Podcasts about Merit

In this week's episode, Phil EuBank sits down with Pastor Matt Summers to dive into Sunday's message, The System of Merit. Framing Roman Catholicism as our theological parent in the Christian family tree, they explore how a system built on human merit, sacraments, and tradition can subtly turn faith into a tollbooth or a self-funded spiritual insurance policy. Together, Phil and Matt discuss the core contrasts of the Protestant Reformation, specifically Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) and salvation by grace alone through faith alone. Drawing from Phil's childhood friendship with a local priest named Father Michael, they highlight the vital need to hold deep conviction without losing the humble, loving posture of Jesus. They also turn the mirror on Protestant culture, exposing the invisible performance tolls we often pay when we try to earn God's love or blame ourselves during life's hardships. Listen to the Menlo Midweek Podcast Tune into new episodes released every Wednesday as we break down Sunday's sermon, share behind-the-scenes insights, and discuss practical ways to live out our faith. Listen now at menlo.church/podcasts.

LeJawn James Better human shield: dog or baby Imagine knowing hard work paid off your whole life until right now Guest: Nata Edwards Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Dpalm66 @UDPod @TheMTRNetwork Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account! Check out our Sponsors! TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews' to get 33% off & free shipping. Shop at our Amazon Store to support the site

The one federal agency no one has even tried to reform is also the most powerful: CIA. Jim Erdman just resigned after a long career as an operations officer. He says the agency is completely out of control and dangerous.  (00:00) The CIA's Obstruction of Justice (30:59) Media Corruption and the Risks of Being a Whistleblower (47:17) Is the Head of the CIA Compromised? Why Hasn't He Pursued Reform? (51:56) What's Stopping the Government From Releasing the JFK and 9-11 Files? (59:55) What Really Happened With Building 7? Jim Erdman is the co-founder of Feds for Freedom (F4F), a 501c(3) dedicated to health freedom and constitutional governance. F4F is suing the CIA for treating CIA employees like spies when they refused the COVID vaccine. He has previous military experience as a non-commissioned officer at the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, as well as Echo Company 1/162, an Oregon National Guard. He worked as a Senior bioinformatics and biometrics consultant in the private sector prior to joining the Department of State and CIA. He served in the Middle East, South and East Asia, and Africa and just finished a one-year joint duty assignment at the Office of Director National Intelligence in the Director's Initiatives Group (DIG). He was responsible for the DIG's investigations into COVID origins, Havana Syndrome, and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). He speaks Mandarin and Arabic and has earned the Director of National Intelligence Award and CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit. He retired from the CIA on 30 June 2026. Check out fedsforfreedom.org to find out more. Find Erdman on X: https://x.com/jerdman2005?s=21 Paid partnerships with: American Financing: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.327% for well qualified borrowers. Call 800-685-5696 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/Tucker. Dose: Daily supplements for the systems that support you. Use code TUCKER for 35% at https://dosedaily.co/tucker  Vulnerable People Project: Stand with Christians in the land where Christianity began, go to SaveWestBankChristians.com Ethos: Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/TUCKER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catholicism tells us to maintain our salvation through merit. In this message, Lead Pastor Phil EuBank examines the sacramental system and the idea that we must “stay” in a state of grace through our own participation and penance. When faith becomes a system of "maintaining" our status, we lose the joy of our salvation. Instead, we build our lives on the Rock of Christ's finished work, recognizing that the sacraments aren't ways we earn grace, but ways we celebrate the grace already finished on the Cross. Text Our Team (650) 600-0402 | Connect With Us

Ferit Hoxha and Petras Auštrevičius on Albania's rapid progress, EU reform, Kosovo, Bosnia and the security cost of delay. Last weekend, the first of my two conversations on the Western Balkans was released. This discussion examined the danger of leaving six European neighbours indefinitely in the EU's waiting room. This conversation moved from the reasons for enlargement to the mechanics of making it happen. Billions of euros are being directed towards reforms, infrastructure and economic convergence, but money alone cannot build functioning institutions, settle historical disputes or manufacture political will. The European Union promised the Western Balkans a European future at Thessaloniki in 2003. Croatia joined in 2013, then enlargement largely stalled. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed the strategic calculation. The region is now seen less as a distant policy file and more as a space inside Europe where Russian influence, Chinese investment, disinformation and organised crime can exploit political uncertainty. Albania and Montenegro have emerged as the front-runners, while North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia remain caught in very different political knots. My guests could hardly have been better placed to examine both sides of the process. Ferit Hoxha, Albania's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, has spent more than 35 years in diplomacy. He has represented Albania at the United Nations, twice presided over the UN Security Council, and served as ambassador to the European Union, France and UNESCO. Beside him was Petras Auštrevičius, the European Parliament's standing rapporteur on EU enlargement and the man who personally negotiated Lithuania's accession as its chief negotiator from 2001 to 2002. From watching Europe to playing for Europe For Auštrevičius, membership changed Lithuania's position fundamentally. A candidate country may align its legislation, contribute to European security and accept decisions made in Brussels, yet it still remains outside the room where those decisions are shaped. Joining that team is a formidable task. The body of EU law, the acquis communautaire, already ran to around 120,000 pages when Lithuania was negotiating. Accession, Auštrevičius stressed, is far more than a bureaucratic exercise in changing national laws. Governments must explain the process, secure public confidence, involve businesses and social partners, and prepare institutions to function within an entirely new system. The European Union can appear excessively complicated, but common rules also create common standards, consumer protections and access to one of the world's largest markets. Auštrevičius described the EU as a globally exceptional project, imperfect and often cumbersome, yet still capable of turning former adversaries into partners. Albania's 13-month sprint Albania has moved through the revised accession system at remarkable speed. It opened all six negotiating clusters within 13 months and has now passed the interim assessment of the Fundamentals cluster, covering the judiciary, fundamental rights, justice, freedom and security. That allows the country to begin the difficult final phase of closing individual chapters, with the ambition of concluding negotiations by the end of 2027. The European Parliament has praised Albania's momentum while insisting that progress must remain strictly merit-based and that reforms must be implemented, not simply written into law. The country's momentum is real, but the remaining work is extensive. Corruption, judicial effectiveness, media freedom, political pressure on journalists and environmental protection all remain under close scrutiny. Albania must show that reforms are durable and that its institutions can enforce the standards they adopt. Environmental rules are particularly demanding because protecting biodiversity, upgrading infrastructure and modernising public administration require time, expertise and considerable investment. Hoxha accepted that the list is long. “The negotiation is about the gap,” he said: where Albania is now, where it must reach and how the country intends to bridge the distance. Merit must work in both directions Auštrevičius described two possible models of enlargement. Under the “convoy” approach, every candidate moves at the pace of the slowest. Under the “regatta” principle, each country competes against the same standards and advances according to its own performance. “To be first is good, but you have to be the best. What is promised must be implemented.” Petras Auštrevičius That distinction matters because the Western Balkans are too often treated as a single political problem. Albania's progress should not be slowed by another government's failure to reform. Equally, geopolitical urgency cannot become an excuse to admit countries whose institutions, democratic safeguards or foreign-policy choices remain incompatible with membership. Hoxha agreed that the process must remain merit-based, but argued that reciprocity is essential to its credibility. A candidate that fulfils an agreed condition must be allowed to move forward. Otherwise, public trust deteriorates and reformers struggle to explain why difficult changes bring no visible reward. Hoxha's response is to move before the political opportunity closes. Can countries begin joining before they become members? One answer may be gradual integration, giving reforming countries access to parts of the European system before full membership. This could include the single market, the SEPA payments area, EU programmes and eventually roaming without additional charges. Such measures make enlargement tangible to citizens who might otherwise wait years for its benefits. Albania already aligns fully with the EU's common foreign and security policy, Hoxha said. European sanctions become Albanian sanctions, and European missions become Albanian missions. His question was direct: if Albania accepts and implements those decisions, why should its representatives not attend relevant meetings as observers? This would also allow Albanian civil servants to understand how European decisions are formed before they must help administer them as members. Accession brings access, influence and funding, but also competition, obligations and responsibility. Preparation inside the institutions may ultimately be more effective than preparation from outside them. Europe is not a menu The sharpest part of the discussion concerned strategic alignment. Some candidate countries seek EU investment while also cultivating Russian political ties or Chinese involvement in infrastructure, telecommunications and other strategic sectors. Auštrevičius questioned whether a country can claim that Brussels is blocking its progress while its own decisions repeatedly pull it away from European foreign policy. Hoxha's answer was unequivocal: For Albania, European alignment is the first test applied to foreign-policy decisions. This is increasingly important because enlargement is intended to strengthen the Union. If new members carry the strategic influence of hostile powers into European decision-making, the process could weaken Europe from within. Auštrevičius compared accession to “a responsible marriage”. A country cannot demand solidarity, market access and financial support while refusing the political responsibilities that accompany them. Kosovo, Bosnia and the unfinished history of the region Kosovo remains unrecognised by five EU member states: Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Hoxha noted that practical relationships have nevertheless developed. Kosovo now has visa-free travel, its passports are recognised, and the five countries maintain varying degrees of contact. Yet the Serbia-Kosovo normalisation process remains slow despite dozens of agreements. The same tension is visible in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Dayton Peace Agreement stopped a horrific war and maintained peace, but the structure it created has also contributed to political blockages and competing centres of power. Hoxha argued that peace arrangements designed for an emergency should not automatically be considered permanent constitutional solutions. Yet Europe cannot simply impose unity upon a divided political system. “You cannot import a consensus. It has to be grown from within.” Ferit Hoxha The accession of Albania or Montenegro could provide the region with something it has lacked for more than a decade: visible proof that the door remains real. Citizens elsewhere may then exert greater pressure on leaders who use identity, history or institutional paralysis to avoid reform. The EU must also be ready to change Every stage of accession can be delayed by unanimity. Auštrevičius argued for qualified-majority voting on intermediate decisions, reducing the ability of one government to hold an entire country hostage to a bilateral dispute. This would not remove the final consent required for membership, but it could prevent accession from becoming an arena for historical retaliation. Hoxha went further, saying Albania would be willing to commit in its future accession treaty not to use a veto when it stood alone against every other member state. It was a striking promise from a country still outside the Union: Albania is already considering how to make Europe more functional once it enters. “Enlargement is our strength, not our weakness. Let us agree politically to do it on time.” Petras Auštrevičius Enlargement has always produced apprehension. Yet each previous expansion increased the Union's population, market, influence and strategic reach. For Hoxha, Albania's direction is no longer a question under discussion. The question is therefore no longer whether Albania wants Europe. It is whether Europe can reform itself, recognise progress when it occurs and act before another generation concludes that the promise was never meant to be kept.

In Episode 499 of the Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb conclude their extended study of Matthew 25 with a close examination of the Sheep and Goats passage (vv. 31–46). The conversation tackles one of the most frequently misread sections in the Gospels — a text often weaponized for works-righteousness or social-justice reductionism — and recovers its deeply Reformed, gospel-saturated meaning. The hosts argue that the works displayed at the final judgment are not meritorious currency but the spontaneous, unselfconscious fruit of transformed hearts. They explore the significance of the sheep's surprise, the inheritance language of the kingdom, unconditional election, and the precise meaning of "the least of these." The result is a theologically rich, pastorally grounding episode that offers genuine assurance to believers while calling the church to practical, ordinary mercy toward its own members. Key Takeaways Works at the final judgment reveal identity, not merit. The sheep are on the right because they are sheep — not because their accumulated deeds earned them a place. Their works flow from a renewed nature, not toward a threshold they must clear. The righteous are surprised — and that surprise is theologically decisive. If the sheep were consciously stacking up merit for judgment, they would have kept careful ledgers. Their inability to recall their own works demolishes any works-righteousness reading of the passage. Inheritance is not wages. Jesus' use of the word "inherit" signals that the kingdom is received by virtue of relationship, not performance — a point reinforced by Paul in Romans 8 and Galatians 4. Election precedes and grounds the works. The kingdom was prepared "before the foundation of the world," meaning the deepest cause of the sheep's blessedness long predates any of their deeds. Works are downstream of grace, never upstream. "The least of these" refers primarily to fellow believers, not to the poor in general. The phrase "my brothers" in verse 40 narrows the referent to members of Christ's body — those who belong to him by adoption, faith, and union with Christ. There is no two-stage justification. The final judgment is not a second review of whether one has done enough. It is a reassertion of the righteousness of Christ already imputed to believers — a public vindication, not a fresh assessment. Practical, ordinary mercy toward the church is the mark of kingdom membership. The six works listed — feeding, giving drink, hospitality, clothing, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned — are not heroic or extraordinary. They are the unglamorous, costly, consistent kindness that flows naturally from those who have been made new. Key Concepts The Surprise of the Righteous: A Devastation of Works-Righteousness One of the most theologically loaded moments in Matthew 25:31–46 is the reaction of the righteous at the judgment: "Lord, when did we see you?" They are not feigning humility. They genuinely do not remember. As Jesse Schwamb notes in this episode, this surprise is "devastating to a works-righteousness reading of the passage" — because anyone consciously building a merit ledger would have kept meticulous records. The sheep kept none. Their works flowed so naturally and unselfconsciously from hearts already made new by the Spirit that those works barely registered as remarkable. This is precisely what the Reformed doctrine of sanctification predicts: truly gracious affections issue in Christian practice as the spontaneous fruit of a transformed nature — as natural as a good tree producing good fruit. The works are real, the works matter, but they are not calculated. They are evidence, not currency. Inheritance, Election, and the Order of Grace Jesus does not tell the sheep they earned the kingdom. He tells them to inherit it — and he specifies that it was prepared for them "from the foundation of the world." These two details together form a nearly complete statement of Reformed soteriology embedded in the judgment scene itself. Inheritance, as both Paul and Jesus make clear, is received through relationship and not through performance. An heir does not negotiate terms; an heir receives by virtue of who they are in relation to the testator. Layered on top of this is the language of eternal, unconditional election: the kingdom's preparation predates all human works, good or bad. There is no "looking down the corridor of foreseen merit" here. The sheep's blessedness has its deepest root in the sovereign grace of God exercised in eternity past — which means their works, however real and meaningful, can never be the ground of their standing before the King. "The Least of These": The Church as the Primary Referent A significant and often overlooked interpretive question in Matthew 25 is the identity of "the least of these my brothers" (v. 40). The episode argues, in line with the dominant Reformed and historical reading, that this phrase refers primarily to fellow believers — members of Christ's body who are suffering, vulnerable, or marginalized within the community of faith. The word "brothers" is not incidental. It places the referent in a specific covenantal and familial relationship with Christ. This does not exclude broader applications of mercy — the hosts acknowledge that the principle may extend centrifugally outward — but the center of the text is the church's care for its own. This reading is consistent with Galatians 6:10 ("do good to all people, especially the household of faith"), with Acts 9 (where persecuting the church is persecuting Christ), and with the overall logic of the passage, in which belonging to the King is the decisive category. Memorable Quotes Their works flowed so naturally and unselfconsciously from a renewed heart that they scarcely remembered them, let alone regarded them as currency for salvation. — Jesse Schwamb Sheep are put on the right side because they are sheep, and goats are put on the left side because they are goats — not because they act like sheep or because they act like goats. Those characteristics flow from what they are. They don't make them what they are. — Tony Arsenal God provides grace. Now do all that you can do. That's the Christian way to look at things. He has prepared good works in advance for us to walk in. This is not some sort of measurement of whether or not you're in the kingdom. It's a description of what those who are in the kingdom look like and how they behave. — Tony Arsenal Full Transcript [00:00:08] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 499 of the Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse.  [00:01:13] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony, and this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey, brother.  [00:01:18] Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. Well, we're back. We're back in Matthew 25, and if you haven't been tracking with us for a little while, we've, we've talked about all the parables hanging out in Matthew 25. But what we've been talking about recently is this kind of surprise pop quiz, that's redundant, that Jesus kind of gives at the final judgment, and he talks about separating these groups into sheep, into goats, and the sheep aren't shocked that they get into heaven. They're shocked that their quiet, kind of unglamorous kindness apparently got tallied at all. And because all of these good works apparently are done from a heart already made new, have a way of sneaking past even their own doers' notice. But then there's this other group, the goats, and they learn the hard way that they never really did anything for anybody. And it's not a great look when your deeds are just faith's paper trail. And so Jesus has a lot to say to us in this, what we're calling, like, parable adjacent kind of message that he gives. Summarizing these three- Yeah ... great teachings, here comes all of this really direct and explicit instruction about, uh, the final judgment, which by the way is impossible for me now to hear or say without thinking of the final countdown. [00:02:30] Tony Arsenal: The final judgment.  [00:02:32] Jesse Schwamb: I was hope- I was hoping you would sing us into that, and it was beautiful. Yeah. It was fantastic.  I  [00:02:36] Tony Arsenal: try. I  try.  [00:02:37] Jesse Schwamb: So I think on this episode we got a lot to say in our ongoing conversation about this judgment, about these deeds, these works. What are they? What is their purpose, especially for these different groups of sheeps and goats? What's the deal?  [00:02:52] Affirm Deny Segment [00:02:52] Jesse Schwamb: So we'll get to all of that in just a second, but first, it's that blessed and glorious time in every Reformed Brotherhood conversation where we either affirm with something that is something that we really like, think is understated, that's really is not getting the attention, people are sleeping on, or conversely, we deny against something that just isn't that cool, just is not that great. So Tony, are you affirming with something or are you gonna deny against something today?  [00:03:17] Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming with something. I'm not sure how long this has been a thing. I stumbled upon it, uh, a little while ago, and it's been in my affirmations list for a couple weeks. Um, and I'm also not 100% sure that this is available to every Logos Bible user. So those are the caveats.  [00:03:33] Logos Minutes Reading Plans [00:03:33] Tony Arsenal: Um, what I stumbled upon is if you create a reading plan now, instead of saying, "I wanna finish this book by this date or in this number of sessions," uh, you can say, "I wanna finish this book by reading X minutes a day," which is great. Um, it's a, it's a feature that I've, I thought, like, why didn't they have this a long time ago? Because a lot of times you want to sort of set aside a certain amount of time a day. Maybe it's 15, 20 minutes of Bible reading. Maybe it's five minutes of Bible reading. Maybe it's 30 minutes of- Bavinck or Calvin or whatever you're reading. So what you can do now is you tell it the page range or you tell it, "I wanna read the whole book." Uh, you could do, you know, passages or verse ranges or sections of the Bible. And then where you normally in the next screen where it would ask you, uh, how many days you wanna read, how many sessions, or whether you wanna read until a certain date, there's a new option. And so it just divides that up based on the amount of time. What's really slick is it will actually break pages in half. Nice. So, like, if you have a short, um, either a short amount of pages that you wanna read, and it's kinda like I wanna read for two or three minutes a day, and two minutes is not a whole page. I run into this when I'm reading Matthew Henry when I'm preparing for sermons, because for whatever reason, uh, maybe it's just the Logos page pagination, but the pages are really long. Like, a one page of Matthew Henry's commentary will sometimes take, like, 10 or 15 minutes to read, which is obnoxious. Um, I think it's just that the pages are just, like... I don't know, I think it's just long pages. Um, but if you say I wanna read this one page and I wanna read for five minutes a day, it'll actually split the page up, um, into chunks based on the word count and whatnot. And obviously, that five minutes is, it's not calculating how quickly you read, like, uh, Kindle does sometimes when you're doing that.  [00:05:25] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:05:25] Tony Arsenal: Um, so it's basing that on an average reading speed. So if you're a little faster, uh, of a reader, then it'll be, you know, you'll get done a little quicker, and it might take you a little longer if you're slower. But it's a really slick feature, and I think it's, like I said, I think most of us If we wanna be diligent to read whatever it is we're reading, whether it's the Bible or other theological works, um, we want to set aside time, and we wanna sorta time block. We've talked a lot about productivity, um, in this podcast. We wanna, like, time block our time so it's protected and it's, it's set aside for that task or for that purpose, and this is a great way to do it. So you just put it on your calendar. You say, "I've got 15 minutes that's set aside to read the Bible in the morning, and I know that it's gonna be a digestible chunk." And then it's a, you know, it's no longer a, a date-bound reading plan, so there's no falling behind. If you miss a day, it just means you pick up the next day. Right. So it's a great way to do it. Again, not that there's anything wrong with time-bound reading plans or deadlines, but it's a little bit of a different way to make sure that you're getting into the Word or whatever book you're reading, uh, consistently. [00:06:30] Jesse Schwamb: That's definitely a feature that I think people are sleeping on in Logos. I have that too, so I don't know if, like you said, it is d- coupled with some kind of particular package or dependent on that.  [00:06:40] Stress Free Reading Habits [00:06:40] Jesse Schwamb: But generally, I think maybe we haven't spoken enough about, like, just making what- whatever it looks like, stress-free reading plans, because I was also reading some stuff by Ryan Holiday recently, and just the reminder of how there really is a fair amount of time to read, to actually consume, like- Yeah good written material. And really, it's maybe a little bit more about how, like, we understand walking and the benefits of walking now. You don't need to, like, set aside 20 or 30 minutes to go for a walk. Even going for, like, a quick burst of three to five minutes is so happy and healthful for you. And so I think- Yeah that in the same way, we actually do have more time to read than we think, and if you wanna, like, consume material and learn more things or just become more meditative in your thoughts spiritually, I think if you create the plan, that's just another thing to, like, help you on the way. But it's gotta be one that's, like, stress-free, like you're saying, and that's what I like about the Logos. You just set it up, and every time you go back into it, it's kinda asynchronous, and so, like, it just starts you off with wherever you're at. It's never gonna, like, pop up and be like, "You missed a day, and now you owe me 60 pages." Yeah. "Get on the ground and give it to me." Like, it's, it's not gonna be like that. So I love the joy of having the plan before you, and then that means that when the time comes, you're like, "Oh, I got a couple minutes," you can just go there. It can guide you into that reading, like, easily, succinctly, with low barriers, and make you feel happy and feel, like, that joy of reading again.  [00:08:04] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I, I think it's great. And, you know, I think sometimes we fall into this trap, and you kind of alluded to it. Like, you fall into this trap that if you don't, uh, if you don't have, like, 20, 30 minutes to sit and read, that it's not worth it. Right. Right. And I know I used to fall into that trap, where I felt like if I didn't sit down and read an entire chapter, that I somehow was not actually, like, getting the material. But I think most of us have some sort of regular, uh, like, waste time. Uh, and what I mean is, like, for me, I ride the bus home every, like, every day. Most days I ride the bus home, and I know that's about a 25, 30-minute period of time that, um, I can choose to, like, scroll Twitter, and that's fine. Like, it's fine to do that. I can listen to podcasts. Um, I can do all sorts of stuff. I play video games on my tablet. Um, or I could set aside 15 of those minutes and have a p- sort of a preset reading. And you will be surprised, or maybe you won't. Maybe I'm the only one who's been surprised at this, but I think you'll be surprised uh, to find how quickly you actually move through material, even at- Right something like five minutes a day. So just for example, Joel Beeke's, uh, Systematic Theology Volume 1 is about 28 hours worth of reading, at least according to Logos. If you set aside 15 minutes per day, you will finish that reading in approximately 114 sessions. So that's not that long. That's not bad. That's like a third of a year. That's not bad, yeah. So you could, you could read through all of Joel Beeke, which is thousands of pages. I mean, we're talking, we're talking four, four different five or 600 page volumes. Um, and this, this actually is counting, like, the table of contents and the index, so, like, not all of it is what you're gonna read. You could read through that whole thing in under a year and a half if you just set aside 10 or 15 minutes. Um, and obviously if you have more time, maybe you have a 45 minute, um, bus ride home or, you know, you, you regularly have doctor's appointments and you know you're gonna be in the waiting room two days a week every week or something like that, this is a great way to just make sure you've got something set aside. Like your dad always says, you always say, like, "Bring a book." Well- That's right ... this is not only bring a book, but it's bring a book with like a s- like a set chunk of that book set aside for that time period. So maybe it's your lunch break, maybe it's the walk in from the bus stop, whatever it is. Um, I think it's, it's pretty straightforward. And all the old features, like all the old ways of setting up reading plans are still there. They're not eliminating those. Um, and this is just a great way, I think, to get, kind of get your reps in. Like, sometimes you just have to do the work and- Right ... get your reps in.  [00:10:45] Jesse Schwamb: Get it.  [00:10:45] Tony Arsenal: And this is a low pressure, this is a low pressure way to do it. It's not, um, it's not setting aside specific amounts of, uh, dates or anything like that. So yeah, check it out. It's, it's super easy to access, it's the same way you would always make a reading, um, like a reading goal. Um, and you actually can still set a regular reading schedule even with this feature. You could still say, "I wanna read Monday, Wednesday, Friday." You could say, "I don't wanna have a schedule at all," which means you just, when you click on it, it just brings you to the next section, but there's never any reminders. So they actually really are, like, expanding the way that, uh, you're able to generate these reading plans. The one thing I wish they had that I'm not sure why they don't, I wish they had a dynamic catch-up feature where, like, if you were... You know, let's say I wanted to finish this book and I wanted to finish it by, I don't know, the end of the year, and I missed a couple days or I missed a week, I wish there was a way to push a button and have it just redistribute the remaining readings out across- Right ... what's left of the reading plan. That's not there. That's a... If you're listening, Logos, or someone who works at Logos, that's what we need. I've told you that before. Why haven't you listened to me? But, um, uh, yeah, we need that. But th- this is a good start too, because again, it's, it's not, um- It's not making you do a deadline. Right. So it's much more relaxed paced. [00:11:59] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly. Exactly. That's one of the things I love about it.  [00:12:03] Burst Reading Benefits [00:12:03] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, let me make, like, one more plea if you're, like, like you're listening and you're unconvinced about this burst style reading, and that is I've been so convinced that that kind of consumption can be really helpful to processing reading. Because especially if it's like, say you're reading something of the Puritans or something relatively deep, there is something to be said of course for, like, being able to sit down if you have all this time and just kind of read to get the flow. But what I think even there I struggle with is some things are worth stopping and thinking about, and this forces- Yeah ... some kind of meditation that happens in the background anyway, and I've found that to be so helpful. Like, it kind of just creates a little bit of attentional space by way of making you walk away from the thing that you just read. And also, if you know that you've only got this short little time span available, I think I'm prone to read kind of in a different way with a little bit more focus.  [00:12:52] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:12:53] Jesse Schwamb: And then I find myself really thinking about some of those things. And some of the things that you and I talk about, the things that we love to read, are worth stopping and considering. And so it's too easy to be like, "Well, I just, I need to hit the page number. I gotta get the count in. I wanna get this volume finished." Yeah. And that's great, but at the same time, like presumably, like we read to comprehend, we read to put into practice, we read to, like, help us build wisdom and to process the world and to understand things in a more robust and profound way, and that can really only happen with that kind of spacing. So this builds in some spacing, so embrace that as I think a feature and not a bug maybe of some good reading.  [00:13:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, it's funny you, you mentioned Ryan Holiday earlier. One of the things I appreciate about his, um, at least most of his books, I've only read the sort of the Stoic Wisdom series, but, um, he keeps his chapters super short. [00:13:40] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah.  [00:13:40] Tony Arsenal: So, like, part of that is sort of the self-help grocery store format that he's, he's going for. Um, not that it's... It's not empty calories, that's not what I'm saying. I think sometimes that is implied there. But he keeps his chapters short, so it's very easy, like, to just pick up. I'm working through Discipline Is Destiny right now. It's the one I'm reading now. It's very easy to just pick it up and be like, "I'm gonna read one chapter," and it's, like, five, 10 minutes long. Um, and the chapters are... They're not identical, but they repeat enough themes that, like, y- you don't need to really, like, sit down and really, like, cram through it to get the concept. Right. But you'll read through and you'll get the concept over and over again. And I actually think the Puritans can... Some of the Puritans can be that same way, where they say the same thing- Right ... slightly differently over and over again. Um, another book that reminds me of that is, um, Knowing Christ by Mark Jones, which we talked, but that's a, it's weird that that's actually kind of an old book now. Um- Right ... I think it's coming up on close to a decade now since it came out. Um, but those chapters are super short, 10, 15 minutes. So this kind of at a burst reading, session reading, rap reading, whatever you wanna call it, it's actually super productive and it's, it is, you're right, it's very good for meditation because you are taking time to do it. You're doing it consistently, so it's kind of, it's kind of like hammering itself into your head. Um, but it's not, it's not so much time that it, you get, like, reading fatigue.  [00:15:01] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Right. Exactly. That's a beautiful thing.  [00:15:04] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:15:05] Jesse Schwamb: I, I agree. Like, it's reading all kinds of ways, but one of the things that Ryan Holiday was recently convicted me of is, like, he talks about how many things he's able to consume. People are always like, "How are you able to read all those books with all the traveling, all the different things, engagements that you have?" And he's like, "Because I just read all the time. I read when I'm-" Right ... waiting at the post office. I read when I have, like, literally three minutes between doing something or picking up a kid, that, that I read." And I don't know, I kinda like that idea. I, I... he's not ashamed to be like, "If that's... If I have 30 seconds, I probably just pull up a book," because I think that that's even- Yeah ... valuable space in which to consume good writing. So, and when I r- I, I, like, subscribe to all, maybe like you, like all these different feeds, all these lists. There are just- Yeah ... so many things I wanna read. My to-read list is so stacked, pun intended, and it's like books of- I know ... all kinds. And then I'm in this space now where I find that as I'm getting older, again, one, like suddenly birds continue to be interesting to me in new ways that I never anticipated, and the second thing is, like, suddenly I wanna read all this history. And so, like, now there's like this whole, where it never really appealed to me before, now there's like this, all this new, like, vistas opened up, and I'm like, "Who has time for this?" So- Yeah ... maybe the idea is to just, again, consume it in bites. And I'm beginning to really appreciate that as an effective strategy for not, like, re- necessarily reading more, but learning more, and learning it better. [00:16:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I actually think it is probably an effective strategy for reading more for most people. I know it has been for me- True ... to just sit down and do, do a few minutes at a time. Um- Just get it ... I've got kids, there's work to do. Like, it's, y- you're not gonna be able to... Most, I think most of our listeners are probably not in a- stage of life anymore where you can really devote hours to study like you maybe you could when you were in your 20s, where you just- Right you had a job and you didn't have much else responsibility. You, you just, you know, you just had things to do. Uh, it's not like that for most of us anymore. So being able to take five, 10 minutes and, and read a book is probably a luxury, but it's probably a luxury that we could, we could probably structure our lives and make that more of a reality. Right. And this feature in Logos will help you do that with really any theological book you can practically think you wanna get your hands on that's available on Logos. So Jesse- Right ... we could talk about reading all night every night, and we- ... love to read, but that's not what this podcast is about today. So why don't you tell us what you're affirming or denying?  [00:17:27] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah.  [00:17:27] Jesse Book Pick Perkins [00:17:27] Jesse Schwamb: Well, now, now I'm gonna switch it up because I had a book, and so, like, it just seems like people are gonna be like, "Oh, of course," and you just rolled right into that. So the quick affirmation is more Puritan stuff, A Perfect Redeemer by William Perkins. That's this week's book, so you should do that. I don't know if it's available on Logos. I presume that it is, and you can set up your own reading plan, and it's beautiful and amazing, and Perkins makes a case that true satisfaction isn't found in things, but in Christ. He tears down all these illusions of self-sufficiency and points us to rest fully in God's grace. It's beautiful. It's glorious. It's practical. It's like 27, to your point, Tony, 27, I think, like, really brief chapters. Perfect for the bus. Like, it's prime bus reading.  [00:18:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:18:06] Jesse Schwamb: So yeah, that's affirmation. Okay.  [00:18:07] Denial Dying Guitar Batteries [00:18:07] Jesse Schwamb: Here's a denial, 'cause I've rarely do denials, but as you were speaking I was reminded of one that came up this morning that maybe is only going to really resonate with a small group, but I think if you know, you know. I was actually, this denial was constructed out of a conversation I had with a dear brother this morning, who I think was sharing the denial with me, uh, but might have been suspicious entirely of what I was going after. But it's this. A lot of, I'm trying to think how to set this up properly so it's, like, explained to a wider audience. So a lot of guitar instruments, that's a weird way to say this, but, like, I'm talking about guitars that have to be plugged in, have some kind of, like, onboard electronics. But principally, like, electric instruments. I'm talking about, like, electric bass, electric guitar. They usually have what's called, like, a preamp in them, which means that the signal is essentially being set up before it goes to the board, and that process requires some power. And so generally those instruments have, like, a little, you know, battery that goes in them, uh, uh, different kinds. Here's my denial. I don't know why so many of these instruments, including the- most of the ones that I own, have no nothing, no indicator to tell you how close that battery is to dying. And so what happens is- Yeah you, I think every musician, everybody who plays an instrument of, of this nature has had this happen to them, where they need to play it in a critical environment, and then the battery dies. And why I'm denying this is because this came up for me yesterday, where I was, had the benefit of playing at a church event, but it was with my acoustic electric guitar. It, it's a Martin D-16. It's a beautiful guitar. But even the Martin, it doesn't have an indicator on it. And so, like, I always swap out the battery, which I think is probably pretty wasteful, because I knew I had to leave this guitar plugged in on stage for, like, almost two and a half hours before it was gonna be used, and whenever it's plugged in, it's drawing the power. And so, so many times you get halfway through, you're playing, you're in a worship set or you're making music with people, and it just goes out on you, and when it goes out, there's no way to get the sound back except for, at least in my instrument, you have to unplug it, you have to pop out the battery, you have to put it back in. There's no, nothing discreet about this. There's nothing convenient about this. And there's certainly nothing- ... like, noiseless about that, especially if the person running sound is not being- Doesn't know ... very, like, adept with how they're handling the instrument so that you don't, like, blow people's ears out as you try to replace the battery. So I'm just wondering about this. Like, come on, instrument manufacturers. I know it's probably not pretty to put this somewhere, but you could put it somewhere discreet. Here's what I just wanna say, though, finally. Um, please don't at me. I know that there are some, especially like acoustic electric guitars, Fender's a good example, like onboard Fishman pickups that have, like, the EQ box. Some of them do have this indicator, but not enough. And if it's, like, an electric guitar- Yeah ... I rarely see this on a pure electric guitar. So please, for the love, just put, like, a little light. Maybe, maybe it turns orange or yellow or red when, like, the battery's about to go. I just, I need to know, because it's, it's so nerve-wracking when you're playing and you're like, "Oh, no. When did I last change this battery? How much longer is this thing going to last?"  [00:21:28] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. You know, I'm, I'm wondering, um, maybe I don't know enough about electrical engineering, but I actually feel like being able to determine when a random battery is starting to lose charge is probably a fairly intricate process, so that might be why, like, there's not as many. It's funny, my Ibanez guitar, which I haven't, I haven't even taken out of its case in years, I just don't, don't have a, a, a real occasion for it anymore, um, it has an indicator on it. So it's funny that you say that 'cause, like-  [00:21:59] Jesse Schwamb: Some do  [00:22:00] Tony Arsenal: Not a cheap guitar, but it's, um- Right ... it's not, yeah, it's not like a super expensive guitar. Uh, and it does have a little indicator. It's just like a little blinking light when the battery- Yes ... starts to go, it just blinks. Um, but yeah, even then, it still... It's funny, I, um, when I was in like high school and, and first couple years of college, I helped out with youth ministry at my church quite a bit, and I would often be on the team that would go, like, down to the camp the day before to set up all the equipment and to, like, get everything ready. And I remember I was always, I was always being told like, "Make sure you change the batteries. Make sure you change the batteries." Right. And like- Right ... it was always my job first thing in the morning to go around to all the microphones and all the guitars and, like, change out all the batteries. And I remember thinking, "This is so wasteful." Right. But then I remember, like, the one time we didn't do it, and it, like, crashed in the middle of, like, the big... And again, like, I don't even know if I would support this model of camp ministry anymore, but it crashed in the middle of, like, the big worship set on, like, the, like, the emotional decision- Yeah for Jesus night. Your altar call- It crashed in the middle of it ... totally blown  [00:23:01] Jesse Schwamb: up.  [00:23:01] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and it, it, and it did. Like, it affected everything. We had to, like, stop and... So yeah, always, always change your batteries. Um, you know, like, I, you, I, when I was doing musical worship on a regular basis, I just had a couple, like, inexpensive rechargeable batteries that I would swap out at the beginning of each session. I would put the battery that was in my guitar into the charger and the battery that was in the charger into my guitar. Um, and those, those wear out over time too, so that- Right ... you know, that, that's not a healthy charging habit for those batteries, and you go through them faster. But it's better than throwing away a nine-volt battery every couple of, you know, couple of days, so. [00:23:37] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah.  [00:23:37] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. That's annoying. It's, it's obnoxious when that happens. Um,  [00:23:40] Jesse Schwamb: that's, that's why I'm just straight denying against it. I suspect that this is a matter of aesthetics, and that many of these manufacturers don't wanna put something as ugly as a light somewhere on this beautiful instrument, even if it's in, like, a discreet place. That's my guess. Yeah,  [00:23:53] Tony Arsenal: maybe.  [00:23:54] Jesse Schwamb: I also theorize, like, why can't there be an intermediary pedal that would help us with this? So, like, many people, including myself, have a tuning pedal which you can essentially bypass, and you, you engage it when you wanna tune. Why can't that draw... I, I think it should be relatively straightforward, but who knows? But either way, all I need is just a heads-up. I don't need like a, "You have, you know, 16% left," or, "You have 2.67 hours left." I just need to know that it's not gonna fail me at this most critical time. Like, just tell me to swap it. That's all, that's all, that's all you have to say. Yeah. Just tell me to swap it. So I'm sure it's more complicated than this, but I think it might be a matter of, of beauty over function and purpose- Maybe ... because-  [00:24:33] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:24:34] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's probably- Many, many are particular about that kind of thing Yeah. So anyway- Yeah ... yeah, I, that's maybe... I like what you said, Tony. It's maybe a good PSA. Like, change your batteries often and frequently. Don't be like me. Don't be in that position where all of a sudden, I remember I was leading some very acoustic worship on an evening service. It was a very full congregation, probably, like, 200 people. And, uh, we finished up, and somebody had to yell out, uh, "We can't hear your guitar at all." And I'm just up there playing. [00:25:01] Tony Arsenal: Ugh.  [00:25:01] Jesse Schwamb: And yeah. You know, it's distracting. It's one of those things. But-  [00:25:04] Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  [00:25:05] Jesse Schwamb: um, in the end... Uh, ironically, some people at the end of that were like, "Well, that was really great. It was much better than usual. We heard a lot less guitar." And I was like- ... "Okay."  [00:25:14] Tony Arsenal: My, um, my Ibanez, I never used it, but my Ibanez has an XLR cable in addition to the quarter-inch- Oh and the XLR provides power to the preamp. So that's- See, there you go ... the real solution is just to have a direct XLR, uh, XLR mic cable that goes in, uh, and then you bypass the direct box. Although then you can't, then you can't go into a tuner or pedal. Yes. So-  [00:25:33] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly ...  [00:25:34] Tony Arsenal: pros and cons. Yeah. But-  [00:25:35] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It go- it, it, it's all over the place. But let, let's talk about- Yes ... judgment, shall we? Like, what, what-  [00:25:41] Tony Arsenal: Welcome, welcome to the Reformed Guitar Cast for the  [00:25:43] Jesse Schwamb: night. Yes. E- exactly. We could talk all day about books, reading, reading plans, study plans, productivity, and guitars. These are all beautiful things. And  [00:25:51] Tony Arsenal: batteries and  [00:25:52] Jesse Schwamb: electrics. And batteries. Of which, uh, allegedly you can ha- never have enough of any of those things in that group.  [00:25:57] Tony Arsenal: It's true.  [00:25:58] Back To Matthew 25 Reading [00:25:58] Jesse Schwamb: But let's talk about, uh, judgment. And I suppose we should go back to Matthew 25, which we've been hanging out in quite a bit. And someday we'll move out of this passage. Pro- probably not today, but someday- we will actually get beyond it. And I, I know, I know we're 25 minutes in, but I am gonna read again for all of us because Tony and I, you have been resolute in saying that the best parts of our conversations really are the scripture, hearing them and going through them with great depth and a deliberate kind of measured slowness, which we're unapologetic for. And so let's just go to Matthew 25. I'm gonna read verses 31 through 46 with a f- a fair amount of speed, but enough to get us to the place where again, I just want this to be familiar as we speak about it. "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in, naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?" And the King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brethren of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me." Then he will also say to those on his left, "Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Then they themselves also will answer saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?" Then he will answer them saying, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these, least of these, you did not do it to me." And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous unto eternal life  [00:28:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:28:29] Heavy Passage Rightly Used [00:28:29] Tony Arsenal: Like we said last week, this is a really kinda heavy passage. Um, and it can be, uh... Let me put it this way. It can be used to make, uh, believers fearful in the wrong way. I, I do think the, the passage is to instill fear of God and is inst- to drive us to good works. But it can be used in a way to sort of, as I mentioned last week, it can be used in a way to sort of say, "If you don't do all these good things and you don't measure up, then Jesus never knew you." Um, and, and it implies, or sometimes even fully says that, uh, Jesus comes to know us because of the good works that we do. Right. Right? And that's just not, um, that's just not Christian theology. That's not Reformed theology certainly. Um, it's, it's not Protestant theology, and it's not even really Roman Catholic theology down. Um, but this passage really is more about understanding what marks the life of a person who has already come to faith in Christ. That's right.  [00:29:30] Justification Not Two Stage [00:29:37] Tony Arsenal: What marks the life of someone who has been changed and transformed, uh, to be like their master, like their king. Um, so, so this passage doesn't try to teach us what we have to do to merit eternal life. Um, this isn't... A- and maybe we'll get into some of this, I don't know if we will or not, but this isn't sort of John Piper future justification, um, you know, on the basis of works, or future sa- salvation on the basis of works. Um, there's no two stages to justification, right? If we're justified, it's because Christ has imputed his righteousness to us. That's right. And what happens in the, in the final judgment, there's a real thing that happens, but it's not an assessment of whether or not we have done enough or been enough. It's the reassertion of the righteousness of Christ over us. So we'll, we'll get into that, we'll talk about it, but I wanted to make sure we set the frame for that, um, before we get into it. 'Cause sometimes when you talk about these passages, it's hard to talk about future judgment according to works, which is a genuine Christian reality, right? There's a future judgment according to works. But it's hard to talk about that without starting to sound a little bit like we're, we're earning our salvation or, like, our, our justification's in, like, sort of a second stage of review or something like that. So we'll, we'll get into that, but this is not, this is not works righteousness, this is not future justification, this is two stages of justification. [00:30:52] Jesse Schwamb: And that seems, like, very clear from the way that Jesus sets this whole up. The language is so beautifully gospelly centered and oriented.  [00:31:00] Inheritance Not Wages [00:31:00] Jesse Schwamb: Even behind the judgment, like, this curtain of judgment, when you, when you open it up, is the gospel in all of its fullness, and that begins with th- this idea of inheriting the kingdom. And inheritance, of course, is not wages. In fact, like, Paul makes this kind of, like, identical move in Romans 8 and in Galatians 4 where he basically emphasizes what Jesus is talking about here. That is, sons and daughters inherit, inherit. They don't earn a paycheck. An heir receives by virtue of relationship and not performance. And that single word is, I think in the judgment of, like, most of the Reformed understanding here, decisive for, like, reading this whole passage correctly. That whatever role these works mention in verses 35 and 36 play, they cannot be meritorious works. It's not the ground of the inheritance, because inheritances by definition are not earned. Yeah.  [00:31:51] Election Before Works [00:31:51] Jesse Schwamb: And then, like, right into the same kind of train of thought, the same line of reasoning, is this idea that, well, not only are you inheriting the kingdom, but all this was prepared for you before the foundation of the world. And here again is, like, the beautiful gospel in the form of this un- you know, eternal, like, unconditional election stated, like, very plainly. Now the kingdom isn't pr- w- was not prepared in response to, like, some kind of foreseen works. I think we talked about that last week, right? Did we talk about the cor- looking down the corridor, all that kind of weird stuff? Yeah.  [00:32:22] Tony Arsenal: Yep.  [00:32:23] Jesse Schwamb: It was prepared in eternity past before any works, like good or bad, had been performed by anyone. And so that's, like, the true answer, in my opinion, to, like, any Pelagian or semi-Pelagian reading of this passage. The deepest cause of the sheep's blessedness long predates their deeds of mercy, and so their works are downstream of election and grace, not upstream of it. That's really good news. Like, that again is the Gospel, that all things are entrusted to, belong to God. God does all the verbs. However you want to say it, what we have here is true grace, and that their works are flowing out of that grace. And so because of that, there's no... It's, like, it would be insanity to boast in them, because that boasting would mean absolutely nothing. And so Jesus sidesteps that altogether by talking about inheriting the kingdom and having this all prepared for us before the foundation of the world. [00:33:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:33:15] Kingdom Language Clues [00:33:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and there's some interesting, um, I think some interesting text feature that I just noticed here that, um, I don't wanna read too much into it, but one of the things that's striking about this is the, the language around the sheep or around those on the, um, on the right of the king here. Um, there's much more of a communal, um, kingdom-type language, right? Uh, in the first section where it's talking about those on the right, uh, the word king is used repeatedly.  [00:33:45] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:33:45] Tony Arsenal: Right? And then when you get to the second section on those on the left, the ones that the, the, the righteous son of man does not know, um, it doesn't use the word king. And that's not, of course, not to say that he's not the king of those who are, you know, condemned. He's the king of all. But there is this, this, uh, obviously intentional, uh, choice to use the word king, and what, what is a king if not someone who has a kingdom and a people? Exactly. So there, there even baked into that simple linguistic feature is already this idea that the people he's speaking to are his people. And so, like I said, we've talked about parables and parable-adjacent teaching as kind of being sort of systematic language in story form, systematic theology in story form. Even here, we're seeing election, we're seeing definite atonement, right? The people are his people because he prepared this kingdom for them before the foundation of the world. [00:34:42] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:34:42] Tony Arsenal: Um, and then the, the people who aren't his, they don't even get to be associated with him as king. They don't even beg- get to, get to be associated with his kingdom. They're so far outside of the kingdom of heaven, outside of this kingdom, that even to say that the king is speaking to them is almost like, uh, it's almost like a contradiction, right? So, um- In sort of like common parlance, we might refer to another nation's king as King Charles or, you know, K- King whatever, um, or President so-and-so. But that person is not my king. Right. And so although, like, maybe there's some decorum just in general, and, like, politically it's wise, I'd have no obligation to call King Charles King Charles. Like, I can ... I ... He's not my king. I don't owe any obligation of, of fidelity to him or to his title or to his crown. Another funny example, um, recently, um, you know, I work, uh, at a hospital. We have a spiritual health or chaplaincy department, and there's some Catholic priests who are on staff there. And, um, the, the spiritual health department is part of the care experience group, which is the same group that my patient relations team is part of. And some- someone noticed that at, like, broader team group meetings, I don't refer to them as Father. I'm one of the only people in the room who just says Joakim or, you know, or Sam. Like, I don't ... And they don't mind. It doesn't bother them at all.  [00:36:03] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:36:04] Tony Arsenal: Um, and it's funny because someone asked me that, and I'm like, "Well, they're not my priest, and I, like, I don't acknowledge- Right their status as the Father. Like, there's actually some biblical reasons why I wouldn't do that." I think this is kind of sort of almost like, in a third person perspective, kind of the same thing. Like, the k- king, i- the, the Gospel writer here, Matt, is refusing to use the word king in relation to this Son of Man in relation to these people to say something about them, to say something about those people- Yes who are outside of the kingdom  [00:36:34] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, that's right on. It's a bit like, I suppose, in a, a lesser way, like there was a time... So you're married to my sister. There was a time where you weren't, we weren't Yeah ... uh, and during that time, like I, I was not in your family, nor were you in mine.  [00:36:48] Tony Arsenal: Right.  [00:36:48] Jesse Schwamb: And then at, when you married her, I am part of your family. Like you can't kick me out. As long as you're married to Ashley, I will be part of your family and you part of mine. Right. That's how it works. And so that identity proceeds, like it c- this is like confusion between identity sometimes and I think like harmony, and so many people wanna read this as like some kind of like harmonic reflection of the state of obedience of these persons, and therefore, if they had harmony, then they were in the kingdom, and that's getting it backwards. That they were part of God's kingdom by his family by definition of identity.  [00:37:20] Surprised Righteous Hearts [00:37:20] Jesse Schwamb: So that by the time like we get to verse 37 when Jesus is saying the, the righteous are gonna answer him and they're gonna say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?" I think that's one of the most like theologically important verses in this passage, which proves the point you just made. And I think it's often under-read because the righteous, they don't remember doing any of these things for Christ. They are surprised. They have like no self-conscious ledger of merit that they can point to, and that surprise I think is devastating to works righteousness reading of the passage because- Yes if these people were consciously stacking up merit to present at the judgment, then they would've kept a very careful account. But instead, their works flowed so naturally and unselfconsciously from a renewed heart that they scarcely remembered them, let alone like regarded them as currency for salvation. And so I think, I know there's been a lot written, you and I have talked about a lot about how people wanna parse this idea of works, understanding that it has some place, but what is that proper place? This I think does lead us into like the right focus in that kind of discussion because it's precisely what like the Reformed doctrine of sanctification would predict, and that is, you know, truly gracious affections I think issue in Christian practice as a reliable sign, hear me out here, but crucially that practice is not calculated or like self-res- referential. It's like the spontaneous fruit of transformed nature, as natural it is for a good tree to bring forth good fruit. And so the righteous in this passage, they're not the legalists that some would, I think, portray them to be or get worried that they are. They're not tallying good deeds. They're simply people who, having been made new, and who makes them new? God in Christ, right, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Because they've been made new, they just could not help but love their neighbor.  [00:39:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:39:13] Sheep And Goats Identity [00:39:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and, and you know, I think it's sometimes hard... We, we made the point last week that, um, the, the language in verse 32 where it says, uh, "He," He being the Son of Man, "He will separate one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats," that, that comparative as is the same language that introduces other parables. Right. And so the, the parable, parabolic element of this is a comparison to a shepherd separating two different kinds of animals in his, his bigger flock. Mm-hmm. I made the point that like we should be careful to overread sort of like what sheep are like into the behavior of those who are righteous on the right of Christ here. Um, because sheep are dumb, sheep do stupid things, sheep are disobedient. There, there's no use for like sheep to do good things and goats are not. And productive goats are also productive. Um, so what we should see though is that sheep are put on the right side because they are sheep, and goats are put on the, the left side because they are goats. Um, not because they act like sheep or because they act like goats, right? And so I think, yes, goats and sheep may have thinked behavioral, recognizable behavioral characteristics, but those characteristics flow from what they are. They don't make them what they are.  [00:40:35] Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  [00:40:35] Tony Arsenal: And so I think that's kind of what we see here in the parable, is the people on the, the right, the righteous on the right hand of the, the Son here, of the King as He sits on His glorious throne, the righteous simply do what righteous people do, right? They, they don't ... So much so, and again I think the shock of this is, is sort of the, the path of the teaching. The shock of this, the surprise of this on the part of the righteous are, uh, like it's palpable. And I think that when you actually talk to someone who is ... Think of the most sanctified, holy, righteous Christian you know, right? And I'm not gonna try to tell you who that is, but think of that person and think of a time that you have paid them a compliment or thanked them for doing the right thing.  [00:41:24] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:41:24] Tony Arsenal: They're like, "Oh, I didn't even think about that." Like, it's just not even on, not even on their radar. How many times have you, um, have you done a kind thing for someone at work and they like make a big deal out of it and you're like, "Oh, this is just I thought this is just what we do to each other. I thought we were just kind to each other." Um, and, and f- the flip side of this too is the, uh, the righteous in this parable or in this teaching, they're actually sort of like questioning the Lord's judgment in that they're saying like, "Wait a second, like w- why am I on the right here?" And He's like, "Well, uh, you were h- I was hungry and you fed me, and I, you know, I was thirsty and you gave me drink." And they're like, "When did we do that?" The flip side- Right ... of that is that those on the left, they're trying to justify themselves, right? They're trying to justify themselves, 'cause He's like, "Well, you didn't do these things. You're not my people." And they're like, "Well, when did we see you? When did we see you, when did you have these things happen and we didn't take care of it?" So the, the righteous are like surprised that this happened, and are almost questioning the fact that it's true, and the unrighteous are trying to justify themselves, basically blaming God. Bad judgment. It's not altogether, um... I forget which pro- I wanna say Micah or Malachi, one of those two, um, um, where the, the, um, God basically says, like, "Y- you, you're sinful people." And they're like, "When? When were we sinful people? Like, you tell me." Yeah. And then of course he does, 'cause it's the prophets. Right. But it's the same kind of thing. He comes to the, to the unrighteous in judgment. He says, "Depart from me, y- you cursed people." And then he says, "These are the, these are the things that have marked your life." And then they're like, "Where, when did that mark my life? Like, what are you talking about?" And he, he, the funny part is he doesn't give them an answer. He doesn't explain to them really. Right. He, he just like, "No, you can go, you can go away from me 'cause you." He does say like, "Well, you never, you did not do this to the least of these," and we, we need to unpack that phrase a little bit. But he doesn't give a long explanation to them justifying his judgment. He just makes the statement, basically makes the statement again, "You just didn't do it, so that's the consequence of eternal punishment." Um, again, not in like, "You didn't feed the poor, therefore you're going to hell" kind of a statement. It's more like, "You are not the kind of person that is a, a part of my kingdom." [00:43:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:43:49] Tony Arsenal: Without necessarily a firm statement about w- how that came to be, just a statement, "You are not the kind of person that is part of my kingdom." That's  [00:43:56] Jesse Schwamb: right. That's right. I think that's actually very evident in these, like, six concrete works of mercy which are listed, feeding, giving drink, hospitality to strangers, clothing, visiting the sick, uh, visiting the imprisoned. And as we've said before, those are not extraordinary feats. I mean, there's no mention- Right ... of miracles or doctrinal precision or heroic martyrdom. Yeah. It's just these ordinary, super unglamorous ministry of practical love, and I think that is significant, like you're saying, because it is a mark of true faith, this idea that it's found frequently not in spectacular religious performance, which is what some of the audience is probably after, honestly, but in this quiet but costly unnoticed compassion. And I think that is critical to understanding that those who have been identified and marked by Christ undertake these things with a seriousness, under being willing to bear the c- the cross and the curses and the cost of all those things, uh, because it is born out of a transformed life, one that has been re-identified almost as it were a new creation. And so that- Yeah ... created man does these things without putting the notches on the belts, so to speak, to tally them up because I think to that person that would be insane. What is the purpose of doing that? If I can't earn my salvation, I'm doing these things anyway. It, it wouldn't even matter. It's like trying to pay a bill that you have no money for anyway. Why would you then try to count the dollars that you have in your pocket to see if for some reason you could cover the cost? It's impossible. Yeah. And so everything changes to such a degree that I know we keep saying, like, surprised, and that is what is kind of manifested in the passage. But it's, it's not kind of like the shock of like, "I don't know what you're talking about." It's more, it's more this idea of, again, I think those being brought forward at the final judgment, and it's almost as if Jesus is saying, "You are coming into this kingdom- Because, or you are being, uh, allowed, so to speak, to come into my presence in the fullness because you did all those things. And their surprise is almost as to say, "Well, why would those things bring me into the fullness if I've, in fact, have inherited it because you've called me your own?" Does that make sense? Like, I think it's- Yeah ... there's a little bit gone there- Yeah ... that's not just they're kind of like, "Oh, this slipped my mind," or, uh, "It came so easy to me that I didn't even know I was doing it." I think it was more about the g- we should just get to the least of these then, right? Like, what does it mean- Yeah that they did these to the least of these, and how does that surprise fit into that?  [00:46:19] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:46:20] Least Of These Explained [00:46:20] Tony Arsenal: The other element of this that I think is super important for us to cover in the 10 minutes or so we have left. Um, this phrase, "the least of these," right? Yes. And, and this, this can really cause this passage to be misunderstood  Um, I wanna s- loud and clear, uh, taking care of the poor in our society, you know, mercy ministries outside of the church, those things are all good, and I think scripture makes an argument that we should be engaged in those, both individually and also that the church has an obligation to, um, to meet some practical needs of those who are destitute around it. Um, but that's not what this passage is saying, right? Right. So when we look at the phrase "the least" first, first thing that, that comes off here, right, in verse 40 where this phrase first appears, "Truly I say to you, as you did it to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." Right? This is not a general statement. The least of these are not, like, the lowest and meekest and poorest of the world. The least of these my brothers referring to those who belong to Christ. Right. Those who are related to me. And, and I actually think that that, that is probably, like, the hallmark of passage. Beyond, um, what we've talked about already of just sort of like not being about works righteousness, this is really about being a part of the church, right? They're marked by the fact that they have inherited this kingdom which was prepared for them before the foundation of the world. They're marked by the fact that, uh, they are the people of this king, so much so that the other people aren't e- the word king can't even appear in association with these other people. And this last part, they're marked by the way they have treated those in whom they are with c- in, in community with, right? They're marked by the way they have treated those who are related to the king by blood, who are adopted, who are married to the king, who are in, in the family of the king, his brothers. [00:48:17] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Okay.  [00:48:18] Tony Arsenal: So this is painting a picture of kind of what we see, right? W- we see in, uh, Galatians, right? Um, "Do, do good to all people, especially the household of faith." Mm-hmm. Right? Uh, our own tagline, "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood," right? That's, that's a statement of like, yes, you're supposed to be kind to all people, but you're especially supposed to be kind and be committed to and taking care of those who are in the household of faith, who are in the church. That is what this passage is about. That is what marks those people who belong to the king. The sheep are part of the sh- part of the sheep because they're in that same flock, because they- Right ... are ontologically, they've been made new and they've been renewed into this new creation as sheep. Um, that's what this passage is getting at. And then the people who, uh, who are not a part of that, they, they have not done anything with the church. They're not associated with the church. They didn't take care of the church. They didn't, they didn't feed the church. They didn't do anything with that. And this, this again, like, think about, like, Acts chapter, you know, when, when, um, when Paul is, when Saul is called by Christ, right? "When did I persecute you?" "Well, you, why are you persecuting me, Saul? Well, you persecuted my people." So this, this passage ties a lot of those same s- same threads together- Yeah ... in a way that I think presents this really cohesive picture of what it is that's going on. This is not works righteousness. Right. [00:49:37] Serving Christ In Church [00:49:37] Tony Arsenal: This is an assessment of the fact that you are, in fact, a m- a member of the people of God, that you have been engrafted into Christ and have become a part of his body. And just as he is our head, we are his body. The people who are cast out, the reason he never knew them is 'cause they've never been engrafted into him. [00:49:55] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Sometimes this does, I think, get read and defined as, like, the all the poor and suffering writ large, which is helpful, but I don't think, like, the dominant view here, at least in my perspective. And you, and you tell me otherwise. Yeah. Because, uh, on this view, of course, like, Christ does identify with all who suffer, and that maybe mercy to any sufferer is mercy to him. I think that could be partly correct, part reflection and application here. However, the stronger view, I think, e- like, even historically, is that- Really we're talking about, especially when we get to, like, visiting those in prison, the, the persecuted or itinerant Christian missionary. When we're talking about the imprisonment and persecution language is, that especially suits believers suffering for the gospel's sake, not merely the poor in general. Now, is, are there ways for us as Christians to embody the gospel and to be a witness for Christ by going out and performing acts of social justice? I would say yes, if you connect those items explicitly to the gospel. That is, that you make it clear your emphasis, genesis, your volition comes through this message of who Christ is. Otherwise, there's plenty of institutions doing very good things, and I don't necessarily, what's in view here i

There’s a new generation of wine professionals out there, replacing intimidation with invitation, and gatekeeping with genuine hospitality. Shay Gilchrist is one of those people. She’s the founder of Wine & Vibes, a wine consulting and experiential brand built on four pillars: food, wine, hosting, and vibes. She holds a WSET Level 2 with Merit certification and works as a wine consultant and author and the creator of Vinology, a trademarked interactive word search collection that blends wine literacy with pairing guides, tasting notes, and flavor language. She believes wine is a story, a mood, and a moment worth sharing. She brings food, music, and community to every glass, and believes wine is meant to be experienced. Shay, welcome to The BrandBuilders Podcast.

This week our besties are crashing out HARD. The road to recovery looks like admitting we have bad days, giving ourselves the room to rant and taking the rest we need to get back on track. Joey takes a night out in SoHo at the exclusive Ludlow House, and Snooki shares her latest obsession, ZBiotics, a pre-drink shot for the elderly millennial to keep the party going and the hangovers gone. Joey’s mother is trying to contact him beyond the grave, while the bestie duo bonds over their newest signature summer fragrances.As Snooki’s surgery date fast approaches, she reflects on the last year navigating her journey with cervical cancer, highlighting the importance of making your doctor appointments to opening up about the scary feelings of surgery. Joey chats about all the newest celebrity collabs, from Hailey Bieber and Gap to Merit and The Ritz Carlton, while Nicole pops off and calls out judgmental crusaders.The duo round out the conversation with their weekly Confession Sessions, sponsored by Hard Rock Bet, sharing that it’s okay to not be okay and that we need to let go of guilt when it comes to taking rest days. Snooki is a firm believer of bed rotting…who wouldn’t be, being a mother of three, with multiple businesses and battling cancer.And crusaders, somebody please buy Joey’s chairs. #Volume See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get your hand-picked playbook here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.figuringout.co/link/fo-537Guest Suggestion Form: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/bnaeY3FpoFU9ZjA47⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disclaimer: This video is intended solely for educational purposes and opinions shared by the guest are his personal views. We do not intent to defame or harm any person/ brand/ product/ country/ profession mentioned in the video. Our goal is to provide information to help audience make informed choices. The media used in this video are solely for informational purposes and belongs to their respective owners.(00:00) - Intro(02:37) - Childhood, Family Values & Father's Life Lesson on Merit(07:41) - Rejected by Breweries for Being a Woman(12:29) - Gender Bias in Funding & Starting Biocon Against All Odds(27:08) - The Art of Pitching: Telling Your Story Right(29:57) - From Enzymes to Pharma: Cracking Statins(31:15) - The Insulin Breakthrough That Disrupted Global Pricing(34:18) - Entering Cancer Biosimilars After Losing a Friend(40:29) - Why Being First (Not Just Best) Matters(43:52) - Building Affordable CAR-T Cancer Therapy (Immuneel)(45:46) - The GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drug Debate(53:13) - How Pharma Pricing & Margins Actually Work(58:20) - A Near-Financial Crisis: The Loan Default Scare(1:03:45) - How Can People Who Have Self-Doubt Build Confidence?(1:07:13) - Why India Undervalues Innovation vs. the US(1:13:51) - The AI Pathology Startup India Let Slip Away(1:20:50) - Proving Global Pharma Giants Wrong(1:26:43) - Bengaluru's Infrastructure & Civic Problems(1:30:14) - India's Civic Sense Crisis(1:35:44) - Why India Is Losing FDI to Vietnam & Indonesia(1:38:03) - Has She Ever Felt Humiliated?(1:41:58) - The Harshest Truth: Gender Bias in India(1:50:51) - Big Pharma Ethics & COVID Vaccine Inequality(1:55:52) - Choosing Her Successor: Niece Claire Mazumdar(1:58:54) - The Power of Authentic Networking & Friendships(2:02:47) - Separating Her Identity From Biocon(2:04:52) - One Advice No One Should Follow(2:06:03) - OutroIn today's episode, we sit down with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon Limited, to talk about rejection, risk, and how she built India's biggest biotech company from a garage.Follow Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiranmazumdar_shaw/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠About Raj ShamaniRaj Shamani is an Entrepreneur at heart that explains his expertise in Business Content Creation & Public Speaking. He has delivered 200+ speeches in 26+ countries. Besides that, Raj is also an Angel Investor interested in crazy minds who are creating a sensation in the Fintech, FMCG, & passion economy space.To Know More,Follow Raj Shamani On ⤵︎Instagram @RajShamani ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rajshamani/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter @RajShamani ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/rajshamani⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook @ShamaniRaj ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/shamaniraj⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn - Raj Shamani ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajshamani/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠About Figuring OutFiguring Out Podcast is a Candid Conversations University where Raj Shamani brings raw conversations with the Top 1% in India.

The window to sell old crop is looking good right now and there's a big event happening July 19 as Naomi Blohm talks about in Market Plus.

Pags sounds off on Congresswoman Summer Lee, accusing her of pushing a race-based narrative instead of focusing on merit. He challenges her comments by asking a simple question: shouldn't every patient want the best doctor possible, regardless of race? Pags argues America shouldn't judge people's abilities by the color of their skin and explains why he believes this debate should have ended generations ago. Then, Dr. Jesse Lopez joins for a wide-ranging conversation on the Taco Bell parasite outbreak, the government's $1.55 billion purchase of additional COVID-19 vaccines, concerns about vaccine side effects, and how two foreign nationals allegedly entered the U.S. carrying hundreds of samples of monkeypox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we interview Fr. Brad Elliott, OP, a priest of the Dominican Order who converted to the Catholic Faith from Lutheranism. In addition to sharing his conversion story, he also shares prescient warnings about how modern people relate to technology.Fr. Elliott is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA.BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITIONHas our content blessed you or those you love? Then please consider becoming a monthly patron for $10/month or more.➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron/This apostolate is a non-profit under priestly authority, and all your gifts are tax-deductible. Your generosity makes it possible for us to produce our podcast, research, and written content with excellence, while making it available to the world for free, all for the salvation of souls. It also empowers us to work on even bigger projects behind the scenes (stay tuned).VISIT OUR WEBSITE➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIAX: https://twitter.com/JoshuaTCharlesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuatcharles/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuatcharles/DIVE DEEPERCheck out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you'll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic:➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/SUBSTACKSubscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content:➡️ https://eternalchristendom.substack.com/EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTS➡️ https://eternalchristendom.com/bookstore/CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro: Conversion, Technology, and the Church's Social Teaching02:43 - Welcome, Prayer, and Episode Roadmap09:35 - Technology, Demonic Interference, and the Spiritual Life16:41 - Tools, Machines, AI, and the Dangers of Progress32:02 - Fr. Brad's Conversion Story Begins43:00 - Sola Fide, Grace, Merit, and Catholic Transformation1:20:06 - The Temple, Mortal Sin, and Being Restored by Grace1:40:40 - Scripture, Protestant Tensions, and Catholic Clarity1:53:02 - The Church Fathers and the Road to Catholicism1:54:44 - Catholic Social Teaching, Autonomy, Consent, and American PoliticsThis podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Heading Off is our weekly travel segment driven by your stories. If you want to talk about your recent trip on the radio - get in touch via 2101 or afternoons@rnz.co.nz. This week we're joined by Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and Member of the Order of the British Empire ... Barbara Kendall. You might know her best as the five time Olympian and Olympic Windsurfing gold medalist, but today she's here to talk with us about sailing to Fiji. Barbara has made the trip twice - almost 50 years apart.

Last July, Luis Calderon went into cardiac arrest amid a remote camping trip where not one but two lifeguards stepped in. Matias Vega and Eoin Porrata both performed life saving CPR and have been awarded the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit for their heroic efforts and get our Sawkar Salute!

Last July, Luis Calderon went into cardiac arrest amid a remote camping trip where not one but two lifeguards stepped in. Matias Vega and Eoin Porrata both performed life saving CPR and have been awarded the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit for their heroic efforts and get our Sawkar Salute!

The Rebbe thanks Reb David for his support of Torah education in Morocco, emphasizing the immense merit and blessings that come from strengthening and expanding holy institutions. He assures him of prayers at the Ohel for success in both spiritual and material matters. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/017/010/6390

You've been fitting in for so long, you've started to wonder if the full version of you was ever real. That is not a character flaw. It is a code, running underneath everything you do, protecting you from a threat that no longer exists in the room you are actually in. This is the fifth episode of season two of The Polymathic Perspective. There is a moment in this episode where a man sits across from Dov. Head down. Jaw tight. He is trying to find the words to admit he used to be a neo-Nazi recruiter. A true believer. A man who had stood in front of cameras advocating for the removal of Jews from the world.  He does not know yet that Dov is Jewish.  He looks up. And Dov is smiling. That moment is what genuine belonging looks like. Not agreement. Not forgiveness handed across a desk. A room where the worst of you is already on the table, and the other person is still there.  Most of us have never had that kind of room.  So we learned to fit in instead. And the code kept running.  The same code crushes three entirely different things in three entirely different kinds of people. It crushes the ADHD mind, which spent its life in environments designed for a system it does not have, and learned to edit its own operating system into something the room could accommodate.  It crushes nuance, in the tribally loyal person for whom exclusion registers as existential danger, and in every conversation flattened into a loyalty test at the moment nuance was needed most. It crushes paradoxical thinking, in the mind that can hold two truths simultaneously as a genuine cognitive achievement, and that learned early this complexity was too much for the room. Different neurologies. Different histories. Same code underneath. Same ask unmade.IN THIS EPISODE Oppenheimer at Trinity, at the peak, alone What the last four episodes were mapping Welcome to The Polymathic Perspective Five lenses on fitting in versus belonging Why belonging is not the problem The question this episode is built around The thesis, three minds, one code How the code runs through ADHD, loyalty, and paradox Which of the three landed in your body Personal scale, the ask that requires the unedited self Nokia's touchscreen prototype and the culture that could not receive it Intelligence, flattening, and the rooms that need clear eyes What happens to a person after years of fitting in Contextual adjustment is not the same as fitting in Tony McAleer and the impossible moment of belonging What actually helps, in this order Oppenheimer at the peak of his fitting in What to carry into your week Did he ever know who he actually was? THIS SERIES What We Want But Refuse To Accept is a ten-episode arc. Episodes one through three mapped the phenomenon and the cage. Episode four named the operating system. Episode five shows what the system crushes in three different kinds of minds. Next episode: Luck, Merit, and the Stories We Tell About Deserving.

This week, Jack Sharry talks with Merit Financial Advisors' CEO & Founder, Rick Kent, and President, Kay Lynn Mayhue. Rick is an entrepreneur and visionary leader who founded Merit on a servant-leadership philosophy and a commitment to helping individuals reach their financial goals while supporting fellow advisors and entrepreneurs in meeting their professional goals. Kay Lynn has played many roles in the financial advisory industry: as a successor, partner, seller, and buyer. This unique and diverse background allows her to relate to advisors at all career stages and across the M&A lifecycle.  Rick and Kay Lynn talk with Jack about how they've built one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the country without losing sight of culture, leadership, and long-term value creation. They discuss what it really takes to scale intentionally, from balancing disciplined M&A with true organic growth to building a leadership model rooted in servant leadership, humility, and accountability. Rick and Kay Lynn also share Merit's institutionalized approach to business development and explain why partnerships, technology integration, and adaptability in the age of AI will define the future of wealth management. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:13) - Rick on Merit's origin story (03:06) - Rick and Kay Lynn's partnership and leadership dynamics (04:59) - The core principles of Merit Financial Advisors (09:14) - How Merit has maintained its culture through 60+ acquisitions  (12:41) - How Merit generates organic growth (16:56) - Inside Merit's business development engine and growth tracks  (20:30) - Rick and Kay Lynn's outlook on the future of wealth management (26:16) - Rick and Kay Lynn's interests outside of work Quotes "You can have all of the principles and core values at the top. But if you don't bring on the right people, you are not going to succeed at having that in your culture. And so it starts with the people, it ends with the people." ~ Kay Lynn Mayhue "People are underestimating the power of finding the right partnerships. The right partnership is going to make your future." ~ Kay Lynn Mayhue "The marketing to bring in clients should be an enterprise operation. It really should be institutionalized, where we figure out how to connect with clients and then provide those opportunities to our advisors to let them do what they do best." ~ Rick Kent "When you think about the real value of a firm, if you have money, you can make acquisitions. But really valuable firms are going to prove that they are growing their market share through organic growth." ~ Rick Kent Links  Rick Kent on LinkedIn Kay Lynn Mayhue on LinkedIn Merit Financial Advisors Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

I have to say I have been surprised at just how good Manchester Golf Club is this week for English Women's Open on LET Access. I was pleased to be joined by American pro Katherine Schuster who is 100 percent embracing the challenge of pro life in Europe this season as she is currently 29th on LET Access Series Order of Merit standings after 6 events into her rookie season on tour.  Katherine is from Outer Banks area of North Carolina, USA and started the game out at age of 10 after watching Drive, Chip and Putt competition at Augusta National which got her hooked instantly. Katherine has had the pleasure of taking the drive down Magnolia Lane at Augusta 4 times an experience that never gets old. She would go to Clemson University before trying to win tour card at Q School in Morocco. We also find out more about Katherine as a person including that she has attempted to achieve her aviation license!  I was also joined be podcast guest and one of the legends in 2016 Olympian, 2x Symetra Tour winner and last year's Santander Golf Tour Avila champion Ale Llaneza in what was a 2nd run after our walk and talk chat yesterday was directly affected with the blowing wind. Ale just comes off of 3 solid rounds on LET last week at Hulencourt Women's Open after playing on an invite and find out her thoughts on this week's course as well as of course Taco chat, Mezcal chat and find out more about her goals for the year mentally and physically.  Top tier entertainment as always from Alejandra! Thanks Katherine & Ale for stopping by, was good to chat with you both! Have fun this week!

The Rebbe writes about the continual increase in wisdom over time, the importance of Torah study and yiras Shamayim, and the merit of involvement in communal Torah learning. He connects these themes to the upcoming Yud-Beis–Yud-Gimmel Tammuz, a time of redemption and spiritual victory. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/017/010/6381

NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a high stakes, high pressure exam that can make or mar the careers and fortunes of entire families. At least 14-NEET-linked suicides were reported this year, and the Tamil Nadu government's official position is that NEET should be scrapped. Is a highly centralised MCQ-format exam the best way to assess the merit of a medical education aspirant? In Part 1 of this series, we looked at whether NEET as a system is aligned with India's social goals. In the second episode, we unpack NEET's relationship with merit. Joining us today is Professor T Sundararaman, a public health expert based in Puducherry. Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Producer: Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disparate Impact, Merit-Based Admissions, and Federal Contracting Reforms. Guest: Michael Toth. Michael Toth discusses the historical use of "disparate impact" as a mechanism for discrimination in university admissions. He details the current administration's efforts to root out racial preferences in federal contracting. Toth argues for a return to merit-based standards to restore the principle of equal justice. 131920 SCOTUS

Do Catholics believe we have to earn our salvation? Are we saved by faith alone? What role do good works actually play in the Christian life? In this episode, Fr. Michael and Fr. Christopher Trummer discuss faith, works, grace, justification, salvation, and sanctification from a Catholic perspective. They explain why Catholics do not believe we can earn salvation by our own efforts, while also showing why Scripture repeatedly teaches that real faith must bear fruit in love, obedience, perseverance, and good works. This conversation looks at passages from Ephesians, Romans, James, Matthew 25, John 15, Philippians 2, and more. The goal is not to reduce salvation to self-reliance or religious performance, but also not to fall into passivity. The Christian life is a life of grace-filled cooperation with God. We are saved by grace. We receive that grace through faith. And that faith, if it is living, works through love. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: why faith and works is controversial 01:10 Salvation, justification, and different Christian language 02:10 The objective offer of grace and how we receive it 03:00 Salvation as past, present, and future 05:00 Catholics do not believe we earn salvation 06:20 Ephesians, Romans, and salvation by grace 07:05 The good thief and the essence of salvation 08:00 What Catholics mean by “works” 09:20 Justification and God's initiative 10:40 Persevering in grace 11:45 “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” 13:00 Once saved, always saved? 14:10 John 15, bearing fruit, and remaining in Christ 15:30 Can salvation be lost? 17:00 Serious sin as a rupture of relationship 18:30 Confidence, certainty, and perseverance 20:40 Matthew 25 and the final judgment 24:25 The rich young man and keeping the commandments 25:20 What is faith? 26:30 James, demons, and faith without works 27:40 Biblical faith as the response of the whole person 29:30 Merit, grace, and heavenly reward 32:10 Abiding in Christ through obedience 33:35 Necessary does not mean earned 34:25 Revelation, the talents, and reward 36:00 The danger of passivity 37:15 Human cooperation with God's grace 38:05 Righteousness, holiness, and imputed righteousness 42:00 God's grace actually transforms us 43:30 The prodigal son and imperfect repentance 45:10 The danger of self-reliance 46:30 Pelagianism and trying to save ourselves 48:40 Trying to “muscle” love 49:30 Not self-reliance, not passivity 50:15 Cooperation with grace in concrete action 51:30 Saints, effort, and grace-filled work 52:30 Working without worry, haste, or desperation 54:00 Avoiding the “holy bunker” 55:00 Final takeaway: grace, grit, and fruitfulness 55:40 Closing prayer

A talk by Thanissaro Bhikkhu entitled "Making Merit"

A Clare senator says there's "merit" in a proposal for an air ambulance base in Clare. The call has been made by the Friends of Ennis Hospital campaign group following the airlifting of a GAA player from the Loop Head Peninsula to University Hospital Limerick last week. According to HSE data, one fifth of air ambulance call-outs nationwide come from the Midwest region. Speaking in the Seanad, Ennistymon Senator Martin Conway says many parts of West Clare are simply too far away the Dooradoyle facility.

After another long endurance test for all the players today with temperatures soaring to 37 & 38 degrees. I was pleased to be joined by 2 Czech superstars 2x LET winner Sara Kouskova & 1x LETAS winner Patricie Mackova as they reflected on their time this week at Czech Ladies Open.  We find out about their 2nd rounds today with Patricie birdieing 2 of the last 3 holes to finish -5 and Sara struggled a little bit today with a +2 round but still nicely inside the cut line with 1 day left tomorrow. We also find out what the week of the Czech Open means to both Sara & Patricie as well as chatting about how Patricie is finding LET this year after finishing 5th on last year's LET Access Series Order of Merit standings to gain her tour card this year and also find out about what the weight of expectations on the Karlovy Vary star after a stellar 2025 which saw her win Jabra Ladies Open & Tenerife Womens Open back to back while also qualifying for final stage of LPGA Q School.  It was an extremely busy week for both Sara & Patricie but extremely grateful to both of them for taking some time to chill out! Thanks Ladies, really appreciate it!

In this latest episode ahead of Czech Ladies Open at Royal Beroun, I was pleased to be joined by 2025 Lavaux Ladies Open winner & Czechia star Patricie Macková after finishing 5th last year on LET Access Series Order of Merit standings to win her Ladies European Tour card for 2026 with a Top 10 already this year at Ford NSW Open at Wollongong. Patricie is from the beautiful city of Prague and would start playing the game at age of 7, quickly becoming one of Czechia's top players and would win 2019 Czech International Junior U18 & U21 Championship and represent Czechia at 3x European Girls' Team Championships (2017, 2018 & 2019).  Patricie would go to University of Maryland near D.C. and would become a standout there winning 2022 Yale Invitational NCAA event as well as representing Czechia at 2x Espirito Santo Trophy's in Paris & Abu Dhabi, representing Czech at 2x European Amateur Team Championships at Conwy GC & Hämeenlina and being a part of 2023 Patsy Hankins Trophy team for Team Europe playing alongside Lottie Woad, Helen Briem, Kajsa Arwefjäll, Celina Sattelkau & Meja Örtengren.  Since 2018 Patricie has competed in her home events both Czech Ladies Open on LET & Czech Challenge on Access Series and has had 4 Top 15's at Czech Challenge as an amateur. In 2024 she would turn pro and the first year would be a struggle with a best finish of T11th at Rose Ladies Series. 2025 would see a great season for Patricie with 8 Top 10 finishes on LET Access Series including winning Lavaux Ladies Open in Switzerland, that would see the talented Czech star finish 5th overall on the Order of Merit standings and would gain her LET Card for this year. Was a great chat with Patricie, wish her all the best this week on her special week! Download via Podbean, Apple & Spotify 

Twin sisters Chloe and Claire Lee started the Selleb Style newsletter as a place to discover what beauty and fashion-obsessed people are actually buying (as verified by their receipts—i.e. no sponcon, please!). Now an app, this discovery platform allows more people to share their receipts and quickly connect with others who share a similar taste “timeline.” In this Business Desk, we talk about the five brands Gen Z is actually loyal to, why Merit has such broad appeal, the Substacks people are happy to pay for, the pricey facialist who keeps popping up, and more. More from Fat Mascara Instagram: @fatmascara @jessicamatlin Shop the products mentioned on Fat Mascara: https://shopmy.us/shop/fatmascara Private Facebook Group: Fat Mascara Raising a Wand Submit a Raise a Wand product recommendation, guest suggestion, or just say hello: info@fatmascara.com Production for this Podcast Provided by Redd Rock Music IG: @reddrockmusic www.reddrockmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Marquis de Lafayette came to America as a young man to aid the colonists in the American Revolution.  He would return 47 years later at the invitation of President James Monroe and Congress to tour the country in the lead-up to our country's 50th birthday.  On this return trip, he received a true rockstar welcome wherever he went as he toured all 24 states.  As we now prepare to celebrate our nation's 250th birthday, we want to revisit the extraordinary legacy of this great man in service to our country.  To help us do so, we are honored to welcome Chuck Schwam.  Chuck is the Executive Director of the American Friends of Lafayette and on June 10, 2026, he was awarded the Ordre National du Merit by the government of France (National Order of Merit). 

Today we have a special repeat guest, Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The OPM is the people function in the federal government — the department that sets the rules for the various HR departments in other agencies. Director Kupor was on Statecraft six months ago, and is now a little more seasoned in the federal government.We discuss:* How veterans' preference works in federal hiring* Who gets fired first when an agency conducts a Reduction In Force (RIF)* Proposed changes to prioritize performance during RIFs* Kupor's progress in recruiting early career and tech talent to governmentThe full transcript for this conversation is at www.statecraft.pub This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

In this episode, Bakhti sits down with Nate Mook, an award-winning documentarian who has led organizations providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia's launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Mook offers a firsthand account at how the organizations he has led, including World Central Kitchen and All Hands & Hearts, have adapted to provide for Ukrainians' evolving needs over the course of the war. Bakhti and Nate also discuss why Nate began working in Ukraine, how he has rallied international support for Ukraine in a challenging media environment, and what he thinks policymakers are missing about Ukrainian society. --- Nate Mook is a seasoned leader and gifted storyteller who transforms words into action and ideas into impact. From 2018 to 2022, Nate served as the first CEO of World Central Kitchen (WCK), leading its transformation from a small operation with under $1 million in revenue to a global humanitarian powerhouse raising $500 million annually. Following his time at WCK, Nate served two years as Special Advisor on Ukraine for the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. In recognition of his efforts for the Ukrainian people, Nate was awarded the Order of Merit by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In 2025, Nate became CEO of All Hands & Hearts, the disaster relief nonprofit co-founded by Petra Němcová. He is also a co-founder of Hachiko Foundation, supporting cats and dogs affected by war in frontline Ukrainian communities. Nate serves on the boards of March For Our Lives, a youth-led movement against gun violence, and Save Ukraine, which has rescued over 670 children abducted by Russia. He also advises Razom for Ukraine, on its advocacy efforts. Early in his career, Nate was a technology entrepreneur and later began working in film. He produced the award-winning HBO Documentary Baltimore Rising with The Wire's Sonja Sohn. Nate is an executive producer of the 2022 Emmy-nominated film We Feed People from Ron Howard about WCK's rise. In 2015, he conceived and directed the documentary Undiscovered Haiti with José Andrés, a project co-produced with National Geographic and PBS. Nate has been a longtime collaborator with TED, helping to grow the TEDx program from its start in 2009, leading the TEDxSummit in Doha, and organizing conferences in places like Mogadishu, Baghdad, Tripoli, and Mount Everest. He was named a "Change Hero" by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for his work amplifying voices in underserved communities. When not working in disaster zones or traveling across Ukraine, Nate resides in Washington, DC, with his cat, Jinx Furdinand. --- This podcast is hosted by Bakhti Nishanov and produced by Alanna Novetsky, in conjunction with the Senate Recording Studio.

Host James-Christian Blockwood discusses government performance and HR systems with Gabe Menchaca of the Niskanen Center and Academy Fellow and Government HR expert Steve Krauss. Menchaca summarizes a Niskanen-Academy study describing wide variation in state civil service models, limited scholarship on state HR, and mixed early results from skills-based hiring due to assessment and measurement bottlenecks and inconsistent time-to-hire metrics. Kraussand Menchaca distinguish nonpartisan hiring from competition-based merit and argue modern merit depends on valid skills assessments. Krauss emphasizes strategic workforce planning, job architecture, skills frameworks, and HR IT modernization, citing initiatives like HR 2.0, USA Hire modernization, online retirement, and more.00:36 HR Systems Overview01:19 State HR Study Findings05:43 Strategic Workforce Planning08:47 Merit Versus Skills Hiring13:58 Reimagining Federal HR17:59 Job Architecture And Classification19:16 Modernizing HR IT Systems21:48 Bipartisan Reform Lessons25:54 Incremental Wins And Big ChangesManagement Matters is a presentation of the National Academy of Public Administration produced by Lizzie Alwan and Matt Hampton and edited by Matt Hampton. Support the Podcast Today at: donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190Episode music: Hope by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comFollow us on YouTube for clips and more: @NAPAWASH_YT

Richard Epstein analyzes the legal effort to prevent the removal of Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Centerfacade. He argues that the Trump-aligned board's appeal lacks legal merit and strength, as removing a nameplate does not constitute irreparable harm. Epstein suggests the judge should consider firing the current board due to bias. (3)1903 PERSIA

You could be eating well, supplementing intentionally, and doing all the "right" things and still be quietly working against yourself every single day. Not because of what you're not doing, but because of what you're putting in and on your body without realizing it. Nobody told us either, until someone who loved us did. Now we're telling you.This episode is a swap episode. Six things, three from Brandi and three from Dr. Desiree, that we have personally changed in our own lives. Not from a place of panic, but from a place of having the information and making the obvious next move. The science on what's in conventional cookware, makeup, lotion, and coffee isn't obscure. The product industry just hasn't had much incentive to share it. We do.Brandi walks through her swaps from body butter to wooden kitchen utensils to a blood-sugar-stable chocolate bar that actually tastes like a chocolate bar. Dr. Desiree covers the research on non-stick cookware and forever chemicals, the fragrance loophole hiding in your makeup bag, and what's really in most commercial coffee. None of these swaps require blowing up your life. Most of them cost the same or less than what you're already using.What You'll Learn:Why the first ingredient on most conventional lotions is water and what that means for your skin barrierWhat Chaga's ORAC value actually is and why applying antioxidants topically to inflamed or psoriatic skin has a real mechanism behind itWhat happens when a plastic or silicone spatula sits in a hot pan (and why "BPA-free" didn't solve the problem)Why monk fruit has a glycemic index of zero and how that changes what happens to your energy an hour after a sweet snackThe PFAS "forever chemicals" in conventional non-stick cookware, what temperature matters, and the simple technique that makes stainless steel actually workThe fragrance loophole in US and Canadian cosmetic labeling that lets one word hide dozens to hundreds of undisclosed compoundsWhy coffee is one of the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops in the world and how mycotoxins get in before the bag ever reaches your kitchenHow L-theanine in matcha changes the quality of caffeine in the body and why it may matter more for perimenopausal women managing cortisolFour free apps and databases you can use right now to check what's actually in your makeup before you repurchase itResources Mentioned:EWG Skin Deep database (free ingredient safety ratings): https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/Yuka app (scan product barcodes in-store for ingredient scores): https://yuka.io/en/SkinSafe (developed with Mayo Clinic, helpful for sensitive skin): https://www.skinsafe.com/Merit makeup: https://www.meritbeauty.com/Your Next Steps:Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eversiowellness/Shop Eversio Wellness and save 15% with code PODCAST15: https://www.eversiowellness.com/discount/PODCAST15?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fall-productsNot sure which mushroom is right for you? Take our free quiz: https://www.eversiowellness.com/pages/take-our-quiz

This episode is a wild ride, folks. We're talking geopolitics, international relations, and a dash of current events. The speaker takes us on a journey from the Strait of Hormuz to the streets of Belfast, covering everything in between. Buckle up, because this episode is a real doozy. The conversation starts with a lighthearted discussion about the speaker's substack, where they're sharing exclusive content with their loyal listeners. But things quickly take a turn for the serious as they dive into the escalating tensions between the US and Iran. The speaker breaks down the latest developments, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the potential implications for the global economy. We also touch on the topic of disparate impact, a concept that's been making headlines in the legal world. The speaker explains how a seemingly neutral rule can still be discriminatory if it has a disproportionate impact on certain groups. This leads to a discussion about the importance of equal protection under the law and the need for a more nuanced approach to addressing systemic inequalities. As the episode comes to a close, the speaker reflects on the complexities of international relations and the need for a more thoughtful approach to conflict resolution. They also touch on a disturbing story from Belfast, where a migrant attempted to behead a victim in a public street. It's a sobering reminder of the challenges we face in today's world. If you want to hear more about these topics and get a deeper understanding of the issues at play, tune in to this episode and join the conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wealth management firms should provide mentorship opportunities and transparent career paths, says Merit Financial Advisors' executive vice president of financial planning. Host: Greg Bartalos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dog Show Tips for Beginners: Navigating the Learning Curve [caption id="attachment_15805" align="alignleft" width="522"] Matt Stroud with his dogs and his new children's book, "More than a Ribbon."[/caption] Host Laura Reeves welcomes Matt Stroud (known to some on Facebook as "Kermit the Dog"), an enthusiastic owner-handler of Schipperkes. Matt shares his journey from being a shy high schooler navigating 4-H with a poodle mix and a Yorkshire Terrier, to returning to the dog show world as an adult with his Schipperkes. Navigating the Learning Curve Matt candidly discusses the fragmented and confusing realities for newcomers, noting that while the sport is more visible than ever, basic logistics—like navigating superintendent websites to enter shows—can be overwhelming without insider knowledge. The Power of Mentorship and Responsibility A major turning point for Matt was meeting his tough-as-nails mentor, Audrey, who bluntly told him his struggles in the ring were his fault, not the dog's. Matt emphasizes the importance of accepting personal responsibility for grooming, conditioning and handling, rather than blaming judges or competitors. Highs, Lows and Dealing with Negativity Matt shares the incredible high of winning an Award of Merit at his first Westminster, contrasted with a humbling weekend where a lack of preparation resulted in losing every class. He also provides practical advice for handling "mean people" ringside: avoid vague-booking on Facebook and instead speak directly to the person to clear up misunderstandings. "More Than a Ribbon" Matt introduces his beautifully illustrated, rhyming children's book, More Than a Ribbon, A Dog Show Story. Inspired by his own journey and the beauty of outdoor shows like Palm Springs, the book is designed to help kids (and adults) normalize losing, learn that they cannot control every outcome and find comfort in their community. Matt's Top 3 Tips for Beginners: Filter the advice you receiveand consider whether it empowers you to improve.Take personal responsibilityfor understanding ribbons, placements and ring procedures.Never give up, because even through dry spells, your winning moment will come.

Beyond the Tyranny of Merit: The First Sunday After Trinity (June 7, 2026) - Fr. Wesley Walker St. Paul's Anglican Church

If you are worried about China taking over due to having better robots than the yanks, I got mixed messages for ya here. This was created using DeepSeek v4 Pro. Remember when DeepSeek could do the same thing as chatGPT but on shitty processors and not much RAM? All those stocks shit themselves? Oh what memories. Would have been a great time to buy NVIDIA stocks. I didn't, if you're asking....It's pretty good but it really didn't follow the instruction in the prompt that Joel Hill is Jack the Insider on the transcript. So that's a minus point. But also, this took fucking ages to generate. It's better than lots of the yankee slop but damn son this took MINUTES. So they might take over if we are patient or whatever. Enjoy the episode. ----------------------------------------------Joel Hill (Jack the Insider) and Hong Kong Jack return for a sprawling episode that tackles two of the biggest stories shaping politics in 2026. The pair open with the jaw-dropping Redbridge poll putting One Nation at 31% of the primary vote — a number that would all but wipe the National Party off the federal map and potentially deliver Anthony Albanese a strengthened majority government by splintering the right. Joel and Jack clash over whether culture-war grievances or material concerns are driving the surge, while drawing historical parallels to Joh for Canberra and the DLP split of the 1950s.The conversation then crosses hemispheres for a tour through UK chaos: Peter Mandelson's leaked dossier exposing a rudderless No. 10 under Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband pleading guilty to embezzling SNP donations on a surreal shopping spree of Lalique salt shakers, seven Dysons, and a motorhome with four miles on the clock, and a deeply troubling police body-cam incident that has reignited the two-tier policing debate ahead of three critical by-elections.The centrepiece of the episode is a sober, hour-long deep dive into the COVID-19 pandemic and what Australia has refused to learn. The Two Jacks lay out the true death toll (perhaps 22 to 69 million globally), the devastating scale of long COVID, the vaccine rollout failures, the absurdities of hotel quarantine with rubbish bags over heads, and why governments and public health officials are desperate to avoid a Royal Commission. They close by asking whether the next pandemic will meet a population that has permanently lost trust in its leaders — and whether we'll simply repeat the mistakes of both COVID and the Spanish flu.Sport provides a lighter coda: the Carlton revival under an interim coach, James Hird's awkward candidacy at Essendon, the expanded 48-team World Cup that nobody seems excited about, and a formidable New Zealand Test side taking on England at Lord's.00:00:25 — Introduction Joel welcomes listeners to Episode 159, recorded 4 June. Today: Australian political news, a check-in on the UK, and a deep dive into the COVID-19 pandemic.00:01:21 — The Redbridge Poll: One Nation at 31% The AFR's Redbridge poll: One Nation 31%, Labor 28%, LNP 20%, Greens 12%. The two-party preferred is now being calculated as One Nation versus Labor — a seismic shift in how Australian politics is measured.00:03:12 — Not Just a Protest Vote Jack argues this is real, not a re-run of Hanson's 1990s flash-in-the-pan. The South Australian state election and the Farrah by-election suggest One Nation support is durable. Joel counters that protest votes can be expressed at the ballot box and that Australians are tiring of pluralism.00:04:09 — If One Nation Succeeds, Labor Wins The cruel irony: One Nation's rise probably delivers Labor government. The National Party could simply disappear. The DLP kept the Coalition in power for decades as an anti-Labor party; One Nation may do the reverse.00:05:46 — Scrutiny and Splintering Joel notes One Nation's policies are "two-sentence fragments" and motherhood statements. When proper scrutiny arrives, the contradictions will surface. Hanson's parliamentary attendance is as poor as imaginable.00:08:22 — The Third Rail Jack argues populists succeed because they discuss what polite society won't: immigration, culture wars, welcome to country rituals. The major parties must engage these topics or cede the ground entirely.00:11:34 — Feeling Unheard The core driver, Jack contends: voters feel sneered at and silenced by mainstream politics. It's not about flag counts, it's about being listened to.00:13:50 — What Actually Drives Votes Joel pushes back: voting determinants are the household economy, migration, climate change — not culture war trivia. Culture wars "don't amount to a hill of beans" at the ballot box.00:14:51 — The DLP Parallel Both agree the One Nation phenomenon most closely resembles the DLP split of the 1950s and 60s — a right-wing fracture that delivered Labor government after Labor government.00:17:18 — The Republic Referendum Lesson Jack recalls the 1999 republic referendum: pro-republicans split between models rather than uniting, scuppering the whole project. Voters will vote their preference even knowing it helps their enemy.00:19:32 — UK Parallels: Accommodate or Fight? Significant figures in the UK Tory party are debating whether to fight Reform or reach an accommodation. Tony Abbott recently said the Liberal Party won't criticise Pauline Hanson.00:21:48 — Joh for Canberra Redux Imre Salusinszky's comparison: this is "Joh for Canberra" all over again. But Joel notes Joh's moment lasted months; One Nation's has already lasted years.00:24:08 — State Election Previews Joel predicts the Victorian state election will be chaotic and peculiar — a government that's been in power too long, an opposition that may not be up to the task, and One Nation peeling votes from safe Labor seats. NSW will give a clearer reading.00:25:44 — Hanson "Ready to Govern" — from the Senate? Pauline Hanson announced she's ready to govern. Joel asks: shouldn't she contest a lower-house seat first? Jack recalls the only precedent: John Gorton became PM while still a senator, but had to be eased into Kooyong.00:28:20 — The Mandelson Dossier: Starmer's Empty Suit Jack's read of the leaked Mandelson documents: ministers don't know what the PM wants, there's zero respect or fear of his authority. Starmer comes across as an empty chair. One minister's text: "Every meeting with Labour MPs — it's all about who can we tax to pay benefits to other people."00:30:50 — Mandelson's Legal Peril Mandelson is under police investigation for misconduct in public office. Could face charges — the seriousness depends on whether it's mere misconduct or genuine bribery for foreign interests.00:31:49 — The Nicola Sturgeon Saga Her estranged husband has pleaded guilty to embezzling roughly £400,000 in SNP donations. The shopping list: six high-end coffee machines, seven Dyson vacuums, Lalique salt and pepper shakers, Montblanc pens, Swiss watches, an iJag, part of a Volkswagen, and a motorhome with four miles on the clock parked at his 92-year-old mother's house. Nicola claims she "didn't go in the kitchen much."00:34:20 — The BBC Interview Laura Kuenssberg's forensic interview with Sturgeon — "not quite Prince Andrew, but not much better." Sturgeon has been cleared by Police Scotland, but her reputation, already damaged by the Alex Salmond trial, is now in tatters.00:35:05 — Will He Go to Prison? £400,000 is a substantial sum. With another £600,000 unaccounted for, a custodial sentence seems likely. The money was ring-fenced for a second independence referendum push.00:36:50 — Money Laundering or Conspicuous Consumption? Joel wonders if the bizarre purchases — multiple watches on the same day — were an amateur money-laundering attempt: buy goods with SNP funds, sell them quietly for cash.00:38:23 — UK By-elections: Makerfield Looms Three by-elections on 18 June, including the critical Makerfield contest. Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester's high-profile mayor, is the tepid favourite. Low turnout could help him return to Westminster.00:39:30 — The Body-Cam Incident A white teenager accused of racially vilifying a Sikh man was stabbed — and police arrested the bleeding victim, not the attacker. Body-cam footage shows the victim saying "I can't breathe, I've been stabbed" while officers dismiss him. Joel calls the footage "just awful."00:41:22 — Two-Tier Policing Jack traces UK policing's overcorrection: after the Macpherson/Lawrence report, guidelines were rewritten so aggressively that they've produced a pattern of questionable enforcement that devastates community trust — and plays directly into Tommy Robinson's hands.00:42:08 — NSW Police on Four Corners Joel recommends the harrowing Four Corners investigation: bashings in custody, false arrests, an officer who threw body-cam footage into Sydney Harbour, and two undercover officers jailed for a savage assault. The problem today is general duties policing, not the specialist squads of the 1980s. Some command areas are far worse than others — a leadership failure.00:44:55 — Victoria Police: Under-Resourced, Not Corrupt Joel shares an anecdote: two divisional vans for 80,000 people in outer-east Melbourne. Tough work being a police officer; even tougher being a good one.The COVID-19 Reckoning00:45:09 — Why This Matters Joel sets the frame: we parked COVID in 2023 with a hangover but never understood what we'd been through. Today's episode aims to crack that problem.00:45:51 — The True Death Toll Officially: 7 million dead. But most countries stopped testing and stopped reporting cause-of-death data to the WHO. Using excess mortality, the real toll is between 22 and 69 million — at the high end, exceeding the Spanish flu.00:47:02 — Long COVID's Shadow Roughly 400 million people globally (6% of the population) have experienced long COVID. In Australia alone, between 200,000 and 500,000 people are living with or have lived with the condition. Second infections can be worse. Emerging links to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and accelerated dementia.00:49:43 — The Collective Amnesia Governments worldwide have "a collective embarrassment" about how they handled the pandemic, Jack says. They want it in the history books and forgotten. Joel says this is a grave mistake for public trust — and for public health, given COVID is now a permanent fixture alongside flu season.00:50:50 — Why Excess Deaths Are the Only Honest Metric All other figures are "kind of made up" because attribution methods vary wildly between countries. Excess deaths remain elevated in Australia and most nations.00:51:25 — Children and COVID Bobby Kennedy Jr. removed under-18s from government-supported vaccines in the US. Joel argues this is a disastrous move given mounting evidence that childhood COVID infection leads to higher rates of long-term chronic illness.00:52:47 — Why No Royal Commission? Not just politicians protecting themselves — public health officials and much of the media wanted to avoid scrutiny of their judgments and actions during the pandemic.00:53:32 — The Media's Abdication Jack watched "a lot" of Daniel Andrews's daily press conferences. Only two journalists ever asked pertinent questions: Rachel Baxendale and Leigh Sales. Nobody asked why curfews, why beach arrests, why the disparate impact on tradies and cafe owners while the "laptop class" actually made money working from home.00:56:14 — Andrews's Immense Popularity Joel adds context: Andrews was wildly popular at the time, which partly explains the media's deference — though Jack insists that shouldn't have mattered.00:57:34 — The Curfew Nonsense Curfews were about giving law enforcement the easiest possible environment, Joel says — and should have been acknowledged as such and wound back sooner. Meanwhile, Bondi's wealthy swam en masse while Western Sydney's working-class communities were treated harshly.00:57:59 — The Vaccine Rollout Failure The Morrison government bet everything on AstraZeneca — the non-mRNA, first-available vaccine. Then rare blood-clotting issues emerged (seven deaths, mainly men aged 40–49). Meanwhile, Australia was left waiting for Pfizer and other mRNA vaccines because no other supply deals had been secured.00:59:37 — Omicron Breaks the Pandemic's Back The Omicron variant emerged from South Africa: more infectious but far less lethal. Combined with 95%+ vaccination rates among Australians over 18, it effectively ended the acute phase — though at the cost of entrenched mistrust.01:00:38 — Government Overreach and Broken Trust Jack's core criticism: governments outsourced decision-making to public health officials rather than making political judgments that balanced competing interests. Joel counters that it would have been a "bold move" for politicians with no scientific background to contradict public health advice.01:02:19 — "Just Let It Rip" Was Never an Option The three countries with the highest COVID mortality — Brazil (highest), United States (second), India (third) — were all led by populist governments that largely refused mandates. Letting it rip was devastating.01:03:27 — The ADF Quarantine Scandal Scott Morrison refused to allow ADF quarantine facilities to be used for returning travellers. Instead, people were crammed into hotels with gaps under the doors. Joel recalls the "rubbish bags over heads" episode in Victoria — dark green plastic bags as infection control.01:05:00 — The Inquiry's Recommendations Create a proper Australian CDC. Release expert advice publicly. Better national planning with clear political accountability. And critically: politicians must own the big decisions on freedoms and spending instead of hiding behind experts.01:06:01 — The Next Pandemic There will be another one. If it's a respiratory, airborne pathogen like COVID, similar circumstances will return. Are we ready? Probably not. Will we close the country again? The economic damage — unemployment hitting 7.5% in 2020 — was enormous, even if it recovered to 3.5% by pandemic's end.01:08:06 — Who Was Left Behind? The arts community was inexplicably excluded from JobSeeker and JobKeeper. Meanwhile, the "laptop class" working from home effectively got a 15% pay rise by eliminating commuting costs. Bunnings did very well; so did companies that kept JobKeeper without passing it to employees.01:11:14 — The Human Cost of Lockdowns Public housing towers in Flemington were locked down. Joel recalls one family: an African-Australian single mother with nine children in a two-bedroom commission flat, trapped. Jack calls what happened with schools "disgraceful." But Joel notes the evidence now shows childhood COVID infection has serious long-term health consequences, complicating the retrospective judgment.01:13:59 — Will We Learn Anything? Jack's bleak prediction: the next pandemic is probably far enough away that we'll take no notice of COVID's lessons and make the same mistakes. Joel agrees — we didn't learn from the Spanish flu a century ago either.01:15:51 — Malcolm Roberts and Vaccine Misinformation The One Nation senator claims 70,000 Australians died from COVID vaccines — a figure with no evidentiary support, built by misattributing excess deaths. In reality, mRNA technology is now being deployed as a cancer treatment, showing promise against bowel and pancreatic cancers.01:17:36 — Trust Destroyed If the next pandemic arrives within this generation, governments will face a population that has lost faith. If it takes 50 years, the damage may have faded. Western Australia, meanwhile, locked itself down with negligible deaths and actually loved the isolation — provided the iron ore and LNG ships kept moving.01:20:37 — The Spanish Flu Echo Joel's closing historical note: Australia's response to the Spanish flu in 1919–1921 was nearly identical to COVID — lockdown disputes, police arresting people for not wearing masks, states fighting the newly created federal Department of Health. The whole thing collapsed into acrimony the moment state rivalries flared. A century later, nothing had changed.01:21:48 — Federation as Fatal Flaw Jack adds: the three high-mortality COVID countries (US, Brazil, India) share a feature beyond populist leaders — they're all federations where central government power is limited. When "the emperor is far away and the mountains are high," coordinated pandemic response is nearly impossible.01:23:40 — No Appetite for Truth Jack's final word: nobody wants a proper inquiry. Not politicians, not public health officials, not much of the media. Joel disagrees on the importance — the pandemic's legacy still shapes how Australians think, vote, and trust.Sport01:27:40 — AFL Coaching Carousel Essendon and Carlton both need permanent coaches. Joel asks: is James Hird the right man for Essendon? Jack: 17 other clubs wouldn't give him an interview, but the Bombers may have backed themselves into a corner where appointing him is the only way out.01:28:53 — Merit vs Member Sentiment Rowan Connolly's question: would you take James Hird or John Longmire (five grand finals, one premiership, 60%+ win rate)? The answer is obvious on merit — but members and fans want the fairy tale.01:29:47 — Carlton's Astonishing Revival Three straight wins. Ranked 16th in forward-50 entries a month ago; now second. The game style is unrecognisable — no more bombing the ball to non-existent power forwards. Mitch McGovern's low, flat kick to Patrick Cripps for the match-winner against Geelong was emblematic of the transformation. Seven players aged 21 or younger are now getting games and bringing energy.01:33:18 — FIFA World Cup 2026: Nobody's Excited Expanded to 48 teams, Scotland are going — and a Scot in his 30s told Jack that neither he nor any of his mates (all doing well financially, normally first on the plane) have any interest. Ticket prices are "extraordinary." The final is at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — which Jack describes as "Waverley on steroids, but even more bleak."01:36:08 — Australia's Draw Socceroos face Turkey first up, then the United States. Jack suggests marketing it as "Gallipoli Round Two." Spain are favourites; England, Brazil, and Germany are in the chasing pack.01:37:06 — Cricket: England v New Zealand, First Test at Lord's Joel runs through New Zealand's likely top seven — Latham, Conway, Williamson, Ravindra, Mitchell, Blundell — noting the first four have all made Test double-centuries. "Just about the best first six in Test cricket." With O'Rourke's express pace and Henry's quality, this is a formidable Black Caps side.01:38:40 — Stump Speech & Next Week Listener mail (including an "exposé of who Jack is") held over for next episode. For the record: Hong Kong Jack's CV includes HSC at Assumption College Kilmore, a stint as a carpenter, a law degree from Melbourne University, stints at Holding Redlich and Slater & Gordon, work as a litigation and immigration lawyer, and an appointment to the Refugee Review Tribunal as a federal cabinet appointee.01:40:39 — Outro Joel thanks listeners for hanging in for an extra ten minutes. Back next week.The Two Jacks is recorded weekly. Send your questions and feedback to the show.

Episodul cu Andrei Roșca pornește dintr-o observație legată de spațiul nevăzut al performanței. Din zona în care creșterea unui business se întâlnește cu limitele emoționale ale celui care îl conduce. Andrei este antreprenor și change strategist, lucrează de peste un deceniu cu fondatori și oameni aflați în poziții de decizie, iar experiența lui se construiește la intersecția dintre psihologie aplicată, strategie și lucrul unu-la-unu cu lideri aflați sub presiune.Conversația urmărește un tipar familiar multora: sistemul începe să funcționeze bine, proiectele se înmulțesc, ritmul crește, iar orientarea către performanță devine aproape reflex. Profilul de overachiever ajută în primele etape - împingi mai mult, accepți efortul suplimentar, nu încetinești când devine greu. În timp, această orientare constantă către acțiune începe să consume resursele interne.

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast sponsored by Bearing Advisors, Jim Hunt interviews Dana D'Orazio, Director of Leadership Development at the National League of Cities (NLC)  ·       A candid conversation about leadership in local government ·       And, much more  7 Steps to an Amazing City:  Attitude Motivation Attention to Detail Zing Inclusiveness Neighborhood Empowerment Green Awareness Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode.   Links Mentions During Show:  https://www.goodhustle.org/ ·       www.AmazingCities.org ·       www.AmazingCities.org/podcast to be a guest on the podcast   About Dana D'Orazio:     Dana D'Orazio is an executive leadership coach and workforce development strategist. She is the Director of Leadership Development and Continuing Education at the National League of Cities , where she leads training for public officials through NLC University.   She is also the founder of The Good Hustle, an advisory practice that integrates organizational strategy with mindful leadership and mental wellbeing. Her career includes roles as Director of Workforce Solutions at Merit and Director of National Strategy & Operations for The Graduate! Network. Additionally, she teaches leadership as an adjunct instructor at the University of Denver. She holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts from Villanova University. She is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and a certified mindfulness teacher. About Your Host, Jim Hunt: Welcome to the "Building Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast" … The podcast for Mayors, Council Members, Managers, Staff and anyone who is interested in building an Amazing City.   Your host is Jim Hunt, the author of "Bottom Line Green, How American Cities are Saving the Planet and Money Too" and his latest book, "The Amazing City - 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City"   Jim is also the former President of the National League of Cities, 27 year Mayor, Council Member and 2006 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine.   Today, Jim speaks to 1000's of local government officials each year in the US and abroad.   Jim also consults with businesses that are bringing technology and innovation to local government.   Amazing City Resources:   Buy Jim's Popular Books: ·       The Entrepreneurial City: Building Smarter Governments through Entrepreneurial Thinking:   https://www.amazingcities.org/copy-of-the-amazing-city   ·       The Amazing City: 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City:   https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/the-amazing-city-7-steps-to-creating-an-amazing-city   ·       Bottom Line Green: How America's Cities and Saving the Planet (And Money Too)  https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/bottom-line-green-how-america-s-cities-are-saving-the-planet-and-money-too   FREE White Paper: ·       "10 Steps to Revitalize Your Downtown"  www.AmazingCities.org/10-Steps   Hire Jim to Speak at Your Next Event: ·       Tell us about your event and see if dates are available at www.AmazingCities.org/Speaking   Hire Jim to Consult with Your City or Town: ·       Discover more details at https://www.amazingcities.org/consulting   Discuss Your Business Opportunity/Product to Help Amazing Cities: ·       Complete the form at https://www.amazingcities.org/business-development   A Special Thanks to Bearing Advisors for the support of this podcast:  www.BearingAdvisors.Net

In this episode of Coffee Talk with Bryan & Marie, we sit down with EJ “Skullcrusher” Snyder — one of the world's top survival experts and a 25‑year Army combat veteran. From his days as an Airborne Ranger and Infantry Sergeant Major to earning two Bronze Stars, the Legion of Merit, and the Order of Saint Maurice, EJ's story embodies grit, leadership, and an unbreakable will.After retiring from the military, EJ became a breakout star on Discovery's Naked and Afraid, surviving six brutal challenges with a combined 206 days in the wild — and zero taps, even after a near‑fatal injury. He's since hosted Dual Survival, appeared in 72 Hours, Mountain Masters, First Man Out, and more, proving that his “lead from the front” mindset transcends the battlefield.EJ now runs Skullcrusher Outdoors, co‑owns ventures like Armed Forces Brewing Company, Freedom Pickles, and Hard Working Sauce Co., and continues to give back through veteran outreach, suicide prevention, and disaster relief. His mission: live with intensity, passion, and purpose — and never quit.

Over the last 50 years or so, the divide between winners and losers in the United States has been deepening, says author and philosopher Michael Sandel. In the era of globalization, inequalities in income and wealth have widened and changed attitudes around success. “Those who landed on top have come to believe that their success was their own doing–a measure of merit. By implication, those who struggle and are left behind, must deserve their fate too,” says Sandel. He says this meritocratic thinking has poisoned our politics and eroded civil life. He tells playwright Anna Deavere Smith how to restore a vision of the common good. Sandel is a Harvard professor and author of The Tyranny of Merit. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated performer, reads an original work about the complexities of merit.

Industrial network protocols decide whether a machine talks or stays silent. Chuck from Horner Automation breaks down how they win, fade, and converge.Chuck has spent 36 years at Horner Automation and lived through what the industry once called the fieldbus wars. Before Horner became known for its all in one controllers, it spent a decade building specialty IO modules for GE Fanuc during the era of DeviceNet, SDS, InterBus S, PROFIBUS, and CANopen. His core argument is that most of those early protocols were technically fine. The ones that became standards won on the commercial weight of the companies backing them, not on superior specifications, with EtherCAT a rare exception that succeeded largely on technical merit.Trust is the recurring theme. Industry adopts slowly, and for years Ethernet was dismissed as too unreliable and not deterministic enough for control until Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, and Modbus TCP proved themselves. Today the market has settled around a big four set of protocols, and Chuck does not expect it to narrow further. For high speed motion he points to EtherCAT and PROFINET IRT as the implementations he most respects, since both step away from standard Ethernet at the device level to reach submillisecond timing.The episode is also a reality check on building your own hardware. Chuck and Dave describe how custom development routinely costs teams hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, and how the real trap is obsolescence and maintenance rather than the first build. On the product side, the standout is FPD-Link, a serialization technology borrowed from automotive that carries video, touch, and power over one coaxial cable. Working with Safe Fleet, a maker of ambulances and fire trucks, Horner now mounts rugged displays up to seven meters from the PLC while still programming everything as one device.Looking ahead, Chuck argues that every PLC should now be treated as a data device first, because digitizing the process is the prerequisite for doing anything useful with AI. He also flags cybersecurity as the next burden for application engineers, with new mandates forcing both manufacturers and integrators to implement protections that were once optional. At Automate, Horner is showing HMI Connect and a 300 dollar CPU 151 that packs 18 IO points, wireless connectivity, and edge capability into a micro PLC.About Chuck and Horner AutomationChuck is a technical brand ambassador at Horner Automation, where he has spent 36 years across applications, product management, and education. An electrical engineer who started in the automotive industry, he now produces in depth tutorials on industrial protocols for the Horner APG YouTube channel. Horner Automation is a privately held controls manufacturer best known for its all in one PLC and HMI controllers, edge ready PLCs, and rugged hardware for industrial and mobile applications.Timestamps0:00 Introduction2:20 Chuck's Background and 36 Years at Horner Automation9:20 End User Engineer vs OEM Manufacturer Perspective13:20 New at Automate: HMI Connect and the CPU 151 Edge PLC21:30 The Fieldbus Wars and the History of Industrial Protocols24:20 What It Takes to Implement a Protocol Stack29:30 Why Protocols Win: Commercial Force vs Technical Merit32:40 Will Industrial Protocols Ever Converge?40:30 High Speed Motion: EtherCAT, PROFINET IRT, and Ethernet/IP44:40 FPD-Link: Rugged Remote HMI for Ambulances and Fire Trucks55:00 PLCs as Data Devices and the Push Toward AI1:02:40 Cybersecurity Mandates Coming for Application EngineersReferencesHorner Automation: https://www.hornerautomation.comAbout Your HostsVladimir Romanov is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and the founder of Joltek, an independent manufacturing and industrial automation consulting firm specializing in modernization strategy, digital transformation, and workforce development. Joltek works with manufacturers and investors to de-risk modernization and build the internal capability to sustain results.Connect with Vlad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladromanov/Want to go deeper? Vlad and the team at Joltek have covered related topics here:Understanding Plant Networks: https://www.joltek.com/blog/understanding-plant-networks-how-industrial-connectivity-evolvedIndustrial Ethernet Reliability: https://www.joltek.com/blog/industrial-ethernet-reliabilityDave Griffith is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and founder of Capelin Solutions, an industrial automation firm helping manufacturers adopt smart manufacturing technology. He brings 15 years of experience in industrial automation and digital transformation.Connect with Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegriffith23/Subscribe to Manufacturing Hub: https://www.manufacturinghub.liveLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturing-hub-networkYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ManufacturingHub

For thousands of years, who your father was determined your entire life—until the Torah decided to tear that system down to the ground. For most of us, the defining moments of Jewish history are obvious: the Exodus from Egypt and the Revelation at Sinai. But what if we've overlooked another revolution hiding in plain sight? Key Takeaways The Torah's hidden revolution was the attack on birthright. We tend to think of the Exodus as a liberation from slavery and Sinai as the birth of law. But running beneath the surface is another revolution: the dismantling of inherited privilege. 2. The Exodus story itself was reshaped to tell that story. The Torah repeatedly links the sanctification of the firstborn to the death of Egypt's firstborn. The result is that the Exodus becomes more than a story about freedom from Pharaoh. It becomes a polemic against the ideology that underpinned Egypt itself: hierarchy, inherited power, and entitlement. The plague of the firstborn is not only a punishment of Egypt. It becomes a theological statement that holiness and authority are not guaranteed by birth. 3. Judaism ultimately replaced pedigree with character and learning. The transfer from firstborn to Levites was only one stage in a much longer process. The Rabbis completed the revolution: A Torah scholar can outrank a High Priest. The crown of a good name surpasses priesthood and kingship. Maimonides teaches that the holiness of Levi is available to anyone who dedicates themselves to God. The trajectory of Judaism is clear: Birth → Service → Learning Or, put differently: The Torah begins by challenging inherited privilege and ends by teaching that true authority comes not from who your father was, but from who you become. Timestamps 00:00] Torah's Hidden Revolution [01:23] Madlik Intro and Setup [02:23] Menorah, Rashi, and Levite Tension [04:55] Levites Replace Firstborn [09:17] Golden Calf Theory Questioned [11:59] Sponsor Break [13:00] Exodus Firstborn Laws Reframed [19:36] Counting Swap and Five Shekels [23:28] Mashup Theory and Firstborn Focus [27:55] From Birthright to Merit [31:55] Closing Blessings Links & Learnings Sign up for free and get more from our weekly newsletter https://madlik.com/ Sefaria Source Sheet: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/732770 Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/

“Based in the Parliamentary Press Gallery since 1980, Barry Soper has covered every New Zealand Prime Minister since, earning a reputation for his sharp questioning, wit, and deep institutional knowledge of Wellington politics.” Barry's contribution to New Zealand journalism saw him recognised in this year's King's Birthday Honours, where he was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He's had a long and fascinating career and continues it still as Newstalk ZB's senior political correspondent. His book, ‘One Last Question, Prime Minister', now in its fourth print, was our excuse to have a most enjoyable conversation in episode #331. And as always, we finish in The Mailroom with Mrs Producer. File your comments and complaints at Leighton@newstalkzb.co.nz OR Carolyn@newstalkzb.co.nz Haven't listened to a podcast before? Check out our simple how-to guide. Listen here on iHeartRadio Leighton Smith's podcast also available on iTunes:To subscribe via iTunes click here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harry, Luca and Stelios discuss how Restore are over the target, Merkel receiving the Order of Merit, and how the left lies to you.

Guests: Heather MacDonald and Richard Samuelson Host Scot Bertram talks with Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor at City Journal, about efforts by the Trump administration to curb DEI programs and her book When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens […]

Guests: Heather MacDonald and Richard Samuelson Host Scot Bertram talks with Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor at City Journal, about efforts by the Trump administration to curb DEI programs and her book When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives. And Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, continues a series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. This week, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Abigail Adams’ admonition to “remember the ladies.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.