaustible in its richness. This is a crucial distinction. Mystery is not ignorance. It is not a wall we cannot penetrate. Mystery is an ocean we can swim in forever, each stroke revealing new depths, new currents, new wonders. The fullness of mystery—what we might call gnosis—is not a destination we arrive at but a horizon that recedes as we approach, always inviting us further. Ra describes this with precise language when speaking of the fundamental rhythms of intelligent infinity: "The basic rhythms of intelligent infinity are totally without distortion of any kind. The rhythms are clothed in mystery, for they are being itself." (27.7) Clothed in mystery. Not hidden by mystery. Clothed in it—the way a body is clothed, the way we wear our appearance. Mystery is not what conceals being from us. Mystery is being, wearing its own inexhaustibility. So tonight I want to ask: If being itself is clothed in mystery, can we nonetheless discern something of its shape? Its flow? Its fundamental rhythm? Can we, while honoring the inexhaustibility, trace patterns that appear consistently across Ra's teachings—patterns that might illuminate something primal about the nature of reality itself? II. Being as Verb: Does It Have a Shape? Notice that Ra says the rhythms are being itself. Not that being has rhythms. Not that being does rhythms. The rhythms are being. This is being as verb, not as noun. Not a thing that exists, but existence itself as dynamic, self-processing oscillation. What does Ra tell us about the shape of this rhythm? In Session 27.6, we find a remarkable description: "Intelligent infinity has a rhythm, or flow, as of a giant heart beginning with the Central Sun... the presence of the flow inevitable as a tide of beingness without polarity, without finity; the vast and silent all beating outward, outward, focusing outward and inward until the focuses are complete. The intelligence or consciousness of foci have reached a state where their, shall we say, spiritual nature or mass calls them inward, inward, inward until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality." A giant heart. Beating outward, outward... then inward, inward, inward until all is coalesced. This is the shape of being itself: a circulation. Not linear progression, not random chaos, but rhythmic circulation—emanation and return, expansion and coalescence, systole and diastole. III. The Primal Desire: Joy Seeking to Know Itself But why? Why does being beat outward and then inward? What drives the circulation? Ra gives us the answer in the most fundamental teaching of all: "The Creator will know Itself" (27.8). This is the First Distortion, the primal movement from undifferentiated unity toward manifestation. Not "wants to know" as if lacking something—but will, an active, ongoing, generative drive. Here is the crucial insight: This desire is not experienced as lack. It is experienced as Joy. The Creator's desire to know Itself is not a hunger born of deficiency but a fullness seeking to express and discover itself through infinite perspectives. Joy is the fundamental affective quality of being itself. And this Joy can only be fulfilled through experience. The Creator cannot know Itself through static contemplation. Self-knowing requires circulation—going forth into differentiated expression and returning enriched by what the journey has gathered. This means experience is circulation. The going forth and the returning are not separate from experience—they are experience itself in its most fundamental form. IV. The Heart as Locus of Circulation If experience is circulation, and circulation has a pattern—outward, inward, coalescence—then we can ask: Is there a center to this circulation? Is there a locus where the three movements meet? Ra speaks directly to this in Session 82.7: "There is a center to infinity. From this center all spreads. Therefore, there are centers to the creation, to the galaxies, to star systems, to planetary systems, and to consciousness. In each case you may see growth from the center outward." A center from which all spreads. This is the ontological definition of a heart—not merely an organ that pumps blood, not merely a chakra that processes emotion, but the locus of circulation itself. Wherever being localizes—whether as universe, galaxy, star, planet, or person—there exists a heart: a center where the three forces of circulation operate. The Three Forces Outward Flow (Emanation): From the heart, energy emanates. The Original Thought—the Creator's desire to know Itself—pulses forth from this center into manifestation, seeking, exploring, differentiating. Ra speaks of the vast and silent all "beating outward, outward." Inward Flow (Return): To the heart, experience returns. The spiritual nature or mass of the foci "calls them inward, inward, inward." This is what Ra elsewhere calls "spiritual gravity"—the attractive force drawing consciousness back toward center, back toward Source. Coalescence (Integration): Within the heart, what went forth and what returns are integrated. Ra uses several terms for this: coalesced (27.6), distilled (18.5—"distilling from them the love/light within them"), and in other passages, the image of atoms finding "precise distances from each other" to "produce a lattice structure which we call crystalline" (29.23). Coalescence is not mere combination. It is integration that transforms. What went forth as seed returns as harvest. What emanated as question returns as lived answer. The heart distills, processes, and prepares the next arising. V. The Modes of Joy: Yearning, Longing, Rejoicing Now we can go deeper. The three movements—outward, inward, coalescence—are kinetic. They are movements. But what generates them? What is the affective quality that drives the circulation? I want to suggest that the three movements are responses to three prior conditions—three ontological yearnings that are themselves modes of Joy. These yearnings do not cause the movements mechanically; they are the movements in their affective dimension. Yearning (to go forth): At the primal level, yearning is not lack. It is eager desire, anticipation, the joy in becoming. The Old English giernan means "to strive, be eager, desire"—and shares roots with the Greek chaírein, "to rejoice." Yearning is rejoicing—no lack, only eager delight in the adventure about to unfold. This generates the outward flow. Longing (to return): Once consciousness has gone forth and differentiated, a new quality of desire emerges. Longing is desire stretched across the distance that experience has created. The Old English langian means literally "to grow long, to lengthen"—stretching toward what is distant. This is the memory of home pulling homeward, joy stretched toward reunion. This generates the inward flow. Rejoicing (in union): When outward and inward meet in the heart, there is consummation. Rejoicing, from the Latin gaudēre, originally meant "to possess, to enjoy possession of, to have fruition of." It is the joy of completion, of harvest gathered, of distillation accomplished. This generates coalescence and seeds the new arising. And throughout—enjoying. Being in joy. The Old French enjoir means literally "to be placed within joy, to dwell in joy." This is the medium through which the entire circulation occurs. There is no moment outside of joy, because joy is being itself in its affective dimension. VI. The Two Energies Within Us This cosmic pattern is not distant from us. Ra tells us it operates within our own energy system. In Session 49.5-6, Ra describes two types of energy operating within the mind/body/spirit complex: "The most important concept to grasp about the energy field is that the lower, or negative pole, will draw the universal energy into itself from the cosmos. Therefrom it will move upward to be met and reacted to by the positive spiraling energy moving downward from within." "Meanwhile the Creator lies within. In the north pole the crown is already upon the head and the entity is potentially a god." Two flows: one rising from below, drawing universal energy from the cosmos; one descending from within, where the Creator already dwells. The place where they meet—this is what Ra calls kundalini, "the meeting place of cosmic and inner vibratory understanding." This meeting point is our heart, in its deepest sense. The cosmic rhythm that beats through all creation beats through you. The yearning that sends energy outward, the longing that draws it back, the rejoicing where they meet—these are not metaphors. They are the actual dynamics of your being. VII. The Pattern Appears Everywhere This pattern of three forces—outward flow, inward flow, coalescence—appears throughout nature and science. Not because science "proves" metaphysics, but because the same pattern that constitutes being manifests at every scale. Physics: White holes (cosmic emanation) and black holes (cosmic return). The Big Bang as universal outward flow, gravitational collapse as universal inward flow. The strange attractor in chaos theory—which we will watch in a moment—reveals how apparent chaos organizes around a hidden center. Chemistry: Dissipative structures maintain organization through constant circulation of energy—taking in, transforming, releasing. Living systems are precisely such structures. Biology: The heartbeat itself. Systole (contraction, emanation) and diastole (relaxation, reception). Breath: inhalation drawing the world in, exhalation releasing transformed air. The cell taking nutrients in, processing, releasing waste. Psychology: Attachment theory describes the child moving out into the world (secure base), returning to the caregiver (safe haven), and being transformed by the cycle. We spend our lives circulating between independence and intimacy. Neuroscience: The brain itself can be understood as a torus on its side—two hemispheres longing for each other across the corpus callosum, which functions as both veil and bridge. The left hemisphere specializes in focused analysis; the right in holistic context. Neither is complete without the other. The longing between them is the mechanism of integrated consciousness. VIII. Strange Attractor Contemplation Watch the point move through space. It never repeats. Never traces the same path twice. And yet—it does not wander randomly. Something draws it. Something organizes its apparent chaos. This is called a strange attractor. "Attractor" because the system is drawn toward it. "Strange" because it has a shape that can never be fully occupied—the trajectory approaches infinitely close but never lands. The point spirals around one wing... then crosses to spiral around the other... then crosses back. Two centers. One circulation. The pattern never settles, never completes, never exhausts itself. Watch how each spiral tightens toward center... then releases... and is drawn across to begin again. This is what longing looks like when mapped in phase space. The memory of center draws the wandering point. Not forcing—luring. The attractor does not compel. It invites. The point is free at every moment—and at every moment, it is being called. You are watching the shape of yearning made visible. Going forth... being drawn back... crossing over... spiraling in... releasing out... and being drawn again. The outward is contained by the inward. The inward is activated by the outward. Neither exists without the other. This is circulation. This is life. Now notice: there is no visible center. You cannot see the attractor itself. You see only the response to it—the endless spiral dance of something being drawn, being lured, being loved into pattern. The attractor is known only by its effects. It is mystery-clad. Present everywhere in the system. Visible nowhere except in what it organizes. Ra said the rhythms of intelligent infinity are "clothed in mystery, for they are being itself." This is what it looks like when being wears its mystery: infinite complexity, perfect order, inexhaustible novelty—all dancing around a center that can never be possessed, only approached. Feel how this is also your life. Going forth into experience... being drawn back toward something you cannot name but cannot forget... crossing between worlds—outer and inner, manifest and hidden—spiraling closer, then releasing, then spiraling again. You have never been lost. The attractor has always been calling. Every apparently random movement was already part of the pattern—the inexhaustible pattern that clothes the Center in visible mystery. The heart beats. Outward, outward... inward, inward... until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality. --- IX. Consolation: We Are Never Alone Before we turn to practice, I want to offer something pastoral. If the cosmic rhythm is yearning-longing-rejoicing, and if this same rhythm operates in you... then your own yearning and longing are not separate from God's. Your ache to return, your restlessness for something more, your homesickness for a home you cannot quite remember—this is God's own longing operating within and through you. You are inside divine longing even as it is inside you. Whitehead called God "the fellow sufferer who understands." But it goes deeper than that. God is not watching our longing from outside. God is longing through us, with us, as us. The yearning you feel is not evidence of God's absence but of God's presence within that very yearning. This means: You are never alone. The sense of alienation—the veil's deepest effect—produces not separation itself, but the felt conviction that separation is absolute. Softening that conviction is the heart of spiritual practice. Not replacing it with certainty of connection—that would be another kind of grasping—but allowing the possibility that we are not alone, that we have never been alone, that aloneness was always appearance rather than reality. And the restlessness? The ache that never quite goes away? This is not meant to be eliminated. It is meant to be tended—like a wound that is healing, like butterfly wings that are still wet, like an infant in arms. The tender, aching place is holy ground. It is where the longing lives. And the longing is the connection. X. Feeling the Torus Within I want to share from my own personal experience, because perhaps you have this too—and if you do not, you can, because it is simply a latent sense organ. You and I have five sense organs that perceive third density space/time: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. But did you know that we also have subtle sense organs? These are latent—not often used consciously—but they do arise in us through intuitive knowing and through the empathic connections we make with others. I'd like to share that you can begin to feel a sense of circulation around you. For the past five years or so, I feel this all the time. At my core—at the heart, the central axis of my personal torus—I feel a clockwise circulation spinning within me. But there is also an outward field around me, and this outer field circulates counterclockwise. I feel it. It is my subtle skin. I feel this most acutely when I am connecting with someone else. As a counselor—or simply as a friend—when I am fully aware of what I am doing, I will intentionally extend my toroidal field and connect it with the other person. Sometimes I extend it so far that it encompasses them entirely, depending on what I feel called to do in the moment. When I do this, I essentially become the other person. We are all one self, other-selves in one body, and this is a transposition of consciousness. In the counseling moment, it is myself—Doug—who connects with my client, and then I become embodied inside of their experience. I become that person, in a sense, through the energy. Through this flow, through this exchange of information on the subtle realm, I feel intuitively the blockages or the places of freedom within their aura, within their energy centers, as if they were my own. And so I am able to almost surgically connect with the other person through verbal speaking—articulating what I myself am feeling as if it were my own body on the other side. Because when I join that field, it is my own body. You can learn to do this too. XI. Living from the Heart To "live from the heart" is not sentimental advice. It is an invitation to conscious alignment with the very structure of being. The heart already functions as this center—it cannot do otherwise, for this is what hearts are. But we can dwell there consciously or unconsciously, harmoniously or in resistance. The center was never absent. The rhythm never ceased. What awakens is not the heart itself but our recognition of it—our willingness to inhabit the center we never left, to feel the pulse we always were, to dance the rhythm that dances us. The yearning that sent you forth on this journey—it was already joy in the guise of anticipation. The longing that draws you homeward—it is joy stretched across the distance you have traveled. And the rejoicing that awaits in the meeting—it is joy consummated, the fullness you have always been moving toward. The heart beats. The mystery clothes itself in rhythm. And we—mystery-clad beings ourselves—pulse with the same life that pulses through all creation. Outward, outward... inward, inward... until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality. This is who we are. * * * Appendix: Key Ra Quotes Referenced Ra 27.6: "Intelligent infinity has a rhythm, or flow, as of a giant heart beginning with the Central Sun... the vast and silent all beating outward, outward, focusing outward and inward until the focuses are complete. The intelligence or consciousness of foci have reached a state where their, shall we say, spiritual nature or mass calls them inward, inward, inward until all is coalesced. This is the rhythm of reality." Ra 27.7: "The basic rhythms of intelligent infinity are totally without distortion of any kind. The rhythms are clothed in mystery, for they are being itself." Ra 27.8: "In this distortion of the Law of One it is recognized that the Creator will know Itself." Ra 82.7: "There is a center to infinity. From this center all spreads. Therefore, there are centers to the creation, to the galaxies, to star systems, to planetary systems, and to consciousness. In each case you may see growth from the center outward." Ra 49.5: "The most important concept to grasp about the energy field is that the lower, or negative pole, will draw the universal energy into itself from the cosmos. Therefrom it will move upward to be met and reacted to by the positive spiraling energy moving downward from within." Ra 49.6: "Meanwhile the Creator lies within. In the north pole the crown is already upon the head and the entity is potentially a god." Ra 18.5: "[T]o experience all things desired, to then analyze, understand, and accept these experiences, distilling from them the love/light within them." Ra 29.23 (Question and Answer summarized): "[A]s the atoms form from rotations of the vibration which is light, they coalesce in a certain manner sometimes. They find distances, inter-atomic distances, from each other at precise distance and produce a lattice structure which we call crystalline." Ra 36.7: "The mass increases, shall we say, significantly but not greatly until the gateway density [7th]. In this density the summing up, the looking backwards—in short, all the useful functions of polarity have been used. Therefore, the metaphysical electrical nature of the individual grows greater and greater in spiritual mass." Ra 52.12: "This octave density of which we have spoken is both omega and alpha, the spiritual mass of the infinite universes becoming one central sun or Creator once again."
Today, Paul M. Neuberger rips the mask off addiction—not with platitudes, not with therapy-talk, but with gospel grit.He doesn't coddle the culture of compromise. He calls out the lie: Addiction isn't proof you're broken—it's proof you were built to crave, to yearn, to long for something only Christ can satisfy.The world offers substitutes. Comfort, control, numbness, success. But the throne belongs to Jesus. And every idol demands a price—your soul, your purpose, your legacy.You'll face criticism. Isolation. Temptation. The pressure to settle.But Jesus is still Lord, even when your cravings shout louder than your convictions.So what will you do when the ache inside demands an answer?Will you chase a counterfeit… or will you surrender to Christ?Buckle up. This episode is raw, real… and rooted in the relentless, redeeming truth of Scripture."As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." –Psalm 42:1: Episode Highlights05:01 – Every addiction is a worship disorder. It's misplaced trust, misplaced hope, misplaced refuge. Something has taken the place that only God was ever meant to occupy.09:35 – Sin corrupts direction. That distinction matters because the enemy's most effective strategy has never been to invent new cravings, but to take what God designed for intimacy and aim it somewhere else. Satan doesn't need to extinguish longing. He only needs to redirect it.44:08 – God isn't asking you to give up pleasure for misery. He's asking you to trade counterfeits for communion, to trade momentary relief for eternal rest, to trade substitutes for the Savior.Connect with Paul M. NeubergerWebsite
Why your best life isn't about having the right answers, but about asking the right questions.Finding meaning and purpose in life isn't about having all the answers. For Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, it's about having the courage and curiosity to constantly engage with the questions.As designers, Burnett and Evans have careers spanning everything from academia to companies like Apple, Electronic Arts, and Hasbro. But beyond fashioning better products and user experiences, they've also put their expertise toward the transcendent, writing several books about designing and living lives filled with meaning and purpose.“Compasses say North, not Seattle,” says Evans, highlighting how many mistakenly think of purpose as a single destination. “We're all a dynamic, flowing, constantly changing thing. So how could a changing thing have one static right answer?” Instead, he and Burnett maintain that meaning is more about “going the right direction, not [finding] the right destination.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Burnett and Evans join host Matt Abrahams to explore their strategies for leading a purposeful life. Rather than “rehearsing [an] answer,” their method involves “living [a] question” — embracing curiosity and designing a life through dialogue with ourselves and with others.To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.Episode Reference Links:Bill BurnettDave EvansBill and Dave's Book: How to Live a Meaningful LifeEp.181 Why Happiness is a Direction, Not a Destination: Communication, Happiness & WellbeingEp.138 Speak Your Truth: Why Authenticity Leads to Better Communication Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (01:02) - Meaning & Purpose as a Direction (01:42) - Coherence & Living in Alignment (02:23) - Design Thinking for Life Decisions (03:56) - Prototyping Conversations (05:29) - Odyssey Plans: Three Possible Futures (07:33) - The Four Elements of Meaning (09:22) - Wonder Glasses: Shifting Perspective (10:48) - Transactional vs. Flow World (12:36) - How to Build a Formative Community (13:59) - The Practice-to-Production Trap (15:07) - The Final Three Questions (18:35) - Conclusion
In this episode I am joined by Igor Vasilevitsky, a counselor, father, and exceptional writer on all things healing, masculinity, and femininity. He works with archetypes to help men and women heal and grow (he has helped me on my own journey).We dive into the benevolent or divine father archetype and unpack why he is so important in our world. The father represents guidance towards what is good and it's very clear how we as a society deeply long for our collective 'dad' to come home to us. Listen in as we dissect the masculine archetypes, demystify the healthy father, discuss power and love, how anyone can learn to father themselves, and so much more.Igor, as a father himself, has created an online community hub for men who are seeking to mature into the healthiest, most benevolent and generative versions of masculinity. You can find the group here: / 1599769308033077 Other ways to get in touch with Igor: Book a session: https://taplink.cc/igor_healing Find him and his writing on facebook: / igor.vasilevitskyTIMESTAMPS:00:00 — Intro & The Journey to Fatherhood 01:05 — Welcoming guest02:06 — Defining Archetypes: Blueprints of the Soul 03:00 — The Evolution of Feminine Archetypes 03:45 — Cultural Conditioning vs. Inner Truth 06:40 — Healing the Father Wound07:45 — Embodying the Benevolent Father Energy 10:00 — Creating Safety for Women & Children 11:05 — Defining True Masculine Presence 13:40 — Reading Igor's Writing on the Father 14:35 — From Atheism to Divine Fatherhood 16:15 — Surrendering the Ego to Something Greater 18:40 — The Rise of the Feminine & The Missing Masculine 20:00 — Moving Past "Bad Dad" Tropes & Misandry 21:00 — The Universal Longing for a Father 22:30 — Expressing Anger at the Absent Father 24:10 — Developing an Inner Moral Compass 24:55 — The Tyrant vs. The Nice Guy 26:15 — Shadow Work & Reclaiming Power 27:35 — Spiritual Atheism & The Narcissistic Ego 29:20 — Fathering Yourself vs. Being Run by Impulses 29:50 — Example: How the Benevolent Father Handles Anxiety 32:00 — Replacing Shame with Benevolent Guidance 34:05 — The NFL Statistic: Fathers & Success 34:40 — The King Archetype Defined 35:40 — King vs. Father: The Difference 37:45 — Developmental Paths: Lover vs. Warrior Boys 39:10 — Why We Need Guardrails 42:25 — The Purpose of the Warrior Archetype 44:40 — Why Boys Need Duality (Good vs. Bad) 46:25 — The Magician Archetype: The Alchemist 47:30 — The Shadow Magician: Intellectualization 48:40 — Example: Shaping Relational Reality 52:00 — The Lover Archetype & The Heart 53:35 — The Danger of Getting Lost in Emotion 56:00 — The Mother Wound & Failure to Launch 57:00 — Rites of Passage & Cutting the Cord 59:20 — The Benevolent Father Course Details 01:04:23 — final thoughts/Outro___________________________If you found some value today then help me spread the word! Share this episode with a friend or leave a review. This helps the podcast grow.You can also watch the episodes on youtube hereFollow me on Instagram @anyashakhReady to make some life changes? I offer 1:1 mentorship to help you get unstuck, experience your power, and find ease in love and relationships. Book a breakthrough session today - https://calendly.com/anyashakh/1on1se...Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: https://anyashakh.substack.com (Insights about men and women in your inbox every week)
Isaiah 55:8-11 Matthew 6:25-34
Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3896: David Cain reveals how our desires, though fleeting and often irrational, quietly shape our choices and quality of life. By learning to recognize their temporary nature and the discomfort they bring, we can free ourselves from impulsive decisions and build healthier habits grounded in awareness. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://www.raptitude.com/217/7/three-things-we-all-need-to-know-about-desire/ Quotes to ponder: "Desires begin vanishing as soon as they arrive, yet our responses to them can have far reaching consequences." "You've experienced millions of desires and there will be millions more." "If you pay attention to wanting itself, it's a tense, breath-shortening feeling, one that makes the present moment a lot less tolerable." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3896: David Cain reveals how our desires, though fleeting and often irrational, quietly shape our choices and quality of life. By learning to recognize their temporary nature and the discomfort they bring, we can free ourselves from impulsive decisions and build healthier habits grounded in awareness. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://www.raptitude.com/217/7/three-things-we-all-need-to-know-about-desire/ Quotes to ponder: "Desires begin vanishing as soon as they arrive, yet our responses to them can have far reaching consequences." "You've experienced millions of desires and there will be millions more." "If you pay attention to wanting itself, it's a tense, breath-shortening feeling, one that makes the present moment a lot less tolerable." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3896: David Cain reveals how our desires, though fleeting and often irrational, quietly shape our choices and quality of life. By learning to recognize their temporary nature and the discomfort they bring, we can free ourselves from impulsive decisions and build healthier habits grounded in awareness. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://www.raptitude.com/217/7/three-things-we-all-need-to-know-about-desire/ Quotes to ponder: "Desires begin vanishing as soon as they arrive, yet our responses to them can have far reaching consequences." "You've experienced millions of desires and there will be millions more." "If you pay attention to wanting itself, it's a tense, breath-shortening feeling, one that makes the present moment a lot less tolerable." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode Mark interviews author and artist Tanya Hales. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In the interview Mark and Tanya talk about: When Tanya and Mark first met: at Superstars Writing Seminars The sketch that Tanya made of Mark at SSWS when he was speaking there Identifying herself as equal parts author and illustrator The value of CREATING EXPERIENCES with people How long Tanya has been creating art and how her mother was instrumental in getting her into art The "nature-based" element and love of animals that are recurring in Tanya's art Writing novels in spiral-ring notebooks by the time of Fifth Grade The first time Tanya put her art out into the world at the age of sixteen Handy and helpful resources available to Tanya in her high school The "Doodle Dudes" that Tanya had created back then Doing a lot more digital art lately for logistical parental reasons How one of Tanya's skills is being able to adapt to new things relatively easily Being in different modes, such as writing, editing, art Various Kickstarter projects Tanya has done and is currently doing The Animal Magica Coloring Books Tanya has created Why Tanya thinks that it's evitable that she creates the way she does The first full-length novel in the Animal Magica universe The first cozy fantasy novel that Tanya recently released After the interview Mark reflections on passion and creating experiences. Links of Interest: Tanya Hales Website Tanya's Substack Article: "It Was Inevitable" Tanya's "Go, Writer, Go" - Humorous Parody Book for Writers Kickstarter Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises When Tanya Hales was a baby, she enjoyed books by chewing them to pieces before eventually moving on to the higher art of reading. Tanya splits her time between her work as a writer, an illustrator, and a mother, all of which she loves intensely. She now lives in Utah with her husband and four children, illustrating coloring books, writing YA fantasy, making cute stickers, and daydreaming constantly about imaginary worlds. Tanya is the creator of YA epic fantasy as well as the Animal Magica fantasy coloring book series, books made in collaboration with dozens of other authors who contributed beautiful short stores to pair with the art. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
In this episode, I reflect on a Facebook post I shared last week about the difference between the Kingdom of God and every other kingdom. I honestly expected backlash, but instead the post struck a nerve and opened up a surprising amount of thoughtful and gracious conversation. What I am really talking about here is not Republican versus Democrat. It is discipleship. It is about what happens when the Church trades faithfulness for usefulness and why Christians are called to remember, especially in tense moments, that Caesar was never meant to be Lord. Connect with Rick Lee James Website: RickLeeJames.com Music & merch: search “Rick Lee James” on your favorite music platform Subscribe, rate, and review Voices in My Head wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted by: Rick Lee James — Voices in My Head Podcast Get the Audiobook, Out of the Depths: A Songwriter's Journey Through the Psalms by your host, Rick Lee James, on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0F45G6KWH?qid=1744142727&sr=1-1&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=KEDVV78ASDMS52WQFD7W&plink=3YmaWg4y0HJ0Cjfc&pageLoadId=IaamycyuJR519uYD&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1%20 ----more---- Don't forget about our music sale on Bandcamp. Use the code “10off” on RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com to get 10% off your purchase. Blessings, Rick Lee James Email: Rick@RickLeeJames.com Don't forget about our music sale on Bandcamp. Use the code “10off” on RickLeeJames.Bandcamp.com to get 10% off your purchase. Blessings, Rick Lee James Email: Rick@RickLeeJames.com Blessings, Rick Lee James Get the new song - Whatever You Do VINYL SALE THUNDER by Rick Lee James ONLY $9.99. (Plus you get a free digital download of the album) VINYL SALE - “KEEP WATCH, DEAR LORD” BY RICK LEE JAMES
In this brief bonus episode Mark shares an annual "Push for Better" Push-Up challenge he has joined for the third Feb in a row and the fact he has created a team that others can join. The Push-Up Challenge is one that combines fun physical activity (2000 pushups between Feb 5 and Feb 27, 2026) with support for Mental Health Awareness and fundraising. Team Landing Page: Stark Reflections on Pushing for Better The Canadian version of this program raises funds for CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association). Links of Interest: Stark Reflections on Pushing for Better (Team Landing Page) CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) Mental Health Meter What's Your Stress Index? Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
You won't live in this world forever. God will bring you home! Thank you for listening to Encourage-Mint. If you've been refreshed, don't forget to subscribe, Leave a review on iTunes, and share a little Encourage-Mint with someone you love. Encourage-Mint is a podcast from Family Radio. These stories are just a taste of the stories you can hear every day. Listen at FamilyRadio.org or find more encouragement on the Family Radio app. Get daily Scripture and encouragement by following Family Radio on your favorite social media platforms:FacebookInstagram Twitter
In this first episode of 2026, Han and Emily discuss the alleviation of food preoccupation. The key takeaways are:Constant hunger and food thoughts are a biological consequence of restrictionLong term consistent permission is essential Honouring the ‘what' and ‘the how much'There is no timeline, but there is a patternBe curious about a lack of longingLean into the wisdom of your bodyThank you so much for listening!
This week’s snowstorm and Proverbs 16:9: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” … GUEST Rev Josh Brown … lead pastor, Bellefield Church in the Oakland district of Pgh … Bellefield.org He Died For Our Sins… GUEST Anne Kennedy ...author of “Nailed It: 365 Sarcastic Devotionals for Angry and Worn Out People” ... She blogs everyday at her substack “Demotivations w Anne”... Anne lives in upstate NY where she mothers 6 children and lives with her husband, an Anglican priest. 9 functions of the middle prefrontal cortex: the part of the brain that, at the end of the day, make us uniquely human … GUEST Dr Curt Thompson … psychiatrist in private practice in Falls Church, VA ... author of “The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves” and "The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community" Tips for dating online in 2026 … GUEST Lisa Anderson … Director of Boundless and Young Adults at Focus on the Family, and hosts “The Boundless Show” weekly podcast and radio show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Genesis 2:18- 25 John 4:1-26
(Episode #318) In this client session, we explore the desire for spiritual devotion, community, and a sense of home, alongside the pressure to choose one clear path or identity. We look at how “desperation energy” is really just deep longing, why being multi-passionate isn't a flaw, and how self-scrutiny can keep you from fully accepting who you are becoming.Join us as we talk about devotion to self, the fear of being seen as “too scattered,” and the freedom that comes from allowing yourself to be nuanced, expansive, and evolving. This session offers gentle clarity, reassurance, and permission to trust where your path is already unfolding.Episode Highlights: 00:00 What Am I Dedicated to Love?15:03 Balancing Independence and Community20:41 Embracing Multifaceted Selfhood34:35 Overcoming Fear and Self-Judgment40:17 The Importance of Rejection in Being Known52:11 Embracing Multifaceted IdentitiesTake my FREE quiz! What's your intuitive style? Discover your unique intuitive gifts with my free quiz: http://zoeygreco.com/quiz Did you love this episode? The Higher Self Hotline Team lovingly asks for your support! We'd be eternally grateful if you'd rate, review, and subscribe! We want to make sure you never miss a dose of divine guidance.If this conversation resonated with you, we hope you share it with someone you think would connect with the message. Stay connected with us and your higher self! Follow Zoey on socials. Connect with Zoey here: Instagram: @thezoeygrecoTikTok: @thezoeygrecoWebsite: ZoeyGreco.comAudio Editing by:Mike Sims | echovalleyaudio.comContact: echovalleyaudio@gmail.com
About Katie FarinasKatie Farinas is a midlife coach, yoga teacher, and spiritual guide who helps women navigate midlife with clarity, peace, purpose, and empowerment. Through yoga philosophy, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and energy-based practices, Katie supports women in reconnecting with their intuition and stepping fully into their most aligned and authentic selves.✨ Explore Katie's work and offerings:Visit Katie's websiteJoin the newsletter for soulful insightsRead and watch on SubstackBook a reflective Insight SeatSchedule a Clarity Call
Chuck Zodda and Mike Armstrong discuss Michael Burry saying Japanese yen recovery is a risk to US stocks. Voters see a middle-class lifestyle as drifting out of reach. Longing to stop working? Retiring early might not be the answer. Why people still matter in the AI era. Meme stocks turn five. Will there be another GameStop?
Mark interviews Scott from The Patrick Scott Patterson Project Podcast. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In the interview Mark and Scott talk about: How Scott got into the current numerous roles that he is participating in today, including podcasting Being inspired by the dreams that his parents had but which they pushed off to the side The pro wrestling experience that he did for 10 years The importance of deciding to try Scott's reasoning behind the Patrick Scott Patterson Project How at the end of the day we're all human beings - some folks have just reached for their dreams Interviewing notable celebrities on Scott's podcast Doing the interviews well in advance and having a good 10 episodes in the can already The two year plan that Scott has created for the podcast The positivity in Scott's podcast and what he is doing All the stressful things Scott was going through around the time of the pandemic How Drew Barrymore's new talk show was exactly what Sco needed to get through those hard days The way that Drew Barrymore makes Scott smile - period! How something Barrymore said in one of those episodes really struck with Scott The incredible power of doing/saying even the smallest nice thing such as "have a nice day" which can make a huge difference in someone else's life How Scott feels better himself when he's being kind to someone Meeting Drew Barrymore on her 50th Birthday episode taping after more than 42 years of first seeing her with his mom when he was 7 and they went to see E.T. Some of the favorite moments on Scott's podcast Advice Scott would offer to writers who haven't yet put their work out into the world How Scott first got on Collector's Call because of a fluffy news story from 5 years earlier Gary K Wolf's story about how many times his book "Who Wacked Roger Rabbit" was repeatedly rejected over the years. He never gave up, and it's, incidentally his most well-known book. The movie adaptation would never have happened After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that Scott said about positivity, creating "comfort food" moments, and the importance of having things out there and how it can lead to opportunities. Links of Interest: Patrick Scott Patterson's Website YouTube Channel CBC - Cost of Living - How Scholastic Book Fairs Became Tight With Canadian Schools Mini Trailer for LOVER'S MOON (Romantic Comedy) Full Audio of LOVER'S MOON Read by the Authors (YouTube) Patreon Post (Free for anyone to read): I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again! Substack article: Eight Years, 452 Episodes, And One Important Lesson Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises Patrick Scott Patterson is a Texas-based pop culture personality, video game historian, and podcaster. Over the decades, he's moved from professional wrestling rings to television cameras, working with G4tv to produce the first-ever live arcade world record broadcast. He has appeared in documentaries like Nintendo Quest and on MeTV's Collector's Call. He's spoken at San Diego Comic-Con and SXSW, and runs Hyperspace Arcade Repair out of Denton, Texas, where he keeps vintage arcade machines alive for collectors. In 2025, Scott launched The Patrick Scott Patterson Project, a podcast about chasing goals and following unexpected paths—inspired by finally meeting his lifelong celebrity crush, Drew Barrymore, which taught him that the dreams we pursue have a way of opening doors we never anticipated. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
In this solo episode, Mark reads a new article entitled: The Published Novelist Saves Schrödinger's Cat! How to Improve the Odds Before You Open the Box—OR—What Writers Can Control While Their Book's Fate Remains Uncertain Links of Interest: Substack Article Link The Dialogue Doctor Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building Once Bitten (Novella) The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Has your heart hardened over time? It can happen to any one of us. God has this promise for you today, if you want it…He says, “...I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” This can seem impossible and scary… but it is good, and it is possible through Jesus. On the cross, He carried our sin; through His resurrection, He offers new life, transforming us from the inside out. He did it for me—and He will do it for you, if you ask Him. A new heart doesn't mean instant perfection; it's a journey. If you want it, pray with me now: “Jesus, I need a new heart. Remove the stubbornness and defensiveness from inside me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and teach me to follow You with a tender heart. Amen.” Always remember, there is hope with God. Scripture Reference: Ezekiel 36:26 radio.hopewithgod.com
Blaise Pascal famously said there’s an “infinite abyss” inside us that only an infinite God can fill. “You have made us for yourself, O Lord,” Augustine prayed, “and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” As David put it, like thirsty people in the desert, our whole being “longs” for God (Psalm 63:1). Surprisingly, however, it isn’t only humans that experience longing. God does too. While the infinite God of the universe needs nothing outside Himself to be fulfilled, the Bible says He “longs” to have us back when we stray (James 4:4-5), and repeatedly says He wants a people to call His own (Exodus 6:7; Hebrews 8:10). For thousands of years this longing has fueled God’s missionary endeavors: sending prophets to win back His straying people and ultimately sending His Son to find His lost sheep (Isaiah 30:18; Luke 19:10). The good news is that in the end, this longing will be fulfilled: “They will be his people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). God and human beings will dwell together (v. 2). Humans long for God and no substitute will satisfy. God longs for humans and no substitute will do. So no wonder there’s rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents (Luke 15:7). When we run to God’s open arms, everyone is fulfilled.
(00:00-34:25) Following Doug's lead. SLU wins but Schertz was embarrassed. The hero shot. What percentage of this audience watched the Billikens on ESPN+? Drink is team Cottleville. Jackson's busier than a one armed paper hanger. Itchin' for Nevin Shapiro. Josh Schertz was disappointed in the Bills even in the win. Tigers with a disappointing ending last night against Georgia. Questionable timeouts. Tigers have a theme of frustrating ends to games. Longing for the Frank Haith era. There's PAWGs everywhere. Strays like that won't be accepted. FOTS Joe Buck will join us a little later. Blues drop another.(34:33-54:31) This one hits, doesn't it? Where does 2009 rank in your pantheon of years? Cucked by Pat Riley. Why'd they take Winning Time away from us? Too Fat To Kayak has a beef with Doug. Walking thru swamp infested waters. C'mon Doug, you know!! A Fat's Pilgrimage. Mike from the Dan LeBatard show is down in the dumps. Charles Barkley is untouchable. Nevin Shapiro gives his thoughts on Mario Cristobal.(54:41-1:25:14) Friend of the show Joe Buck joins us in full celebration mode. Joe's a little critical of Jackson's update. Joe's experience at the game with his daughter. Doug's curious about Joe's parking situation. How did Joe celebrate on Monday night? Joe's breakdown of the pivotal parts of the game. Watching with Stephen A. Smith and Kenny The Jet. Michael Irvin on the sideline. Blowing up Tom Brady's spot. His time at ESPN so far and the Super Bowl coming to the network next year. Joe's airport tweet has become a story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
"The deepest longing in our hearts, that maybe we don't even identify all the time, is that we want him. We want him...himself."— Natalie AbbottToday's episode: Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz talk about what the courage that comes from God's constant presence. They talk through the promise in Deuteronomy 31:8 that God goes before his people, both leading them and giving them the thing they most need: himself. You'll be encouraged to step out in faith wherever God is taking you, knowing that he not only goes before you, he goes with you. This month's memory verse: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." — Deuteronomy 31:8Memorize Scripture with us: Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory, Dwell Differently's monthly membership!Support our show: It's really just as simple as leaving us a review!Links from today's show: Get 30% off Friend of Sinners at thegoodbook.com with the code: FRIEND.Get 30% off The Hebrews Bible Study at crossway.org/hebrewsbiblestudy with a free Crossway Plus account.Find The EASY Bible Study Method at MoodyPublishers.com or wherever you get good books.Support the showFollow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart – because that's the only pathway to real happiness. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"Our guest for Episode 57 is a recognized expert in biblical sexuality. Dr. Juli Slattery has decades of experience as a therapist, author, and founder of the organization Authentic Intimacy. For years she has been helping women and men move toward healing from painful experiences with sexual brokenness, and developing a healthy view of their sexuality.Her podcast Java With Juli offers great, thought-provoking perspectives on sex and relationships, and her new book Surrendered Sexuality helps people better understand the significance and design of our God-given sexuality. In it she writes about how Jesus gave His life not primarily to change behavior, but to renew our identity—which is rooted in our union with Christ, not our wounds, feelings, desires, past or present sins, or purity. Embracing this will help us experience sexuality in the way God intended.#julislattery #drjulislattery #javawithjuli #surrenderedsexuality #connection #counseling #spirituality #growth #change #therapy #healing #trauma #sexuality #sexualaddiction #betrayaltrauma #recovery #grace #gospel #transformationAuthentic Intimacy websiteJava With Juli podcastSurrendered Sexuality on Amazon Support the showAwaken websiteRoots Retreat Men's IntensiveRoots Retreat Women's WorkshopAwaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)
LIFE Elder, Mark Porter, preaches in continuation of our series through the book of 1 Peter with his sermon rooted in 1 Peter 1:13-25 and centered around the main point that as believers, we are called to live together in holiness, love, and obedience until Christ's return.
Irish author Colm Tóibín has written short stories, essays, plays, articles and memoirs. But he’s best known for insightful novels such as “Brooklyn,” which follows Eilis Lacey as she emigrates from her home in Ireland to New York City. When she returns to Ireland for a family member’s funeral, Eilis finds herself caught between the comfort of home and the obligations of her new life in America, forcing her to decide between the two. Tóibín’s most recent novel, “Long Island,” revisits that story more than 20 years later. Eilis flees to Ireland after her life in America is upended and once again grapples with desire and her sense of duty. Tóibín joins us in front of a live audience of students at Portland’s Grant High School to talk about both books and his extensive body of work.
There is a primal drive that in our species alone has been transformed into one of our most persistent and universal motivations: The longing to matter.In her revelatory new book: The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us, MacArthur Fellow, National Humanities Medalist, and bestselling author, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Weaves powerful insights from biology, psychology, and philosophy,To persuasively argue that our need to matter―and the various “mattering projects” it inspires,from parenting, to scientific discovery, to transcendence, art, creative work, or the pursuit of mastery―is simultaneously the source of our greatest progress and our deepest conflicts: the very crux of the human experience.Leveraging her gifts as a storyteller,Rebecca elevates the stories of people pursuing their unique mattering projects: From the pioneering psychologist William James, who rose above the depression of his young adulthood to become perhaps the first great theorist of mattering; To an impoverished Chinese woman who rescued abandoned newborns from the trash; To a neo-Nazi skinhead who as a young man dealt racial violence to feel he mattered but ultimately renounced that hateful past after realizing that mattering isn't a zero-sum game.In offering these portraits Rebecca illuminates how our shared instinct for significance shapes identity, relationships, culture, and conflict - But, perhaps most importantly, They point the way to a future where we all might see that there is, fundamentally, enough mattering to go around.Through her work, and today's conversation, Rebecca invites us to considerhow our universal longing to matter - The primal instinct that so often drives us apart -may actually be the key to finally understanding each other. For more on Rebecca, the Mattering Instinct, her other books and writing, please visit rebeccagoldstein.comEnjoying the show? Please rate it wherever you listen to your podcasts!Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are other conversations we think you'll love:On the Healing Power of Love | Stephen G. PostOn How the Arts Transform Us | Susan Magsamen & Ivy RossOn Wisdom and Love in Troubling Times | Mark Nepo & Elizabeth LesserThanks for listening!Support the show
In this talk, we'll explore what it truly means to find refuge—not through controlling life, but by coming home to the living truth of our experience. Our deepest refuge—the source of peace, safety, and freedom—is discovered through direct realization of reality itself. Drawing on the Buddhist understanding of refuge, we explore three timeless and archetypal gateways: • Awareness (Buddha) — the wakeful presence that knows our experience • Truth (Dharma) — the wisdom that liberates us when we see clearly • Love (Sangha) — the tenderness and belonging that arise through connection Through short guided reflections, we practice opening to each of these portals, allowing refuge to become a lived and embodied experience rather than an abstract idea. This talk is especially supportive if you are: Seeking inner peace during times of uncertainty or stress Exploring mindfulness, meditation, or Buddhist teachings Longing for a deeper sense of belonging and spiritual homecoming Interested in awakening compassion and wise awareness in daily life Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music
As 2026 begins, Trey reflects on moments from his past that shaped his understanding of American power, sacrifice, and leadership. He contrasts painful chapters like Iran and Afghanistan with recent operations in Venezuela that showcased careful planning, strong intelligence, and decisive execution. Trey closes by honoring the often-unseen men and women of the intelligence community and military, and explains why they make him feel proud to be an American. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices