Podcast appearances and mentions of Matt Bell

How to Improve EVERY Aspect of Your Life: An Interview with J.R. Briggs (Episode 297)   Proverbs 11:24 (MSG) The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.   *Transcription Below*   J.R. Briggs (DMin) possesses four passions: following Jesus, equipping and investing in hungry kingdom leaders, growing fruit on other people's trees, and creating good kingdom mischief. In short, his calling is to partner with people who are called to follow Jesus while they lead others.   In 2011 he started Kairos Partnerships, an organization committed to help leaders overcome their unique leadership challenges through leadership coaching, consulting, speaking, and writing.   For more than 15 years, J.R. served in pastoral roles in mega-churches, church plants and house church networks. Since starting Kairos Partnerships, he has served and invested in ministry leaders in over 40 denominations throughout North America. In addition to ministry leaders, he has invested in a wide variety of leaders, including business owners, college presidents, military leaders, Division 1 basketball coaches, and non-profit directors.   He serves as a guest instructor in the Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation program at Friends University and the Master of Arts in Leadership program at Taylor University. He has lectured, taught and spoken at over a dozen colleges, universities, and seminaries around the U.S.   He also serves as the Director of Leadership & Congregational Formation for The Ecclesia Network and as a National Trainer & Strategist for Fresh Expressions U.S.   In addition to writing several books on a wide variety of topics, he has also published articles in Christianity Today, Huffington Post, Preaching Today, American Bible Society, N.T. Wright Online, Missio Alliance, and Relevant Magazine.   He hosts the Resilient Leaders podcast.   J.R. and his wife Megan have two sons and live in the greater Philadelphia area. J.R.'s Website J.R.'s Book   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Leman Property Management   Questions and Topics We Cover: Can you contrast Jesus' teaching with field trips to the way we structure a typical Sunday morning in America?  Will you also share how you arrived at asking yourself two questions that have opened numerous doors for you? Once we put this into practice for ourselves, how can we begin to cultivate it in our children as well?   Other Savvy Sauce Episode Mentioned: 219. Training Our Children in Biblical Financial Stewardship with Matt Bell   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 1:44) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   Leman Property Management Company has the apartment you will be able to call home, with over 1,700 apartment units available in Central Illinois. Visit them today at lemanproperties.com or connect with them on Facebook.   J.R. Briggs is one of the most intriguing humans I've encountered, and it's hard to sum up his bio, as he's had so many experiences in his past through various pastoral roles, and then he became the founder of Kairos Partnerships, where he invests in leaders. He's also a podcast host, in addition to his work as an author. His most recent book is The Art of Asking Better Questions, and it's summed up in the intro, where he writes, "I have a bone-deep conviction that all of us need to ask more questions and better questions. Doing so can change your life and the lives of those around you." So now we get to actually learn how to make this happen with my guest, Reverend Dr. J.R. Briggs.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, J.R.   J.R. Briggs: (1:44 - 1:45) Thanks for having me. I'm looking forward to this, Laura.   Laura Dugger: (1:46 - 2:00) Well, I'd love to go back and first hear a little bit more of your origin story. So, do you attribute your love of questions and your skill for asking great questions more to nature or nurture?   J.R. Briggs: (2:01 - 5:04) That's a fantastic question. No one has ever asked me that, Laura. So, right off the bat, well done. I love good questions like this. I think it's a little bit of both, and I'm not just wimping out on that answer. Here's what I mean.   I grew up in a wonderful home, still great friends with both my parents, and my parents, especially my dad, they were great question askers, and I saw them model this really well in the home. And I think in previous generations, it was, you know, kids are to be seen but not heard. That was not how my parents operated. They very much said, "You know what, we want to know what you think." And so, dinner times were great. Even hearing the way, especially my father would ask questions of people in the lobby at church or our neighbors, or we'd be at some party, and the way he would ask questions, I would just listen and say, "Wow, this is fascinating, the kind of conversations that are happening because of this."   So, modeled really well, but also observed a lot, and more is caught than taught. And I observed my parents doing this really well. And I thought, these are really fun conversations to just eavesdrop in on as a kid. And then also, I began to notice that there were people that were really fun and lived inspiring lives, and they asked great questions. And I noticed the people that had, that lived really small, uninspiring lives, I realized they weren't asking very many questions. And I began to say, "Well, which kind of person do I want to be? I kind of want to be in the first group. Well, what's the difference? These people are asking questions, regular questions, quality questions." And I thought, "Ooh, I need to pay attention to this and actually lean in to do this more."   So, I often learned how to do it too. So, there was the nature piece, the nurture piece, or the nurture, the nature piece there, the nurture piece, I did study. I'm kind of a nerd. And so, I would watch people who ask great questions and say, "Why was that a good question? What did they do? Why did they ask it that way? How did they know to ask that question as opposed to something else?" And so that was really helpful.   But then I began to notice as I read my Bible, I got a red-letter edition of my Bible and began to notice how many red question marks there were. And I began to take a pen and circle all of the red questions, question marks that Jesus asked. And I thought, "Wow, the way the truth and the life, who had all the answers, yet he asked a ton of questions." So that sent me on a deep dive that eventually I studied. And my doctorate, my dissertation for my doctorate was on learning to equip leaders to ask better questions in the way of Jesus. And so, using him as that model. So, there's a very long answer, Laura, to a very short question, is it nature or nurture? I really believe it's both. And I hope I can continue to learn in my own life until my last breath to how to be a better question asker, because it's that powerful.   Laura Dugger: (5:04 - 5:57) Mm-hmm. I agree with that. And I love the humility in that response. Also, as you share it, it reminds me of a scripture from Proverbs 11:24, the Message version, which I believe previous guest Matt Bell had shared this as it relates to finances. But J.R., I hear it through your lifestyle of generosity with questions. And the verse says, "The world of the generous gets larger and larger. The world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller." So, I love how you illustrated that. But you're also the first person that I heard articulate this beauty of asking questions for connection rather than just for information. So, can you explain more of why questions are such a generous gift and an offering of hospitality?   J.R. Briggs: (5:58 - 8:36) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well, one of the things that really hit me, I touched on this earlier, that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, the second member of the Trinity, who knows everything. Why would he ask so many questions? Well, he also said, "I only do what I see my Father doing." What did he see his Father doing? If you look in the Old Testament, God asks a ton of questions too. So, I said, "Wait a second. Okay. The all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe, why does God ask so many questions when he already knows the answer?" And that drove me to say, maybe it wasn't just for information.   And I began to think about Adam and Eve in the garden and say, when he says, "Where are you?" It wasn't because God didn't know. And it wasn't a geographical question as much as I think it's a relational and theological question that he wants Adam and Eve to answer. And so, as a result of that, I said, "Why then would God do that?" Well, God already knows, but he desires connection with us. And then I thought, "Ooh, yeah, that isn't just God to us. There are times where I ask questions of my kids when they were younger, or of other little kids at church, where I know the answer already, but I'm asking it as a way of building trust and shared story and connection with them."   And I thought, yeah, there's real connection when it comes to questions. And when we do that, when we offer our full selves, the French philosopher, Simone Weil, she said, "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." And as a result of that, that's the hospitality piece. And I think, let's not forget that the word hospital is in the word hospitality, that our questions and our attention can actually be a form of healing that we offer to other people. When we think of hospitality, we often think of, I don't know, making a fresh pie or laying out doilies and sweeping the house before someone comes over. That can be part of it. But the real definition of hospitality is making new people feel comfortable in new situations. And so, what do good questions do? They help people who might feel new or an outsider feel like they're an insider. And I believe that's one of the beautiful benefits of questions where people say, "Man, thank you. No one has ever asked me that." Or "I feel seen. Wow, you really want to care. You care enough to know what I'm thinking." That is an unbelievable gift that we can give to others as a form of hospitality.   Laura Dugger: (8:36 - 8:55) And I think that illuminates what you even say up front in your book, that you do believe that these questions can change our life and the lives of those around us, and especially through this powerful book that you've written. So, can you elaborate on that claim?   J.R. Briggs: (8:56 - 10:33) Yeah, the dimensions of your life expand or contract depending upon the questions that you ask. So, when we refrain from asking good questions, our world gets smaller. And when we start to ask better questions, and more frequently, our worlds begin to expand. And so, what I tell people is we don't have a shortage of information. We have a shortage of wisdom and curiosity and wonder. And so, what we need to kindle in that is that desire for and that ability to ask the right questions at the right time for the right reason to the right people.   And if we want more information, we should just Google it. But if what we're after is wisdom and connection and engagement, we need questions. And questions are, I think we all would admit, Laura, questions are important. I don't think that we would realize just how powerful they actually are. And so, the goal of the book was to unleash and wake up the sleeping giants that exist and say, this can be used for good. There's so many, again, we don't have a shortage of information. But asking good questions is a lost art. And the goal is to try to help people realize its power, that it's more accessible. They're free. They can be used at any time. They don't have a shelf life. But we just need to cultivate the desire for it and then have some skills to lean in, because it really can be such an unbelievable gift. The questions that we ask often reveal the values that we hold. And so that's another way that we can press into that as well.   Laura Dugger: (10:34 - 10:49) Okay, so let's say that the desire is there. Maybe for all of us, probably the skill is a little lacking. How can we begin to get a little bit better at this or just get started with asking better questions today?   J.R. Briggs: (10:49 - 14:18) Yeah, well, we got to start, Laura, by admitting that there are a lot of obstacles that exist that our culture puts in front of us to make it hard to do that. One is we're in an attention-seeking age, right? I mean, the joke says enough about me, what do you think about me? And so, because we live in the social media, look at me, look at me reality that we're in, it's really hard because questions are the opposite. I'm putting the spotlight on you rather than on my own life. But we also are in a culture of great efficiency, and so questions feel inefficient. They feel really inefficient, like it slows things down. How many of us have been in a meeting and we're about to get up and someone says, "Any questions?" And someone, "Oh," and we just say, "No, no, no, we were just about to leave, you're slowing us down." And so that in the business world and in sales, that's the number one thing is questions. We got stuff to do and things to sell. But if we can just slow down, it's better.   But those are some of the obstacles that exist. So, if we're assuming we have curiosity, we have wisdom, we have humility, and we have courage, which are the four components. If those are there, then there are some things that we can engage in that can help us and several practices, like the simplest practice we can do when we hear a good question, write it down. A lot of people feel like two things. They have to come up with all the questions themselves. You don't. I love questions. I'm pretty good at questions, but I don't generate all my questions. I've read them on billboards or heard them on a podcast or overheard somebody in line at Starbucks behind me. And you go, "Man, that's a really good question. Write it down." We think we're going to remember later, Laura, and that's the second thing. We won't. We have to write it down. And I just encourage people, open up the notes section of your phone and just have something on there that says great questions. When you hear of one, think of one, read of one in a good novel, write it on the list. You can always return to it later. So, just awareness, number one, that my radar is up, listening for good questions, can be a great start.   And then also just to reflect later to say, "What was the best question I asked today or in that conversation or in that meeting or over dinner with my family? What was the best question I asked?" So, that's a little bit of reflection, but also preparation. Anytime we go into a meeting, anytime we go into any sort of connection, even if it's coffee with a friend, to always see if I can come with two questions ahead of time. Now, sometimes I write them down, sometimes I don't. I may not even get a chance to ask them, but just coming prepared where I say, "Oh, I'm meeting with my friend, Sam. Oh, Sam's dad just had significant surgery. So, here's an important question. Sam, how's your dad doing? And how are you doing as you care for your dad?" It's a little bit of preparation. It's not an hour. I'm just spending five minutes on my drive to the coffee shop to say, "My first question is going to be, Sam, how's your dad? And how are you doing caring for your dad?" So, just a little bit more thought. It doesn't require three times the amount of effort. Sometimes it's just five or 10% more effort and intentionality that can improve our question asking.   Laura Dugger: (14:19 - 16:29) So much thoughtfulness there. Appreciate that.   And now a brief message from our sponsor.   With over 1,700 apartment units available throughout Pekin, Peoria, Peoria Heights, Morton, and Washington, and with every price range covered, you will have plenty of options when you rent through Leman Property Management Company. They have townhomes, duplexes, studios, and garden style options located in many areas throughout Pekin. And make sure you check out their newest offering; the McKinley located in Pekin is a new construction addition to their platinum collection. Featuring nine-foot ceilings, large spacious layouts, beautiful finishes such as quartz countertops and garages, you won't want to miss this outstanding new property.   In Peoria, a historic downtown location and apartments adjacent to OSF Medical Center provide excellent choices. Check out their brand-new luxury property in Peoria Heights, overlooking the boutique shops and fine dining on Prospect. And in Morton, they offer a variety of apartment homes with garages, a hot downtown location, and now a brand-new high-end complex near Idlewood Park. If you want to become part of their team, contact them about open office positions. They're also hiring in their maintenance department. So, we invite you to find out why so many people have chosen to make a career with them. Check them out on Facebook today or email their friendly staff at leasing@lemanprops.com. You can also stop by their website at lemanproperties.com. Check them out and find your place to call home today.   Clearly J.R., Jesus has been a role model for asking questions. So, can you contrast what you describe as Jesus's field trips that he takes his disciples on versus the way that you view Sunday mornings in a lot of churches in America? Can you kind of contrast those two?   J.R. Briggs: (16:29 - 18:42) Yeah, oftentimes when I'm talking to pastors or leaders, faith leaders, I remind them of this. But yeah, Jesus loved to take his listeners on three field trips, three kinds. First one, he took them on physical field trips. We see that where Jesus says, "You know, look at the birds of the air, look at the lilies of the field," or "Look at the woman putting in two mites in the temple treasury." Life is a classroom. And so, he loved taking people on literal field trips.   Number two, he took them on emotional field trips by telling them stories, not in abstract ways of thinking, but the kingdom of God is like a woman kneading dough. It's like a fisherman who caught fish. It's like a father with two sons. And I think we're wrapped up in that when we watch a good movie, and we cry and laugh and we're scared. Those are all because a beautiful story did something to us. It took us on some sort of emotional field trip.   And then third is a mental field trip, which we're talking about here by asking questions. Jesus asked a ton of questions. And as a result of that, got people thinking in new ways. Now, if the way, the truth and the life, if anyone had the right to just give answers, it would be Jesus. But instead, he chose to ask a lot of questions. And so those three field trips, literal by going on walks, getting outside of a classroom, the mental field trip of asking questions and the emotional field trips of telling stories. Jesus did that all the time. Once you know that and you read the gospels, you'll see it everywhere.   The problem is, as you were referring to, Laura, on Sunday mornings, what do we do? We sit people in a church in pews. Almost all of the teaching or formation happens in the same room. Instead of telling stories, we give abstract information. And instead of asking questions, we just give answers. And then we sit around and wonder, "Why is no one changing?" And my gentle encouragement is, what would it look like if we actually learned to teach others the way Jesus actually taught? Imagine that. So, it's a bit of a stretch because culturally we're kind of drawn in to the way we've always done it in church. And yet oftentimes Jesus did almost the opposite of the way in which we teach today.   Laura Dugger: (18:44 - 18:55) And so, if you see that as an opposite, do you have any practical ideas of just a small tweak that we could make on Sunday mornings to be more like Jesus?   J.R. Briggs: (18:56 - 20:32) Sure. I always try to say, is there any way I can get people's bodies or their hearts up out of the seat? So, "Hey, I want you to stand up and turn to the person next to you." Or, "Hey, we're going to move around the room." Some of you say, "What? We would never do that at our church." And I would say, take a risk. Jesus did all sorts of things that surprise people. So, how can I get their hearts and their bodies up out of their seat? Number one.   Number two, can I tell a few more stories than I have in the past in my teaching or preaching or Sunday morning? And then also, can I engage with questions by asking them questions at the beginning? Can I leave them with some reflection questions in the bulletin or on the website the next week? Or can I actually have them asking questions of each other or of the text itself? And so oftentimes, why do I feel like I'm the one that has to speak the whole time when I'm preaching? What if instead I allow them to ask questions of each other, of God, and even of myself? And sometimes when I preach, I allow the last five or 10 minutes for people to ask questions about the text to myself and everyone else. Now, is that a change? Yeah. Would that freak out some churches? Maybe. But it can be a way that people walk away and say, "Wow, I learned, I was engaged, I was formed, and I encountered God in a new way that I haven't in the past." Which is the whole goal, that we don't just learn more about the Bible, is that we know the God of the Bible. That's the whole point of why we gather together as a church.   Laura Dugger: (20:33 - 20:46) And that would be so memorable. But also, as you're speaking about stories, are you willing to share the story of one of the times that you asked a question, and it turned out better than you could have ever asked or hoped for?   J.R. Briggs: (20:47 - 22:27) Yeah. I could think of several, but sometimes just asking people, "Why is that?" Just as a follow-up. It's amazing what can spill out. And I go, "Oh, that confronted my biases. That confronted my assumptions and what I thought about them." And so sometimes just asking some of that has been incredibly helpful to just ask that follow-up question.   I won't tell the whole story that I recounted in the book, but oftentimes when there are tears, it was Charles Spurgeon that said that tears are like liquid prayers. And so, when people are showing some emotion, I sometimes will say to them, even if they're not a follower of Jesus, even if they're not religious, "I'm curious. It's been said that tears are liquid prayers. Can you put words to the prayers that your face is praying right now?" And I've had some of the most unbelievable conversations where people can identify the prayers that their face is praying. And even in my own life, where I just step back and go, "Why am I, why was I so moved by that novel? Why was I so moved by that movie? Or what just happened in front of me? Or why, where are these tears coming from?" As Frederick Buechner said, we'd be best to pay attention to our tears. And so that question of what are the liquid prayers, can I put words to the prayer that my face is praying has been an unbelievably meaningful and eye-opening thing for me and also with people that I've been with.   Laura Dugger: (22:29 - 22:37) Will you also share about how you arrived at asking two questions that have opened numerous doors for you?   J.R. Briggs: (22:38 - 25:21) Yeah. Yeah. When I was in college, I had the privilege of studying in Israel for the semester. This is fall of my junior year. Absolutely loved it. And our class was on a four-day field trip up around the Sea of Galilee. One night I was down by the lake and happened to notice as the sun was about to set that there was a big fishing vessel that had just come in. And I had always wanted to go fishing on the Sea of Galilee, not just take a boat, not just see fishermen, but like be on the boat and fish with fishermen. I don't even love fishing myself, but I just wanted to experience what Jesus and his disciples experienced on the lake.   And there was a big industrial ship that came in. They brought in their day's catch. And I thought, "Oh, I should ask them if I can go fishing with them." And Laura, and then, you know, the realistic brain in me said, "Why would they ever allow a college, American college student and a study abroad program to go fishing with them tomorrow?" And I had these two questions that hit me, Laura. "Well, what's the worst they could say? No, or heck no, or get out of here. You're crazy." And number two, "Can I handle that? If they were to say that." Those two questions, I thought, "You know, I can handle it now. Let me ask what's the worst he could say. Let me ask."   So, I went up and I said, "Excuse me, can I talk to your captain?" And they said, "Menachem is over here." So, I introduced myself to him and I said, "Menachem, I've always wanted to go fishing on the Sea of Galilee. I'll pay you $50. If I can go fishing for the day, use me as, as I mean, any work me to death. If you want, like I'm here, I just want to." And he looked at me, he said, "I don't want your money." He said, "Join me tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. And you can come fishing with us." And I walked away and went, "Unbelievable. My dream is coming true." And I had an unbelievable day, but I realized I can't say no for someone else. What's the worst they could say? No. Can I just ask and handle it if they said no? Yep, I can handle it. Those two questions, Laura, have shaped me immensely throughout my lifetime. I've really, I've done that in a lot of different ways. And a lot of times people say no, and I can handle that. But a lot of times people said yes. And some doors have opened simply because I asked. And I actually think of that verse often, Laura, where it says you do not have because you do not ask. It's not name it and claim it prosperity gospel. But we just have to realize that sometimes we just need to ask to put ourselves out there and see what people say.   Laura Dugger: (25:23 - 25:55) That is so good. And I have applied those questions since reading that in your book, even as I reach out to ask you if you would do two recordings. So, I'm so grateful that that you said yes, I'm delighted that today's not our only conversation. But I'm curious also, J.R., when you had that experience, a lot of us may not ever get to go fish on the Sea of Galilee. So, did you learn anything that brought the Bible to life or anything about Jesus or anything that you can share with us from that incredible experience?   J.R. Briggs: (25:55 - 27:37) Oh, there's so many, but I'll limit it to one. When we started out that morning, the sea was so calm. I mean, it was like glass. It was beautiful. The sun was rising, not a cloud in the sky. And it was great. But I've always wondered these like storms. You know, the Sea of Galilee is not a sea. It's a lake. It's 10 miles by six miles. It looks like a harp. And that's why it's called Lake Kinneret. In Hebrew, that means harp. So, it's harp lake is the way that we could call it. But I thought it's still a lake. How can there be storms that would have professional fishermen that would be screaming, thinking they were going to die? How is that possible?   Well, wouldn't you know it, Laura? As beautiful as it was, the clouds rolled in. And then later that afternoon, there was a squall of a storm. I have never been in more intense in my life. And it happened right there. Now we're in a maybe two-ton, three-ton fishing vessel. But even that, we had to go below deck because it was so brutal. The waves, the wind, we couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of us. And I thought, "Ah, now I get it. If I'm just in a wooden boat with my fellow, you know, disciples here, I can see why this could get a little panicky." And that was, I think, a little God wink for me to be able to experience both the peace and calm, but also this treacherous storm and go, "Ah, now I won't read my Bible the same again when I hear about the, you know, the disciples freaking out with the storm or seeing Jesus walk on the water approaching them." So, that's one of many, but that sticks out to me a great deal that I got to experience a very intense storm.   Laura Dugger: (27:38 - 28:27) That is so incredible. Even just going back, so those two questions that you were willing to ask led to this incredible experience. And now people from around the world get to benefit from the lessons that you learned at that time. So, I think you're giving us so much encouragement for asking questions.   Guess what? We are no longer an audio only podcast. We now have video included as well. If you want to view the conversation each week, make sure you watch our videos. We're on YouTube and you can access videos or find answers to any of your other questions about the podcast when you visit thesavvysauce.com.   What happens to our brain or within our brain when we're asking or being asked a question?   J.R. Briggs: (28:28 - 30:19) Yeah, this was an incredibly fun part of the research for me was what does this do neurobiologically to us? And so, what neurologists have found is when they put nodes all over your brain to kind of see how the brain activity happens, when you're given information, your brain lights up. But what they found is when someone is asked a question, your brain explodes like fireworks, the synapses that are firing, and it just lights up like crazy, like fireworks in the night. And one of the things they said, as much as we think we can multitask, we can't. We do a lot of switching, task switching, but not multitasking. But they said what happens is they use the word hijack. You can hijack someone's brain when you actually are asking a question of someone, even if it's for two seconds.   And so, if I were to ask your listeners, Laura, "What are the color of the shoes you're wearing right now?" Whether your listeners liked it or not, I just hijacked their brain for a split second there, and they went, "What are the color of my shoes?" And so that's immense amount of power to, quote unquote, hijack someone's brain. So, we need to use that power wisely. But it's an immense amount of power that we can have when we ask someone a question, not just give them an answer, which I love when current neurobiological research matches up with scripture and with the way Jesus taught. How did Jesus teach? A ton of questions. What happened? He engaged with people. They participated with him. They were forced to learn and be participants, not just talking theoretically about faith. And I thought, isn't that just like Jesus? He knew how our brains are wired. And so, he uses questions as a way of maximum connection, challenge, engagement, and formation.   Laura Dugger: (30:20 - 30:43) Wow. And you've cultivated, like you say, this holy curiosity. So, I am curious for you, J.R., when you're in a conversation and you find yourself asking question after question, have you been in a situation like this where they don't reciprocate, they don't ask any questions back? And how do you handle that internally and externally?   J.R. Briggs: (30:44 - 32:41) Yeah, it's hard because we live in a culture that hasn't modeled that well to ask good questions. And sometimes it's been hard. And I admit that sometimes there's a sense of loneliness. When I have a lunch meeting and my wife will say, "How was your lunch meeting today?" We have a code word where I say either waiter or waitress. And it means the waiter or waitress came and took my plate away because I was done with my meal before they had taken one or two bites of their food. And oftentimes that happens where we leave a meal and we realize, "I don't think I was asked a single question this whole lunch." Or we go to a dinner party, no one asked me a single question. And that can be really hard.   And I love asking people questions. And it's not like I'm just ramming it down their throats to ask question after question like Elf with his brother walking through Central Park where he's just rattling off question after question. I was giving pause, I was taking a bite of my food, allowing them to ask a question or two, and they never did. And sometimes people say, "Well, I don't really know, I'm not good at questions." And I say, one of the simplest things you can do is what I call the way question, W-A-Y. It's just to say, "What about you?" I've been talking. What about you? To just hit the ball back over the net and to allow us to engage in some conversational pickleball. It's been on my side, let me hit it. Now it's on your side and you hit it back. That's how all healthy relationships exist. And so, it's been a little disappointing at times to realize you can go, and I'm sure you and others have experienced that. That's really hard. And to have people that can just say, "What about you? What do you think? Have you ever experienced that?" Or "I have another question for you." That's how healthy relationships are cultivated when there's that back and forth in conversation.   Laura Dugger: (32:42 - 32:51) Okay. And so, if we want to cultivate that back-and-forth conversation, can you just share a few more tips for ways that we can level up our questions?   J.R. Briggs: (32:52 - 34:24) Sure. Yeah. There's a unique, almost universal principle when it comes to question asking. If you ask a generic unthoughtful question, you will almost always get a generic unthoughtful answer. "How are you?" "Fine." "How's your weekend?" "Good." But if you ask a thoughtful, specific, engaging question, you almost always get a thoughtful, specific, engaging answer. It's as predictable as a communist election. It's amazing how that works, where we can just, if we can just level up.   So, if a lazy question would be, "How was your weekend?" I encourage people to say, what would 10 or 15 percent of a more thoughtful, specific, or focused question be? So, you could say, "Of your whole weekend, how would you describe your weekend in two or three adjectives?" That's a little bit different than just, "How was your weekend?" Or, "Hey, how are you doing?" That's good. You might say, "What has been the most interesting thing about your day so far?" It just takes a little bit more intentionality. When you ask it that way, you won't get the fine, good. You'll get the, you know, "I had a really interesting sales meeting today at 10 a.m. You know, I bumped into my neighbor, and we had the best conversation at the mailbox." Those are the kinds of answers you get because we ask the more specific, thoughtful question. We'll get more specific and thoughtful answers. So, that's what I encourage people to do. Just level up to be just a little bit more pointed by 10 or 15 percent and see what happens.   Laura Dugger: (34:26 - 34:40) Okay. So, hopefully we're all going to put this into practice. But then also, if we have children in our home, what can we do to be teaching them this same goal of reciprocity and asking great questions?   J.R. Briggs: (34:40 - 37:02) Yes. I'm so glad you brought this up, Laura. There's so much that we can do. I try to do this. We try to do this with our kids when they were younger. Our kids are 19 and 16 now and we still engage in good questions with them. But when they were little, we would do things. I would crawl into bed with each of them at bedtime and we would do question of the night. And so, I would say, "You get to ask dad any question you want and then I get to ask you any question that you want." And so, age appropriate, you know, what's your favorite ice cream color or ice cream flavor or your favorite color? But sometimes they would pull out some really fascinating ones. Like one time, my youngest son said, "Dad, what does God smell like?" And it just made me laugh. I just thought, what a great question from a five- or six-year-old about that. And so just being intentional there at bedtime has been really good.   Car time is really important. And I really try to see if I can ask some questions that I can't ask in other places because now I've got their full attention. We're in the car together. And even as my sons are now older, when they're in the car together, something about staring out the windshield together to be able to talk through some things has been really good. It could be about school, could be about life, could be something trivial, but to know that this is a place where we can talk. And so, car time, bedtime, and the last one I'll give is dinner time. We have a big chalk wall next to our dining room table. And we'll just randomly put up questions, thoughtful questions. And then we'll sometimes say after prayer, "Okay, boys, when they were little, you know, you each get to pick one question off the wall that we talk about tonight." And it just became a real easy way. And you can make up one if you want, or there are questions here. We also found a deck of cards that actually had questions on each one. It was like a questions deck. And so, we'll say, "Great, like you can pick off the wall, you can make up your own, or just pick a question that's in the deck." And just doing that where everybody got a chance to share around the table became such a way, such a rich conversation but a way to remind them questions are okay, encouraged, and a wonderful part of being a part of a family.   Laura Dugger: (37:03 - 37:32) Those are such great ideas. I love that and that we can implement some of that right away. But as we're starting to wind our time down together, I would love to hear one more story about a time that a question dramatically changed the outcome of a friendly gathering that you write about on the back patio of a Capitol Hill home in Washington, D.C. Yeah, I remember reading this story, Laura, and I was so moved.   J.R. Briggs: (37:32 - 39:52) I was moved to tears that I ran over to my wife and I said, "Listen to this story." And we both just sat there crying. Yeah, these families were on the back porch on a wonderful summer evening enjoying some stuff on the grill. And all of a sudden a gunman came up behind one of the teenage girls and held a gun to her head and said, "Nobody move, give me your money or I'm going to shoot." Everyone froze, rightfully so, the terror that they experienced. And one woman just blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. She said, "Why don't you sit down and have some wine with us?" Which is not something that has ever come to my mind if someone were to walk in and rob me. And sure enough, he put his gun in his belt and sat down and had some wine. And he said, "Boy, this is really good wine." And I said, "Why don't you enjoy some more to eat?" And then afterwards, she said, "Can I give you a hug?" And the guy was totally startled. Yeah. And then afterwards, everyone else decided to give him a hug. And as they enjoyed food, you know, they're all tense and not sure what to do or what's going on. At the end, he said, "Can I have a group hug together?" And then he slipped out the back and even the glass, the wine glass that he had, it wasn't even broken. He just set it up right behind the back gate.   And I just was so moved by that. Like, "Do you want a glass of wine? Do you want a hug?" Not things that would come to my mind, but it was so jolting and surprising. I think it humanized him. And before he left, the robber said, "I think I've come to rob the wrong house tonight." It's amazing what a question can do. That was a question of immense hospitality. You're welcome here. That's the last thing that this robber ever expected. So, I just love that story. I love that story because it reminds us once again how powerful questions actually are.   Laura Dugger: (39:53 - 40:09) And I think it illustrates at the heart of questions is love. And that motivates so much of the work that you get to do, J.R. So, can you just share a little bit more about the work you do get to do and share how we can be connected after this conversation?   J.R. Briggs: (40:10 - 41:07) Sure. Yeah. I've been a pastor for 15 years, but in 2011, I started what's called Kairos Partnerships. And it was passionate about leaders because leadership can be lonely, overwhelming, and sometimes leaders feel ill-equipped. And so actually our organization was started based on three questions. Who pastors the pastor? Who leads the leader? Who shepherds the shepherd? So, we work with some pastors, but we work with all sorts of entrepreneurs and businesspeople and Chick-fil-A operators and college presidents and division one men's basketball coaches, anyone who's following Jesus, but leading others. And so, we do that through coaching, through consulting, through writing, speaking, spiritual direction. And so, our team, I have a wonderful team, and the team really walks alongside of leaders who are wanting to be equipped so they can lead with clarity and confidence moving forward.   Laura Dugger: (41:08 - 41:27) I love that. Well, we will put a link to your website and the show notes for today's episode, but J.R., you may be familiar. We are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for you today, what is your savvy sauce?   J.R. Briggs: (41:28 - 42:03) One of the prayers that I pray regularly is, "Lord, would you grant me wisdom, courage, and compassion?" And all three of those are important because if I have wisdom and courage, but no compassion, I'm careless. If I have wisdom and compassion, but no courage, I'm riskless. And if I have compassion and courage, but no wisdom, that can be reckless. But if I have wisdom, courage, and compassion together, that's priceless. And so, I just try to pray that regularly because I say, "Lord, I want to be a wise, compassionate, courageous person for you." And I would encourage your listeners to pray that prayer for wisdom, courage, and compassion as well.   Laura Dugger: (42:05 - 42:20) Those are great words that I would use to describe you, J.R. And you are humble and warm and engaging. And I have greatly appreciated your book. I've already told people it's my favorite book that I've read in recent history.   J.R. Briggs: (42:20 - 42:22) So, thank you.   Laura Dugger: (42:22 - 42:31) Well, thank you. That's very kind of you. Yes, very easy to compliment it. But thank you for being my guest, and I look forward to hosting you again next time.   J.R. Briggs: (42:31 - 42:33) Sounds great. Looking forward to that as well.   Laura Dugger: (42:35 - 45:49) One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.   This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.   Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.   And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.   First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.   You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Money is one of the most common sources of stress in marriage—but it can also become one of the greatest opportunities to grow closer to one another and to God. In this conversation, author and financial teacher Matt Bell shares practical, biblical wisdom from his book Starting Strong: Discovering the Good That Money Can Do in Your Marriage. While the book is written with engaged and newly married couples in mind, the principles we discuss are just as valuable for couples who have been walking through life together for decades. We talk about financial transparency, paying off debt, budgeting, generosity, and how shared values can strengthen a marriage far beyond the balance sheet.More than a conversation about dollars and cents, this episode is about building a marriage on a foundation of faith. Matt shares personal stories, practical tools, and biblical encouragement that can help couples move from financial stress to financial purpose. Whether you're just beginning your journey together or simply want to honor God more faithfully with the resources He's entrusted to you, you'll find thoughtful guidance and hope-filled encouragement in this conversation.More about Matt's book

Amos 3:3 asks, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” In context, the prophet is speaking of Israel's relationship with God. But the principle also reminds us of something important for marriage: a husband and wife cannot walk together well unless they are headed in the same direction. That is especially true when it comes to money. For many couples, finances become a source of tension, secrecy, resentment, or fear. But God designed marriage for unity. And when handled with wisdom, humility, and shared purpose, money can become one of the tools God uses to strengthen a couple's oneness rather than divide it. Matt Bell, Managing Editor at Sound Mind Investing and author of Starting Strong: Discovering the Good That Money Can Do in Your Marriage, joined the show today to remind us that couples can begin to see money differently when they stop thinking in terms of “yours” and “mine” and begin embracing a unified “ours.” Why Money Can Divide a Marriage Couples do not enter marriage as blank slates. Each person brings a financial story with them. That story may include how their parents handled money, whether money felt scarce or secure growing up, how debt was viewed, what saving meant, and whether spending brought joy, stress, or conflict. One spouse may naturally lean toward saving, while the other is more comfortable spending. One may want to stretch for a larger home, while the other prefers a more conservative approach. Those differences do not have to become destructive. But they do need to be acknowledged. Money disagreements are often not just about numbers. They are about fears, hopes, expectations, habits, and deeply formed assumptions. That is why patience and honest conversation are so important. Unity does not usually happen by accident. It grows through prayer, listening, humility, and a shared commitment to honor God together. Start With a Shared Vision Before couples make decisions about accounts, budgets, debt, or spending, they need to begin with a bigger question: What are we trying to do with what God has entrusted to us? Matt encourages couples to start by casting a shared vision rooted in their faith. That means praying together and committing their financial lives to the Lord. It means agreeing that everything ultimately belongs to God and that they are stewards—not owners—of what He has provided. That foundation matters because financial unity is not merely about efficiency. It is about discipleship. A couple's financial decisions should reflect their shared desire to serve the Lord, follow His Word, care for one another, practice generosity, and walk together in faithfulness. When couples begin there, they are better prepared to work through practical questions because they have already agreed on the direction they want to go. Consider the Gift of Joint Accounts One practical question many couples face is whether to combine finances or keep accounts separate. While some accounts, such as IRAs, must remain individual, Matt strongly recommends joint checking and savings accounts wherever possible. Joint accounts can foster transparency, teamwork, and trust. They help prevent secrecy and reinforce the reality that husband and wife are approaching life together. Research from Indiana University found that couples who combined their finances experienced fewer financial fights and greater marital happiness. One surprising finding was that couples with combined finances were more likely to serve one another without expecting something in return. The researchers described this as a more “communal” relationship—one marked by responding to a spouse's needs simply because there is a need. That picture fits beautifully with a biblical vision of marriage. Combining finances is not merely an administrative choice. For many couples, it can be a tangible step toward oneness. Of course, if one spouse is hesitant, the answer is not pressure or blame. The better path is prayerful conversation. Couples can return to Scripture, talk honestly about fears, and ask what practices would best cultivate unity, trust, and transparency in their marriage. Hold Regular Money Meetings Unity also requires communication. A shared vision is important, but couples need regular rhythms to live it out. Matt recommends that couples take the time necessary to create a cash flow plan that reflects their commitments and goals. At first, that may require several conversations. Once the plan is in place, couples can schedule a monthly meeting—perhaps 60 minutes at the end of each month—to review how things went and what needs to change. Over time, those meetings may become shorter. But the goal is not simply to look backward and see what happened. The goal is to manage money intentionally throughout the month. That means checking the plan before spending. Before heading to the grocery store or buying clothes, couples can look at the relevant category and let that information guide their decisions. This kind of ongoing communication helps prevent surprises and keeps both spouses engaged. A cash flow plan should not feel like a punishment. It is not mainly about restriction. It is about direction. It gives couples more knowledge, more intentionality, and more freedom to use money for what matters most. Let Generosity Reorient Your Hearts Generosity is one of the most powerful ways couples can move from self-focus to God-focus. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Giving is not just a financial act; it is a spiritual one. It trains our hearts to remember that God is our provider, that everything belongs to Him, and that money is a tool for loving Him and serving others. For married couples, generosity can become a shared joy. When a couple gives together, they are reminded that their financial life is not merely about paying bills, reducing debt, or reaching personal goals. It is about participating in the work God is doing in the world. That does not mean couples should give out of guilt or ignore real financial responsibilities. But it does mean generosity should have a meaningful place in the conversation. Even in seasons of debt repayment or financial pressure, couples can prayerfully ask, “Lord, how would You have us live open-handedly with what You've entrusted to us?” The goal is not to win an argument. The goal is to walk together. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: How important is it to hold physical gold and silver for retirement? What percentage of a portfolio should be in precious metals, and is it better to invest in gold, silver, or both? My mom passed away, and my sister and I inherited her home, worth about $300,000 to $350,000. I'm currently living there, but I recently lost my job and likely wouldn't qualify for a loan to buy out my sister's share. I have unemployment income, a 401(k) I could roll into an IRA, and I plan to start Social Security early next year. Should I try to keep the house, or would it be wiser to sell it and downsize? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Sound Mind Investing Starting Strong: Discovering the Good That Money Can Do in Your Marriage by Matt Bell Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Amos 3:3, readers are reminded that two people cannot walk together unless they’re headed in the same direction. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Matt Bell help couples think about money in ways that strengthen unity, rather than create division. Then it’s onto your calls and questions. That’s Faith & Finance Live—where biblical wisdom meets today’s financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio. Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here.To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.To learn more about Rob West, click here.To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you avoid talking about money with your spouse? Does the mention of a budget make you cringe? Do financial emergencies cause tension to grow in your household?We know how it feels to be stressed about money. When we were first married, we lived on a tight budget with a rotating menu of mac n' cheese and chili and beans. When it came to conversations about money, they always revolved around how we could earn a little bit more and how we could spend a little bit less every month.As the years have passed, our income has changed, and so have our expenses. Like many couples, our financial life became more complex over time, and we learned that good money conversations don't always happen naturally. Looking back, we wish we'd had someone like Matt Bell to guide us in those early years of marriage.Matt is a biblical money management writer and speaker, as well as the author of an important new book for couples called Starting Strong: Discovering the Good That Money Can Do in Your Marriage.In this episode, Matt shares:The factors that determine how we manage moneyWhether it's wise for a couple to buy a house right awayHow to lay a strong financial foundation from the beginning of your marriageAnd more!We hope you enjoy this conversation!Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/matt-bell-132/

Money can easily create tension in marriage – but it doesn’t have to! Financial expert Matt Bell shares biblical principles and practical tools for managing your money together in a way that builds trust, peace, and purpose. Matt shares from his book, Starting Strong: Discovering the Good That Money Can Do In Your Marriage. From budgeting to car payments to long-term investments, you’ll discover how to make financial decisions that strengthen your faith and your marriage. Starting Strong Focus on the Family Marriage Assessment Counseling Consultation and Referrals Communicating to Achieve Financial Harmony (Part 1 of 2) If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Weekend, please give us your feedback.

Financial expert Matt Bell shares biblical principles and practical tools for managing your money in a way that builds trust, peace, and purpose. From budgeting to car payments to long-term investments, you’ll discover how to make financial decisions that strengthen your faith and your marriage. Receive a copy of Starting Strong and an audio download of "Unlock the Secrets to a Financially Secure Marriage" for your donation of any amount! Get More Episode Resources If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.A debut romcom inspired by Bollywood, built around one of the most delicious twists on fake dating you'll ever read — fake NOT dating. If you love big Indian weddings, chaotic families, and slow-burn tension between two people who desperately want each other but have to pretend they've never met, this episode is your sign to add Leave and Come Back to your TBR immediately.Debut author Lavanya Lakshmi joins the show to talk about her journey from Twilight fanfiction to landing a publishing deal, the Bollywood film that inspired her novel, and why she made the bold choice to get her characters together at the start of the book. We also dig into her reading life and the books she returns to again and again — including a romance she calls her holy grail.

Money can easily create tension in marriage – but it doesn't have to! Financial expert Matt Bell shares practical tools for managing your money in a way that builds trust, peace, and purpose. From long-term investments to small budget items, you'll discover how to make financial decisions that strengthen your faith, family, AND your portfolio. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/776/29?v=20251111

Financial expert Matt Bell shares biblical principles and practical tools for managing your money in a way that builds trust, peace, and purpose. From budgeting to car payments to long-term investments, you’ll discover how to make financial decisions that strengthen your faith and your marriage. Receive a copy of Starting Strong and an audio download of "Unlock the Secrets to a Financially Secure Marriage" for your donation of any amount! Get More Episode Resources If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Money can easily create tension in marriage – but it doesn't have to! Financial expert Matt Bell shares practical tools for managing your money in a way that builds trust, peace, and purpose. From long-term investments to small budget items, you'll discover how to make financial decisions that strengthen your faith, family, AND your portfolio. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/776/29?v=20251111

Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley continue their discussion on how couples can use finances to strengthen marriage, featuring guest Matt Bell of Sound Mind Investing. If you and your spouse have money conflicts, THIS is the podcast for you! Matt explains that spenders often marry savers. He warns that debt can be a “cancer on marriage,” and urges couples to stop taking on new debt. Greg and Erin then share favorite books and suggest a couples exercise about reading tastes. Then they answer a listener who is married to a non-believing, manipulative husband. Starting Strong: Discovering the Good That Money Can Do In Marriage Join Our Private Facebook Group - Strengthening Marriages Learn About Healing Separation Ask Us Your Question via Voicemail or Email Contact the show! Send Us A Review! Support the show! If you enjoyed listening to the Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage podcast with Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley, please give us your feedback.

Money is one of the most practical—and spiritual—areas of our lives, yet it's often one of the least intentionally taught within the home.    In this episode of the Raising Godly Girls Podcast, Patti Garibay welcomes financial author and stewardship expert Matt Bell for an important conversation about raising girls who honor God with their finances. From everyday spending decisions to long-term financial planning, this episode explores how parents can disciple their daughters to think Biblically about money from an early age.    Together, Patti and Matt tackle some of the most common questions families face today: Is all debt bad, or is there a place for wise borrowing? How can parents help their daughters avoid the burden of overwhelming student loans? And what's the best way to teach financial responsibility—through cash, debit cards, or even credit?    This conversation also highlights the deeper heart behind financial stewardship. In a culture driven by consumption and comparison, girls need to learn contentment, discernment, and generosity. Matt shares how giving isn't just a financial practice—it's a spiritual discipline that helps shape a heart aligned with God's purposes.    Whether your daughter is just beginning to learn the value of money or preparing to step into adulthood, this episode will equip you with practical tools and Biblical encouragement to guide her toward a future marked by wisdom, responsibility, and faithful stewardship.    Because when girls understand that everything they have comes from God, they are better prepared to use it for His glory.    Scriptures Referenced in This Episode:    Matthew 6:21   Proverbs 21:5   Luke 16:10   1 Timothy 6:6–10   2 Corinthians 9:6–7   Proverbs 22:7    To learn more about Matt Bell, his work, and resources for Biblically wise financial stewardship for your family, visit mattaboutmoney.com     Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools.         Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.      

How are you with money? Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley get advice from Matt Bell, about biblical money principles. He explains the Parable of the Talents as a stewardship framework, contrasting consumer vs. steward mindsets, while urging couples to serve the Lord. We'll also challenge you to turn your home into a mini carnival for an at-home date night. The listener Q & A is about motivating a husband to read the Bible and take spiritual leadership. Starting Strong: Discovering the Good That Money Can Do In Marriage Ask Us Your Question via Voicemail or Email Contact the show! Send Us A Review! Support the show! If you enjoyed listening to the Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage podcast with Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley, please give us your feedback.

Notes and Links to Isaac Fitzgerald's Work     Isaac Fitzgerald is the New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts (winner of a New England Book Award and the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award). He appears frequently on The Today Show and is also the author of the bestselling children's book How to Be a Pirate as well as the co-author of Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them and Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (winner of an IACP Award). His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, GQ, The Guardian, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and numerous other publications. He lives with his wife, Kelly Farber, and their two dogs on the North Fork of Long Island. His next book, American Rambler, is forthcoming from Knopf. Buy American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed    Isaac Fitzgerald's Website   Review for American Rambler in The Boston Globe     At about 3:20, Isaac talks about the book as “braided” and positive feedback he's gotten from independent booksellers At about 4:40, Isaac gives background on his rich reading and writing life from childhood At about 7:00, Isaac talks about a few catalysts for American Rambler, including Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods… Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn, and An American Story by Howard Means At about 8:55, Pete shouts out Matt Bell's Appleseed, and Isaac reflects on the “mythification” of Johnny Appleseed  At about 13:20, Pete cites a beautiful quote on the connection between parents and storytelling and expands on how his parents and their travels and their storytelling thrilled him At about 17:00, Pete tells about his own experience with childhood stories, and Isaac shares his thoughts on oral storytelling and its connection to real-life experiences for children winning out over continued screen time At about 19:10, Isaac responds to Pete's asking about his mother and father as opposites in many ways At about 23:00, Pete compliments the book's first line and asks Isaac about the book's first hike: Isaac refers to the book as a “coming-of-middle-age” At about 28:10, Isaac responds to Pete's questions about Swedenborgism and its influence on Johnny Appleseed At about 33:10, The two discuss the balance between the social and the solitary  At about 35:50-John Freeman shoutouts! Isaac talks about important advice/editing from John Freeman with AA Knopf At about 38:20, The two discuss reading as a collaborative pursuit-a “two-person technology” At about 39:00, Pete and Isaac talk about Old Man and the Sea and the idea of a “comfort read” At about 40:15, Pete cites two examples of Isaac's work in connection to David Foster Wallace's work in complimenting Isaac's work in opposition to the “flyover country” ethos; Isaac cites Rabin's Old Glory: An American Voyage   At about 45:40, Pete and Isaac highlight a particularly charismatic person who was featured in the book At about 48:25, Isaac talks about his great experience with the Fort Wayne Tin Caps in the book At about 50:50, Isaac responds to Pete asking about the passages from the book where he shared profundity with Ashley C. Ford and Saeed Jones At about 51:25, It gets defecatory!  At about 52:15, Isaac expands on how his time staying with writer friends is in a Kerouac-ian tradition  At about 55:40, Isaac talks about his process that allowed him to  “writing conversationally” and the importance of reading his work aloud At about 57:20, Pete and Isaac reflect on the idea of the public intellectual and the balance between social media communities and authentically celebrating exploration and wonderful art    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, is up now at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode deals with short, powerful poems and prose that pack a punch-take that, alliteration! The episode features meaningful and resonant work from Robert Hershon, Mosab Abu Toha, Ernest Hemingway, Sara Abou Rashed, Khaled Juma, Andrea Cohen, and Marwan Makhoul.    Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 343 with Steven Thrasher, whose writing has been widely published by Scientific American, The New York Times, Nation, The Journal of American History, BuzzFeed News, Esquire and New York magazine. In 2019, Out Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential and impactful people of the year and in 2020, the Ford Foundation awarded him a grant for Creativity and Free Expression. The Viral Underclass, his first book, was widely-awarded and acclaimed, and his second book, The Overseer Class: A Manifesto, will be the focus of the podcast conversation.    The episode airs on May 14, and the book has a May 19 Pub Date.    Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.    You can also donate at chuffed.org, World Central Kitchen, and so many more, and/or you can contact writer friend Ursula Villarreal-Moura directly or through Pete, as she has direct links with friends in Gaza.

Personal finance writer Matt Bell joins us to talk about helping kids learn how handle money in a way that is honouring to God. Matt tells his story of financial self- destruction as a young man and the way it led to him to a transformative relationship with Christ—and a lifelong involvement in financial ministry.

Rob Schneider is urging a restored U.S. military draft with two years of service for 18-year-olds, prompting a Michael Imperioli joke. NYC Mayor Zoran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa went viral for an Inner Circle Dinner comedy sketch about cat adoptions and political dynasties. Howie Mandel posted an apology to Kelly Ripa after joking about “looking great for 70” and then quipping he “does look great for my age.” Russell Brand's trial on seven rape and sexual assault charges was delayed to October 12 and is expected to last two months. Josh Johnson will host the 30th Webby Awards May 11. Adam Sandler is set to remake the 2001 French drama “Timeout.” Other items include Megan Gailey on 800 Pound Gorilla, Jeff Dunham's car series and collection, a Melbourne comedy true-crime tour by Matt Bell, Russell Peters' $2.1M tax reassessments, and Gabriel Iglesias discussing Ozempic and a declined $1M endorsement. 00:15 Rob Schneider Draft Rant01:14 Host Pushback and Fact Check01:53 NYC Mayor Comedy Sketch02:34 Howie Mandel Apology Saga04:10 Russell Brand Trial Delayed04:27 Webby Awards Host Announced04:46 Adam Sandler Drama Remake05:39 Jeff Dunham Car Series06:38 Melbourne True Crime Comedy Tour08:17 Gabe Iglesias on Ozempic Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac-a-daily-briefing-on-comedians-and-the-comedy-industry--4522158/support.Daily Comedy News is the number one comedy news podcast, delivering daily coverage of standup comedy, late night television, comedy specials, tours, and the business of comedy.COMEDY SURVIVOR in the facebook group.Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month John's Substack about media is free.This is the animal sanctuary mentioned in the February 10 episode.

For decades, retirement income in America has often been described as a three-legged stool. The first leg is Social Security, which historically provides roughly 35–45% of a retiree's monthly income. The second leg used to be company pensions, but those have largely been replaced by employer-sponsored plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, which now provide roughly 15–20% of retirement income on average. The third leg—and the one individuals have the most control over—is personal savings. One of the most important tools for building those savings is the Individual Retirement Account, or IRA. This is especially important for people who don't have a strong employer retirement plan. In those cases, personal savings often need to carry even more of the load in retirement. What an IRA Actually Is Before diving into the different types of IRAs, it helps to understand one key point: an IRA itself isn't an investment. An IRA is simply a tax-advantaged account that holds investments. Inside an IRA, you can own many of the same assets you might hold elsewhere—stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs, and more. The main benefit of an IRA is the tax treatment. Depending on the type you choose, your contributions or withdrawals may receive special tax advantages that can significantly affect your long-term financial plan. Traditional vs. Roth: The Key Difference When people talk about IRAs, they are usually referring to two primary types: the traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. Traditional IRAs Traditional IRAs have been around since 1974. Their main advantage is the immediate tax deduction many contributors receive. When you contribute to a traditional IRA, you may be able to deduct that contribution from your taxable income. Your investments then grow tax-deferred, meaning you don't pay taxes on the gains each year. However, when you begin withdrawing money in retirement, those withdrawals are taxed as income. In simple terms: Traditional IRA = tax break now, taxes later. Roth IRAs Roth IRAs were introduced in 1997, and they reverse the traditional model. With a Roth IRA, contributions are not tax-deductible today. However, the major benefit comes later: qualified withdrawals in retirement—including investment gains—are completely tax-free. In other words: Roth IRA = no tax break now, but no taxes later. Which One Is Better? The decision between traditional and Roth IRAs largely depends on your expected tax situation. If you believe your tax rate will be higher in retirement, a Roth IRA can be very attractive because you pay taxes today at a lower rate and enjoy tax-free income later. This is why Roth accounts are often recommended for younger workers who are early in their careers and likely in a lower tax bracket. However, the decision can become more complicated for people who are within 10–15 years of retirement. At that stage, many people are in their peak earning years and higher tax brackets, which may make a traditional IRA more appealing. Taxes aren't the only factor, but they are often the most important one. Contribution Limits You Should Know Contribution limits for IRAs change periodically, and it's important to stay current. For 2026, the limits are: $7,500 per person under age 50 $8,600 per person for those age 50 or older (thanks to catch-up contributions) If you're married filing jointly, each spouse can contribute to their own IRA, even if one spouse doesn't have earned income—as long as the household's earned income covers the total contributions. One important note: there is no such thing as a joint IRA. Each account must belong to an individual. IRA vs. 401(k): Which Should Come First? Employer-sponsored retirement plans, such as 401(k)s, have significantly higher contribution limits. In 2026, employees can contribute: $24,500 annually $32,500 if age 50 or older But the biggest advantage of workplace plans is often employer matching. If your employer matches contributions, the general rule is simple: Always contribute enough to receive the full match first. That match is essentially free money and should be viewed as part of your compensation. After reaching the match threshold, you can evaluate whether to continue contributing to your 401(k) or begin funding an IRA—especially if the IRA offers better investment choices. Income Limits and Eligibility IRA eligibility can become more complicated depending on income levels and workplace plans. For traditional IRAs, whether you can deduct your contribution depends on: Whether you're covered by a workplace retirement plan Your modified adjusted gross income For married couples with workplace coverage, deductibility typically phases out between $129,000 and $149,000 of income. For Roth IRAs, workplace plans don't matter, but income limits still apply. Married couples generally lose eligibility to contribute directly to a Roth once their income exceeds $252,000. Because these rules can be complex, reviewing them carefully—or consulting a financial professional—is often wise. What About Old 401(k)s? Many people accumulate retirement accounts as they change jobs. If you've left a company, you typically have the option to roll an old 401(k) into an IRA. The main advantages include: Simplifying your accounts Access to a wider range of investments However, there is one important exception. If you leave an employer at age 55 or later, you may be able to withdraw from that company's 401(k) penalty-free before age 59½. Rolling the funds into an IRA would eliminate that special flexibility. When Does a Roth Conversion Make Sense? One of the most powerful planning strategies is a Roth conversion, in which funds from a traditional IRA are moved into a Roth IRA. When you convert, you pay taxes on the amount converted—but those funds can then grow tax-free going forward. For many people, the ideal window for conversions is between retirement and age 73, when required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin. During those years, income may be temporarily lower, allowing retirees to strategically convert portions of their IRA each year while staying in a manageable tax bracket.  Done carefully over time, this strategy can significantly reduce taxes later in retirement. Stewarding Retirement with Wisdom Ultimately, retirement planning isn't only about maximizing returns—it's about wisely stewarding what God has entrusted to us. Proverbs 21:5 reminds us, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.” Thoughtful planning today—whether choosing the right IRA, managing taxes wisely, or simplifying your accounts—can create greater freedom later to live generously and faithfully. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I run a small pool cleaning business in Florida and am finally starting to grow. I want to manage the finances the right way, but I don't have much experience with accounting tools like spreadsheets. What are some practical steps I can take to start properly tracking my business finances and cash flow? I've recently realized that God owns everything—my money, my property, and even my business. That's been a big shift for me, and I want to honor Him with all of it. Sometimes I even wonder if God approves of the small things I spend money on. How can I practically walk with God in this area and steward my finances in a way that honors Him? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Sound Mind Investing (SMI) Making Sense of Your IRA Options (Article by Mark Biller and Matt Bell at Sound Mind Investing) Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(00:00) Introduction to Matt Bell and Mouser Electronics (03:14) Understanding Mouser's Operations and Scale (06:12) The Role of Automation in Order Fulfillment (09:15) Philosophy on Automation and Workforce Integration (12:12) Growth and Expansion of Mouser's Operations (15:15) Identifying Automation Opportunities (18:09) Balancing Existing Technologies with New Innovations (20:58) Strategic Investment in Automation (22:04) Emerging Technologies in Logistics (22:46) Navigating Technology Choices (23:18) Flexibility in Automation (24:54) In-House Development vs. Off-the-Shelf Solutions (26:41) Collaboration Across Teams (28:37) The Importance of Team Dynamics (30:21) Lessons Learned Over Two Decades (31:55) Advice for New Professionals (33:48) Listening for Improvement (36:37) The Scale of Operations (38:23) Final Thoughts and Advice This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our go-to source for electronics parts for any hobby or prototype. Click HERE to check out the many resources shared by Mouser across a range of topics from AI to Healthcare.  Want to hear more from Matt? Give him a follow on LinkedIn Become a founding reader of our newsletter: http://read.thenextbyte.com/ As always, you can find these and other interesting & impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.

Younger investors are reshaping the markets—from crypto and AI to ETFs and gaming. With so many new platforms and voices, how do we navigate investing wisely across generations? On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Matt Bell share what’s changing, what’s timeless, and how biblical wisdom can guide us in a fast-moving market. Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live— biblical wisdom for your financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio. Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here.To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.To learn more about Rob West, click here.To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Younger investors are reshaping the markets—from crypto and AI to ETFs and gaming. But with so many new platforms, trends, and voices competing for attention, how can believers invest wisely across generations?Matt Bell, Managing Editor at Sound Mind Investing, has been tracking these shifts closely, and he joins the show today to share his insights and highlight both what's changing and what remains timeless—especially when biblical wisdom guides our financial decisions.The Surge of Younger InvestorsSince 2020, millions of new investment accounts have been opened—many by Gen Z and millennials. In fact, a significant portion of today's investors entered the market during the early pandemic years, despite dramatic market volatility. Why? Several factors converged:Extra time at home during lockdownsStimulus payments and increased savingsCommission-free trading platformsSocial media influencers showcasing day tradingApps that made investing feel simple—even entertainingInstead of retreating when markets dropped, many younger investors leaned in.How Younger Investors Are Engaging the Market DifferentlyCompared to previous generations, younger investors tend to:Use mobile apps as their primary investment toolsExplore emerging sectors like crypto, AI, and fintechGet advice from social media and peers rather than advisorsTrade more frequentlyFavor ETFs over traditional mutual fundsETFs, in particular, appeal to younger investors because they trade like stocks, often have lower costs, and allow for more active participation.At the same time, themes like cryptocurrency, gaming-related funds, and sports gambling investments show the sharpest generational divide—drawing the most interest from the youngest investors.A Cultural Shift in InvestingInterest in newer asset classes isn't limited to younger investors anymore. Crypto, AI, and alternative investments are gaining traction across all age groups.Major developments—such as the approval of Bitcoin ETFs and growing conversations about private equity in retirement plans—signal that the investing culture is evolving rapidly.But rapid access can create risk.Availability and hype can outpace understanding. New investment options often carry complexity, and without careful research, investors may unknowingly take on risks they don't fully grasp.The Social Media EffectOne of the most defining features of today's investing landscape is the role of social media.Anyone can build a following and offer financial advice—even without credentials. In a crowded digital space, the loudest voices often gain the most attention, not necessarily the wisest ones.That's why discernment matters. Before acting on advice:Check credentialsEvaluate track recordsSeek multiple perspectivesCompare guidance against long-term principlesWise investing has always required counsel, patience, and humility—traits that don't trend easily online.The Opportunity of Starting YoungDespite the risks, the growing interest in investing among younger generations is largely positive.Time is one of the most powerful tools in investing. Starting early allows compounding to work over decades, creating opportunities for steady growth and long-term stability.Encouraging young investors to begin is wise. Helping them begin wisely is even more important.How Parents and Mentors Can Guide the Next GenerationFor parents, grandparents, and mentors, the goal isn't to criticize younger investors—it's to walk alongside them.Start by affirming their interest. Then introduce principles that shape a healthier approach:DiversificationLong-term thinkingWise counselProcess-driven investingOngoing learningThese conversations can help shift the focus from chasing trends to building a thoughtful strategy.Why Process Matters More Than TrendsIn fast-moving markets, a clear investment process becomes essential.Emotion—fear when markets fall and greed when they rise—is one of the greatest risks investors face. A disciplined strategy helps guard against impulsive decisions.For believers, process also reflects stewardship. The money we manage ultimately belongs to God, and our responsibility is to steward it wisely and intentionally.A thoughtful plan helps investors stay grounded when markets—and headlines—shift.Understanding What You OwnOne practical test of wise investing is simple: can you clearly explain what you own and why?If an investment can't be explained in plain language, it may not be fully understood. And stewardship requires understanding.Clarity leads to better decisions. It also protects against blindly following trends or hype.When Investing Starts to Feel Like GamblingModern platforms often blur the line between investing and entertainment. Frequent trading, instant feedback, and gamified interfaces can encourage short-term thinking.But Scripture points to a different path:Ecclesiastes 11:2 encourages diversification.Proverbs 21:5 praises steady, disciplined planning.1 Timothy 6:10 warns against the love of money and reckless pursuit of wealth.These principles emphasize patience, wisdom, and restraint—not speculation.What Never ChangesEvery generation invests differently. Technology evolves. Markets shift. New asset classes emerge.But God's principles for stewardship remain steady.Wise investing is not about chasing what's trending. It's about:Purpose over hypePatience over speedProcess over impulseFaithfulness over fear or greedWhen portfolios are shaped by those values, investing becomes more than a financial activity—it becomes an act of stewardship.And that's a strategy that transcends generations.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:My husband is retiring next year and plans to roll his 401(k) into a Roth IRA. I also have a small 401(k). Can we combine our accounts? Also, I'm a retired teacher with a pension and a small 403(b). Would it make sense to withdraw the funds, invest them elsewhere, and give them to my sons?I'd like to set up a 529 plan for my new great-grandson. How does it work? Can I make his parents the owners or beneficiaries, and can other family members contribute if I make a one-time gift?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Sound Mind InvestingNot Your Father's Portfolio—A Generational Divide in Investment Preferences (Article by Matt Bell at SoundMindInvesting.com)SavingForCollege.comOur Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful StewardshipWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the wake of two shootings in Minneapolis by ICE and Border Patrol agents, Congressman Andre Carson tells All INdiana Politics ICE should be either reformed or abolished and replaced with something else. Carson also explains to News 8's Garrett Bergquist why he has signed on to articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Plus, the two newest members of Indiana's best political team, former state representatives Matt Bell and Karlee Macer, discuss a proposed funding fix for Indiana's child care voucher program and assess the legislature at halftime.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With college costs rising faster than inflation, many families feel cornered—scrambling for scholarships, stretching savings, or bracing for years of student loan payments. But there's one meaningful option that often gets overlooked: military service.For students who feel led to serve, military pathways can provide full tuition, a monthly stipend, and exceptional leadership development—all while graduating debt-free. Today, we sat down with Matt Bell, Managing Editor at Sound Mind Investing, to explore how these programs work and who they're best suited for.Matt brings a personal connection to this topic. One of his sons is currently attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, and his insight helped illuminate both the opportunity—and the responsibility—this path entails.Why Military Education Pathways Are Often MissedFor the right student, military service can be a remarkable way to fund higher education. And that qualifier matters.As Matt shared, these programs are designed for students who are willing to serve their country and take on demanding challenges. In return, the military offers generous education benefits through several primary pathways—most notably the U.S. Service Academies and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).Beyond the financial benefits, these programs offer leadership training and real-world experience that traditional colleges can't replicate. Matt mentioned that his son is currently choosing between summer programs such as jump school, where cadets learn to parachute, and soaring school, which involves flying gliders. Those aren't exactly typical college electives.The U.S. Service Academies: What Families Should KnowThere are five U.S. Service Academies:U.S. Military Academy (West Point)U.S. Air Force AcademyU.S. Naval AcademyU.S. Coast Guard AcademyU.S. Merchant Marine AcademyAt each academy, tuition, room, and board are fully covered, and students receive a monthly stipend. But admission is highly competitive. Some academies have acceptance rates as low as 9–10%.Applicants are evaluated holistically. Strong academic performance, high SAT or ACT scores, physical fitness, athletic participation, and demonstrated leadership all matter. Character is essential as well—letters of recommendation play a key role.And then there's one more hurdle: a nomination from a member of Congress or the Vice President (required for all academies except the Coast Guard). That process alone requires early planning and persistence.Graduates of the service academies don't walk away with a “free” education—they earn it through service.Typically, graduates commit to five years of active-duty service followed by three years in the reserves. Specific roles, such as pilots, require longer commitments—often up to ten years after specialized training.All graduates are commissioned as officers, gaining leadership experience that opens doors to a wide range of future careers, both within and beyond the military.ROTC: A Different—but Still Powerful—OptionROTC offers another pathway and is available on more than 1,700 college campuses nationwide.Unlike the academies, ROTC students experience a more traditional college environment. They typically wear uniforms one day a week rather than full-time, and they integrate military training alongside their academic studies.ROTC scholarships can cover tuition and room and board, and graduates are commissioned at the same officer rank as academy graduates. Service commitments are generally slightly shorter, but the calling to serve remains central.As appealing as debt-free college and leadership training may sound, there's a sobering reality families must weigh carefully.Choosing this path means committing to serve your country—and that includes the possibility of combat. This isn't just a financial decision or a résumé booster. It requires discernment, maturity, conviction, and a willingness to place service above self.Final ThoughtsMilitary education pathways are not for every student—but for the right one, they can be transformative. They offer freedom from student debt, unparalleled leadership development, and the opportunity to serve something greater than oneself.As families prayerfully consider college decisions, this option deserves thoughtful, informed consideration—not just for what it provides, but for what it asks in return.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I have Parkinson's and will need to stop working soon. I live in a paid-off home, and I also own a beach property with a mortgage. Once I stop working, I won't be able to afford that payment. The beach home has been on the market for over a year and a half without selling. If I allow the bank to foreclose on it, what are the consequences—especially when it comes to taxes and whether it could affect my primary residence?I'm trying to understand whether a will is enough for my situation or if I need additional estate planning. I want to be sure my children receive everything I intend to leave to them.I'm taking early retirement from the government and have just over $1 million in my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). I'm in my early 50s and plan to focus full-time on caring for my family. I want guidance on how to proceed with that money.Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)U.S. Military Academy (West Point) | U.S. Air Force Academy | U.S. Naval Academy | U.S. Coast Guard Academy | U.S. Merchant Marine Academy | Reserve Officers Training Corps ROTCSound Mind Investing (SMI)Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With college costs soaring, families are exploring every possible avenue—but one meaningful option doesn’t get nearly enough attention: military service. For students who feel led to serve, military pathways can provide full tuition, a monthly stipend, and unmatched leadership development. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Matt Bell explain how these programs work. Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio. Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here.To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.To learn more about Rob West, click here.To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Arkansas Inc. Podcast, Origami Sake President and CEO Matt Bell discusses the origins of his company, why he chooses to do business in Arkansas, and what the future looks like for Origami Sake.

Notes and Links to Amber Sparks' Work   Amber Sparks is the author of the short story collections And I Do Not Forgive You and The Unfinished World. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Granta, Slate, and elsewhere. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, daughter, and cats. Happy People Don't Live Here was published in October 2025. Buy Happy People Don't Live Here   Amber's Website   Kirkus Reviews of Happy People Don't Live Here At about 1:20, Amber describes the “weird” time about a month after the book's publication, an in-between time At about 2:25, Amber talks about the feedback she has received since the book was published, including surprising thoughts shared about the child narrator and the “other” narrator, Alice At about 5:25, Amber talks about her influences growing up, including fantasy and writers like Dean Koontz  At about 7:40, Amber talks about her inclination to write a book featuring multiple genres, with the result being Happy People Don't Live Here  At about 9:20, Amber responds to Pete asking about plot and allegory and their balance At about 11:35, Amber shouts out Kelly Link, Rion Amicar-Scott, Stephen Graham-Jones, and Matt Bell as a few of many contemporary writers she loves At about 14:35, Amber and Pete discuss the book's resonant epigraphs, and Amber talks about her interest in ghosts  At about 18:00, Pete shouts out the classic story “Someone Has Been Disarranging these Roses” At about 19:15, Amber explains her chapters and the rationale in making the book “episodic” At about 20:50, The book's beginning and connections to real-life events is discussed  At about 24:35, The two discuss one of the book's main character, Fern At about 27:10, Pete compliments the book's setting, and Amber provides background for the place At about 30:00, the two discuss the book's inciting incident, a body discovered by Fern, and Amber expands on the ways she went about populating the book At about 35:40, some key characters are discussed, including a possible love interest for Alice At about 36:40, Amber responds to Pete's question about Alice's ex-husband as a sort of flat character-she calls him a “cipher” At about 40:10, Amber reflects on Alice's ways of avoiding the past and running from this past, and Amber shouts out William H. Macy in Magnolia At about 43:50, the two discuss the “banal” ghost At about 47:00, parent-child relationships are discussed At about 51:20, Pete asks Amber about writing in second-person, as she does for part of her book-shout out to Lorrie Moore! At about 55:40, Amber talks about exciting new projects  You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 313 with Jackie Domenus, a queer writer from South Jersey and the author of NO OFFENSE: A MEMOIR IN ESSAYS (2025), published with ELJ Editions. A 2021 Tin House Winter Workshop graduate, Jackie's essays have appeared in The HuffPost, The Offing Mag, The Normal School, Pidgeonholes, Foglifter Journal, Variant Lit, Entropy, and many more. Their poetry has appeared in Hooligan Mag and Giving Room Mag. Her short story “Mirror Image” published in So To Speak, as well as her essay “Two Truths and a Lie” published in Identity Theory, were both nominated for a Pushcart Prize. The episode airs on December 2. Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

Hot Springs, Arkansas will soon be known as the Napa Valley of Saké if Matt Bell has his way. Saké rice grown  in Central Arkansas supplies Origami Sake, the fastest growing US saké brand and  the only US brewer to win a Gold Medal at the Tokyo Saké Challenge 2025. Origami is also the largest domestically-owned saké brewery in the USA, 100% powered by solar energy and producing three Saké styles plus a non-alcoholic Sake.  (https://drinkorigami.com/)        

Origami Sake's, Matt Bell, Chats Sake Expressions and Trends, Tokoyo Sake Awards, Sake Cocktails, Hot Springs Arkansas, Snow Monkey Ready to Drink Sake Remix &MoreThe Birdies & Bourbon team had a blast chatting with Matt Bell about Origami Sake's origin story, new releases, Tokoyo Gold Medal and more. On the show we sip their wonder sake releases of White Lotus and Thousand Cranes. We also sample their lineup of Snow Monkey which is their ready to drink sake remix line. Pour some Origami Sake, sip along and listen/watch.Be sure to check Origami Sake out online at https://drinkorigami.com/The Neat Glass. Be sure to check out The Neat Glass online at theneatglass.com or on Instagram @theneatglass for an improved experience and use discount code: bb10 to receive your Birdies & Bourbon discount.Thank you for taking the time listen to the Birdies & Bourbon Show for all things PGA Tour, golf, gear, bourbon and mixology. Dan & Cal aim to bring you entertaining and informative episodes weekly. Please help spread the word on the podcast and tell a friend about the show. You can also help by leaving an 5-Star iTunes review. We love to hear the feedback and support! Cheers. Follow on Twitter & Instagram (@birdies_bourbon)

Mr Richard Neish makes a return to the hot seat in this crammed episode.  We have guest Dave Stewart to talk seniors rugby and the game last weekend. And we look forward to the coming weekend with a chat with our host's longtime friend Matt Bell from Old Wimbledonians, Cobham's opponents at the weekend.  We also chat to Louise Pike, Minis Chair and Andy Taylor, current U5s Head Coach.  Pete, Lunny and Alex talk all things club related. You need to get this in your ears. 

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.”With those words, Warren Buffett reminded us that character and integrity matter—especially in the world of money. Now, after more than sixty years of market-shaping moves and famous one-liners, Buffett is calling it a career. Today, Matt Bell joins us to reflect on his legacy and share what timeless lessons every investor can learn from it.Matt Bell is the Managing Editor at Sound Mind Investing, an underwriter of Faith & Finance. A Track Record That's Hard to IgnoreIf you had invested $100 in Berkshire Hathaway back in 1965, that single investment would have grown to over $5.5 million by the end of last year. Compare that with the S&P 500 over the same period, which would have turned $100 into just $39,000. Clearly, Buffett did something different.One unconventional move? He never issued dividends for Berkshire Hathaway, instead reinvesting profits to increase share value. That patient, long-view approach paid off—and it hints at biblical principles like delayed gratification and wise stewardship (Proverbs 21:20).Buffett famously said, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” While Christians would rightly reject greed and fear as motivations, the deeper principle here is about remaining steady and disciplined in volatile times—echoing Proverbs 14:15: “The simple believe everything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.”Buffett often waited with cash on hand until the right opportunities appeared, especially during downturns. That patience and discernment mirrors biblical instruction to avoid impulsiveness and instead seek wisdom in decision-making.Investing Lessons With Biblical ParallelsOver the years, Buffett offered dozens of pithy insights that mirror biblical truth. Here are a few standouts:“If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you'll work until you die.”—This speaks to the wisdom of putting money to productive use—earning a return through thoughtful investing, a principle echoed in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25). “Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing.”—In Proverbs 15:22, we're reminded that “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Financial ignorance creates risk, but biblical stewardship calls for wisdom and learning. Diversification, emotional control, and long-term vision—Buffett emphasized all three. These align with a measured, prudent approach to money that Scripture continually encourages.Buffett never let global turmoil shake his confidence in long-term investing. He wrote, “In the 20th century, the U.S. endured world wars, recessions, a depression, oil shocks, and more—yet the Dow rose from 66 to 11,497.” His takeaway: “It's been a terrible mistake to bet against America.”While our hope as Christians isn't rooted in any one nation's economy, Buffett's long view reminds us of the value of endurance and not making decisions based on fear or short-term noise (see James 1:5–6).Generosity and LegacyPerhaps most inspiring is Buffett's commitment to give away 99% of his wealth. He plans to direct his Berkshire Hathaway shares toward philanthropic causes within ten years of his estate being settled. While we may differ on where those funds go, the posture of open-handed generosity reflects Jesus' teaching: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).Buffett's success wasn't just about intellect—it was about character: discipline, patience, and generosity. These are values every believer is called to cultivate. As you manage your resources, consider how biblical principles—often echoed in even the most unlikely places—can shape a wise, faithful financial life.To explore these ideas further, read Matt Bell's full article, The Wisdom of Warren Buffett at SoundMindInvesting.org.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I've never had a credit card before, but I recently received a pre-qualified offer from Capital One. They mentioned they've reviewed my credit and noticed I'm keeping up with my bills. Should I consider applying for this card, and how can I verify that the offer is legitimate?As a grandmother, I'm concerned that my grandchildren aren't learning essential financial skills from their parents. I'd love to step in and help, especially with my 20-year-old grandchild. What is the best way to encourage them to save money and manage their finances wisely?Over the past couple of years, God has really blessed me with increased income, and I'm incredibly grateful. I live simply, help my parents, and avoid lifestyle inflation—but I want to make sure I'm handling this increase in a way that honors God. How can I manage this money with biblical stewardship in mind?I'm in a strong financial position—no debt, and I tithe faithfully. I just received $15,000 from selling off some business assets and want to invest it wisely. I'd like it to earn a good return, but I also want it to remain accessible if needed. What are some smart options that fit my situation?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Sound Mind InvestingThe Wisdom of Warren Buffett by Matt Bell (Sound Mind Investing Article)Bankrate | NerdwalletOpen Hands FinanceChristian Community Credit UnionWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

In today's episode, I'm sharing an exclusive sneak preview of How to Write a Novel, the debut audio course from my new company, DeepDive, which will be launching soon. How to Write a Novel is hosted by yours truly, and it features more than 50 hours of insight and instruction from dozens of today's leading contemporary authors, including Emily St. John Mandel, Melissa Broder, Stephen Graham Jones, V. V. Ganeshananthan, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Porochista Khakpour, Claudia Dey, Gina Frangello, Tod Goldberg, Antoine Wilson, Vauhini Vara, Madelaine Lucas, Matt Bell, and many more. Today, you'll be hearing the first episode in the course. The episode is called "Why Write a Novel?" and it features a wonderful conversation with Steve Almond, New York Times bestselling author of several books, including the critically acclaimed debut novel All the Secrets of the World, and a superb craft book called Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow. *** ⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad Listi's email newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pastors Tony Caffey and Matt Bell show Christian charity, discussing the Continuation of "Sign Gifts" (prophecy, tongues, etc.) & gospel unity despite disagreement.For the study resources and manuscript go to VBVF.ORG

Where did you learn about money? Did your parents ever sit down with you to discuss how to make it, how to spend it, how to save it, and how to give it away? On this weeks show, Kurt and Chad welcome financial author Matt Bell (mattaboutmoney.com). As a young man, Matt received an inheritance, went away and squandered it and then came to his senses. Sound familiar? His journey of mismanaging money helped lead him to the Lord and now he helps others keep from making the same mistake mistakes. The guys discuss what it looks like to model and teach your kids about being a steward of the money God gives us, for the investments we need to make now and for eternity.

Where did you learn about money? Did your parents ever sit down with you to discuss how to make it, how to spend it, how to save it, and how to give it away? On this weeks show, Kurt and Chad welcome financial author Matt Bell (mattaboutmoney.com). As a young man, Matt received an inheritance, went away and squandered it and then came to his senses. Sound familiar? His journey of mismanaging money helped lead him to the Lord and now he helps others keep from making the same mistake mistakes. The guys discuss what it looks like to model and teach your kids about being a steward of the money God gives us, for the investments we need to make now and for eternity.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12 If you're a few years from retirement and your savings aren't quite where you want them, you might feel like you've run out of time. But maybe you don't need a time machine to solve the problem. Today, Matt Bell joins us with some encouraging words about beefing up retirement savings.Matt Bell is the Managing Editor at Sound Mind Investing, an underwriter of Faith & Finance. The Surprising Power of Working a Little LongerIn 2018, a Stanford study called The Power of Working Longer made a compelling discovery: delaying retirement by just three to six months can have the same impact on retirement readiness as saving an additional 1% of income every year for 30 years.Yes, really.This is largely due to two factors:Higher Social Security Benefits – For every month you delay past full retirement age, your benefit increases by 2/3 of 1% (8% annually). Better Annuity Rates – The older you are when purchasing an annuity, the more monthly income you'll receive for the same investment.But there's a caveat: the study is based on specific assumptions that may not match your financial situation.What the Study Assumes—and Why It MattersThe Stanford study uses a fictional worker named “John” who:Started saving at age 36Saved 6% of income and received a 3% matchRetired at 66 and claimed Social Security immediatelyUsed all savings to buy an inflation-indexed annuityIn reality, your income, savings rate, Social Security timing, and withdrawal strategy may differ widely. Not to mention, indexed annuities like the one in the study are no longer widely available. So while the study provides encouragement, its specifics shouldn't be universally applied.If you can delay claiming Social Security, it can significantly boost your lifelong income. For example, waiting until age 70 instead of 66 could result in a monthly check that's 24% higher. You'd need to live roughly 12 more years to “break even,” but many retirees today are living well into their 80s and beyond.Social Security is essentially a government-backed, inflation-adjusted annuity, making it a powerful foundation for retirement income.More Benefits to Working LongerBeyond Social Security, staying employed offers additional financial and emotional perks:More Contributions – Additional working years allow you to save more and delay withdrawals.Shorter Retirement Span – Fewer retirement years mean your nest egg doesn't have to stretch as far.Health & Community – Work often provides routine, purpose, and social interaction—elements many retirees miss.Working longer isn't just a financial decision—it impacts your time, relationships, and expectations. If you've long looked forward to travel, family time, or volunteering, extending your career might feel like a loss. That's why it's essential to consider both the math and the meaning.Couples should prayerfully approach retirement planning together. Decisions about timing affect both spouses, especially when only one is working. Unequal expectations can lead to tension, so it's essential to:Talk openly about your hopes and concernsUnderstand your financial picture as a teamChoose unity over independence in decision-makingThis is one of the most crucial decisions you'll make as a couple.How Much Do You Really Need?You may have heard that you need 70–80% of your pre-retirement income. That's a good rule of thumb, but it's far better to run the numbers yourself. Some costs (like commuting or saving for retirement) may go down. Others (like healthcare or travel) may go up. The best approach? Create a post-retirement budget based on your unique goals and lifestyle.If you're behind on retirement savings, don't panic—and don't go it alone. Tools on the Social Security website can help you run scenarios based on your age and income. Brokerages like Fidelity or Schwab offer annuity estimators. Most importantly, seek wise counsel and pray through your decisions with your spouse.If you'd like to read the full article from Sound Mind Investing that we discussed during this episode, read Matt's article titled Retirement Preparedness—What a Difference a Little Time Can Make at SoundMindInvesting.com. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I now have the money from my tax return to pay my property taxes, due in two installments—one in May and one six months later. Should I go ahead and pay it all now since I have the funds, or is there a wise short-term investment I could consider in the meantime?Is there a reliable resource or organization that can provide information on charities that are requesting donations, such as groups like America Cares, CARE, or Mercy Ships?What are your thoughts on the cryptocurrency XRP? Is it something worth considering?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Sound Mind InvestingRetirement Preparedness — What a Difference a Little Time Can Make by Matt Bell (Sound Mind Investing Article)Social Security Administration (SSA.gov)ECFA | Charity Navigator | Ministry WatchFidelity | Charles SchwabWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money (Pre-Order)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Proverbs 4:26 reminds us, “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.”That's a call to intentional living—choosing wisdom over impulse, especially in how we manage our money. We often emphasize that budgeting isn't just about numbers—it's about aligning your resources with God's purposes.Matt Bell, a trusted voice in biblical finance, recently wrote about the contrast between cultural and Christian approaches to budgeting. He notes that culture gives your money a script:“Make $80,000 a year. Then move into this neighborhood, drive that car, wear these clothes, eat in these restaurants, and take these vacations. Then you can give.”In this model, spending comes first and usually leads to debt. If we're lucky, we might save or give with what's left. The result? Financial stress, shrinking savings, and a fading sense of contentment.Budgeting as a Sacred TrustBut what if budgeting isn't just a spending plan—it's a sacred trust?Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.” Your income is a gift and a responsibility. Imagine God saying:“I'm entrusting you with $80,000 this year. Use it to reflect My love—meet needs, fund ministry, invest in My Kingdom. Save wisely. Enjoy what I've provided.”This echoes 1 Timothy 6:17, which reminds us that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” With a biblical framework, our financial decisions flip the cultural script:Give firstThen save and investThen spend wiselyAnd use debt sparinglyPaul David Tripp puts it this way:“God calls us to stop starting with ourselves and hoping there's money left over for him. Instead, the call is to willingly and joyfully accept that our money's primary purpose is to fund a kingdom of generosity… and then trust that God will provide what we need.”Jesus warned in Matthew 7:26–27 that anyone who builds their life on shifting sand—hearing His words but not doing them—will find their house collapsing in the storm. A budget based on biblical principles isn't just practical—it's foundational. It anchors our financial lives to the truth of God's Word.A Partner for Kingdom StewardshipIf you're ready to build your finances on that foundation, it helps to partner with others who share your values. That's why we're grateful for Christian Community Credit Union (CCCU).More than a bank, CCCU is a financial institution with a Kingdom mission. They offer everything you'd expect—checking, savings, loans, mortgages—but they also invest your deposits in ministries that serve the Gospel worldwide. Every dollar becomes a tool for transformation.If you're seeking a trusted financial partner that aligns with your faith and fuels your impact, learn more at JoinChristianCommunity.com.Budgeting isn't about restriction—it's about worship. It's about saying, “Lord, everything I have is from You and for You.” When we carefully consider our financial paths, we begin to experience the freedom, peace, and joy of Kingdom stewardship.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I will be full retirement age in August. I'm still working, so my Social Security will be a surplus that I want to put toward my home. I still owe $82,000 on it, but I also know it needs many repairs. Does it make more sense to put this extra cash flow toward repairs, paying down the mortgage, or a little bit of both?What's the difference between getting a debt consolidation loan or working with a debt counselor?I just wanted general information about universal index life insurance. It seems too good to be true. I've heard that you put money in, and it always increases, but you never lose money out of there, like in the case with stocks.I have a colleague with $12,000 in student debt. He wants to pay $1,000 down and the rest over time, but I think he should pay it off completely now. What's the best method for him to save money and pay off the debt quickly?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Christian Community Credit Union (CCCU)Christian Credit CounselorsWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money (Pre-Order)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Recap of Episode 22 of Australian Survivor Brains V Brawn 2 - Battle of the Brains! Thanks for listening! Follow us: Instagram @ATASurvivor TikTok @ATASurvivor Email us: ATAustralianSurvivor@gmail.com Transcript: 00;00;00;00 - 00;00;03;43 Rachel Hello and welcome to American stock Australian survivor I'm Rachel. 00;00;03;45 - 00;00;04;17 Leah I'm Leah. 00;00;04;21 - 00;00;05;39 Matt And I'm Matt. 00;00;05;44 - 00;00;25;34 Rachel Thanks for joining us. We just watched episode 22 of Australian Survivor brains versus brawn two. And there will be spoilers ahead. We open up on the final five. Woo hoo! Wow. It's been a long journey for these players, but they are proud of themselves and they have made it to a huge accomplishment on any season of survivor to make it to the final. 00;00;25;34 - 00;00;29;09 Leah 544 days. It's unbelievable. 00;00;29;14 - 00;00;31;49 Matt You start to get nervous now right? 00;00;31;54 - 00;00;45;36 Rachel Yeah, and they should be, because we see Miles and Zahra talking on the beach. And Miles and Miles really wants to sit next to Zahra at the end. He thinks he can beat her and he thinks it's time to target age. It's number one. 00;00;45;41 - 00;00;47;57 Leah I don't want AJ to go boo. 00;00;48;02 - 00;01;05;54 Rachel Well, you know, I mean, I think we talked last episode about Kate and Morgan turning on each other and how how they didn't turn on each other because they have such a close alliance and how it's tough to watch that on survivor because you say, oh, it's a game, you've got to vote out your friends. And now here we go. 00;01;05;54 - 00;01;11;48 Rachel We see Miles being a survivor player, saying, I'm going to vote for my friend because I want to win this game, right? 00;01;11;51 - 00;01;15;11 Leah You did. He kept saying that I'm going to win the game. 00;01;15;22 - 00;01;32;04 Matt And with all the seasons of survivor we've watched, there's always people saying we're going to be friends for the rest of our lives. On the outside, we're going to stay in touch. So I mean, they become very good friends with when you eat, sleep and drink with somebody all day for weeks. 00;01;32;08 - 00;01;37;50 Rachel Yeah. And I think that Myles and AJ both have enough respect for the game that they'll be friends outside of this for sure. 00;01;37;52 - 00;01;41;37 Leah Well, Miles even said that that he thinks that data will respect them. 00;01;41;37 - 00;01;42;02 Leah Exactly. 00;01;42;10 - 00;01;43;30 Rachel So he's thinking that yeah. 00;01;43;37 - 00;01;45;42 Matt Yeah. When I vote you out, you'll respect me. 00;01;45;43 - 00;01;46;00 Leah Yeah. 00;01;46;00 - 00;01;59;27 Rachel One thing that Myles did say to Zara is when I take out AJ, the jury's going to be wowed. So Myles is already taking credit for this move. That hasn't happened yet that he needs Zara to help with. 00;01;59;31 - 00;02;00;15 Matt It's funny all. 00;02;00;15 - 00;02;01;01 Leah These all these. 00;02;01;09 - 00;02;04;27 Matt Plans it seems like a battle of the brains is really coming. Coming true. 00;02;04;31 - 00;02;16;13 Rachel Yeah. We've barely heard about Kate by the beginning part of the episode. She was almost gone last night and now she seems to have skated on by because the post grads are turning on each other, right? 00;02;16;20 - 00;02;22;25 Leah Yes. Well, I think it's interesting that there are four brains left. And last season, Hayley won 00;02;22;25 - 00;02;27;24 Leah the last brawn versus brains. So it's interesting. The brains. Here they go again. 00;02;27;28 - 00;02;31;36 Rachel It certainly looks like the brains are victorious against the brawn. 00;02;31;45 - 00;02;34;51 Matt If you could just get through those first couple of ones that you lose 00;02;34;51 - 00;02;35;33 Matt the brawn 00;02;35;33 - 00;02;42;18 Matt finishes all the, the tribal, the challenges and wins them all. If you can just get through those, you have a better chance, right? 00;02;42;27 - 00;02;44;49 Rachel Being a brain if you can make it to the merge. Right. 00;02;45;26 - 00;02;59;34 Rachel Well we see the brains all talking to each other. The postgraduates and Myles is expressing that Kate is next. And AJ being the great poker player that he is. Says that's ridiculous. He's definitely got something else up his sleeve. 00;02;59;37 - 00;03;00;56 Leah Yeah. 00;03;01;00 - 00;03;06;23 Rachel So he knows him well. Yeah. He doesn't know that he's the target, but he certainly knows him well. 00;03;06;28 - 00;03;11;15 Matt Right? He thinks it's Kaitlyn. Yeah, AJ thinks my Myles is going to vote Kaitlyn. 00;03;11;15 - 00;03;13;00 Leah Right? And he tells Kaitlyn that. 00;03;13;00 - 00;03;16;49 Rachel And he also tells Art, which is interesting that Zar is getting all A's. 00;03;16;54 - 00;03;17;27 Leah Yeah right. 00;03;17;39 - 00;03;31;03 Matt And I thought for sure at this point that AJ was going to say and Myles has a now an idol but he didn't. He kept it like a good poker player. Kept it close to his chest. Didn't let other people see what he knows. 00;03;31;03 - 00;03;49;22 Rachel Well now it's time to get into the immunity challenge. So. Right at the beginning, we talked about, you know, how Kaitlyn's won so many. And AJ announces to the group that he wants Kaitlyn to win every single one in hopes that he doesn't stop. Which is an interesting thing to say about your competitor. 00;03;49;27 - 00;04;04;53 Leah I think AJ is such a good friend to Kaitlyn. He really sincerely wants him to keep winning and maybe he knows since he is good friends with Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn will protect him with that with immunity. I guess it's better to have your friend win it than someone else. 00;04;04;58 - 00;04;09;19 Rachel Yeah, and I guess AJ probably could beat Kaitlyn at the end. I think that's what he's thinking. 00;04;09;24 - 00;04;10;34 Leah I think so. 00;04;10;39 - 00;04;15;06 Matt I guess so. So if Kaitlyn wins everyone, that's okay because he'll take me with him. 00;04;15;11 - 00;04;16;20 Leah Yeah. 00;04;16;25 - 00;04;19;24 Rachel Yeah I don't know if AJ has told us who his top 00;04;19;24 - 00;04;20;33 Rachel person said Kaitlyn. 00;04;20;33 - 00;04;22;44 Leah I thought he so did. Yeah I think he said both and. 00;04;22;44 - 00;04;26;34 Rachel It makes me. Yeah yeah makes sense that he wants Kaitlyn to keep winning immunities. 00;04;26;34 - 00;04;29;27 Matt But did he ever tell Myles that he was that they were. 00;04;29;34 - 00;04;32;28 Leah I think Myles and AJ know that they can't take each other. 00;04;32;30 - 00;04;34;04 Matt Okay. They're smart enough. 00;04;34;05 - 00;04;34;27 Leah Yeah. 00;04;34;29 - 00;04;38;49 Rachel Yeah. Yeah. They know they can't sit next to each other. But what what how would that be. That would be. 00;04;38;49 - 00;04;44;55 Leah Awesome. I would be the best. The absolutely best. And who would win? Yeah. All right, so off to the immunity challenge, 00;04;44;55 - 00;05;05;23 Rachel Yeah. So they have to take these blocks over a little obstacle where you can, you know, trip it and wobble your stack, and you have to stack up 12 blocks. So it feels kind of similar to last night's, challenge at tribal council where, you know, you're stacking things and it's balance and it's precision. Right? So I, I was a little frustrated that it was quite similar. 00;05;05;24 - 00;05;08;42 Rachel I would have wanted something a little bit different. Right. Back to back. 00;05;08;43 - 00;05;09;07 Leah Challenges. 00;05;09;11 - 00;05;12;41 Matt Similar to immunity challenge number two from from the previous. 00;05;12;41 - 00;05;34;13 Leah Episode. Well, what I didn't like is that they didn't base it on height. Like AJ had an extremely difficult time getting under the, gate. And, Jonathan even said something about being like, I don't know, something about tall. Yeah, it was a challenge, so that just doesn't seem fair. Why not make it so everyone has an equal, distance? 00;05;34;18 - 00;05;36;08 Matt Okay. Should be based on your body, right? 00;05;36;09 - 00;05;36;42 Leah Correct. 00;05;36;54 - 00;05;43;59 Rachel Because, yeah, for the strength ones, they do it by percentage of your body weight. So it should be the same thing. It should be based on your height. 00;05;44;00 - 00;05;44;31 Leah Yes. 00;05;44;42 - 00;05;49;42 Matt And someone with shorter legs has a harder time because they have to lift their feet up higher. So maybe they're just saying it's, 00;05;49;42 - 00;05;58;10 Matt both, you know, taller people have to duck down lower. Shorter people have to lift their feet higher. But I think you got to lift your feet higher a lot more. I don't know. It should be. 00;05;58;21 - 00;06;01;03 Matt I feel like it should be the same for everybody. Based on your height. 00;06;01;03 - 00;06;01;38 Leah I agree. 00;06;01;48 - 00;06;03;18 Rachel They never take our advice. What 00;06;03;18 - 00;06;05;25 Rachel changes are they working on? 00;06;05;30 - 00;06;10;25 Leah Yes I know. Yeah. All right, so Caitlin's in the lead, right? 00;06;10;30 - 00;06;14;01 Rachel Yeah. To no one's surprise, Kate and Caitlin are both doing well. 00;06;14;06 - 00;06;15;27 Leah Right? Very well. 00;06;15;27 - 00;06;18;19 Rachel it looks like Caitlin's about to pull through, but he drops. 00;06;18;25 - 00;06;23;34 Leah Oh. All right, number 11. How upsetting. Oh, down. Wow. Had to be hard. 00;06;23;38 - 00;06;29;11 Rachel And he was, you know, preparing himself, taking a deep breath before he went in. So that was really too bad. 00;06;29;16 - 00;06;30;56 Leah Now okay. So that's the lead, right? 00;06;30;56 - 00;06;47;33 Rachel Yeah. So it's everyone's anyone's game really at this point. And this is one of those this is kind of fun about these sort of challenges is that you see people build up their stack and then they fall, and then someone else is in the lead and then someone else builds up. So it's kind of like a revolving door of who is leading the challenge. 00;06;47;33 - 00;06;49;31 Rachel So that's always a little exciting. 00;06;49;31 - 00;06;59;14 Rachel We see a lot of people drop. We see Myles drop on his absolute 12th block, yet the last one I need to set to take away the oh I couldn't get it. 00;06;59;14 - 00;07;01;27 Rachel So he looked really upset about that. 00;07;01;32 - 00;07;05;14 Leah And Zara wins. Yeah for Zara. 00;07;05;19 - 00;07;10;04 Rachel I don't think she dropped at all. She finally hurt as J. Upset. Finally. Yeah. 00;07;10;04 - 00;07;11;46 Leah Yeah, right. I honestly. 00;07;11;51 - 00;07;17;34 Matt I think that was an odd thing to say. Well yeah somebody is winning them all. And then you win one fight. 00;07;17;35 - 00;07;26;50 Leah Right right right. Well maybe but she did a great job. Like she's slow and steady. And congratulations to Zara. That was really incredible. And it. 00;07;26;54 - 00;07;30;20 Matt Was great at the end even as they were leaving the stack was still standing. 00;07;30;25 - 00;07;34;27 Leah Right in the background and she was doing a little dance. Yeah, right. 00;07;34;32 - 00;07;35;13 Rachel She seemed very. 00;07;35;13 - 00;07;38;30 Leah Proud. Yeah. For sure. Yeah, it was great. 00;07;38;35 - 00;07;39;42 Rachel I don't think we. 00;07;39;45 - 00;07;46;11 Leah Could do that. Yeah. No. Yeah. It was fun to see her so happy. Yeah, right. She's a very serious player, so that was nice. 00;07;46;11 - 00;08;03;20 Rachel So let me get back to camp. And Myles and Zara are still gunning for, AJ and they're really thinking ahead. They say we're going to tell Kate to vote for Kaitlyn. And then on the next vote at the Final Four, we're going to say, hey, Kaitlyn, remember when Kate voted for you? We've got to get her out. 00;08;03;20 - 00;08;11;17 Rachel So they're thinking, you know, multiple steps ahead of how to get people mad at each other. So you have to appreciate the good gameplay. 00;08;11;22 - 00;08;20;21 Leah I do, but Zara made a good point. She said. If we fail this, it's not going to be good, right? So they have to make sure they do not fail at this vote. 00;08;20;21 - 00;08;27;29 Rachel Yeah, so they're planning to do two votes on, Kate, two votes on AJ and then one vote somewhere else. 00;08;27;29 - 00;08;29;00 Matt On Kaitlyn, I think. 00;08;29;05 - 00;08;34;12 Rachel On Kaitlyn. And then they're going to revote and then it's going to be two. So they've got a. 00;08;34;12 - 00;08;35;37 Leah Lot of right. 00;08;35;47 - 00;08;40;42 Matt Then there's only the two of them who can vote. And then they can both vote off whoever they want to vote. 00;08;40;42 - 00;08;46;53 Rachel AJ dizzying to think about all these different strategies that everyone has going on with only five votes. 00;08;46;59 - 00;08;53;56 Leah I don't know how they do this. They're so tired. And now, you know, I haven't had anything to eat. But here, they're very good. 00;08;54;01 - 00;08;54;44 Rachel They're good. 00;08;54;44 - 00;09;01;16 Matt But it's interesting that they could, that Myles comes up with a 2 to 1 vote. And then AJ comes up with two one. 00;09;01;18 - 00;09;04;15 Leah Yes. Well that's why they're friends. 00;09;04;20 - 00;09;05;33 Rachel Yeah. They think alike. 00;09;05;35 - 00;09;06;15 Leah Really. 00;09;06;20 - 00;09;21;29 Rachel Well Kaitlyn had a great plan to set a rat trap. So he thinks that he's pretty worried about Myles idol. So I guess Kaitlyn knows about the idol. It's hard to keep track of who knows about the idol and who doesn't, but I guess Kaitlyn knows. 00;09;21;29 - 00;09;23;52 Rachel He thinks that's going to come down to Myles versus Kate. 00;09;23;52 - 00;09;30;44 Rachel So he's like, if Myles plays his idol, then K goes home. If Myles plays his idol for Kate trying to send Kaitlyn home. Yeah. And Myles goes home. 00;09;30;44 - 00;09;31;02 Leah So 00;09;31;02 - 00;09;35;13 Leah yeah he's thinking. He was thinking I like Kaitlyn's plan. I thought it was a good plan. 00;09;35;17 - 00;09;50;43 Rachel Yeah. And then AJ says you know we're gonna have two votes on Myles. Gonna have two votes on Kate. Then we're going to revote on Kate. And it's just a lot of a lot of re votes allotted two on two splits. But it's interesting that AJ is gunning for Kate who he tried so hard to save last night. 00;09;50;54 - 00;09;54;43 Leah Well I think he's a postgraduate graduate. Must be loyal to them. 00;09;54;43 - 00;09;55;53 Matt Sticking to the four. 00;09;55;56 - 00;10;02;51 Leah Yeah, yeah. So I think them working together they said since the beginning right. So yeah. 00;10;02;51 - 00;10;05;48 Matt He spent every day with two days with Sara. 00;10;05;53 - 00;10;06;46 Leah Yeah. Yeah. 00;10;06;50 - 00;10;11;01 Rachel Do they really known each other. Yeah. Yeah. Like a month and a half together. That's crazy. 00;10;11;02 - 00;10;11;58 Matt Gosh. 00;10;12;03 - 00;10;14;16 Rachel No breaks to go to work and come back. 00;10;14;19 - 00;10;15;00 Leah Okay. Go to. 00;10;15;01 - 00;10;15;55 Matt Sleep. You can't. 00;10;16;06 - 00;10;17;11 Rachel Drive all the time and drive. 00;10;17;11 - 00;10;18;44 Matt In your car and listen to a podcast. 00;10;18;49 - 00;10;25;31 Rachel Well, it is nice to see that AJ has sort of finally left. Kate's a spell. You seem to really be, 00;10;25;31 - 00;10;35;00 Rachel you know, siding with her quite a bit on a lot of these votes. But it seems like for whatever reason, he has flipped a switch and he's no longer, trying to save Kate. He's actually looking to get her out. 00;10;35;00 - 00;10;50;33 Rachel then we see Zara say that she is, you know, obviously she's thinking about AJ, but she also doesn't want Kate to make it to the final three because as we know, Kate and Zara are both good at endurance. Right? And Zara needs to set herself up to win for that situation. 00;10;50;38 - 00;11;00;19 Leah And so you see Kate and Zara talking, right? Yeah. And Kate tells Zara that Miles told her to vote for Kaitlyn and Zara seems quite surprised. 00;11;00;19 - 00;11;08;11 Rachel Yeah, because Kate is following Myles and not AJ, which is not what you would have expected from Kate. So this really flips things around for Zara. 00;11;08;23 - 00;11;11;41 Matt Well, Myles also did give her kind of an ultimatum. You have no choice. 00;11;11;41 - 00;11;14;39 Leah Yeah he's not very nice and for sure you know. 00;11;14;44 - 00;11;18;42 Rachel That does seem to be his go to strategy to say well you've got to do my way. You have no choice. 00;11;18;49 - 00;11;20;54 Leah Well, I think it's funny that Zara became. 00;11;20;55 - 00;11;22;12 Matt Really vote for whoever she wants. 00;11;22;12 - 00;11;33;56 Leah Yeah, but Zara ends up being the swing vote. It looks like. Right. If Kate's going to go with Myles, then it looks like she Zara will figure out. 00;11;34;01 - 00;11;35;14 Rachel But yeah. So deciding. 00;11;35;14 - 00;11;36;36 Leah Oh sorry. Go ahead. 00;11;36;41 - 00;11;53;22 Rachel Susanna has figured out that all four players on the beach are voting for each other, so Kate's voting for Caitlin. Myles is voting for AJ, Kaitlyn's voting for Miles and is voting for Kate. So there's four people eligible to receive votes and they all have one accounted for. And Zara gets to be the deciding. 00;11;53;22 - 00;11;55;07 Leah Vote, right? I know right? 00;11;55;12 - 00;11;59;15 Matt A huge move for her that all just kind of like fell in line. 00;11;59;20 - 00;12;05;04 Leah Well I think the big thing also is that Kate is finally looking for an idol. 00;12;05;04 - 00;12;06;21 Rachel Next time. 00;12;06;25 - 00;12;09;22 Leah But Myles is filing her and, you know. 00;12;09;29 - 00;12;10;48 Matt Half heartedly it seems like. 00;12;10;48 - 00;12;14;10 Leah Yeah, but still we still. Oh, are you looking for an idol? Yeah. Yeah, 00;12;14;10 - 00;12;17;28 Rachel It is nice to see Kate finally taking our advice and writing. 00;12;17;28 - 00;12;18;26 Leah For the night. 00;12;18;31 - 00;12;21;47 Matt We're 48 hours and the end of the game. You gonna look for an idol now, right? 00;12;21;56 - 00;12;22;23 Leah Right. 00;12;22;25 - 00;12;23;36 Rachel Well, better late than never, 00;12;23;36 - 00;12;39;29 Rachel Well, it is interesting to kind of think about Zara's plan here, so I'm thinking, well, she knows that she needs a big move because she played a really good game pre merge directly after the merge. I think she did a really nice job, but lately she hasn't really been doing quite as much. 00;12;39;29 - 00;12;49;30 Rachel So if she were to get out AJ yeah that's huge for her resume. But what if she ends up sitting next to Max? That's really Miles's move. More so than Zara's move, right? 00;12;49;30 - 00;12;53;33 Matt Right. And she could end up sitting next to Kate and she doesn't want to do that. 00;12;53;38 - 00;13;01;07 Rachel Well, yeah. So Kate's a big competition, but it's the easy vote. It doesn't have a huge mark on her resume. 00;13;01;12 - 00;13;04;57 Leah Yes, but the brains are thinking, right. Yeah, yeah. 00;13;05;02 - 00;13;10;53 Rachel But I'm thinking if I were Zara, I think the best move is to target Myles at this point because 00;13;10;53 - 00;13;22;14 Rachel AJ is not her original move Myles you know Kaitlyn's already voting for him, but it doesn't seem like anyone else thinks he's going home. And he really wouldn't suspect it at this point. So I think that would have been a big move. 00;13;22;24 - 00;13;23;26 Leah But yeah, the idol. 00;13;23;40 - 00;13;32;00 Rachel He does have the idol, so she's got a lot of choices, but it's hard to pick out like an exact good choice for Zara at this point in the game. 00;13;32;05 - 00;13;40;22 Matt Right? I don't feel like we got that from Kate. From Zara that she should vote for Myles she didn't even, like, considered. It didn't seem like. 00;13;40;22 - 00;13;41;31 Leah No. 00;13;41;35 - 00;13;47;19 Matt And we don't know that she knows he has an idol. So it seems odd that that part was missing. 00;13;47;24 - 00;13;51;43 Leah Well, I thought it was interesting because then you see Myles and AJ sitting on the beach 00;13;51;43 - 00;13;56;40 Leah AJ says I don't trust you for a moment to Myles. 00;13;56;45 - 00;14;18;57 Rachel So this is kind of sad. It's like their final goodbye almost their final chat on the beach. And Myles is tearing up and yes National. And it was it was kind of bittersweet to think about all the times that those two have sat on the beach together scheming away. And now there's like this underlying current where it's like, well, you can't tell me your plan, but I hope you don't vote for me, right? 00;14;19;00 - 00;14;30;23 Rachel Oh, it is, and it's I don't know, I think it's every, duo seems to get to this point in the game, but it's always I mean, it's just interesting to see. It's kind of emotional to watch. 00;14;30;27 - 00;14;38;23 Leah Yeah. Right. Well, I think also AJ said, Kaitlyn will take me to the end. No one else will. So that's interesting. 00;14;38;23 - 00;14;44;52 Leah Yeah, he he thinks Kaitlyn is the only one who's going to take him to the end. And I think he must believe that he'll beat Kaitlyn. 00;14;44;57 - 00;14;45;52 Rachel No, I think he can. 00;14;45;52 - 00;14;47;11 Leah Yeah, I can. 00;14;47;11 - 00;14;54;27 Matt Yeah, but that's that's a good point because he's probably right. Everyone else knows he's a good player. So why would you take him? 00;14;54;32 - 00;14;55;01 Leah Yeah. 00;14;55;06 - 00;14;59;16 Matt Right. Don't you think everybody is going to take Kaitlyn? 00;14;59;21 - 00;15;01;40 Rachel Yeah, I guess it's hard to say. 00;15;01;45 - 00;15;03;58 Leah But there's more surprises at tribal. 00;15;03;58 - 00;15;05;48 Leah What about the jury? Oh, I just. 00;15;05;48 - 00;15;11;55 Rachel We saw that Morgan has left the game. She's opted not to sit on the jury, but actually to go home instead. 00;15;11;55 - 00;15;19;10 Leah I mean, she took someone's place. She did not play this game, and now she leaves. Yeah, I think that's a really bad. 00;15;19;16 - 00;15;20;15 Matt So disappointing. 00;15;20;15 - 00;15;20;44 Leah Yeah. 00;15;20;49 - 00;15;34;36 Rachel Yeah. I was thinking about, Do you guys remember Noonan from the beginning of the season? She loved. Yeah, the game of survivor. So much. It's palpable on the screen. And I was just thinking, you know, she would love to sit on the jury. She would I sure. You know, it's an honor. 00;15;34;36 - 00;15;39;17 Matt And I would have been so excited to be there and hearing their stories, seeing what's happening. Yeah. 00;15;39;22 - 00;16;01;16 Rachel Yeah, she was a good player on the jury. Yeah. Well, it's, you know, a huge honor to be on the jury because you get to stay in the final, sole survivor of your season. You get to decide who wins the game. And it's such a huge part of the game. It's the jury. And to leave, it's like at that point, you may as well just quit the game because you already are not seeing it through to the end. 00;16;01;20 - 00;16;03;48 Rachel And I was yeah, it's very disappointing to see this. 00;16;03;59 - 00;16;05;40 Leah It's very upsetting actually. 00;16;05;45 - 00;16;11;24 Rachel You know, a morgan's an Olympian. So we know that she's been dedicated to things in the past and you just don't, 00;16;11;24 - 00;16;16;38 Rachel you know, expect someone as an Olympian to be, you know, quitting a game in the middle of it. Really. 00;16;16;43 - 00;16;17;53 Leah And she doesn't seem. 00;16;17;53 - 00;16;24;58 Matt That upset that she was leaving. Right? It's not like, you know, I've worked so hard for this, and this is my dream, and now I'm going to get voted off. 00;16;24;59 - 00;16;31;52 Leah And maybe someone told her, hey, why don't you go on survivor? And she just did it, but really doesn't care about it. I mean, she just didn't seem to care. 00;16;31;52 - 00;16;38;07 Matt I have read that in American Survivor they do go after certain people. They approach people. 00;16;38;12 - 00;16;38;42 Leah Who don't even. 00;16;38;42 - 00;16;40;43 Matt Apply and say, hey, you would be good on. 00;16;40;43 - 00;16;42;51 Leah Survivor. Oh, really? Yeah. 00;16;42;56 - 00;16;48;11 Rachel So maybe she didn't. She may have never even watch the game. Maybe she doesn't even know how important the jury is. 00;16;48;25 - 00;16;52;48 Leah Well, I'm sorry, you just made a good point about Noonan. I wish she would have made it farther. 00;16;52;48 - 00;17;10;09 Rachel I know she was fine. You know, she was terrified. The game was passionate about it. Who understands the role of the jury, the responsibility. And, you know, this is altering the game to not have your vote at the end, playing, you know, giving a say into how the game ends. It alters the game. 00;17;10;13 - 00;17;14;12 Leah Right. And Kate probably was pretty disappointed to not see her. 00;17;14;12 - 00;17;14;40 Rachel Yeah. 00;17;14;40 - 00;17;17;11 Matt Yeah. Especially if she was hoping for a vote from her. 00;17;17;11 - 00;17;17;59 Leah Yeah. So yeah. 00;17;17;59 - 00;17;19;48 Leah So that was crazy. 00;17;19;53 - 00;17;23;01 Rachel Yeah. So very disappointing. Interesting that, 00;17;23;01 - 00;17;31;52 Rachel think it was Ben at the beginning of the season, quit kind of unexpectedly from the brains, from tribe and, Morgan from the brawn tribe. Right. So it's. 00;17;31;52 - 00;17;32;59 Matt Season. 00;17;33;04 - 00;17;42;39 Rachel And it's not looking good for brains versus brawn. It looks like the bronze are quitting. They're not making it as far in the game. It's right. Looking like the brains are victorious overall. 00;17;42;41 - 00;17;50;40 Matt And I wonder if the four brains. I wonder what the reaction was when they heard that Morgan wasn't there. Probably like good. 00;17;50;45 - 00;17;53;26 Leah Yeah, because Morgan didn't like any of them. Right. 00;17;53;31 - 00;18;08;52 Rachel Yeah. I wonder if it even changed Zara's. I mean, I don't think it did, but I wonder if it made Zara reconsider her vote, knowing that if she were to sit next to Kate, she would not have that guaranteed vote for Morgan. 00;18;08;57 - 00;18;11;11 Leah I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. 00;18;11;16 - 00;18;16;05 Rachel Well, probably not, because, the tribal they're discussing, 00;18;16;05 - 00;18;21;52 Rachel you know, when to make a big move is it time to turn on the core four? It's going to be so awkward for. 00;18;21;53 - 00;18;22;57 Matt Bell to get awkward. 00;18;22;57 - 00;18;28;02 Rachel And when is it time to make your last big move, or, you know, one of your last big moves? 00;18;28;11 - 00;18;50;32 Leah Well, I like it that they showed us everyone but Sara. Their votes. So AJ voted for Kate, Kaitlyn voted for Myles. So that was weird because AJ was supposed to vote for Myles mapper, but I guess he just couldn't do it. Kate voted for Kaitlyn as Myles told her to do and Myles voted for AJ. So now all of them have a vote so we don't know if she's great, who Zara's going to pick. 00;18;50;32 - 00;18;52;40 Leah And that was very, very interesting. 00;18;52;45 - 00;19;00;12 Matt So it worked out perfectly for the producers. Yes, let's do it this way. I was like, yes, we knew what was going to happen up until the last vote. 00;19;00;17 - 00;19;01;56 Leah Yeah, that was really good. 00;19;02;01 - 00;19;05;13 Rachel But before they could read the votes, we had another twist. 00;19;05;13 - 00;19;10;01 Rachel Number four Myles plays idol number four for himself. 00;19;10;05 - 00;19;11;59 Matt And the jury is just like, 00;19;12;04 - 00;19;14;10 Leah Yeah. Thank you. Nothing like it was. 00;19;14;19 - 00;19;22;48 Rachel Yeah. Four idols. That's wild. And, you know, I mean Myles would be the one to ask, but there's got to be close to a record to play for. 00;19;22;48 - 00;19;26;03 Leah I was right, I went Indian. Oh yeah. That was awesome. 00;19;26;03 - 00;19;28;38 Matt That would have been funny if he would have said that. I believe this is a record. 00;19;28;53 - 00;19;35;58 Leah If anybody knows what the record is for how many idols a player? Yeah, yeah. Please let us know. Yeah. 00;19;36;03 - 00;19;46;37 Rachel All right. Yeah. So he played three correctly so far. This last one was incorrect. But that's okay. It's the last chance to play it. May as well and save himself just to be sure. 00;19;46;39 - 00;19;50;22 Matt Right. Well that would have been pretty bad to play it for Kate. And then he goes home, right? 00;19;50;22 - 00;19;50;47 Leah Yeah. 00;19;50;47 - 00;19;57;38 Rachel So we get down to it. And the very first vote out of the urn is for Myles. Does not count. Then the jury was shocked. 00;19;57;42 - 00;19;59;04 Leah Yeah. They were. 00;19;59;04 - 00;20;09;01 Rachel And then as we knew it was going to happen everyone got a vote. And there's one more vote. And at this point I'm thinking oh it's got to be AJ you know. Oh this is so sad. Here it goes H. 00;20;09;03 - 00;20;10;04 Leah Yes I'm thinking. 00;20;10;04 - 00;20;12;15 Matt It's going to be Myles and there's going to be a revote. 00;20;12;21 - 00;20;15;40 Leah Oh I doubt it's going to be AJ I was so scared because I don't want AJ that. 00;20;15;55 - 00;20;21;44 Matt People couldn't vote. So Myles would have been able to vote. Yeah Zoro would have been able to vote. 00;20;22;33 - 00;20;23;52 Rachel That would've been interesting to see. 00;20;23;52 - 00;20;24;53 Leah The exciting to see. 00;20;24;53 - 00;20;26;10 Rachel Oh, that would've been good, right? 00;20;26;10 - 00;20;26;19 Leah Yeah. 00;20;26;19 - 00;20;29;11 Matt And then if they couldn't agree on it. 00;20;29;16 - 00;20;29;41 Leah Yeah. 00;20;29;41 - 00;20;35;41 Rachel Well, it came down to Kate, I was shocked. I really was not expecting Kate to go home tonight. 00;20;35;54 - 00;20;55;21 Leah I know that, Zara has not wanted Kate the game because for it since the beginning, it seems like they do it since they were together. But, I was surprised. But did you see the big surprise from The Graduate? They were just like, whoa, AJ, I mean, it looked like none of them could believe that Kate was going home. 00;20;55;21 - 00;20;57;25 Leah So they were very, very surprised. 00;20;57;27 - 00;21;02;42 Matt AJ was quite surprised to get a vote. Yeah. He asked Myles, would you vote for. 00;21;02;47 - 00;21;03;37 Leah Yeah, yeah. 00;21;03;38 - 00;21;05;28 Matt File says you. 00;21;05;33 - 00;21;31;23 Leah Me yeah. So as I predicted, if this fails, there's going to be a lot of trouble. So and I think that's what's going to happen. But the interesting thing is the postgraduates and the brains are still here. So now the no bronze, they're all gone. So, just like Haley and King George. Two brains. Yeah. They're, you know, who knows who these four will end up being the two, but they're going to be brains. 00;21;31;23 - 00;21;32;47 Leah So. Yeah. 00;21;32;55 - 00;21;36;23 Matt Interesting. I think it looks in the previews. It looks awkward for me. 00;21;36;23 - 00;21;37;08 Leah It does. 00;21;37;13 - 00;21;39;25 Rachel Oh yeah. He's in a bad spot. 00;21;39;30 - 00;21;51;06 Leah But it's always funny going back to the beginning. You look at the players who like the Bryan have to win. I mean there's no way the brains are going to win. But here the muscles, right? 00;21;51;11 - 00;21;53;13 Matt Everybody's got a great body right. 00;21;53;18 - 00;22;00;12 Rachel Well thinking back to our initial predictions. So Matt you chose Myles. So it's looking like he's doing pretty well. 00;22;00;12 - 00;22;01;06 Leah Yeah. 00;22;01;11 - 00;22;02;32 Matt He's final four. 00;22;02;37 - 00;22;03;08 Leah Yeah. 00;22;03;20 - 00;22;05;08 Matt Hopefully further than that Morgan. 00;22;05;08 - 00;22;18;16 Rachel Yeah you chose Morgan. But I just point out yeah yeah. So that wasn't what you expected now. And I chose Karen. Of course. The only one of the graduates to be sitting on the jury and not in the Final Four. 00;22;18;20 - 00;22;19;32 Matt She's in the jury. 00;22;19;37 - 00;22;20;11 Leah Yeah, she's. 00;22;20;11 - 00;22;20;42 Rachel In the jury. 00;22;20;42 - 00;22;41;44 Leah But she was a very good player. She should be right there. Actually, when I think about it, I know Zara has done quite well, but I think Karen was more active in her gameplay. She was more like Myles in AJ. I think that's right. So I, I though Zara deserves to be where she is. I think it would be or AJ or Myles or Kaitlyn. 00;22;41;58 - 00;22;50;20 Leah I think it would be nice if Karen was up there also. I don't know who who she would replace. I'm just saying I think she should be up there because she was a good player. 00;22;50;20 - 00;22;50;58 Leah Yeah. 00;22;50;58 - 00;22;58;19 Rachel Well, it's been an interesting season and it's not over yet. I cannot wait for Sunday to see what's going to happen. 00;22;58;19 - 00;22;58;51 Leah Oh, boy. 00;22;58;51 - 00;22;59;21 Rachel Hey, Jim. 00;22;59;33 - 00;23;01;13 Leah I I'm sorry. 00;23;01;17 - 00;23;17;05 Rachel I think I'll go ahead. You know, if AJ would have gone home tonight, I think after the game they could have repaired things and said, you know, oh it's part of the game. Not a big deal. But now that he didn't go home this is really going to blow up. They're going to be are you are they going to be able to recover? 00;23;17;05 - 00;23;20;37 Rachel I don't think AJ is going to see it as just game play anymore. 00;23;20;48 - 00;23;28;23 Matt Right. And hopefully they come back at night. I mean, hopefully they show us more of what happens as soon as they get back to camp instead of when the sun comes up. 00;23;28;23 - 00;23;30;46 Leah I yeah, I think they will. I hope they, I think they will. 00;23;30;50 - 00;23;34;06 Matt But anyway, I hope you guys continue to help me support Myles. 00;23;34;06 - 00;23;34;42 Leah Sorry, 00;23;34;42 - 00;23;37;32 Leah I'm not supporting Myles. Sorry. Oh, jeez. 00;23;37;32 - 00;23;50;47 Rachel I think I would say Miles deserves to win out of all five of these. I think I'm rooting for Myles to win at this point or at all for players left because he I mean he played for idols. He has a crazy story. 00;23;50;47 - 00;23;51;30 Leah What you guys have. 00;23;51;32 - 00;23;59;02 Rachel Really doing very well. And I think he deserves the title of Sole Survivor. If he can get himself to the final two, which is going to be tough. 00;23;59;04 - 00;24;02;27 Leah But what about AJ? I guess AJ didn't play as much as Myles. 00;24;02;29 - 00;24;05;29 Matt What about Kaitlyn winning all the immunity. Yeah you know. 00;24;05;34 - 00;24;06;41 Leah And Zara still. 00;24;06;46 - 00;24;20;15 Rachel Saying yeah. The great thing about this Final Four is that everyone has a chance of winning and everyone deserves their spot here. We've seen a lot of seasons where someone's dragged along and it's not that fun, but I think this is a great final four. 00;24;20;15 - 00;24;22;33 Leah Yes, I agree is a separate car. 00;24;22;37 - 00;24;25;31 Matt I can't wait till Sunday to see what happens. 00;24;25;35 - 00;24;46;20 Rachel Yeah. So let us know what you think about this Final Four. Do you feel that everyone deserves to be there? And who do you think will be the sole survivor out of the postgraduates? Let us know on Instagram at survivor, TikTok at survivor and send us an email at eight. Australian Survivor at gmail.com. Thanks and we'll see you next week. 00;24;46;20 - 00;24;46;50 Leah Bye bye. 00;24;46;50 - 00;24;47;23 Matt Bye.  

In a world driven by consumerism, how can we help our kids develop healthy, God-honoring financial habits? On this episode, we talk with author Matt Bell, who shares insights from his book, Trusted, about teaching kids the biblical perspective of money and stewardship. Matt explains practical ways to start early and engage our children on three levels—heart, head, and hands—to create lasting habits and foster genuine generosity.Matt shares practical ideas, real-life examples, and encouragement for parents who might feel overwhelmed or unsure about teaching financial principles. Whether you're just getting started or want to reset your family's approach to money management, this episode offers helpful tips and reminds us that it's never too late to teach our kids how to be wise stewards of God's resources.This episode is sponsored by MB Foundation. MB Foundation has partnered with Matt to provide many free resources for church leaders related to Trusted. Check out the free resources today at http://mbfoundation.com/trusted.

We sat down with Matt Bell to discuss his time working at Konami EU on Yu-Gi-Oh products, banlists, and events. Then we hear about his own tabletop card game Robot Raiders!

A quick Sunday episode wherein I share some exciting news: Later this year, I will be launching a new company called DeepDive, which specializes in the creation of long-form educational audio. The debut course from DeepDive will be 'How to Write a Novel,' and it will feature more than 50 hours of never-before-heard conversations with dozens of today's leading writers, including Emily St. John Mandel, Porochista Khakpour, Melissa Broder, Steve Almond, V.V. Ganeshananthan, Lynn Steger Strong, Vauhini Vara, Lydia Kiesling, Madelaine Lucas, Matt Bell, Jerry Stahl, Hannah Pittard, Kimberly King Parsons, Gina Frangello, Stephen Graham Jones, and many more. The official DeepDive website is www.deepdive.audio. And please follow DeepDive on Instagram and on BlueSky. You can sign up for the official DeepDive newsletter right here. And you can read my Substack announcement here. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Twitter Instagram  TikTok Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house." - Proverbs 24:27That verse underscores the need for planning and execution, key elements for long-term financial success. Matt Bell joins us today to discuss how to put planning and execution to work for you.Matt Bell is the Managing Editor at Sound Mind Investing, an underwriter of Faith & Finance. The Importance of a Financial PlanLife tends to happen to us while we're making other plans. Unfortunately, for many people, life happens without any financial planning at all. Millions of individuals fail to establish a clear strategy for managing their money, and even those who attempt to plan often struggle to stay on track.Without a plan, it's easy to drift financially, reacting to circumstances rather than proactively building a stable financial future. The impact of financial planning—and, more importantly, execution—can be profound.A 2011 study analyzed data from over 1,200 individuals aged 50 and older, examining their approach to financial planning and its effect on their retirement net worth. The study categorized participants into four groups based on their level of planning and follow-through:Non-Planners: More than two-thirds of those studied had not done any financial planning despite being close to retirement. Many had not even researched what to expect from Social Security. Simple Planners: This group at least considered their future financial needs and made basic calculations about saving for retirement. However, only about half of them created a tangible financial plan. Serious Planners: These individuals sought financial information and even paid for professional planning advice. However, like the previous group, about half failed to implement their plans. Successful Planners: The final group—only about 20% of those studied—both created and consistently followed a financial plan over many years.Even Small Steps Can Make a Big DifferenceOne encouraging takeaway from this study is that every step toward better planning leads to improved financial outcomes. Even moving from the “non-planner” to the “simple planner” category doubled or tripled net worth at retirement. Advancing to the “serious planner” level added another 25% to 35% in wealth accumulation.This demonstrates that financial planning isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. Even taking small steps—like estimating future financial needs or using basic retirement calculators—can lead to significant benefits.Proverbs 21:5 reminds us, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit.” This timeless wisdom underscores the necessity of both planning and execution.If you haven't started the planning process yet, or if you have a plan but aren't consistently following it, research shows there's substantial value in getting back on track. Tools like Sound Mind Investing's MoneyGuide, or even free online retirement calculators, can be a great way to start.Long-term financial success doesn't happen by accident—it requires both a solid plan and the discipline to follow through. Every step forward matters, whether you're just beginning your financial journey or looking to refine your existing plan.For more insights, you can read the full article, “Planning and Execution: The Keys to Long-Term Financial Success,” at SoundMindInvesting.org.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I have a 401(k) contributing 8%, but my company stopped matching and moved to a pension system. Should I roll over my 401(k) to a Roth or annuity? The balance is around $32,000.I know we need to be generous with our money, and I want to do the same with God's money. So, I was looking into donating to St. Jude's Hospital and my local church. Is it possible to do both, or should I double down and donate all of it to my local church?I have an HSA and had to start Medicare 7.5 years ago. I read I can retroactively take out the Medicare Part B premiums I've paid from my HSA over those 7.5 years. Is that correct?My wife is 62, and we wanted to know if she should start taking Social Security now. We don't need the money for income; we would just invest 100% of it. We're not sure what the drawbacks would be.I'm 64 years old and have significant money in IRA CDs. I considered slowly withdrawing the money every year to increase my liquid assets. I understand that the money goes toward my annual income, but I wanted to know if there is another way to lessen the taxes I have to pay.Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly PublicationSound Mind Investing | MoneyGuidePlanning and Execution: The Keys to Long-Term Financial Success (Article from Sound Mind Investing)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Millions of people don’t have a plan to guide their use of money. And even those who start to put together some kind of plan, many end up allowing themselves to get pulled off course. On today's Faith & Finance Live, Rob West will welcome Matt Bell to explain how planning and execution are key elements for long-term financial success. Then Rob will answer some calls on various financial topics. Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here.To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.To learn more about Rob West, click here.To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the world in the midst of a global polycrisis, the New Economy Unit (NEU) — a global research group at the EY organization — was established to look at the key economic forces at play and the leading business practices needed to create a sustainable future. Host Bruno Sarda discusses the NEU and a bigger idea of regenerative business transformation it represents with Matt Bell, EY Global Leader, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, and Anastasia Roussou, EY Head of New Economy Research Unit, in London. Moreover, the discussion covers the work the NEU does with the activist and academic community, some of whom sit on the NEU advisory board. It also highlights the importance of taking a long-term view while not neglecting short-term objectives, and teases what the NEU will be exploring next. Please, read the full report “A new economy - Exploring the root causes of the polycrisis and the principles to unlock a sustainable future” on ey.com, or contact the New Economy Unit at neweconomyunit@uk.ey.com. Key takeaways include: The New Economy Unit help enables practitioners to think about the long-term future and what they need to radically change. The report aims to bring everyone on the same page and mainstream the concepts that will likely aid the transition to long-term sustainability. © 2024 Ernst & Young LLP

Notes and Links to Maggie Sheffer's Work           Marguerite (Maggie) Sheffer is a writer who lives in New Orleans. She is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where she teaches courses in design thinking and speculative fiction as tools for social change. Formerly, she taught English at the East Oakland School of the Arts, Castlemont High School, Life Academy, and GW Carver High School.    Her debut short story collection, The Man in the Banana Trees, was selected by judge Jamil Jan Kochai for the Iowa Short Fiction Award, was published in Fall 2024.     Maggie is a founding member of Third Lantern Lit, a local writing collective, and the Nautilus and Wildcat Writing Groups. She received her MFA from Randolph College. She was a 2023 Veasna So Scholar in Fiction at The Adroit Journal, and was selected as a top-twenty-five finalist for Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers.  Her story “Tiger on My Roof” was a finalist for the 2024 Chautauqua Janus Prize, which awards emerging writers' short fiction with “daring formal and aesthetic innovations that upset and reorder readers' imaginations.”    Her position on semicolons (for) is noted in an Australian grammar textbook (pg. 16). Buy The Man in the Banana Trees     Maggie's Website   From LitHub: "Marguerite Sheffer on Crafting a Collection of Century-Spanning Speculative Fiction"   "Marguerite Sheffer: These Stories Are an Intimate Map of What Scares Me" from Writer's Digest At about 0:45, Maggie shares a fun story about being published with George Bernard Shaw At about 2:15, Maggie talks about her early reading life At about 3:20, The two reflect on the evolving reputation of Star Wars and Star Wars fans At about 4:45, Maggie shares how wine bottles led to writing an early and pivotal short story  At about 5:40, Maggie describes a gap in “actively writing” while teaching and interacting differently with writing At about 6:50, Maggie lists texts and writers that helped her “reorder [her] brain” At about 8:55, Pete and Maggie stan Tillie Olsen's “I Stand Here ironing”   At about 10:45, Pete recounts a story about how he happened upon the great story by Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” At about 11:30, Maggie responds to Pete asking about what drew and draws her to science and speculative fiction At about 12:30, Maggie highlights past guest Jamil Jan Kochai, Ken Liu, E. Lily Yu, Sofia Samatar, Clare Beams, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, the book The Safekeep, and others as contemporary writers who thrill and inspire At about 13:45, Pete asks Maggie how teaching has inspired her writing At about 15:25, Maggie cites Octavia Butler's and Sandra Cisneros' work and The Things They Carried and other texts that were favorites of her students  At about 16:50, The two discuss the epigraph and seeds for the short story collection  At about 18:30, The two discuss the collection's first story and connection to Tillie Olsen's idea of being “imprisoned in his own difference” and students being “othered” At about 22:40, Maggie reflects on an important truth of fiction At about 23:20, Maggie discusses famous unicorn tapestries that inspire a story of hers At about 24:40, Pete compliments Maggie's “delightfully weird” stories and “soft endings” and she responds to his questions about allegory/plot and “cool stories” At about 26:20, Maggie talks about realizing the throughlines in her collections At about 27:50, Maggie responds to Pete's questions about writing in Covid times At about 28:20, Pete cites examples of misogyny in the collection and asks about Joycleyn Bell and Maggie expands upon the story “The Observer's Cage”-its genesis and connections to Jocelyn Bell Burnell At about 31:00, Pete notes the use of animals as stand-ins for humanity and Maggie expands on deas of resistance as seen in the collection At about 32:00, The two discuss ideas of redress and reclaiming the past through stories in the collection, especially “The Observer's Cage” At about 34:40, the two discuss a story with ghosts and ideas of “unfinished business” and capturing past natural greatness At about 36:40, Maggie talks about sadly learning that an idea that she thought was original was not, as the two discuss a few stories about commercialism, dystopia, and climate change At about 40:20, the two discuss middens, and themes of reclaiming what has been lost  At about 42:30, Pete notes an interesting story that deals with memory and AI, and Maggie talks about writing from a interesting-placed narrator  At about 44:20, Pete draws connections between a title character, Miriam Ackerman, and Truman Capote's wonderful “A Christmas Memory”, while Maggie discusses the relationship between the title character and the narrator  At about 47:10, The two discuss violence and parental lack of control, especially in “Tiger on the Roof” and its memorable ending and creative plot  At about 50:25, Pete highlights the poignant and resonant closing line for the above story and connects the ending to Alice Elliott Dark's classic, “In the Gloaming” At about 52:00, The two discuss the collection's title story and Maggie discuses inspiration from Carmen Maria Machado At about 53:00, The two discuss the way the above story is “gutting” in its portrayal of the “banality of loss” At about 56:10, Maggie reminds that the book is not just a “downer!” At about 56:50, Maggie reads from “En Plein Aire” At about 1:00:30, Maggie gives information on places to buy her book and social media and contact information At about 1:01:20, Maggie shares information on some exciting new projects         You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 265 with Carvell Wallace. He is a writer and podcaster who has contributed to GQ, New York Times Magazine, Pitchfork, MTV News, and Al Jazeera, among others. His debut memoir, Another Word For Love, is a 2024 Kirkus Finalist in Nonfiction, and one of Pete's all-time favorite memoirs.    The episode airs on December 10.    Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Fernanda Trías' Work    Fernanda Trías was born in Uruguay and is the award-winning author of three novels, two of which have been published in English. She is also the author of the short story collection No soñarás flores and the chapbook El regreso. A writer and instructor of creative writing, she holds an MFA in creative writing from New York University. She was awarded the National Uruguayan Literature Prize, The Critics' Choice Award Bartolomé Hidalgo, and the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz International Prize in Mexico for her novel Pink Slime. Both The Rooftop and Pink Slime were awarded the British PEN Translates Award, and Pink Slime was chosen by The New York Times in Spanish as one of the ten best books of 2020. Translation rights for her work have been sold in fifteen languages. She currently lives in Bogotá, Colombia, where she is a teacher at the creative writing MFA program of Instituto Caro y Cuervo. In 2017, she was selected as Writer-in-Residence at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, where she started writing her latest novel, Pink Slime. Buy Pink Slime   Fernanda Trias' Publisher Page for Simon and Schuster   Review of Pink Slime from Reactor Mag At about 2:00, Pete and Fernanda discuss the book's Spanish and English titles and different subtleties of each; Fernanda details how she decided to title the book as she dd At about 3:20, Annie McDermott, Episode 91 and Mario Levrero shout outs! At about 4:00, Fernanda discusses her reading life growing up, the ways in which better translations slowly came to Uruguay, and reading  At about 6:45, Fernanda talks about respect for Garcia Marquez, though not being a huge fan, and cites Juan Rulfo as “perfección” At about 8:15, Pete expands on a Rulfo favorite of his, “No Oyes Ladrar los Perros,” and Fernanda expands on her love of Rulfo's Pedro Paramo  At about 10:05, Fernanda talks about favorite contemporary authors, like Herta Muller and Olga Tokarczuk  At about 12:00, Pete shouts out Jennifer Croft, and Fernanda responds to Pete's questions about why there is such a affinity for Eastern European writing in Latin América, and she specifies the Río Plata region as connected  At about 14:55, Fernanda describes her familial connections to Europe-particularly Italy and Spain At about 17:15, Fernanda responds to Pete's question about seeds for her writing life At about 19:05, Fernanda references The Stranger and El Lugar by Levrero as chill-inducing books At about 21:30, Pete is complimentary of Fernanda's worldbuilding, and she expands on what she loves about it At about 23:00, Pete and Fernanda discuss translation in her book, especially of colloquialisms like “ni fu ni fa” At about 26:25, Fernanda responds to Pete's question about climate change and other stimuli for Mugre Rosa/Pink Slime At about 28:50, Pete mentions the book's interesting dialogues that complement the action, and Fernanda expands on the evolving dialogues   At about 30:50, Fernanda talks about the book's opening and the “first image” in her mind of a foggy port that creates an ambience for the book At about 33:45, Pete shares laudatory blurbs for the book, especially about the book's “envelop[ing]” world built by Fernanda At about 34:25, Fernanda describes the book's opening, including a pivotal scene involving a possible last fish At about 37:05, Pete wonders about nostalgia, and Fernanda talks about her interest and lack of interest in certain ideas of what has been lost  At about 39:40, Fernanda discusses the relationship between the narrator and Max and its significance in the novel, especially in charting changes in the narrator as the book continues At about 44:20, Pete points out a funny saying/joke from the book and Fernanda outlines her conversations with Heather Cleary in the translating of the joke At about 46:05, The two discuss “surrendering and letting go” and connections to the novel and specifically, the narrator and Max's relationship  At about 47:30, Pete lays out some basics on the relationships between the narrator and her mother, as well as her work situation with Mauro; Fernanda talks about how Covid's social dynamics have mirrored so many parts of her novel and the ways in which the rich were able to move to safety    At about 51:45, the two discuss the differing relationships between the narrator's two mother figure-Fernanda talks about the key questions of “What is a mother?” At about 55:50, Fernanda and Pete discuss Mauro and his health condition and his memories of the time outlined in the book At about 58:00, Pete and Fernanda reflect on ideas of community and if there is optimism/hope that comes with the book  At about 1:01:50, The two discuss ideas of systems and individuals' culpability  At about 1:04:00, Fernanda gives social media info, and places to buy her book      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 264 with Maggie Sheffer. She is Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where she teaches courses in design thinking and speculative fiction as tools for social change. She is a founding member of Third Lantern Lit, a local writing collective, and her debut short story collection, The Man in the Banana Trees, was selected by judge Jamil Jan Kochai for the Iowa Short Fiction Award, and is published as of November 5.    The episode airs on December 3.    Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Rus Bradburd's Work        Rus Bradburd's latest book is the satirical novel, “Big Time.”  Rus attended Chicago Public Schools for eleven years before graduating from North Park College. After coaching basketball for fourteen seasons at UTEP and New Mexico State University, he left the game to study with Robert Boswell and Antonya Nelson—and pursue a life in writing. His five books focus on the intersections of sport, social progress, politics, and race. Rus has remained connected to the game through his acclaimed Basketball in the Barrio summer program in El Paso, as well as serving as NMSU's television “color analyst.”  He was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to return to Ireland to work on his next book about refugees in Belfast, “Almost Like Belonging.” An accomplished fiddle player, he lives in Chicago, Belfast, and New Mexico. Buy Big Time   Rus Bradburd's Website At about 2:00, Rus gives background on his fiddle playing and his time as color commentator for New México State University  At about 3:40, Rus talks about Big Time as his first work of fiction, as well as its nice timing, and he details how he worked on the book for many years At about 5:40, Rus outlines some of the book's exposition and plot, and talks about the current Colorado Football connections At about 6:40, Rus talks about Univ of Chicago's 1939 dropping of football and other stimuli for the book's genesis, including Rick Russo's work, and Dave Meggyesy's book  At about 8:40, Rus talks about satire and fiction and ideas of how fiction often gets at truth so well At about 10:00, Rus gives more background on committee workloads and how the proliferation of committees and on particular example worked their ways into his book  At about 12:25, Rus talks about normalization of budget imbalance in universities  At about 13:30, Pete and Rus discuss the book's epigraph, and Ruis talks about how the book satirizes college athletics, while he's “knee-deep” in sports still At about 15:30, Pete details a compare and contrast lesson that he teaches  At about 17:00, Rus responds to Pete's question about the book's opening and main characters Mooney and Braverman, history professors, working concessions at football games  At about 18:40, Rus gives background on “pop poet” Layla, and the ways in which she and the two history professors work together; Rus connects today's conversations around student protests and protests in the book At about 20:30, Rus talks about the downfall of the Coors State English Department in the book At about 22:00, Rus cites the Missouri Football protest in fodder for a similar situation in his book At about 23:00, Rus speaks about rich owners often asking taxpayers to finance big building projects  At about 24:20, Pete asks Rus about any inspirations for Layla, and he expands upon how the character evolved in his writing At about 27:50, Pete charts the roles and importance of some characters in the book At about 28:35, Rus discusses the financial costs and gains of big sport universities, and argues that the sporting program is taking away from education and educators At about 33:00, Rus talks about a flawed system that puts so much work and so little compensation for adjunct instructors and showcases much hypocrisy At about 35:00, Pete points out links between Braverman and Mooney's activism and civil rights movements, and Rus connects to the push and pull that governs his own thoughts with regards to activism  At about 38:00, Rus talks about how the book's events are in many ways reminiscent of fractures on the political Left At about 40:25, Pete and Rus talk about NlL and how it relates to topics covered n the book, and whether/how NIL affected Rus' writing  At about 44:00, Rus cites Dagoberto Gilb as an example of a writer who is successful while not being preachy, and how through satire, one can be a “little more message-heavy” At about 45:50, Rus responds to Pete's questions about satire and hyperbole and highlights how his writing the book made him love his characters  At about 48:45, Pete asks Rus about doing dystopia in The Age of Trump, and Rus cites David Shields and a tantalizing book idea that is now obsolete  At about 51:10, Pete wonders about Rus' thoughts on the frenzied rise of legalized sports gambling, and Rus talks about further normalization of formerly-”sacreligious” things like beer sales at college games At about 53:20, Rus cites Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk as an influence on his book and talks about using a real beer company's name At about 54:45, Pete compliments Rus' use of stream of consciousness  At about 56:30, Rus shares out information on readings and book events coming up, including one with Beto O'Rourke, and contact and book buying information You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 263 with Fernanda Trías, award-winning author of three novels and the short story collection No soñarás flores; awarded the National Uruguayan Literary Prize, The Critics' Choice Award Bartolomé Hidalgo, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz International Prize in Mexico for Pink Slime/Mugre Rosa. The episode goes live on November 26. Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.  

Notes and Links to Greg Mania's Work         Greg Mania's words have been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, HuffPost, Oprah Daily, PAPER, among other international online and print platforms. He is also a contributing editor to BOMB Magazine, he hosts The Rumpus's #ShowUsYourDesk on Instagram Live, and co-hosts Empty Trash, a reading series in Los Angeles. His debut memoir, Born to Be Public, is out now from CLASH Books.    He lives in Los Angeles, where he spends his days writing and hanging out with his boyfriend, the poet and TV writer Tommy Pico, whose commitment to the bit rivals his own.       Buy Born to Be Public   Greg Mania's Website   Lambda Literary Review of Born to Be Public   “How Born to Be Public Author Greg Mania Lived a Double Life Before Coming Out” for Oprah Daily At about 2:10, Greg talks about growing up in Central New Jersey, and his cultural life and the ways in which New York City held a special magnetism for him At about 5:35, Greg describes the different parts of New Jersey and its immortal malls  At about 6:45, Greg responds to Pete's questions about growing up speaking Polish and whether his writing in English has parallels in Polish  At about 8:15, Greg explains how he's a “word nerd” and how this and his family affects his joke creation  At about 9:40, Greg talks about how he and Ruth Madievsky vibe for me many reasons, including a shared affinity for dark humor At about 12:30, Greg notes that Born to Be Public has been **translated into Polish** At about 13:20, Greg gives background on Poland and its evolving conservatism and liberalism  At about 14:15, Greg shows his Beverly Cleary-related tattoo and shouts out his love of Garfield and other dark/weird humor in growing up; Phyllis Diller gets stanned  At about 16:30, n expanding upon his love for Pee Wee Herman, Greg talks about his love for and interest in persona  At about 17:40, Phyllis Diller gets stanned more as Greg notes an incredible sign from Phyllis/the universe At about 19:25, Greg discusses the litany of publications with which he works, and being a “freelance” writer in a year of transformation At about 21:20, Greg responds to Pete's question about his writing routine At about 24:50, Greg gives information on his upcoming novel project  At about 27:15, Greg answers Pete's question about how taking his nonfiction to fiction is “freeing” At about 30:10, Greg lists Ruth Madievsky, Samantha Irby, Emily Austin, Rufi Thorpe, Kristen Arnett, Chantal Johnson, Kimberly King Parsons as some of the writers who thrill and challenge her At about 32:40, Greg responds to Pete's asking about how one is funny on the page At about 34:25, Greg makes a startling Friends'-related admission At about 35:15, Pete and Greg discuss the interplay between the humor and heaviness in his book At about 39:20, Sand art! At about 40:30, Greg talks about advice from a writer about how he ended up writing a book that has resonated with so many  At about 41:30, Greg reflects on childhood fears and the ways in which he has worked through these fears and compulsions  At about 43:45, The two discuss fixations with death At about 44:40, Greg gives background on his childhood fascination with chimneys and diesel trains, and his dad's selflessness At about 47:30, Greg talks about the ways in which his parents' generosity and love was counterbalanced by homophobia and migraines and anxiety  At about 51:00, Greg details some harmful words from a childhood doctor  At about 53:15, Greg responds to Pete's question about his mindset in retorting to bullies and he mentions the “power” that came with quips  At about 55:15, Pete connects Greg's humor to a Tillie Olsen line and wonders about Greg's feelings at the time  At about 57:45, Greg details how his friend Rachel brought him so much confidence and helped him build his humor At about 1:00:00, Greg talks about the “no inhibitions” that govern his relationships with his boyfriend Tommy in the same way as with Rachel At about 1:01:15, Greg charts how educating himself on his fears has been helpful, particularly with regards to “fight or flight”   At about 1:05:15, Pete notes a “LOL” moment that sums up a classic college trope  At about 1:07:30, Greg speaks to the idea of “identity as never neat” At about 1:09:00, Greg talks about the links between his first friends in New York and Lady Gaga and the ways in which “Greg Mania” (MAYN-ee-uh) grew to fit him At about 1:10:10, Greg discusses how his writing mentors in high school and college helped him on his way to professional writing  At about 1:13:20, Greg talks about the book as A memoir, and how it's him “pars[ing] the different parts of [him]” At about 1:15:50, Greg responds to Pete's questions about his days at “Magic Mondays” and its connection to the worlds of publishing At about 1:19:00, Greg talks about his “majestic” hair (Pete's words) and the ways in which it was his calling card in his clubbing days At about 1:20:40, Greg answers Pete's questions about what comedy writing “satisfies” for him, and Greg expands on the “sacred[ness]” of joke writing At about 1:23:00, Greg details the “reward” in writing jokes and talking humor with his boyfriend At about 1:24:40, Greg talks about the difference between memoir/memoirs and how his book applies to the former        You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1.        I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, Matt Bell, F. Douglas Brown, Jorge Lacera, Jean Guererro, Rachel Yoder, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writers who have inspired their own work. I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 262 with Rus Bradburd, who teaches writing classes in New Mexico State University's MFA program and coached basketball at UTEP and New Mexico State for fourteen seasons. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Colorado Review, Puerto del Sol, SLAM Magazine, Bounce, Los Angeles Times, and many others. Rus is a two-time guest spoke about 2018 nonfiction book, All the Dreams We've Dreamed: A Story of Hoops and Handguns on Chicago's West Side on Chills at Will Episode 15. November 19 is Pub Day for Big Time, his fourth book and second novel. The episode airs on Pub Day. Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Notes and Links to Lauren Markham's Work       Lauren Markham is a writer based in northern California. She is the author of the recent A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belonging (Riverhead, 2024) which The New Yorker listed as one of “The Best Books We've Read in 2024 So Far” and which Kirkus reviews called “a remarkable, unnerving, and cautionary portrait of a global immigration crisis.” A fiction writer, essayist and journalist, her work most often concerns issues related to youth, migration, the environment and her home state of California. Markham's first book, The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life (Crown, 2017) was the winner of the 2018 Ridenhour Book Prize, the Northern California Book Award, and a California Book Award Silver Prize. It was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Selection, a New York Times Book Critics' Top Book of 2017, and was shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and the L.A. Times Book Award and longlisted for a Pen America Literary Award in Biography.  Markham has reported from the border regions of Greece and Mexico and Thailand and Texas; from arctic Norway; from gang-controlled regions of El Salvador; from depopulating towns in rural Sardinia and rural Guatemala, too; from home school havens in southern California; from imperiled forests in Oregon and Washington; from the offices of overwhelmed immigration attorneys in L.A. and Tijuana; from the upscale haunts of women scammed on the Upper East Side.  Her writing has appeared in outlets such as VQR (where she is a contributing editor), Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, Guernica, Freeman's, Mother Jones, Orion, The Atlantic, Lit Hub, California Sunday, Zyzzyva, The Georgia Review, The Best American Travel Writing 2019, and on This American Life. She has been awarded fellowships from The Mesa Refuge, UC Berkeley, Middlebury College, the McGraw Center, the French American Foundation, the Society for Environmental Journalists, the Silvers Prize, the de Groot Foundation, and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.  In addition to writing, Markham has spent fifteen years working at the intersection of education and immigration. She regularly teaches writing in various community writing centers as well as at the Ashland University MFA in Writing Program, the University of San Francisco and St. Mary's MFA in Writing Program. Her third book, Immemorial, will be published by Transit Books in 2025.       Buy A Map of Future Ruins   Lauren's Website   Los Angeles Review of Books' Review of A Map of Future Ruins   At about 4:00, Lauren makes the case that not all young reading has to be high-brow as she discusses formative works as a kid and adolescent, which included Nancy Drew and Milan Kundera At about 6:50, Lauren responds to Pete's question about how she thinks and writes in diverse genres, and how her reading of varied writers informs her own work At about 10:40, Lauren shouts out Vauhini Vara, Hernan Diaz, Nathan Heller, Jia Tolentino, and other treasured contemporary writers At about 12:45, Lauren talks about how writing informs her teaching, and vice versa At about 15:25, Pete asks Lauren about seeds for A Map of Future Ruins and how her work with many undocumented and refugee students has affected her writing At about 19:00, Lauren and Pete discuss ideas of belonging and exclusion and pride and heritage in connection to Lauren's Greek heritage and reporting trips there At about 23:10, Ideas of “insiders” and “outsiders” and the challenges of immigration paperwork are discussed At about 26:05, Pete and Lauren reflect on a powerful quote from Warsan Shire regarding people being impelled to emigrate At about 26:55, Lauren gives background on the conditions that made Moria on the Greek slang of Lesbos a “purgatory” At about 31:20, Demetrios, a representative Greek from the book, and his views on immigration and “speak[ing] bird” is discussed  At about 36:05, Lauren expands upon how Greece as the “starting point of democracy” has been corrupted and co-opted and points to a stellar expose on truth from Kwame Anthony Appiah At about 41:50, The two discuss the arbitrary nature of “The West” and Greece and its ideals and ideas of a “Western lineage At about 43:55, Lauren expands upon the ideas of “proximity to Whiteness” with particular historical relevance for Greeks, Italians, and Southern Europeans At about 44:55, Pete and Lauren reference the horrific images of the Syrian refugee whose death galvanized support, as well as Ali Sayed's story, traced in her book At about 46:40, Lauren explains terminology and methods of doing business by Turkish and other smugglers At about 48:10, Turkish and Greek relations and how they affected the lack of patrols is highlighted  At about 49:20, “The Moria Six” and Ali's story and trials are discussed in relation to the fire referenced at the beginning of the book At about 52:00, The impositions of maps and Empire are reflected upon  At about 53:05, “Whiteness” and its imposition on “classical form” and racist science are explored, as written about in the book At about 54:55, The two trace the initial and later welcome for refugees to Greek islands and ideas of the original meaning of “asylum”; Lauren also highlights many incredible people helping refugees to this day, as well as ideas of “invaders” and scapegoats At about 58:40, Discussion of Greek austerity and true issues of difficulty for are referenced  At about 59:50, The two discuss Lauren's section in the book regarding Darien Gap and connections to Lauren's family's own emigration/immigration story At about 1:02:00, The two highlight ideas of community among refugees, and Pete asks Lauren about pessimism and optimism and the book's title At about 1:03:25, Ali's unfinished story is referenced  At about 1:04:05-Laser Round Questions! East Bay Booksellers, Point Reyes Books and Green Apple are shouted out as good places to buy her books At about 1:05:05, Immemorial, Lauren's 2025 release, is described  What a pleasure it has been to speak with Lauren. Continued good luck to her with her future writing and important work. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Chills at Will Podcast.    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Jeff Pearlman, F. Douglas Brown, Matt Bell, Rachel Yoder, Jorge Lacera, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writing and writers that have inspired their own work.    I have added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 261 with Greg Mania, who is a writer, comedian, and award-winning screenwriter. He's also author of the debut memoir, Born to Be Public, which was an NPR Best Book of 2020 and an O, Oprah Magazine Best LGBTQ Book of 2020. Greg's work has appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Oprah Daily, PAPER, among other international online and print platforms. This episode will air on November 12. Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.      

In this episode, Bruno Sarda, host of the EY Sustainability Matters podcast, meets with prior guests to talk about the significant developments in sustainability over the past year, ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference or COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, later this November. Amy Brachio, EY Global Vice Chair for Sustainability, and Matt Bell, EY Global Leader for Climate Change and Sustainability Services, share their experiences from the 2024 New York Climate Week .  They discuss the transition from addressing environmental issues in siloes to a comprehensive view that acknowledges the interdependence of various sustainability factors that must be addressed together. The speakers share their expectations for the upcoming COP29, underscoring emerging trends, such as the increased emphasis on finance and carbon markets to support the transition. In the final part of the episode, Amy and Matt express optimism about the future, talking about the businesses' desire for innovation, investment in new technologies and a collective willingness to undertake systemic change. © 2024 Ernst & Young LLP

“Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” - Matthew 24:36-37Jesus made it quite clear that no one on earth knows the day or hour of His return. Yet, we're to live as if He's coming back tomorrow. Does that mean we don't need to plan for the future? Matt Bell weighs in on the issue today.Matt Bell is the Managing Editor at Sound Mind Investing, an underwriter of Faith & Finance. The Call to Be PreparedWhile it's crucial to live in anticipation of Christ's return, this does not mean we should neglect our responsibilities here on earth, especially when it comes to managing our finances. We must strike a balance between being spiritually ready for the end times and being diligent stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us.One of the most common misconceptions among Christians is that preparing for the future contradicts living in anticipation of Christ's return. However, this perspective misses the point of biblical stewardship.The Bible emphasizes the importance of planning and stewardship. Proverbs 21:5 tells us, "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty," while Proverbs 22:3 warns:"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."The Parable of the Talents: A Lesson in ResponsibilityThe parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) perfectly illustrates the concept of stewardship. The master entrusts his servants with his wealth, expecting them to manage it wisely. Two servants invest the money and generate a return, while the third, out of fear, hides it. When the master returns, he rewards the faithful servants and reprimands the one who did nothing.This parable teaches us that we are not merely to hold on to what God has given us; we are to use it productively, even as we wait for Christ's return. Being a good steward means planning, being intentional, and taking proactive steps to manage the resources God has entrusted to us.Practical Steps for Faithful Financial StewardshipSo, what does faithful financial stewardship look like in practice? It's crucial that we utilize tools like budgets to allocate income across key priorities such as generosity, saving, investing, and spending. Additionally, for those planning for retirement, it's wise to build an investment plan that aligns with a specific retirement date and budget, even though adjustments may be necessary as circumstances change.Ultimately, financial planning is not about securing wealth for its own sake but about being found faithful with what God has given us. As Proverbs 16:3 reminds us: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."Living in Anticipation and Planning WiselyChristians are called to live in constant anticipation of Christ's return while also faithfully managing the resources we have been given. We live like Jesus is returning today, but we plan to be here for a long time. This balanced approach ensures that we are prepared for whatever the future holds, both spiritually and financially.For more insights on this topic, you can explore the article “Watching, Waiting, Planning, Working” available at SoundMindInvesting.org.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I recently received an inheritance of over $200,000. My savings and 401(k) are in good shape, but I'm unsure how to invest this inheritance best. I want to ensure I'm being a good steward of this money. What advice would you give me on how to invest this inheritance wisely?Resources Mentioned:Watching, Waiting, Planning, Working by Austin Pryor (Sound Mind Investing Article)Sound Mind InvestingRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.