Podcasts about Mount Carmel

In this episode of Extraordinary Living with Bill & Roger, Bill Gruhlkey explores the biblical stories of Elijah and John the Baptist to highlight the importance of maintaining one's guard and faith in God. Bill emphasizes how Elijah experienced supernatural events but faltered when he let his guard down. Similarly, John the Baptist questioned Jesus' identity while in prison, demonstrating human vulnerability. Bill encourages you to stay rooted in God's word and avoid the pitfalls of offense and envy. He shares personal anecdotes to underline the power of faith, the simplicity of God's guidance, and the significance of knowing His word. The episode concludes with an invitation to deepen your relationship with God and to support the ministry through partnership.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:   00:00 Introduction and Elijah's Journey 00:28 Welcome to Extraordinary Living 00:45 Elijah's Miracles and Challenges 02:29 The Contest on Mount Carmel 07:30 Elijah's Downfall and Lessons 10:26 John the Baptist's Doubts 13:48 The Power of Forgiveness 17:31 The Parable of the Lost Son 27:23 Closing Thoughts and Call to Action   Connect with Bill & Roger Ministries: www.billandroger.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064668460680

In this special short episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins presents a wild and largely forgotten chapter from Bob Cooley’s life—the former Chicago Outfit fixer, gambler, and lawyer whose career straddled the worlds of organized crime, corruption, and courtroom drama. Fresh off a long-form interview with Cooley, Gary pulls out a standalone story that feels almost too strange to be true: Cooley's first real legal case, involving the infamous Chicago martial arts cult figure Count Dante, self-proclaimed “Deadliest Man Alive.” The episode revisits 1970s Chicago, when Count Dante ran multiple dojos across the city and cultivated a fearsome public image. A rivalry with a competing martial arts school—the Green Dragon Dojo—boiled over into violence when Dante and his followers stormed the school armed with medieval-style weapons. The confrontation ended with one man dead, and Dante charged with murder. At the time, Bob Cooley wasn't even officially a lawyer yet—he had just taken the bar exam and was still working as a Chicago police officer. Despite that, Count Dante tracked him down, hired him on the spot, and insisted Cooley would be his attorney. What followed was a surreal two-year relationship involving Chicago nightlife, the Playboy Club and Mansion, mob figures, bar fights, and mounting public attention. When the case finally went to trial, the courtroom devolved into chaos as rival martial artists from both sides reenacted the violence with shouting, threats, and theatrical testimony. The judge, fed up with the spectacle, dismissed the case outright—instantly launching Bob Cooley's reputation as a lawyer who had “beaten” a murder charge. Get Bob Cooley’s book When Corruption Was King. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. [0:00] Hey guys, this is a little shorty, uh, part of the long interview I did with Bob Cooley, former Chicago outfit, mob fixer, lawyer, uh, general man about town gambler been in, uh, not in witness protection, but he has been off the radar for several years and in hiding. He recently came back and he got hold of me and he wanted to come on the podcast. And you know, I’ve done one story about him, part of his story. This is another part of his story that’s kind of separate from everything else. It’s about a guy by the name of Count Dante. Now, he was kind of well-known in Chicago at the time back in the 70s. You’ll see some images of him in the show. He liked Bob. He got hold of Bob, and he wanted him to defend him. And Bob wasn’t even out of law school yet, but he wanted him to defend him. He had got in an argument with something called the Green Dragon Dojo. He had a dojo, and he had a whole bunch of dojos around town. [1:04] And he was pretty successful, but he built himself as a deadliest man alive. And this other dojo, they said something bad about him or something. I don’t know exactly how it started. So he took a crew of his and went over to the Green Dragon Dojo and kicked in the front door and went in. they had a big battle and they had maces and spears and, and a huge big fight. And somebody ends up getting killed in this fight. So they charged the count with murder and end up going to trial. Uh, Bob’s got, he’ll talk a little bit about it and, and, and his relationship with the count. They became good friends and he did a lot of stuff with the count over two years. It’s, uh, he didn’t say a lot, but, uh, enough to let you know that he and the count were, were pals for a while. In the end, Bob defends him. He’s just out of law school. It was first case, really first client, I think maybe. And they go to trial and, and both the prosecution puts on all their. [2:03] Prosecution witnesses, which are people of this Green Dragon dojo. And then Bob puts on the count and some of his people. And by the time they get done screaming and yelling and almost replaying this whole fight in the courtroom, the judge is so fed up with the whole thing that he just dismisses the whole case. And of course, when the count, he goes around telling everybody how Bob Cooley helped him beat a murder case. And from then on, you know, that’s the start of his reputation as a lawyer so it’s a it’s a hell of a story i’ll tell you that right now it’s a it’s a heck of a story so i’m in the police station now i’m in in fact after that that’s when i got involved out there with all the mobsters and the rest of them in the 18th district when i wasn’t able to work i was i was working undercover out there with them because it was something to do and uh. [2:58] I’m in the police station. I get a call to come into the police station because I’m in law school. I had just taken the bar. I had just taken the bar, and I knew I passed it. I just did. I never had a problem with anything. I knew that it was just a matter of when I’d be practicing law. I get a call to come into the police station. And when I come in there, there was this silly looking guy with a cape, with one of those, a C-tooth mesh outfit with a cape on and using blue eyes and with what I call the Dante beard. And he says, you’re Bob Foley? Yeah. Yeah. He says, you know, can I talk to you? [3:46] Can I talk to you? And I said, he says, John Began told me that, you know, this is where you’re working now. He said, I’d like to talk to you. He said, I have a little problem. And we go upstairs. His little problem was it was front page news in the papers. And I didn’t notice it or realize it. He was involved. He was charged with murder because he had been involved in that situation up there at the Green Dragon. He had broken in there, and they had killed, and his friend Jim Concevic had gotten killed. But anyhow, he said, and I’m charged with murder. He says, and I want to hire you. I says, you want to hire me? I says, I’m not a lawyer yet. He says to me, I’ve been following you. I’ve been, he says, I’ve noticed, I’ve known who you were for a long time, he said, and I’ve really been anxious to maybe get to, you know, I didn’t know where you were or whatever happened to you, he said, but he said, he said, I knew you at Mount Carmel, he said, you were a wrestler, he said, I was a wrestler too, he said, I was a wrestler too, and I didn’t remember his name, because it was John Kean at the time, I didn’t, I didn’t remember him, you know, for anything. He says, I haven’t passed the bar yet. He says, but John, sure you are, and I’m sure you will. [5:16] And if you don’t pass the bar, I want you to find me somebody. He says, because John tells me, you know all kinds of people. You have a lot of connections, which I did. I had been friendly with a lot of judges and a lot of other people who had known me for a number of years as a policeman and whatever. And when I first started practicing, even before I started practicing, a lot of these were friends of mine at the time. But anyhow, he says, so he gives me $5,000, and he says, and he said to me, if you don’t, he said, I said, well, then here’s what you can do. I said, and he had one of the big-name lawyers in Chicago. I think his name was Conley. He was one of the top lawyers in the city. Just tell him, tell him, continue. You don’t want to, because the case was set for trial. It was supposed to go to trial in a couple of weeks. Oh, yeah. I says, tell him you want to get it continued. Yeah. No way. This is front page. This is front page. Newspaper. Yeah. [6:26] The deadliest man in the world. And it was, you know, when they broke into this place and constipated a spear put through him, the count had pulled the guy’s eye out or whatever. This is at this Green Dragon. It was like a Green Dragon. It was a restaurant. No, no, no. The Green Dragon was a school. It was a Kung Fu school. Oh. In the Kung Fu school, they teach you how to use weapons, maces and swords and daggers. The Count had a number of skulls, but they were skulls just to teach you how to fight with your hands and teach you how to do it, you know, not with weapons, just by your hands. They broke the count. [7:12] The place itself had like one of those real thick wooden doors. I don’t know how he did it, but he broke it off the hinges when he went in there, and he came in with like four people. There were four people and himself, Joey Casello, Konsevic, and I forgot the other two guys’ names. But they broke in there. When they broke in there, one of the guys came at the count with one of those maces, those big ball things that you throw around. And the count took his eye out. He blocked it, took his eye out. Wow. In Konsevic, they threw a spear through him. They first hit him with a, and they put a spear right through him. What was this all about? What was the deal? What had happened was the count, the count got a call from the guy, the guy who owned it. They were competitors. The count had all kinds of these schools. And the other guy from the other school, the count had about six schools all throughout the city. [8:17] The other guy that owned that called the count and called him a pussy. He called him because he was upset because a lot of his students were going to the count. And he calls up there and basically said, you’re nothing but a pussy or something like that. Whatever he said, I don’t know what it was. But the count told him, you motherfucker, I’ll see you. And with six of his guys he went over there and broke in the door during one of the classes, and that’s when this quick fight broke off but when Tonsavik got stabbed he ran about a block away and that’s when he fell over for dead, so anyhow so you got a continuance I assume you got a continuance so then what happened at trial was this one of your early fixes you got put in for this dude. [9:13] Well as i said i’m i’m not even practicing yet i just said i just get them i i had taken the bar already and the results were going to be coming out the results are going to be coming out real soon because it had been about maybe two months or three months since i had taken them and uh and i told them i said well i said if or he said let me too if you can’t if you don’t pass the bar I’d still like you to find me Find me a good lawyer or whatever Because I have, you know, John has all kinds of faith in you And I’ll have all kinds of faith in you, And I won’t. [9:53] And that same night, in fact, the same night, we go out together. He wants to go out. He wants to take me out to dinner over at the Playboy, and he wants to take me over into the mansion and take me to the mansion with him. And why not? You know, so anyhow, we go out that night, the very first night we go out and went to the Playboy Club itself. We had dinner, and we went over to the mansion, and he introduced me to Hugh Hefner and some of those people there. He tells me this is going to be my lawyer, he says, this is going to be my new lawyer. He’s a policeman in that district yeah, I’m there in 18 at the time I’m there in 18 at the time. They all probably thought he was crazy too a lot of people thought he was crazy when he indicated I’m continuing to make a case until I, until i get him but anyhow uh now during that same period he’s calling me all the time he wants to go out with me and and he’s going out we’re getting we’re getting into two or three different fights in different areas he was after you know i think he was looking to start fights with people, and and he’s telling the people now everybody uh. [11:15] I’m one of the toughest people he’s ever met. This is what he’s telling everybody. Here’s the deadliest man alive, and he’s telling these people that. Yeah, be careful what that guy would claim. [11:30] Including, you know, with all these people, with all these people that I’m involved with now, Marco D’Amico and Ricky Borelli and all these mobsters. And I took him one time over to the club and introduced him so he could say hello to these people. [11:53] What happened at trial? Yeah. Oh, I’m not guilty. Okay. It was about maybe about two weeks later when I got the results, I passed the bar. Yeah. Now the lawyers were going to be sworn in, and it was going to be two or three weeks afterwards. My father knew a judge in Springfield. And my father, we took a train ride down to Springfield, and I got sworn in the next day. The judge in Springfield swore me in. So now I’m a lawyer. Now I’m a lawyer. And so I go and I file my appearance right away. Right away on him. The same day, I quit the police department. I resigned. I resigned from the police department. In fact, I had already had four or five other cases already lined up before I even got on. before I even got off the job. And we went to trial. We went to public sites. Now we’ve got a new lawyer. [13:05] A new lawyer. Bob Cooley. Who the hell is he? I mean, a lot of people knew me in the court system because— But not like that. Well, not just—yeah, because I was involved in all kinds of trials. I had made all kinds of arrests, and I knew a lot of these people. Thanks a lot for listening and keep coming back. I keep putting something out all the time. Thanks guys.

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins sits down with Bob Cooley, the once–well-connected Chicago lawyer who lived at the center of the city's most notorious corruption machine. After years out of the public eye, Cooley recently resurfaced to revisit his explosive memoir, When Corruption Was King—and this conversation offers a rare, firsthand look at how organized crime, politics, and the court system intersected in Chicago for decades. Cooley traces his journey from growing up in a police family to serving as a Chicago police officer and ultimately becoming a criminal defense attorney whose real job was quietly fixing cases for the Chicago Outfit. His deep understanding of the judicial system made him indispensable to mob-connected power brokers like Pat Marcy, a political fixer with direct access to judges, prosecutors, and court clerks. Inside the Chicago Corruption Machine Cooley explains how verdicts were bought, cases were steered, and justice was manipulated—what insiders called the “Chicago Method.” He describes his relationships with key figures in organized crime, including gambling bosses like Marco D'Amico and violent enforcers such as Harry Aleman and Tony Spilotro, painting a chilling picture of life inside a world where loyalty was enforced by fear.   As his role deepened, so did the psychological toll. Cooley recounts living under constant threat, including a contract placed on his life after he refused to betray a fellow associate—an event that forced him to confront the cost of the life he was leading. Turning Point: Becoming a Federal Witness The episode covers Cooley's pivotal decision in 1986 to cooperate with federal authorities, a move that helped dismantle powerful corruption networks through FBI Operation Gambat. Cooley breaks down how political connections—not just street-level violence—allowed the Outfit to operate with near-total impunity for so long.   Along the way, Cooley reflects on the moral reckoning that led him to turn on the system that had enriched and protected him, framing his story as one not just of crime and betrayal, but of reckoning and redemption. What Listeners Will Hear How Bob Cooley became the Outfit's go-to case fixer The role of Pat Marcy and political corruption in Chicago courts Firsthand stories involving Marco D'Amico, Harry Aleman, and Tony Spilotro The emotional and psychological strain of living among violent criminals The decision to cooperate and the impact of Operation Gambat Why Cooley believes Chicago's corruption endured for generations Why This Episode Matters Bob Cooley is one of the few people who saw the Chicago Outfit from inside the courtroom and the back rooms of power. His story reveals how deeply organized crime embedded itself into the institutions meant to uphold the law—and what it cost those who tried to escape it.   This episode sets the stage for a deeper follow-up conversation, where Gary and Cooley will continue unpacking the most dangerous and revealing moments of his life. Resources   Book: When Corruption Was King by Bob Cooley Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:03 Prelude to Bob Cooley’s Story 1:57 Bob Cooley’s Background 5:24 The Chicago Outfit Connection 8:24 The Turning Point 15:20 The Rise of a Mob Lawyer 23:54 A Life of Crime and Consequences 26:03 The Incident at the Police Station 50:27 The Count and His Influence 1:19:51 The Murder of a Friend 1:35:26 Contracts and Betrayal 1:40:36 Conclusion and Future Stories Transcript [0:00] Well, hey guys, this is a little prelude to my next story. Bob Cooley was a Chicago lawyer and an outfit associate who had been in, who has been in hiding for many years. I contacted him about six or seven years ago when I first started a podcast, I was able to get a phone number on him and, and got him on the phone. He was, I think it was out in the desert in Las Vegas area at the time. And at the time he was trying to sell his book when corruption was king to a movie producer And he really didn’t want to overexpose himself, and they didn’t really want him to do anything. And eventually, COVID hit, and the movie production was canceled. And it was just all over. There were several movie productions were canceled during COVID, if I remember right. A couple people who I have interviewed and had a movie deal going. Well, Bob recently remembered me, and he contacted me. He just called me out of the clear blue, and he wanted to revive his book and his story. He’s been, you know, way out of the limelight for a long time. And so I thought, well, I always wanted to interview this guy because he’s got a real insider’s knowledge to Chicago Outfit, the one that very few people have. [1:08] You know, here’s what he knows about. And he provides valuable insight into the inner workings of the Outfit. And I don’t mean, you know, scheming up how to kill people and how to do robberies and burglars and all that. But the Chicago court system and Chicago politics, that’s a, that’s a, the, the mob, a mafia family can’t exist unless they have connections into the political system and especially the court system. Otherwise, what good are they? You know, I mean, they, they just take your money where they give you back. They can’t protect you from anybody. [1:42] So I need to give you a little more of the backstory before we go on to the actual interview with Bob, because he kind of rambles a little bit and goes off and comes back and drops [1:54] names that we don’t have time to go into explanation. So here’s a little bit of what he talked about. He went from being, as I said before, Chicago Outfit’s trusted fixer in the court system, and he eventually became the government star witness against them. He’s born, he’s about my age. He was born in 1943. He was an Irish-American police family and came from the Chicago South side. He was a cop himself for a short period of time, but he was going to law school while he was a policeman. And once he started practicing law, he moved right into criminal law and into first ward politics and the judicial world downtown. [2:36] And that’s where the outfit and the old democratic machine intersected. He was in a restaurant called Counselor’s Row, which was right down. Bob had an office downtown. Well, he’s inside that system, and he uses his insider’s knowledge to fix cases. Once an outfit started noticing him that he could fix a case if he wanted to, he immediately became connected to the first ward power broker and outfit political conduit, a guy named Pat Marcy. Pat Marcy knew all the judges He knew all the court clerks And all the police officers And Bob was getting to know him too During this time But Bob was a guy who was out in He was a lawyer And he was working inside the court system Marcy was just a downtown fixer. [3:22] But Bob got to where he could guarantee acquittals or light sentences for whoever came to him with the right amount of money, whether it be a mobster or a bookmaker or a juice loan guy or a crap politician, whoever it was, Bob could fix the case. [3:36] One of the main guys tied to his work he was kind of attached to a crew everybody’s owned by somebody he was attached to the Elmwood Park crew and Marco D’Amico who was under John DeFranco and I can’t remember who was before DeFranco, was kind of his boss and he was a gambling boss and Bob was a huge gambler I mean a huge gambler and Bob will help fix cases for some notorious people Really, one of the most important stories that we’ll go into in the second episode of this is Harry the Hook Aleman. And he also helped fix the case for Tony Spolatro and several others. He’s always paid him in cash. And he lived large. As you’ll see, he lived large. And he moved comfortably between mobsters and politicians and judges. And he was one of the insiders back in the 70s, 60s or 70s mainly. He was an insider. But by the 80s, he’s burned out. He’s disgusted with himself. He sees some things that he doesn’t like. They put a contract out on him once because he wouldn’t give somebody up as an informant, and he tipped one of his clients off that he was going to come out that he was an informant, and the guy was able to escape, I believe. Well, I have to go back and listen to my own story. [4:53] Finally in 1986 he walked unannounced they didn’t have a case on him and he walked unannounced in the U.S. Courthouse and offered himself up to take down this whole Pat Marcy and the whole mobster political clique in Chicago and he wore a wire for FBI an operation called Operation Gambat which is a gambling attorney because he was a huge gambler [5:17] huge huge gambler and they did a sweeping probe and indicted tons of people over this. So let’s go ahead and listen to Robert Cooley. [5:31] Uh, he, he, like I said, he’s a little bit rambling and a little bit hard to follow sometimes, but some of these names and, and, uh, and in the first episode, we’ll really talk about his history and, uh, where he came from and how he came up. He’ll mention somebody called the count and I’ll do that whole count story and a whole nother thing. So when he talks about the count, just disregard that it’ll be a short or something. And I got to tell that count story. It’s an interesting story. Uh, he, he gets involved with the only own, uh, association, uh, and, uh, and the, uh, Chinese Tong gang in, uh, Chicago and Chicago’s Chinatown. Uh, some of the other people he’ll talk about are Marco D’Amico, as I said, and D’Amico’s top aide, Rick Glantini, uh, another, uh, connected guy and worked for the city of Chicago is Robert Abinati. He was a truck driver. [6:25] He was also related to D’Amico and D’Amico’s cousin, former Chicago police officer Ricky Borelli. Those are some of the names that he’ll mention in this. So let’s settle back and listen to Bob Cooley. Hey, all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in studio gangland wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. And, you know, we we deal with the mob here once a week, sometimes twice a week on the podcast. And I have a special guest that hadn’t been heard from for a while. And, you know, to be honest, guys, I’ve kind of gotten away from the outfit. I’ve been doing a lot of New York stuff and Springfield, Massachusetts and all around the country. And I kind of got away from Chicago. And we’re going back to Chicago today. And I’m honored that Bob Cooley got hold of me. Now, you may not know who Bob Cooley was, but Bob Cooley was a guy. He was a mob lawyer in Chicago, and he really probably, he heard him as much as anybody’s ever heard him, and he did it all of his own accord. He was more like an undercover agent that just wasn’t officially designated an FBI agent rather than an informant. But anyhow, welcome, Bob. [7:37] Hello. Nice meeting you. Nice to meet you. And I’ve talked to you before. And you were busy before a few years ago. And you were getting ready to make some movies and stuff. And then COVID hit and a lot of that fell through. And that happened to several people I’ve talked to. You got a lot in common with me. I was a Kansas City policeman. And I ended up becoming a lawyer after I left the police department. And you were a Chicago copper. And then you left the police department a little bit earlier than I did and became a lawyer. And, and Bob, you’re from a Chicago police family, if I remember right. Is that correct? Oh, police, absolute police background, the whole family. Yes. Yeah. Your grandfather, your grandfather was killed in the line of duty. Is that right? [8:25] Both of my grandfathers were killed in the line of duty. Wow. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why I eventually did what I did. I was very, very close with my dad. Yeah, and your dad was a copper. [8:38] He was a policeman, yeah. And in fact, you use that term. I, for many, many years, wouldn’t use that word. It just aggravated me when people would use the word copper. To me, it would show disrespect. Oh, really? I said to us in Kansas City, that’s what we call each other, you know, among coppers. Oh, I know. I know. But I know. But, you know, I just, for whatever reason, one of the things that aggravated me the most, in fact, when I was being cross-examined by this piece of shit, Eddie Jensen, the one I wrote about in my book that was, you know, getting a lot of people killed and whatever. And he made some comment about my father. and I got furious and I had to, you know, my father was unbelievably honest as a policeman. [9:29] Everybody loved him because they didn’t have to share, uh, you know, but he was a detective. He had been written up many times in true and magazines and these magazines for making arrests. He was involved in the cartage detail. He was involved in all kinds of other things, but honest as the day is long. And, and, um, but, uh, again, the, uh, my father’s father was, uh, was a policeman and he was killed by a member of the Capone gang. And, uh, and when he was killed, after he was killed. [10:05] The, uh, well, after he got shot, he got shot during a robbery after he got shot, he was in the hospital for a while. And then he went, then he went back home. He went back home to his, uh, you know, to his house, uh, cause he had seven kids. He had a big family too. And, uh, stayed with his, you know, with his wife and, and, and eventually died. And when he died they had a very mediocre funeral for him. They had a bigger, much bigger funeral when Al Capone’s brother died. But during that time when I was a kid when I was about 13, 12, 13 years old, I worked among other places at a grocery store where I delivered to my grandmother. My grandmother lived in South Park which later became Mark Luther King Drive. She lived a very, very meager life because she basically had nothing. [11:09] What they gave them for the, at that time, what they gave them for the police department was a portion of the husband’s salary when they died, whatever. It was never a big deal like it is now, you know, like it is now when policemen get killed in the line of duty. and I’m thinking at the same time I’m thinking down the road, You know, about certain things from my past did come back to affect me. [11:38] Doing what I was doing, when I got involved, and I got involved absolutely with all these different people. My father hated these people. I didn’t, you know, I didn’t realize how much. I didn’t realize much when I was growing, you know, when I was growing up and whatever. And even when I was practicing law and when I opened up Pratt-Mose, I would have my father and mother come along with other people. And the place was all full of mobsters. I mean, we’re talking about, you know, a lot of Capone’s whole crew. A lot of the gunmen were still alive. In fact, the ones that ran the first award were all gunmen from Capone’s mob. And never said a word, never said a word about it. You know, he met my partner, Johnny Diaco, who was part of the mob, the senator, and whatever colitis could be. My dad, when my dad was dying. [12:38] When my dad was dying, he had what they didn’t call it, but it had to be Alzheimer’s because my dad was a unbelievably, he was a big, strong man, but he was never a fighter, sweet as could be to anybody and everybody. When he started getting bad, he started being mean to my mother and doing certain things. So we finally had to put him into a nursing home. When I went to see him in the nursing, and I had a close relationship with my dad because he saved my life many times when I was a kid. I was involved with stolen cars at school. I should have been thrown out of school. It was Mount Carmel, but he had been a Carmelite, almost a Carmelite priest. [13:25] And whatever, and that’s what kept me from being kicked out of school at Marquette when they were going to throw me out there because I was, again, involved in a lot of fights, and I also had an apartment that we had across the hall from the shorter hall where I was supposed to stay when I was a freshman, and we were throwing huge parties, and they wanted to throw me out of school. My dad came, my dad came and instead of throwing me out, they let me resign and whatever he had done so much, you know, for me. Yeah. [14:00] Now when I, when I meet, when I meet him up in the hospital, I, I came in the first time and it was about maybe 25 miles outside, you know, from where my office was downtown. And when I went in to see him, they had him strapped in a bed because apparently when he initially had two people in the room and when somebody would come in to try to talk to him and whatever, he would be nasty. And one time he punched one of the nurses who was, you know, because he was going in the bed and they wouldn’t, and he wouldn’t let him take him out. You know, I was furious and I had to go, I had to go through all that. And now, just before he died, it was about two or three days before he died, he didn’t recognize anybody except me. Didn’t recognize my mother. Didn’t recognize anybody. Yet when I would come into the room, son, that’s what he always called me, son, when I would come in. So he knew who I basically was. And he would even say, son, don’t let him do this to me when he had to go through or they took out something and he had to wear one. Of those, you know, those decatheters or whatever. Oh, yeah. [15:15] Just before he died, he said to me, he said, son, he said, those are the people that killed my father. He said, and his case was fixed. After, I had never known that. In fact, his father, Star, was there at 11th and State, and I would see it when everyone went in there. Star was up there on the board as if there’s a policeman or a policeman killed in the line of duty. When he told me that it really and I talked to my brother who knew all about all that that’s what happened, the gunman killed him on 22nd street when that happened the case went to trial and he was found not guilty apparently the case was fixed I tell you what talk about poetic justice there your grandson is now in that system of fixing cases. I can’t even imagine what you must have felt like when you learned that at that point in your life. Man, that would be a grief. That would be tough. That’s what eventually made me one day decide that I had to do something to put an end to all that was going on there. [16:25] I’m curious, what neighborhood did you grow up in? Neighborhood identity is pretty strong in Chicago. So what neighborhood do you claim? I grew up in the hood. First place I grew up, my first place when I was born, I was at 7428 South Vernon. Which is the south side, southeast side of the city. I was there until I was in sixth grade. That was St. Columbanus Parish. When I was in sixth grade, we had to move because that’s when they were doing all the blockbusting there in Chicago. That’s when the blacks were coming in. And when the blacks were coming in, and I truly recall, We’ve talked about this many times elsewhere. I remember knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell all hours of the day and night. A black family just moved in down the street. You’ve got to sell now. If you don’t, the values will all go down. And we would not move. My father’s philosophy, we wouldn’t move until somebody got killed in the area. Because he couldn’t afford it. He had nine kids. he’s an honest policeman making less than $5,000 a year. [17:45] Working two, three jobs so we could all survive when he finished up, When he finished up with, when we finally moved, we finally moved, he went to 7646 South Langley. That was, again, further south, further south, and the area was all white at that time. [18:09] We were there for like four years, and about maybe two or three years, and then the blacks started moving in again. The first one moved in, and it was the same pattern all over again. Yeah, same story in Kansas City and every other major city in the United States. They did that blockbusting and those real estate developers. Oh, yeah, blockbusters. They would call and tell you that the values wouldn’t go down. When I was 20, I joined the police department. Okay. That’s who paid my way through college and law school. All right. I joined the police department, and I became a policeman when I was 20. [18:49] As soon as I could. My father was in recruit processing and I became a policeman. During the riots, I had an excuse not to go. They thought I was working. I was in the bar meeting my pals before I went to work. That’s why I couldn’t go to school at that time. But anyhow, I took some time off. I took some time off to, you know, to study, uh, because, you know, I had all C’s in one D in my first, in my first semester. And if you didn’t have a B, if you didn’t have a C average, you couldn’t, you kicked out of school at the end of a quarter. This is law school. You’re going to law school while you’re still an active policeman. Oh yeah, sure. That’s okay. So you work full time and went to law school. You worked full-time and went to law school at the same time. When I was 20, I joined the police department. Okay. That’s who paid my way through college and law school. All right. I joined the police department, and I became a policeman when I was 20, as soon as I could. My father was in recruit processing, and I became a policeman. Yeah, yeah. But anyhow, I went to confession that night. [20:10] And when I went to confession, there was a girl, one of the few white people in the neighborhood, there was a girl who had gone before me into the confessional. And I knew the priest. I knew him because I used to go gambling with him. I knew the priest there at St. Felicis who heard the confessions. And this is the first time I had gone to confession with him even though I knew him. [20:36] And I wanted to get some help from the big guy upstairs. And anyhow, when I leave, I leave about maybe 10 minutes later, and she had been saying her grace, you know, when I left. And when I walked out, I saw she was right across the street from my house, and there’s an alley right there. And she was a bit away from it, and there were about maybe 13, 14, 15 kids. when I say kids, they were anywhere from the age of probably about 15, 16 to about 18, 19. And they’re dragging her. They’re trying to drag her into the alley. And when I see that, when I see that, I head over there. When I get over there, I have my gun out. I have the gun out. And, you know, what the hell is going on? And, you know, and I told her, I told her her car was parked over there. I told her, you know, get out of here. And I’ve got my gun. I’ve got my gun in my hand. And I don’t know what I’m going to do now in terms of doing anything because I’m not going to shoot them. They’re standing there looking at me. And after a little while, I hear sirens going on. [22:00] The Barton family lived across the street in an apartment building, and they saw what was going on. They saw me out there. It was about probably about seven o’clock at night. It was early at night and they put a call in 10-1 and call in 10-1. Assist the officer. Is that a assist the officer? It’s 1031. Police been in trouble. Yeah. And the squad’s from everywhere. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So you can hear, you can hear them coming. And now one of them says to me, and I know they’re pretty close. One of them says to me, you know, put away your gun and we’ll see how tough you are. And I did. [22:42] Because you know they’re close. And I’m busy fighting with a couple of them. And they start running and I grab onto two of them. I’m holding onto them. I could only hold two. I couldn’t hold anymore. And the next thing I know, I wake up in the hospital about four days later. Wow. What had happened was they pushed me. Somebody, there was another one behind who pushed me right in front of a squad car coming down the street. Oh, shit. Yeah, man. And the car ran completely over me. They pulled me off from under the, just under the back wheels, I was told were right next to, were onto me, blood all over the place. Everybody thought I was dead. Right. Because my brothers, my one brother who was a police kid that, you know, heard all the noise and the family came in. I tried to prostrate my house and they all thought I was dead. But anyhow, I wake up in the hospital about three days later. When I wake up in the hospital, I’m like. [23:54] Every bone of my body was broken. I’m up there like a mummy. And the mayor came to see me. All kinds of people came to see me. They made me into an even bigger star in my neighborhood. The Count lives down the street and is seeing all this stuff about me and whatever. Jumping quickly to another thing, which got me furious. Willie Grimes was the cop that was driving this quad. He was a racist. We had some blacks in the job. He was a total racist. When my brother and when some others were doing their best to try to find these people, he was protecting them. Some of them, if they caught, he was protecting them. [24:48] I was off the job for like nine months when I came back to work. I never came to the hospital to see me. I mean, everybody came. Every day, my hospital went. Because one of the nurses that I was dating, in fact, she was one of those killed. That’s when Richard Speck wound up killing her and some of the others at the same time. It was at the South Chicago Hospital. Holy darn. What they did for me, I had buckets in my womb with ice. We were bringing beer and pizzas and whatever. Every day was like a party in there. When I finally came back to work, it was 11 o’clock at night. I worked out in South Chicago, and I’m sitting in the parking lot, and the media is there. The media, they had all kinds of cameras there. Robert Cooley’s coming back to work after like nine months. They wouldn’t let me go back. [25:51] I’m walking by the squads. And Willie was a big guy. He was probably about 220, a big one of these big muscle builders and all that nonsense. [26:04] He’s sitting in the first car. The cars are all lined up because when we would change, when we would change at like 11 30 uh you know the cars would all be waiting we jumped into the cars and off we go as i’m walking by the car i hear aren’t you afraid to walk in front of my car. [26:26] I look over and he had a distinctive voice i walk over to the car and i reach in and i start punching them, and I’m trying to drag them out of the car. The cameras, the cameras are, you know, they’re all basically inside. They’re all inside. You know, as you walk in there, they’re all inside there. When I do, I eventually walk up there. But the other police came, and they dragged me. They dragged me away, and they brought me in, and whatever. We got transferred out the next day out of the district. And the first policeman I meet is Rick, Rick Dorelli, who’s connected with, who’s a monster. He’s connected with them. And, and he’s the one who told me, he said to me, you know, we played cards and he realized I was a gambler, but I had never dealt with bookmakers. And he said, he says, yeah, you want to make some money? You want to make some easy money? Well, yeah, sure. You know, uh, you know, and thinking that’s, you know, working security or something like that, like I had done back in Chicago, you know, like I had done on the south side. And he said, I want you to make some bets for me with somebody who said. [27:43] And I remember him using the term. He said, I want you to be my face. He said, and I want you to make some bets for me. He said, and he said, and if you, if you’ll do it, I’ll give you a hundred dollars a week just to make the bets for me. And then, you know, and then meet with these people and pay these people off. And I said, sure. You know, I said, you know, why? He says, because I can’t play with these. people he said i’m connected with him he said and i’m not allowed to gamble myself he said but he told me he said i’ve got a couple people i take bets from i’ve got my own side deal going so i want you to do it i want you to do it and i’ll give i’ll give you to them as a customer, and you’re gonna be a customer and he’s and he tells people now that i got this other police He’s in law school. He comes from a real wealthy family, and he’s looking for a place to bet. He’s in Gambia. He’s looking for a place to bet. [28:47] So I call this number, and I talk to this guy. He gives me a number. When you bet, you call, and you do this, and you do that. And I’m going to get $100 at the end of the week. Now, I’m making $5,200 a year, and they’re taking money out of my chest. I’m going to double my salary. I’m going to double my salary immediately. Why wouldn’t you do it? That’s fantastic money at the time. So I start doing it. And the first week I’m doing it, it was baseball season. [29:19] And I’m making these bets. He’s betting $500 a game on a number of games. And he’s winning some, he’s losing some. But now, when I’m checking my numbers with the guy there, he owes, at the end of the week, he owes $3,500. [29:38] And now, it’s getting bigger and bigger, he’s losing. I’m getting worried. What have I got myself into? Yeah, because it’s not him losing, it’s you losing to the bookie. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m thinking, holy, holy, Christopher, I’m thinking. But, you know, I’ve already jumped off the building. So anyhow. I’d be thinking, you better come up with a jack, dude. It’s time to pay up, man. Anyhow, so when I come to work the next day, I’m supposed to meet this guy at one of the clubs out there in the western suburbs. [30:21] I’m supposed to meet the bookmaker out there. And Ricky meets me that morning, and he gives me the money. It’s like $3,400, and here’s $100 for you. Bingo. That’s great. So, okay. When I go to make the payment to him, it’s a nightclub, and I got some money in my pocket. Somebody, one of the guys, some guy walks up. I’m sitting at the bar and, you know, I hear you’re a copper. I said, pardon me? He says, I hear you’re a copper. He was a big guy. Yeah. I hear you’re a copper. Because at that time, I still only weighed maybe like, well, maybe 60, 65 pounds. I mean, I was in fantastic shape, but I wasn’t real big. And I said, I’m a policeman. I don’t like policemen. I said, go fuck yourself. or something like that. And before he could do anything, I labeled him. That was my first of about a half a dozen fights in those different bars out there. [31:32] And the fights only lasted a few minutes because I would knock the person down. And if the person was real big, at times I’d get on top and just keep pounding before they could do anything. So I started with a reputation with those people at that time now as I’m, going through my world with these people oh no let’s stay with that one area now after the second week he loses again, this time not as much but he loses again and I’m thinking wow, He’s betting, and I’m contacted by a couple of people there. Yeah. Because these are all bookmakers there, and they see me paying off. So I’m going to be, listen, if you want another place to play, and I say, well, yeah. So my thought is, with baseball, it’s a game where you’re laying a price, laying 160, laying 170, laying 180. So if you lose $500, if you lose, you pay $850, and if you win, you only get $500. [32:52] I’ve got a couple of people now, and they’ve got different lines. And what I can do now is I check with their lines. I check with Ricky’s guy and see what his line is. And I start moving his money elsewhere where I’ve got a 30, 40, sometimes 50 cent difference in the price. So I’d set it up where no matter what, I’m going to make some money, No matter what happens, I’ll make some money. But what I’m also doing is I’m making my own bets in there that will be covered. And as I start early winning, maybe for that week I win maybe $1,000, $1,500. And then as I meet other people and I’m making payments, within about four or five months, I’ve got 10 different bookmakers I’m dealing with. Who I’m dealing with. And it’s become like a business. I’m getting all the business from him, 500 a game, whatever. And I’ve got other people that are betting, you know, are betting big, who are betting through me. And I’m making all kinds of money at that time. [34:14] But anyhow, now I mentioned a number of people, A number of people are, I’ve been with a number of people that got killed after dinner. One of the first ones was Tony Borsellino, a bookmaker. Tony was connected with the Northside people, with DeVarco, the one they called DeVarco. And we had gone to a we had gone to a I knew he was a hit man, we had gone to a basketball game over at DePaul because he had become a good friend of mine he liked hanging with me, because I was because at that time now I’m representing the main madams in Chicago too and they loved being around me they liked going wherever I was going to go so I always had all kinds of We left the ladies around. And we went to the basketball game. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant, a steakhouse on Chicago Avenue. [35:26] Gee, why can’t I think of a name right now? We went to a steakhouse, and we had dinner. And when we finished up, it came over there. And when we finished up, I’d been there probably half a dozen times with him. And he was there with his girlfriend. We had dinner and about, I’d say it was maybe 10, 30, 11 o’clock, he says, you know, Bob, can you do me a favor? What’s that? Can you drop her off? He said, I have to go meet some friends. I have to go meet some friends of ours. And, you know, okay, sure, Tony, not a problem. And, you know, I took her home. [36:09] The next day I wake up, Tony Barcellino was found dead. They killed him. He was found with some bullets in the back of his head. They killed him. Holy Christopher. And that’s my first—I found that I had been killed before that. But, you know, wow, that was—, prior to that, when I was betting, there was i paid off a bookmaker a guy named uh ritten shirt, rittenger yeah john rittenger yeah yeah yeah he was a personal friend yeah was he a personal friend of yours yeah they offed him too well i in fact i he i was paying him i met him to pay him I owed him around $4,500, and I met him at Greco’s at my restaurant he wanted to meet me out there because he wanted to talk to me about something else he had a problem some kind of a problem I can’t remember what that was. [37:19] But he wanted to meet me at the restaurant so I met him at Greco’s, And I paid him the money. We talked for a while. And then he says, you know, I got to go. I got to go meet somebody. I got to go meet somebody else. I got to go straight now with somebody else. And he said, I’ll give you a call. He said, I’ll give you a call later. He said, because, you know, I want to talk to you about a problem that I have. He says, I want to talk to you about a problem that I have. I said, okay, sure. He goes to a pizza place. Up there in the Taylor Street area. That’s where he met Butchie and Harry. In fact, at the time, I knew both of them. Yeah, guys, that’s Butch Petrucelli and Harry Alem and a couple of really well-known mob outfit hitmen. Yeah, and they’re the ones that kill them. I’m thinking afterwards, I mean, But, you know, I wish I hadn’t, I wish I hadn’t, you know, I wish I could save him. I just gave him. Man, you’re cold, man. [38:34] You could have walked with that money. That’s what I’m saying. So now, another situation. Let me cut in here a minute, guys. As I remember this Reitlinger hit, Joe Ferriola was a crew boss, and he was trying to line up all the bookies, as he called it. He wanted to line them up like Al Capone lined up all the speaks, that all the bookies had to fall in line and kick something into the outfit, and Reitlinger wouldn’t do it. He refused to do it no matter. They kept coming to him and asking him his way. I understand that. Is that what you remember? I knew him very well. Yeah. He was not the boss. Oh, the Ferriola? Yeah, he wasn’t the boss, but he was kind of the, he had a crew. He was the boss of the Cicero crew. Right. I saw Joe all the time at the racetrack. In fact, I’m the one who, I’m the one, by the time when I started wearing a wire, I was bringing undercover agents over. I was responsible for all that family secret stuff that happened down the road. Oh, really? You set the stage for all that? I’m the one who put them all in jail. All of them. [39:52] So anyhow, we’re kind of getting ahead of ourselves. Reitlinger’s been killed. Joe Borelli or Ricky Borelli’s been killed. These guys are dropping around you, and you’re getting drawn into it deeper and deeper, it sounds to me like. Now, is this when you – what happens? How do you get drawn into this Chicago outfit even more and more as a bookie? Were you kicking up, too? Well, it started, it started, so many things happened that it just fell into place. It started, like I say, with building a reputation like I had. But the final situation in terms of with all the mobsters thinking that I’m not just a tough guy, I’m a bad guy. [40:35] When I get a call, when Joey Cosella, Joey Cosella was a big, tough Italian kid. And he was involved heavily in bookmaking, and we became real close friends. Joey and I became real close friends. He raised Dobermans, and he’s the one who had the lion over at the car dealership. I get a call from Joey. He says, you’ve got to come over. I said, what’s up? He says, some guys came in, and they’re going to kill the count. They want to kill the count. And I said, And I said, what? This is before the Pewter thing. I said, what do you mean? And so I drive over there, and he says, Sammy Annarino and Pete Cucci. And Pete Cucci came in here, and they came in with shotguns, and they were going to kill them. I said, this was Chicago at the time. It’s hard to believe, but this was Chicago. And I said, who are they? I didn’t know who they were. I said, who are they? I mean, I didn’t know them by name. It turns out I did know them, but I didn’t know them by name. They were people that were always in Greco’s, and everybody in Greco knew me because I’m the owner. [41:49] But anyhow, so I get a hold of Marco, and I said, Marco, and I told him what happened. I said, these guys, a couple of guys come in there looking for the talent. That are going to kill him because apparently he extorted somebody out of his business. And I said, who were they with? And he said, they were with Jimmy the bomber. They were with Jimmy Couture. [42:15] I said, oh, they’re for legit then? I said, yeah. I said, can you call? I said, call Jimmy. I knew who he was. He was at the restaurant all the time. He was at Threatfuls all the time with a lot of these other people. And I met him, but I had no interest in him. He didn’t seem like a very friendly sort of anyone. I could care less about him. I represented a lot of guys that worked for him, that were involved with problems, but never really had a conversation with him other than I. [42:53] I’m the owner. So I met with him. I wrote about that in the book. I met with them and got that straightened out where the count’s going to pay $25,000 and you’ll get a contract to the… He ripped off some guy out of a parlor, one of those massage parlors, not massage parlor, but one of those adult bookstores that were big money deals. Oh, yeah. So when I go to meet these guys, I’m told, go meet them and straighten this thing out. So I took Colin with me over to a motel right down the street from the racetrack, right down from the racetrack, and I met with him. I met with Pete Gucci. He was the boss of, you know, this sort of loop. When I get finished talking with him, I come back, and here’s the count and Sammy, and Sammy’s picking a fork with his finger and saying, you know, I rip out eyes with these. [43:56] And the count says, I rip out eyes with these. And I said, what the fuck is going on here? I said, Pete, I said, you know, get him the fuck out of here. And you all at the count said, what’s the matter with you? You know, these guys are going to kill him. And now the moment I get involved in it, he knows he’s not going to have a problem. You know, he’s pulling this nonsense. [44:23] So anyhow, this is how I meet Pete Gucci and Sammy Annarino. After a while, I stopped hanging around with the count because he was starting to go off the deep end. Yeah. Yeah. [44:39] And we were at a party, a bear party with, I remember Willie Holman was there, and they were mostly black, the black guys up there on the south side. And I had just met this girl a day or two before, and the count says, you know, let’s go up to a party, a bear’s party up there on Lakeshore Drive. If we go up there, we go to this party, it’s going to be about maybe 35, 40 people in there, one or two whites, other than the players. And other than that, we’re the only white people there. When we walk into the place, there’s a couple of guys out there with shotguns. It was in a motel. And you walk through like an area where you go in there, and there’s a couple of guys standing there with shotguns. We go in and we go upstairs and, hey, how are you? And we’re talking with people. And I go in one room. I’m in one room. [45:45] There were two rooms there. I’m in one room with a bunch of people and, you know, just talking and having a good old time. And the count was in the second room. And I hear Spade. He always called me Spade. Spade, Spade, you know. And I go in there, and he’s talking with Willie Holman. I remember it was one of them. He was the tackle, I think, with the Bears and a couple of others. And this whole room, all these black guys. And he goes, that’s Spade Cooley. He says, him and I will take on every one of you. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And we’re in a room, and he goes, that’s what he says. You know, him and I will take it on every one of you. And Willie did that. He calmed down. He’s telling him, calmed down. What the fuck? It was about a week or so after this. And because I had been out with the county, he’s calling me two or three times a week to go out. And we’re going, a lot of times it was these areas in the south side with a lot of blood. He liked being around Blacks. [47:00] That’s when I met Gail Sayers, and I met some of these others through him. But a lot of the parties and stuff were in the South Side out there, mostly Blacks and all. But we had gone someplace for dinner, and we’re heading back home. We’re heading back to my place, and we’re in his car. He had a brown Cadillac convertible. On the side of it, it had these, you know, the Count Dante press. And he always ran around. He ran around most of the time in these goofy, you know, these goofy outfits with capes and things like that. I’m driving and when we’re talking and I’m like distracted looking at him. And I’m waiting at a stoplight over there right off of Chicago Avenue. And as we’re there. [47:48] I barely touched the car in front of us, you know, as I’m drifting a little bit and barely touch it. There were four guys in the car and, you know, and the one guy jumps out first, one guy jumps out first and then second one, and they start screaming. And when the count gets out, the guy starts calling you, you faggot or something like that, you know, whatever. And as the other one gets out, I get out of the car. And the next thing I know, they jump back in the car, and they run through a red light, and they disappear. Somebody must have recognized them. One of the other people there must have realized who this is that they’re about to get into a little battle with. In fact, they ran the red light. They just ran the red light and disappeared. They come, no, no, no, no, no. And we go off to my apartment and I’m here with this girl, another girl I had just met a day or so before, because I was constantly meeting new people, uh, running around and, uh, we’re sitting on the couch. I’m sitting in the couch next to her and the count, the count was over there. And he suddenly says to her, he says, he says, this is one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. He said, and he says, tell her how tough you are. Tell her how tough you are. [49:10] I said, you know, I said, you know, you know, and he says, tell them how tough you are. And I said, John, you know, and he walks over, And he makes a motion like this towards me. And he barely touched my chin. But I thought he broke it. He then steps back and he goes, I got to cut this hand off. He says, you saved my life. He said, you saved my life. He said, the only two friends I’ve had in the world were my father and you. He says, I wasn’t even that crazy about my mother. That’s when I said then he goes and he stands and I’m looking at it now he stands up against the window I looked up on the 29th floor, he stands by the window he says get your gun he says and I want you to aim it at me, and say now before you pull the trigger and I’ll stop the bullet, I’ll stop the bullet this guy was nuts and I said I said, what? [50:28] He says, before you pull the trigger. [50:36] Tell me before you pull the trigger and I’ll stop the bullet. He wanted me to shoot him. He stopped the bullet. When I got him out of there, Now when he’s calling me, I’m busy. I’m busy. Once in a while, I’d meet him someplace. No more driving or whatever. That was smart. I hadn’t seen him in probably five or six months. And this is, again, after the situation when I had met with Anna Randall and Gooch and the others. I’m up in my office and I get a I get a call from the county, and he said and I hadn’t probably seen him even maybe in a month or two at all and he said, can I come over and talk to you and I was playing cards in fact I had card games up in my office and, we called him Commissioner. [51:41] O’Malley Ray O’Malley, he was the head of the police department at night. On midnights, he got there at 4 to 12. He started at 4 to 12 until midnights. He was the head of them. He was the commissioner. He was in charge of the whole department. He used to play cards up in my office. We had big card games up in my office. And when he’d come up there, we’d have the blue goose parked out in front. We’d have his bodyguard sitting out there by my door. When he was playing in the games. This went on for a couple of years. [52:15] I was at the office, but, you know, I’m at the office playing cards. [52:20] And I had a, it was a big suite. We had, you know, my office was a big office in this suite. We had about six other, you know, big, big suites in there. And so he comes over, he comes over to meet with me. And so I figure he’s in trouble. He’s arrested. He says, I’ve got a situation going. He says, well, you can get a million dollars. And he said, but if I tell you what it is, he says, and you’re in, he said, you got to be in. I’ll tell you what it is. I said, John, if I need money, I said, you get $2 million, then you can loan me if you want, but I don’t want to know what it is. I said, I just don’t want to know what it is. [52:59] It was about a week or two later. It was a pure later, basically. It was a pure later caper. Yeah, guys, this was like the huge, huge. And the one he set it up with was Pete Gucci, the guy that was going to kill him. That was the one who set it up. I knew that. I thought I remembered that name from somewhere. I don’t remember. They ended up getting popped, but everybody got caught, and most of the money got returned. No, no. No bit that the outfit kept, I understand, if I remember right. What was the deal on that? There was more to it than that. Just before that happened, I go up, and Jerry Workman was another lawyer. Actually, he was attorney up in the office, post-rending bank. When I’m going up into the office, I see Pete Gucci there. This is probably a week or so after the situation with the count. Or maybe even a little bit longer than that. I said, Pete, what are you doing? I said, what are you doing here? Jerry Workston’s my lawyer. Oh, okay. [53:55] Okay. He said, I didn’t know you were off here. I said, yeah. I said, Jerry’s a good friend of mine. Okay. And as I’m walking away, he says, you tell your friend the count to stop calling me at two, three in the morning. He says, I got a wife and kids and whatever. And I said to him, I said, Pete, you got no business dealing. I don’t know what it is. I said, but you guys got no business dealing involved in anything. You got no business being involved with him. And I walked away. I see him and I see him as he’s leaving. I see him as he’s leaving and say goodbye to him. Jerry was going to be playing cards. [54:39] It was card night too. Jerry was going to be playing cards in my office because the people would come in usually about 9 o’clock, 9.30 is when the game would usually start. I talked with Jerry. He had been in there for a while. He was arrested a day or two later. The fbi comes in there because he had stashed about 35 000 in jerry’s couch oh really that was his bond money he got that was his bond money if he got to get bailed out to get him bailed out that was his bond money that was there that’s how bizarre so i got involved in so many situations like this but anyhow anyhow now sammy uh, So it’s about maybe a week or two later after this, when I’m in the car driving, I hear they robbed a purulator. The purulator was about a block and a half from my last police station. It was right down the street from the 18th district. That was the place that they robbed. And not long after that, word came out that supposedly a million dollars was dropped off in front of Jimmy the bomber, in front of his place. With Jimmy the bomber, both Sammy Ann Arino and Pete Gucci were under him. They were gunmen from his group. Now I get a call from, I get a count was never, you never heard the count’s name mentioned in there with anybody. [56:07] The guy from Boston, you know, who they indicated, you know, came in to set it up. The count knew him from Boston. The count had some schools in Boston. And this was one of his students. And that’s how he knew this guy from Boston that got caught trying to take a, trying to leave the country with, you know, with a couple thousand, a couple million dollars of the money. Yeah, I read that. It was going down to the Caribbean somewhere and they caught him. And Sammy Ann Arino didn’t get involved in that. He wasn’t involved in that because I think he was back in the prison at the time. [56:44] Now, when he’s out of prison, probably no more than about maybe three or four months after all that toilet stuff had died down, I get a call from Sam, and he wants me to represent him because he was arrested. What happened was he was shot in a car. He was in a car, and he had gotten shot. And when they shot him, he kicked out the window and somehow fought the guys off. When they found him there in the car and in his trunk, they found a hit kit. They said it was a hit kit. How could they know? It was a box that had core form in it, a ski mask, a ski mask, a gun, a gun with tape wrapped around it and the rest of it. Yeah. And he’s an extra time. Mask and tape or little bits of rope and shit like that. I’d say no. So he was charged with it, and he was charged with it in his case, and he had a case coming up. I met him the first time I met him. He came by my office, and he said, you know, and I said, no, that’s not a problem. And he says, but I’ve got to use Eddie Jensen, too. [57:52] And I said, I said, what do you mean? I said, you don’t need Eddie. And he says, I was told I have to use him. Jimmy Couture, his boy, he said, I have to use him. I know why, because Eddie lets these mobsters know whenever anybody’s an informant, or if he’s mad at somebody, he can tell him he’s an informant, they get killed. And so I said, you know, that piece of shit. I said, you know, I want nothing to do with him. I had some interesting run-ins with him before, and I said, I want nothing to do with that worthless piece of shit. You know, he’s a jagoff. And I said, you know, I says, no. He said, please. I said, no. I said, Sammy, you know, you don’t need me. He knows the judge like I know the judge, Sardini. I said, you know, you’re not going to have a problem in there. I get a call from him again, maybe four or five days after that. He’s out of my restaurant and he says, Bob, please. He said, You know, he says, please, can I meet you? He says, I got a problem. I go out to the meeting. And so I thought, there’s something new. I want you to represent me. I want you to represent me, you know, on the case. And I says, did you get rid of that fence? He says, no, I have to use him. But I says, look, I’m not going to, I want, no, Sammy, no, I’m not going to do it. He leaves the restaurant. He gets about a mile and a half away. He gets shotgunned and he gets killed. In fact, I read about that a couple of days ago. [59:22] I know it’s bullshit. They said he was leaving the restaurant. It was Marabelli’s. It was Marabelli’s Furniture Store. They said he was leaving the furniture store. What they did was they stopped traffic out there. They had people on the one side of the street, the other side of the street, and they followed, they chased him. When he got out of his car and was going to the furniture store, They blasted him with shotguns. They made sure he was killed this time. After that happened, it’s about maybe three or four days after that, I’m up in my office and I get a call. All right, when I come out, I always parked in front of City Hall. That was my parking spot. Mike and CM saved my spot. I parked there, or I parked in the bus stop, or in the mayor’s spot. Those were my spots. They saved it for me. I mean, that was it, for three, four, five years. That’s how it was. I didn’t want to wait in line in the parking lot. So my car is parked right in front of the parking lot. And as I go to get in my car, just fast, fast, so walking, because he was at 134 right down the street from my office and he parks like everybody else in the parking lot so he can wait 20 minutes to get his car. [1:00:40] And, and, and Bob, Bob, and, you know, and when I meet up with him, I’m both standing and we’re both standing right there in front of the, in front of the, uh, the parking lot. And he was a big guy. He weighed probably about 280, 290, maybe more. You know, mushy, mushy type, not in good shape at all. In fact, he walked with a gimp or whatever. And he says, you better be careful, he says. Jimmy Couture is furious. He heard what you’ve been saying about me. [1:01:17] You’ve been saying about me. and something’s liable to happen. And I went reserved. I grabbed him, and I threw him up on the wall, and I says, you motherfuckers. I said, my friends are killing your friends. [1:01:34] I said, my friends, because he represented a number of these groups, but I’m with the most powerful group of all. And when I say I’m with him, I’m with him day and night, not like him just as their lawyer. Most of them hated him, too, because most of them knew what he was doing. Yeah most of these and most of these guys hated him and i said you know but i and and i just like you’re kissing his pants and i don’t know if he crapped in his pants too and uh you know because i just turned around i left that same night jimmy katura winds up getting six in the back of the head maybe three miles from where that took place yeah he was uh some kind of trouble been going on for a while. He was a guy who was like in that cop shop racket, and he had been killing some people involved with that. He was kind of like out away from the main crew closer to downtown, is my understanding. Like, you were in who were you in? Who was I talking about? Jimmy Couture? Jimmy Couture, yeah. He was no, Jimmy Couture was Jimmy Couture, in fact, all these killers, we’ll try and stay with this a little bit first. Jimmy Couture was a boss and he had probably about maybe a dozen, maybe more in his crew and, He didn’t get the message, I’m sure. [1:03:01] Eddie Jensen firmly believes, obviously, because it’s the same day and same night when I tell him that my friends are killing your friends. [1:03:14] He’s telling everybody that I had him kill, I’m sure. Yeah, yeah. Because it was about another few days after that when I’m out in Evanston going to a courthouse. And there you had to park down the street because there was no parking lot. Here I hear Eddie, you know, stay. I’m going to say Bob, Bob. And when he gets up, he says, Bob, he says, when I told you, I think you misunderstood. When I told you it was Jimmy Cattrone. it was it was jimmy katron was a lawyer that you know worked in out of his office close friend of mine too he was a good friend of mine it was jimmy it was jimmy katron that you know not because he obviously thought he believed so he’s got all these mobsters too bosses and all the rest thinking that i was involved in that when i when i wasn’t uh when i was when i wasn’t actually But it’s so amazing, Gary. And that’s one of a dozen stories of the same sort. I met unbelievable people. I mean, we’re talking about in New Orleans. We’re talking about in Boston. Now, if you were to say, who were you with? Always somebody’s with somebody. Were you with any particular crew or any particular crew. [1:04:41] Buzz, were you totally independent? [1:04:46] Everybody knew me to be with the Elmwood Park crew. And that was Jackie Cerrone before Michael, I mean, before Johnny DeFranco. That was Jackie Cerrone. Okay. That was Giancana. That was Mo Giancana. Mo was moving at the clubhouse all the time. That was the major people. [1:05:13] And where was their clubhouse? What did they call their clubhouse? Was that the Survivors Clubhouse, or what was the name of their operation? Every group had one, sometimes more clubhouses. Right. That was where they would have card games in there. They’d have all kinds of other things going. the place was full of like in Marcos I call it Marcos but it was actually Jackie Sharon’s when I first got involved Jackie Sharon was the boss who became a good friend of mine, Jackie Sharon was the boss and Johnny DeFranco was, right under him and then a number of others as we go down, our group alone we had. [1:06:04] Minimum, I’d say, a thousand or more people in our group alone. And who knows how many others, because we had control of the sheriff’s office, of the police department, of the sheriff, of the attorney general. We had control of all that through the elections. We controlled all that. So you had 1,000 people. You’re talking about all these different people who we would maybe call associates. It would be in and out of our club all the time. Okay. Yeah. We’re talking a number of policemen, a number of policemen, a number of different politicians of all sorts that we had. I knew dozens of people with no-show jobs there. We had control of all the departments, streets and sanitation, of absolutely urbanizing. We controlled all the way up to the Supreme Court. What about the first ward, Pat Marcy, and the first ward now? Was your crew and Jackie Cerrone’s crew, did that fall into the first ward, or were they totally there? How did that relate, the Pat Marcy and the politicians? And I found out all this over a period of time. [1:07:28] Everything had changed right about the time I first got involved with these people. All these people you’ve read about, no one knows they were still alive. I met just about all of them when I got connected over there with the first word. A lot of the, we were talking about the gunmen themselves. All the Jackie not just Jackie but I’m talking about Milwaukee Phil Milwaukee Phil and all the rest of them they were over there at Councilors Row all the time because when they were to meet Pat Marcy, what they had there in the first war and, It just so happened, when I started in my office, it was with Alan Ackerman, who was at 100 North, where all their offices were upstairs. The first ward office was upstairs. [1:08:22] And below the office, two floors below, I found out on this when I got involved with them, we had an office. looked like it was a vacant office because the windows were all blackened out. That’s where he had all the meetings with people. When Arcado or Yupa, anybody else, any of the other people came in, this is where he met them. When the people from out of town came in, we’re talking about when, what do you think? [1:08:58] But when Alpha, when Fitzgerald, when all these people would come in, this is where they would have their meetings. Or these are the ones who would be out with us on these casino rides. When these people came in, this is where they would do the real talking because we’d go to different restaurants that weren’t bugged. If this office was checked every day, the one that they had down below, and nobody, nobody, their office was, I think it was on the 28th floor, the first ward office. You had the first ward office, and right next to it, you had the insurance office when everybody had to buy their insurance. Obviously at upper rates big office connected to the first ward office when the back there’s a door that goes right into into theirs but the people were told you never get off or you get off you get off at the office floor but then you you walk you you get off it and i’m sorry you get off it at the. [1:10:11] You don’t get off at the first ward office you get off at one of the other offices one of the other offices or the other floors and when you come in there, then you’ll be taken someplace else after that a double shop that’s where they would go and in fact when I had to talk to Petter Cary messages or whatever people like Marco couldn’t talk to Marcy. [1:10:41] Only a few people could. Only people at the very top level could. Marco, he was a major boss. He could not talk to Marco. If he needed, you know, whatever. Marco D’Amico. Marco was, you had, Marco was the one right under Johnny DeFonza. Yeah. Marco’s the one that was in charge. He was the one who was in charge of all the gambling. Not just in Chicago, but around all those areas in Cook County. We had not just Chicago. They were also the ones that were in charge of all the street tax, collecting all the street tax. That’s where the big, big money was also. Everybody paid. What happened was in the 70s, right as I got involved

Key Points:A new year doesn't make us new—intentional steps taken beforehand do.Growth comes not from experience alone, but from reflecting on it.God calls His people to remember His Word and live by it.Remembering God's Word means reading, obeying, and applying it daily.True repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of direction.John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi's promise by calling people to repentance.Restoration comes only through Jesus, not the law or prophets.Jesus took the curse upon Himself on the cross to offer blessing and renewal.Before entering a new year, believers must intentionally unpack what weighs them down and carry forward what draws them closer to God.Scripture References:Malachi 4:4–6Deuteronomy 4:8–10Joshua 1:7–8Exodus 20:1–17 (Ten Commandments – referenced)Matthew 22:37–40Psalm 119:105Job 23:121 Kings 18 (Elijah on Mount Carmel – referenced)Luke 1:13–17Matthew 11:14Acts 2:38Matthew 17:11–121 Peter 4:17 ------------------------------------------We're so glad you're here! Visit us online at www.orrville.church Or connect with us on:• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orrvillechristian.church/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orrvillechristian/• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@orrvillechristianchurch5959 If you'd like to partner with us in giving, you can give online here: https://www.occgive.com/ As our guest, please feel no pressure to give—this is for those who call OCC home. Let us know you're listening! Fill out a Connection Card: https://www.orrville.church/connect We'd love to meet you in person! Join us any Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 AM

ISAIAH 35Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.   The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers   and singing and joy!The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon,   as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.There the Lord will display his glory,   the splendor of our God.With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,   and encourage those who have weak knees.Say to those with fearful hearts,   “Be strong, and do not fear,for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.   He is coming to save you.”And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind   and unplug the ears of the deaf.The lame will leap like a deer,   and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,   and streams will water the wasteland.The parched ground will become a pool,   and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish   where desert jackals once lived.And a great road will go through that once deserted land.   It will be named the Highway of Holiness.Evil-minded people will never travel on it.   It will be only for those who walk in God's ways;   fools will never walk there.Lions will not lurk along its course,   nor any other ferocious beasts.There will be no other dangers.   Only the redeemed will walk on it.Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.   They will enter Jerusalem[a] singing,   crowned with everlasting joy.—-Sorrow and mourning will disappear,   and they will be filled with joy and gladness.PRAY:Father, we thank you for this time of joyful waiting. May the hope and joy of this season fill our hearts and make us living signs of your love for a world that hungers for your peace. Immanuel, God with us. Amen

Join Rabbi Schneider as he shares the story of Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal during this special Holy Land journey to Mount Carmel. Do you serve God or compromise your faith? Do you recognize how worldly distractions and idolatry enter your life? Learn holy choices and how to avoid compromising your faith today on this episode of Discovering the Jewish Jesus as we explore Elijah's faith-filled example. **** BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER - https://djj.show/YTAPartner  **** DONATE - https://djj.show/YTADonate  **** TEACHING NOTES - https://djj.show/x2l 

Pastor Wayne's message from 1 Kings 19:1–18 explores Elijah's deep exhaustion and despair after Mount Carmel, and how God meets him not with spectacle, but with provision, presence, and a quiet word. God restores Elijah through rest, nourishment, guidance, and the still, small voice—correcting his belief that he is alone or that his mission has failed. Even in brokenness, God is actively at work and faithfully calling His people forward.

The Suffering of the Apostle Paul      The apostle Paul's ministry was marked by unrelenting hardship, yet God used these very trials as a means of shaping his character and magnifying His glory. In recounting his experiences to the Corinthians, Paul detailed the many afflictions he endured: imprisonments, countless beatings, stoning, shipwrecks, exposure to danger, hunger, thirst, sleepless nights, and the daily pressure of concern for the churches (2 Cor 11:23–28). Such a catalog of suffering would have crushed many, but Paul recognized that his hardships were not wasted. Rather than viewing his trials as setbacks, he understood them as instruments of God's providence, divinely appointed means through which his faith was refined and his ministry authenticated. His endurance in these circumstances demonstrated that his message was not driven by human strength or ambition but by the power of God working through a frail but faithful servant. These sufferings kept him humble, dependent, and keenly aware that the surpassing greatness of the gospel treasure was carried in “earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7).      Even more, Paul interpreted his sufferings as opportunities to display Christ's strength in his own weakness. When he pleaded for relief from his “thorn in the flesh,” the Lord answered, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). Paul therefore embraced his afflictions, declaring, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor 12:9–10). This paradoxical perspective enabled him to rejoice even in chains, as he assured the Philippians that his imprisonment had actually served to advance the gospel by emboldening others to preach Christ without fear (Phil 1:12–14). For Paul, trials were not obstacles but opportunities, occasions for God's grace to shine through human frailty and for the gospel to reach further than ease and comfort ever could. His life exemplifies the truth that spiritual maturity and that God's power is most clearly displayed when His servants, emptied of self, depend wholly on Him. The Suffering of the Saints Mentioned in Hebrews 11      The writer of Hebrews speaks of a “cloud of witnesses” who testify through their lives that faith can endure under the most severe trials (Heb 11:35–38). These men and women of old faced unimaginable hardships, including mocking, flogging, chains, imprisonment, and even violent death, yet they refused to abandon their trust in God. Some, like Jeremiah, were beaten and confined in stocks (Jer 20:2), while others, such as Daniel and his companions, were threatened with fiery furnaces and lions' dens but held firm to their convictions (Dan 3:16–18; 6:10). Tradition also recalls prophets who were sawn in two or killed with the sword, giving their lives rather than compromise their loyalty to Yahweh. What unites these witnesses is not the uniformity of their circumstances but the constancy of their faith. Though their earthly stories often ended in suffering rather than triumph, their lives bear permanent testimony to the sustaining power of God's promises. They form a great gallery of the faithful whose examples surround and encourage believers to run with endurance the race set before them (Heb 12:1).      Though their faith was tested to its limits, these saints looked beyond their temporal struggles and fixed their gaze on God's eternal reward. They lived as pilgrims and strangers on the earth, confessing that they sought a better country, that is, a heavenly one, prepared by God Himself (Heb 11:13–16). Their perspective was not limited to deliverance in this life but extended to resurrection and future glory. Women, like the widow of Zarephath and the Shunammite woman, received back their dead by resurrection (1 Kgs 17:22–23; 2 Kgs 4:35–37), yet others accepted death rather than deny the hope of “a better resurrection” (Heb 11:35). This eschatological outlook sustained them through unimaginable suffering, for they knew that God's approval and eternal inheritance outweighed every earthly loss. Their faith was not naive optimism but a settled confidence in the character and promises of God, who “is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb 11:6). In this way, their testimony continues to inspire believers today to endure hardship, remembering that the path of faith often winds through suffering, but it ultimately leads to the eternal presence and reward of God. When Believers Fail to Live by Faith      There are examples in the Bible where mature believers struggled to maintain faith during intense trials. In Numbers, Moses became overwhelmed with his leadership and expressed despair, saying, “I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once” (Num 11:14-15a). Similarly, Elijah, after his triumph on Mount Carmel, fled from Jezebel and asked God to let him die because he felt overwhelmed and alone. Elijah said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Ki 19:4).      These instances highlight the very human responses of exhaustion, fear, and despair in some of God's greatest servants. They remind us that enduring trials is difficult and that even the most faithful can struggle to keep perspective in the face of overwhelming circumstances. However, these stories also show God's compassion and provision. God did not condemn Moses or Elijah for their despair; instead, He provided for their needs, reassured them, and continued to work through them. God's response to their struggles illustrates His understanding of human frailty and His willingness to sustain His people even when their faith falters. In a way, these moments of struggle also contribute to their spiritual growth, as God uses these low points to teach them, recalibrate their thinking to focus on His power and promises, and prepare them for the next steps in their journeys.      Lastly, we cannot prevent the difficulties of life that come our way, but we can respond to them in faith, trusting God and His Word to guide and strengthen us. We know that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). Whatever happens to us, we must fight the urge to complain, for if we start that, it becomes increasingly difficult to turn back. Complaining is not a problem solving device, and Scripture tells us to “Do all things without complaining or arguing” (Phil 2:14; cf., 1 Pet 4:9). As difficult as it may be, we must chose a faith response to “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; and in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Th 5:16-18). When emotions rise, faith must rise even higher, for it is only through faith in God and His Word that growth occurs. Accept God's Trials.      Paul wrote, “we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope” (Rom 5:3-4). James said, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (Jam 1:2-4 CSB). The Lord uses the fire of trials to burn away the dross of our weak character and to refine those golden qualities consistent with His character. The growing believer learns to praise God in and for the trials, knowing He uses them to strengthen our faith and develop us into spiritually mature Christians. Trials can make us bitter or better, depending on how we respond to them. In the right conditions, time and pressure can shape a Christian much as it shapes carbon into a diamond. Wiersbe states: "The greatest judgment God could bring to a believer would be to let him alone, let him have his own way. Because God loves us, He “prunes” us and encourages us to bear more fruit for His glory. If the branches could speak, they would confess that the pruning process hurts; but they would also rejoice that they will be able to produce more and better fruit."[1]      The Lord wants His child to have strength of character, steel in the soul, and not timidity. He leads the Christian into situations and hardships that resist comfort and develop spiritual muscle. He does not hesitate to place them in situations that lie beyond their natural strength, for only in being stretched to face the humanly impossible does the believer learn to trust in the Lord, gain confidence, and discover that divine power is made perfect in weakness.      God uses trials, suffering, and hardships as His chosen instruments to shape, strengthen, and prepare those He intends to use. Rather than shielding His servants from pain, He hammers, molds, and bends them—never breaking them but transforming them into vessels fit for His highest purposes. For the Christian, then, suffering is not meaningless. It is God's tool of refinement, His instrument for shaping souls into vessels of honor. The fires that seem to consume us are in fact controlled flames in the hand of a wise and loving Father. The Christian who learns to see trial as part of God's gracious purpose can echo Paul's triumphant words: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing… always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor 4:8–10).      From a biblical perspective, God uses trials as a means to shape us into the people He wants us to be because He loves us and desires what is best for us. He wants us to mature, and life's difficulties are part of the process. We must walk by faith and choose to “count it all joy” (Jam 1:2) because we know that the testing of our faith will lead to spiritual maturity if we yield to the Lord (Jam 1:3–4). This passage encourages believers to view trials as opportunities for growth. Where there is positive volition and a faith response, trials become a means to strengthen faith, leading to perseverance. As perseverance develops, it results in spiritual maturity. Steven R. Cook., D.Min., M.Div.   [1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1, 356.

Fr. Joseph Dalimata, FSSP, serves as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Littleton (Denver), Colorado. He was ordained in May of 2021. In Today's Show: Do Catholics believe in ghosts? Is Elf on the Shelf okay for Catholic families to do? Was my healing divine intervention or just my mind? Is "Mary Did You Know" blasphemous? Advice on writing messages to convicts Should we display a crucifix with the risen Lord on it? What does it mean to "die to self"? How should Catholics approach cancel culture? Advice on dealing with spouses addicted to pornography Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

The altar ornament and Mr. Truman reminds us of Elijah's showdown on Mount Carmel. God sent fire from heaven to show He alone is God. Elijah called people back to the Lord—but Jesus is the true and better Elijah who brings hearts to life through His Spirit. As the Jesse Tree grows, we remember that only Jesus can turn our hearts fully back to God.Follow Us:Instagram | Website | Newsletter Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when a culture chases every option for hope—and none of them answer back? In one of the Bible's most dramatic stories, Elijah confronts false powers on Mount Carmel and reveals a God who is real, present, and unmatched in power. This message explores why divided loyalty leaves us empty and why trusting the God who truly responds changes everything.

Send us a textWe trace Saint John of the Cross's map up Mount Carmel—from detachment and dark nights to transforming union—grounded in Scripture, prayer, and the Eucharist. We share practical steps for recollection, the role of Mary as Star of Carmel, and a clear path for beginners and seasoned seekers alike.• life and mission of Saint John of the Cross • biblical meaning of Mount Carmel • the purgative, illuminative, unitive ways • active night of the senses and practical detachment • passive night and God-led purification • dark night of the spirit toward transforming union • faith, hope, and charity as rungs of ascent • recollection and silence with step-by-step guidance • Eucharist as summit and sustenance • Mary as mother and model of trustBe sure to click the link in the description for special news item And since there is more to this article, finish reading and check out the special offer Visit journeysoffaith.com website todaySaint John of The Cross CollectionOpen by Steve Bailey Support the showJourneys of Faith brings your Super Saints Podcasts ***Our Core Beliefs*** The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our Faith." Catechism 132 Click Here “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” 1Thessalonians 4“ Click Here ... lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...” Matthew 6:19-2 Click Here The Goal is Heaven Click Here Why you should shop here at Journeys of Faith official site! Lowest Prices and Higher discounts up to 50% Free Shipping starts at $18 - Express Safe Checkout Click Here Cannot find it let us find or create it - - Click Here Rewards Program is active - ...

In this special NDS Bible Study, we walk through one of the most cinematic, supernatural, and spiritually charged narratives in Scripture — the story of Elijah.This episode breaks down:

Mount Carmel finished the same place it started the season in the No. 1 spot of the Friday Night Drive Power Rankings. Check out the final rankings here.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

We love the Mount Carmel showdown. We love the fire falling down from heaven. We love Elijah as the unstoppable prophet calling down miracles. But what if I told you that Elijah isn't actually the hero to emulate in this story? What if you've been reading the story of Elijah vs. the prophets of Baal all wrong? Let's get into it!Check out my second channel for deep Bible study: https://www.youtube.com/@EveryWord_WD Sign up for my Debate Masterclass: https://wisedisciple.org/masterclassJoin my awesome Patreon community: www.patreon.com/WiseDiscipleAccess an exclusive offer to Logos Bible Software: www.logos.com/WiseDiscipleUse WISEDISCIPLE10 for my discount at Biblingo: https://biblingo.org/pricing/?ref=wisediscipleGet my 5 Day Bible Reading Plan here: https://www.patreon.com/collection/565289?view=expandedGet your Wise Disciple merch here: https://bit.ly/wisediscipleWant a BETTER way to communicate your Christian faith? Check out my website: www.wisedisciple.org

There was almost no flashiness in the final game of the IHSA football season as Mount Carmel and Oswego found themselves embroiled in a defensive struggle with the Caravan claiming their 17th state title with a 20-3 win.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Confession and Prayer Confess faults to one another and pray for one another for healing. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person has great power. Elijah was a man with similar passions, prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain for three and a half years. He prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 1 Kings 18:41 Elijah told Ahab to eat and drink, for there was a sound of abundance of rain. Ahab went to eat and drink, and Elijah went to the top of Carmel. Elijah cast himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. He told his servant to look toward the sea. The servant looked and said there was nothing. Elijah told him to go again seven times. At the seventh time, the servant said there was a small cloud like a man’s hand rising out of the sea. Elijah told the servant to tell Ahab to prepare his chariot and go down, so the rain would not stop him. The heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. Faith Under Attack The apostle James believed a man could pray like a lion. Faith is under attack in these last days. The devil is trying to cause people to give up their cross. James believed that if people got right with God and each other, they could pray prayers that would have great effect. Looking for God to do something that will turn things upside down. Conditions for Effective Prayer Being right with God: Getting righteous. Turning loose from sin. Letting go of the things of this world. Being right with one another: Forgiving one another. Praying for one another. When in line with God, prayer can accomplish work. Introspection through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God should move one to pray and seek God. Effectual Fervent Prayer Effectual fervent prayer is for those who have sought God and one another, and are in line with both. They don’t have sin or trespasses, and have gotten clean with God and man. There is a place in prayer that becomes effectual fervent. The word “effectual” is one word in the original Greek, “energeo.” It is used 18 times in the King James Version. 12 of those times, it is translated as “work.” The King James translators identified the word by context. Need to be reminded that effectual fervent prayer is work. Need to pray better. God can strip away the blinders and show what one can’t see. Need to open hearts and become earnest before God, and see prayers make a difference. The choir needs reminded that there is more to God than what we think. We get complacent, pray little prayers, check off lists, and think God is satisfied. Until God has looked into the depths of the soul, and one becomes submissive and surrenders to the will of God and yields to the Holy Ghost, one is not praying yet. Energeo: Energized Prayer The Greek word for effectual is “energeo,” from which we get the English words “energy” or “energize.” Engage in energized prayer, built of hard work. Of the 18 times “energeo” is used in the King James Version, 12 times it is translated as “work” (75%). Prayer is not a side deal or something to play around with. Prayer should change you, make you humble and weak before God, make you want to carry a heavier load, love people more, and help sinners get saved and prodigals come home. The basic premise behind “energeo” is hard, passionate work. The flesh is contrary to prayer and will never enjoy it. Tell the flesh it doesn’t matter and focus on getting right with God. Prayer should be hard, passionate work. If we added up the minutes spent in prayer this week, would we be impressed? How many have really gotten into the place where hard, passionate prayer comes from us? Elijah: An Example of Effectual Fervent Prayer Elijah got to see extraordinary things within hours of each other. Don’t give up praying. Get to the hard work, passionate prayer that God is listening for. Consider it a worthy occupation to be a prayer warrior. Make sure to identify and define correctly what kind of prayer we’re trying to pray. Not just “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer, but more like Peter’s prayer when he was drowning: “Lord, save me.” Be willing to do the hard work prayer, not just any prayer, but a prayer that reaches the portals of God. Hard work prayer is not very enticing to many. On days when you don’t feel like it, put your flesh behind you and try. Hard work prayer gets into the throne room of God. Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane understood hard work praying. His sweat became great drops of blood. He asked if there was any other way, but ultimately submitted to the Father’s will. Years ago, people would pray in barns during the day, giving up their time and flesh. Romans 12:1: Present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God, which is your reasonable service. Need hard work prayer. James gave liberty to pray personally. Elijah’s Humanity and Obedience James said Elijah was a righteous man, but also a man subject to like passions as we are. Elijah went through everything we’re going through and experienced the same temptations. He made a choice to stand for God and do the hard work of praying and staying honest before God. God blessed him for it. God had sustained Elijah for three and a half years. God gave Elijah liberty, and he stepped out of hiding. Elijah lived in Zarephath, Jezebel’s hometown, while she had the whole army hunting for him. Elijah told Obadiah to tell Ahab that he wanted to talk to him. Ahab blamed the drought on Elijah. Elijah told Ahab to gather all the people of Israel, the prophets of Baal, and the prophets of the groves to Mount Carmel. They had a contest to see whose God would answer by fire. God answered Elijah’s simple prayer with fire, consuming the sacrifice, the dust, the stones, and the water in the trenches. God answered by fire with a simple prayer. Elijah was obedient to God. If we’re going to see the power of God through hard work prayer, we’re going to have to be obedient servants. We need to be willing to do what God tells us to do, when he tells us to do it, and how he tells us to do it. Line up when we pray and say, “God, I prayed it. Now here I am. Send me. Use me for this work.” When you pray hard, you’ll find out there’s work for you in it. It’s not all on God; we have to be obedient. The problems they had were Jezebel and the adulterous hearts of the people. They had 850 false prophets corrupting the minds of the people. God dealt with it, and Elijah was obedient. Deliberate Faith and Diligence Elijah was deliberate. After one of the prophets was slain, Elijah told Ahab to get out of there because he heard the sound of abundance of rain. The fire had fallen, and people got right with God. Need some fire first to burn up the chaff and purge the dross from our souls. Need the power of God to come in. Won’t have revival until fire has come in through our soul and hard work praying has made us shine like new before God. The rain is the extra, what produces the fruits, but you won’t have rain until you’ve got fire. In Africa, they burn the old, dead grass to allow new growth to come after the rain. There was nothing growing through that messed up, useless grass that had no fire to it. Need some fire, even though it’s not comfortable. All 850 prophets had to be dealt with. Elijah went to the bottom of Carmel to be obedient to God. When he finished what God had assigned him, he told Ahab to leave. Elijah went back up the mountain because he believed. The same place that Elijah called fire down was where he went back to call for rain. There’s some consistency about where we choose to pray. Deliberately make a place to hard work pray. Hard work prayer becomes a part of our daily life. Elijah was tired after killing 850 people, but he went back up the mountain with faith. He told Ahab he heard rain, even though he didn’t physically hear it. He believed God because the fire had fallen. Elijah was diligent. He fell on his knees, put his face between his knees, and cried out to God. Between verses 42 and 43, there was some serious praying. The first time Elijah looked up, his servant was just standing there. Elijah told him to go look out over the ocean and tell him what he saw. The servant said he didn’t see anything. Been in hard work praying and not seeing anything. God knows when we’re frustrated, down, and the devil’s after us. Get serious about praying and talking with God Almighty. Hard work praying. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. This was the hard work part of the prayer. The first time he prayed, there was nothing. Weary of praying for certain things because you can’t see anything. When you think your prayer didn’t do any good, go back. Try again. Pray harder. Keep working at it. Dig in. Do the hard work praying. Believe God for it. If it’s as a grain of a mustard seed, if we just believe that he can do all things. Go back seven times. Each time, be doing what you’ve got to do, and that’s hard work prayer. Elijah put his face between his knees again and cried out to God. God sent the rain. Hard work praying is about not giving up, not giving in, and not believing the lies of the devil. God can do anything, and hard work prayer gets to his ears. It shocked the little fellow when he went that seven times. It wasn’t his faith that Elijah was dependent on, but that hard work praying and Elijah’s own faith in God. The servant came back and said he saw something about the size of a man’s hand rising up out of the sea. Elijah said that’s all he needed to know. God started to move. Personal Testimony Stripped naked in prayer this morning. Needed a word from God. Justin told a story about a man who had preached and evangelized for all of his life and then got called to be a pastor. He packed everything into his worn-out van and headed to the new pastorate. The transmission went out at the top of a hill, and he coasted to a car dealership at the bottom. Within two hours, men had unpacked his belongings and packed them into a new van that was just like the old one, but eight years newer. God said, “This is my church. I’ll fix it just like a car. Don’t you doubt it.” Asked God to speak to me. Quit worrying about this. It ain’t your church. It’s mine. Them ain’t your children, they’re mine. I’ll fix it. Needed to hear it again. Elijah told the servant to tell Ahab to get off the mountain because it was fixing to rain. The clouds rolled in, the sky turned black, and it rained. Commitment to Prayer We ain’t where we’re supposed to be prayer-wise. There’s another gear to prayer building. You’ve got to be stripped clean of the fire. Hard work praying will set in. It’ll come from your soul like a fountain. Your guts will pour out of you and lay at his feet. You’ll feel it. We can get closer to God with some hard praying. It’s going to take a commitment. You won’t accidentally get to this place. You’re going to have to really want it. When you get low, that’s when your heart gets nearest to it. It feels like ain’t nothing happening. It feels like it ain’t gonna happen. It’s the best time to pray. Allow God to step in and strip aside everything that’s keeping your heart from bursting open with all your care, worry, fear, and requests. Commit to hard work prayer. Effectual, fervent prayer. If Elijah could do it, James said, you can too. If Elijah seen the results of the fire and the rain, God is not a respecter of persons. He’ll bless you just like he blessed Elijah. Both fire and rain. Before we do anything else tonight, I want us to pray. If you ain’t got nobody else to pray for, please pray for me. Time’s running out on us. Our people ain’t saved. I want to get it right. I can’t do it. I ain’t got the power. I’m of little strength and little ability. I need God to help me. We need help tonight. We need revival. We need to see the fruit of rain. That all has to come from God.

Oswego coach Brian Cooney was a senior linebacker on the 1992 state championship team, that school's first, and was on the coaching staff for the 2003 champions. Now he's leading his alma mater into the Class 8A championship game against Mount Carmel. "It mirrors a little bit."Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Assembly of Yahusha BHP episode 310 officiated by Bro. Jon Dizon 11-27-2025. #Yahuah #Yahusha #biblestudy #faith #trueworship #assemblyofYahusha ©2025 Assembly of Yahusha All rights reserved. The Assembly of Yahusha exclusively own the rights to the contents of this podcast and any non-assemblymember reproduction must have the approval of the Assembly. Only bona fide members of the Assembly are authorized to copy, download, and reproduce the contents of this podcast for their personal or religious use. For permission to copy, download, and reproduce send an email to : info@aoy.today

Mount Carmel was an expected team in the Class 8A final, its opponent however, Oswego, would classify as a surprise. Steve Soucie previews Saturday's Class 8A title game.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-10fce76745a76900b9e52f5079e04520{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-10fce76745a76900b9e52f5079e04520 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-10fce76745a76900b9e52f5079e04520 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 02 – November 26Song of Songs 6:4 – 8:4 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – November 26 Song of Songs 6:4 – 8:4 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-1126db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Song of Songs 6 You Are Beautiful The Man 4 You are as beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, [1] lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners. 5 Turn your eyes away from me, because they arouse me. Your hair is like a flock of goats flowing down from Gilead. 6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes coming up from the washing. Each has its twin. Not one of them is alone. 7 Your cheeks behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. 8 There may be sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number, 9 but my dove, my perfect one, is one of a kind. She is the only daughter of her mother, pure to the one who bore her. The girls saw her and called her blessed. The queens and concubines also praised her. The Friends 10 Who is this woman that appears like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession? A Puzzling Interlude The Woman or The Man [2] 11 I went down to the grove of nut trees, to look at the new growth in the valley, to see whether the vines had budded,     whether the pomegranates had blossomed. 12 Before I realized it, my desire set me among the chariots of my willing people. [3] Beautiful From Bottom to Top The Friends 13 Turn back, turn back, O Shulammite. Turn back, turn back, so that we may look at you! [4] The Woman [5] Song of Songs 7 1 Why would you look at the Shulammite.     as at the dance of Mahanaim? [6] The Friends or The Man 2 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,     O prince's daughter! Your hips are curved like a necklace, the work of the hands of a craftsman. 3 Your navel is a round mixing bowl. It never lacks blended wine. Your belly is a mound of wheat, encircled by lilies. 4 Your two breasts are like two fawns,     twins of a gazelle. 5 Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are the pools in Heshbon,     by the gate of Bat Rabbim. [7] Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,     overlooking Damascus. 6 Your head rises above you like Mount Carmel. The flowing hair of your head is like purple. The king is captivated by its curls. The Man 7 How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O loved one, daughter of delights! [8] 8 Your height is like that of the date palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit. 9 I said, “I will climb the date palm. I will take hold of its bunches of fruit.” May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples, 10a and your mouth like the best wine— The Woman 10b —flowing to my lover, gliding smoothly over lips and teeth. [9] 11 I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. 12 Come, my lover, let us go to the fields. Let us spend the night in the villages. 13 Let us go early to the vineyards. We will see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give my love to you. The mandrakes send out their fragrance. At our door is every delicacy, new as well as old, that I have stored up for you, my lover. He Embraces Me The Woman Song of Songs 8 1 I wish that you were like a brother to me, who was nursed at my mother's breasts. Then if I would meet you in public, I could kiss you, and no one would despise me. 2 I would lead you. I would bring you to my mother's house     where she used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranates. 3 His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. 4 Daughters of Jerusalem, you must swear that you will not arouse or awaken love     until it so desires. Footnotes Song of Songs 6:4 Tirzah is a city in Israel. Its name means delightful. Song of Songs 6:11 The identity of the speaker of these verses is uncertain. Song of Songs 6:12 This is a difficult verse of uncertain meaning. Song of Songs 6:13 English verse 6:13 is 7:1 in Hebrew. In the rest of chapter 7, the English verse numbers are one lower than the Hebrew verse numbers. Song of Songs 7:1 The identity of the speaker of this verse is uncertain. Song of Songs 7:1 Mahanaim is the name of a city. It means two camps. Here the term may refer to two lines of dancers. Song of Songs 7:5 Bat Rabbim means Daughter of Nobles. Song of Songs 7:7 The translation follows a textual variant supported by the ancient versions. The Hebrew text reads O love, with delights. Song of Songs 7:10 The reading lips and teeth is well attested by the ancient versions. The Hebrew reads lips of sleepers. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

The two remaining undefeated CCL/ESCC programs, Mount Carmel and Montini, will look to complete their perfect seasons during the IHSA state championship games this weekend. Montini will face Rochester in 4A on Friday night. Mount Carmel will battle Oswego in 8A on Saturday.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Rivals National Scout Cody Bellaire joins Inside Nebraska's Tim Verghese to break down the updated end-of-season film of top Nebraska commits Elite cornerback commit Danny Odem is flying up the rankings after a standout senior season playing a national schedule at Orlando (Fla.) First Academy. The two break down what has Odem shooting up the rankings and what he brings to the #Huskers. Nebraska four-star offensive line commit Claude Mpouma showed growth as a senior at Chicago (Ill.) Mount Carmel, Bellaire breaks down what he saw from the massive 6-foot-8, 300+ pound Nebraska commit. 2026 Nebraska running back commit Jamal Rule showed growth as a senior at Charlotte (N.C) Christian, Bellaire discusses why he saw a positive bump in his ranking. Elite 2027 Nebraska quarterback commit Trae Taylor established himself as one of the top junior quarterbacks in the country this fall and Bellaire breaks down why Nebraska fans should be so excited about the rising big-framed quarterback. To close, the two discuss the junior season of Nebraska's latest commit, 2027 wide receiver Tay Ellis and what Bellaire still wants to see from the dynamic pass-catcher through the offseason and his senior season. 2:00 Breaking down elite 2026 CB Danny Odem 7:00 Breaking down 2026 four-star OT Claude Mpouma 12:45 Breaking down 2026 rising RB Jamal Rule 19:00 Breaking down elite 2027 QB Trae Taylor 27:30 Breaking down newest Nebraska WR commit Tay Ellis   Subscribe for Nebraska football and recruiting: nebraska.rivals.com Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NebraskaRivals Follow us on Instagram: @NebraskaRivals #Nebraska #NebraskaFootball #NebraskaCornhuskers #GBR #HuskerFootball

Today's message explores how your personal choices shape your emotional health and your ability to build meaningful, connected relationships. Using the powerful story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18–19, we uncover what happens when our lives swing between emotional highs and deep lows, and how God restores us to balance. Elijah stood fearless on Mount Carmel—then crashed into fear, exhaustion, and loneliness. God met him through rest, nourishment, direction, and a gentle whisper, showing us the path back to emotional, spiritual, and relational health. In this sermon, you'll learn: ✔ How dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin affect your mood and relationships ✔ Why unhealthy habits create emotional spikes and loneliness ✔ How to build a “healthy dopamine pie chart” that brings connection, not emptiness ✔ Why compulsive behaviors leave you drained ✔ How God uses rest, truth, and community to heal your heart ✔ That you are never alone, even when you feel like Elijah ✔ How cultivating God-honoring habits builds healthier relationships If you're ready to leave loneliness behind and make decisions that lead to joy, balance, and deeper connection—this message will encourage and challenge you.

Mount Carmel looks in dominant form. Can any of the other three teams remaining in the field topple them? Steve Soucie breaks down the semifinal round of the 2025 IHSA Class 8A Playoffs.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Fr. Joseph Dalimata, FSSP, serves as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Littleton (Denver), Colorado. He was ordained in May of 2021. In Today's Show: What do we do when our adult children become critical of us parents?  Why do priests wear shoes on the altar when God told Moses not to wear sandals on holy ground? Can we save those who have committed suicide? How do I respond to my family who plans to make mementos out of ashes? Can candles be blessed in the old rite outside of Candlemas? How do priests stay motivated in their line of work? How can we hear God's voice in adoration? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Mount Carmel dominated Lincoln-Way East, Nazareth rallied to stun Lake Zurich and Fenwick controlled Burlington Central to set up a 6A semifinal between the Roadrunners and Friars. Montini won its 22nd straight game and Providence knocked off top seed Washington.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Nine CCL/ESCC schools, including defending champions Mount Carmel, Nazareth and Montini will be competing in the IHSA state football semifinals this weekend. Below are all of the semifinal matchups featuring CCL/ESCC teams.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Mount Carmel dominated Lincoln-Way East, Nazareth rallied to stun Lake Zurich and Fenwick controlled Burlington Central to set up a 6A semifinal between the Roadrunners and Friars. Montini won its 22nd straight game and Providence knocked off top seed Washington.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Nine CCL/ESCC schools, including defending champions Mount Carmel, Nazareth and Montini will be competing in the IHSA state football semifinals this weekend. Below are all of the semifinal matchups featuring CCL/ESCC teams.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

In this sermon from The Mountain Church, the pastor examines the Elijah-Elisha narrative to reveal how God breaks isolation through generosity and service. He highlights that Elisha—a successful farmer with no religious background—responded to God's calling by immediately abandoning his livelihood, sacrificing his oxen, and humbly serving Elijah before becoming a prophet himself. The core message emphasizes that God's anointing first leads to serving others rather than authority, encouraging listeners to find mentors, gain wisdom through humble service, and embrace Jesus's model of leadership as foot-washing rather than power-wielding.

Mount Carmel has an immense amount of talent on its roster but is still looking to put it all together. It wasn't perfect on Saturday either, but got pretty close in a 48-7 dominance of Lincoln-Way East in the Class 8A quarterfinals.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

“The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook.” (1 Kings 17:6 NLT) When the Bible says that ravens brought Elijah food each morning and evening, it doesn’t mean that they took his order, flew through the local fast-food restaurant, and then delivered his meal. Ravens are scavengers. They brought little bits of meat and bread to Elijah. What’s more, the water in the brook from which he drank would have been somewhat polluted. So, Elijah didn’t enjoy an idyllic situation by any stretch of the imagination. How easily Elijah could have said, “Well, Lord, I don’t really want to be in this crummy little place, drinking river water. I kind of like being in front of people. I like the limelight.” But the Lord was preparing Elijah for something beyond his wildest dreams. Not long after his sojourn by the brook, Elijah found himself standing on Mount Carmel, engaged in a great showdown with the false prophets of Baal (see 1 Kings 18:20–40). Sometimes we don’t like where God has put us. We say, “Lord, I don’t like this situation. I don’t like where I am. I want to do something great for You. I want to make a difference in my world.” Maybe the Lord wants you to be effective right where you are. Maybe He wants you to take advantage of the opportunities in front of you and be faithful in the little things. Who knows what God has in store for you? One theme that works its way through Scripture is that God’s people are blessed when they trust in His timing and plan. The author of Proverbs advised, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:5–6 NLT). God Himself said, “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28–31 NLT). The apostle Paul offered this reminder: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT). And the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT). If God has you by some muddy little brook, so to speak, just hang in there. Make the most of the season you’re in. Be faithful, do what He has already told you, and wait on Him and His timing. God will do something wonderful for you or with you. Just be available and open to do what He would have you do. Reflection question: How can you thrive in the place you are right now? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mount Carmel and Lincoln-Way East are set to collide in a Class 8A quarterfinal matchup. Brother Rice continued its dominance in 7A and will battle St. Charles North in the quarterfinals. Fenwick cruised into the 6A quarterfinals and will take on Burlington Central.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

CCL/ESCC football players from Mount Carmel, Marist, Nazareth, Fenwick, Joliet Catholic, Providence, St. Francis, Marian Catholic, Montini and IC Catholic Prep were named to the 2025 IHSFCA All-State team. Quentin Burrell, Jake Cestone and Israel Abrams were among the winners.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Mount Carmel and Lincoln-Way East are set to square off in the Class 8A state quarterfinals. Defending champions Nazareth and Montini are still in the hunt after two rounds. Here are all of the quarterfinal matchups featuring CCL/ESCC programs.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Teaching from Sunday AM service by Pastor Jeff Miles

2 Kings 4:14–20 (ESV) And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” He said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her. When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.Exceptional Promises Are The Norm For Kingdom Participants.Belief in God is goodFollowing Jesus is the starting pointThat will take you into a Journey of Kingdom ParticipationWe still live in the worldWe have a new KingWe have a new lawWe have a new way of livingWe have a new familyWe have a new missionWe have a new economyWhile the decision to follow Jesus unlocks salvation but participation in Kingdom, and taking Kingdom ground unlocks a next level experience in all arenas of life.2 Kings 4:8–10 (ESV) One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”Matthew 16:16–19 (ESV) Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”Promises Received Are Promises At Risk.2 Kings 4:20 (ESV) And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.“God… I thought you were giving me this amazing promise and now you are taking it away???” Your promise is always at risk and you must protect it.The Attacks You Will Face:Pushback Of This WorldSin & StupidityAttack By Worldly HatersAttacks On Kingdom PlayersThe Same Kingdom Participation It Took To Receive The Promise Is The Same Kingdom Participation It Will Take To Maintain The PromiseShe could have given up, appreciative for what was done, surrendering the full promise for a full life.She should have become an emotional disaster and added to the problemShe could have called for natural help2 Kings 4:22–25 (ESV) Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.” And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.” Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite.She could have leaned on her own spiritual strengthInstead she tapped into the flow of what brought the promise in the first place.Hebrews 10:39 (ESV) But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.Philippians 3:16 (ESV) Only let us hold true to what we have attained.Elisha's ability to deliver results required him to be a Kingdom participant

Is this a contest between gods? Come Bible Study WITH ME through 1 Kings 18 and ask all the questions!

A total of 12 CCL/ESCC football teams advanced to the second round of the 2025 IHSA state playoffs. Among the teams still in the hunt for state titles are defending champions Mount Carmel, Nazareth and Montini.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Today we continue our study of Elijah's ministry. Elijah's Ministry     ⁃    Prediction and Provision - no rain or dew     ⁃    Contest at Mount Carmel the time of drought ends in a contest     ⁃    Encounter at Mount Horeb     ⁃    Word at Naboth's Vineyard     ⁃    Elijah taken to heaven We pick up the story from last week, at the contest at Mount Carmel where we learn that Jezebel has promised to kill Elijah. After the threat, Elijah, fearful for his life, travels forty days to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai). Pastor shares several possibilities for the location of this mount leaning towards today's Jabal al Maqla.  Elijah makes it to Mt. Horeb and he is discouraged and fearful and exhausted and we read of his depression in 1 Kings 19:9-10. He ends this verse saying, "I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."  God's response is, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord for the Lord is about to pass by." Divine Encounter     ⁃    Wind comes - but the Lord was not in the wind     ⁃    Earthquake comes - but the Lord was not in the earthquake     ⁃    Fire comes - but the Lord was not in the fire     ⁃    Gentle whisper comes - the Lord speaks of Elijah's assignment.  Elijah thinks of himself as a failure and wants to give up, but God tells him He has more for him to do, that he is not to give up. Mission: Anointing     ⁃    Elijah is told to anoint Hazael as king over Aram     ⁃    He is told to anoint Jehu over Israel     ⁃    He is told to anoint Elisha as his successor Then God assures Elijah that he is not alone and tells him that there are 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed down to Baal. Elijah obeys God's commands and leaves Mt. Horeb and he comes to Elisha working in the field and Elijah anoints him. Elijah now has a partner for the rest of his ministry time on earth. This may have been as long as 10 years together. God gives Elijah a word of judgement to give to King Ahab. Ahab's response was to tear his clothes, put on sackcloth and fast. And because Ahab humbled himself in repentance, God withheld the judgement saying, "I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son" God relents, because He is gracious and He desires all people come to Him.  God responds when we repent. At the end of Elijah's ministry Elijah is one of two people mentioned in the Bible who were taken alive to heaven. We read in 2 Kings 2:11-12 "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, 'My father, My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!' And Elisha saw Elijah no more." Elijah's Legacy     ⁃    Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6)      ⁃    Gabriel and Zechariah (Luke 1:17)     ⁃    Elijah who was to come (Matthew 11;13-14)     ⁃    Transfiguration of Jess (Matthew 17:2-3)     ⁃    Prayer life of Elijah (James 5:17-18) A big takeaway from Elijah's story is that we are to follow God no matter what comes our way, no matter what may be happening in our lives or in the world around us because God is faithful and He knows how to defend and take care His own. Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class Join us Sundays  https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

What if the loudest moment of faith isn't when fire falls, but when we quietly choose to believe before anything happens?In this episode of Transfiguration Prayer: Where Heaven Meets Here, Tosha Williams leads us to look at the prophet Elijah's journey from Mount Carmel to the Mount of Transfiguration and discover how his hidden life with God produced public courage that turned hearts back. Elijah's story teaches us that faith grows in the asking and strengthens in the believing, especially when our prayers aim for God's glory rather than our own wins.Step by step, we trace Elijah's believing prayers: oil that never ran out, a child raised, a nation called back. Each miracle points to Jesus' words in Mark 11:24:  “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, BELIEVE that you have received it, and it will be yours.”Together we will look at Elijah's example and consider how to live that kind of faith today. We want to guard against name-it-claim-it shortcuts while still taking Jesus at His Word and letting expectancy shape how we ask. Along the way, we talk about how private communion fuels public courage, how panic gives way to peace in God's presence, and how steady trust becomes contagious faith that others can see and follow.From there, we lift our eyes beyond the prophet to Christ. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father says, “Listen to Him,” redirecting our focus to the One who fulfills everything Mount Carmel foreshadowed. Jesus doesn't just call down fire; He becomes the sacrifice that bridges the gap and turns hearts back for good.That's why devotion-driven discipleship matters. When our Seek Him becomes our Speak Him, legacy takes root. Children, friends, and neighbors learn to believe God for more because they see it in us.Ready to step into expectant prayer and a bolder, brighter faith? Spend some time in the accompanying devotion-driven discipleship guide, and spend time with God about what He wants to say to YOU through the prophet Elijah's example. The guide can be found at Elijah Teaches Us to Believe in Prayer.______________________The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media. Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Without a doubt, the biggest threat to ancient Israel's worship of Yahweh was the rival demon-god Baal, regarded as the chief of all Canaanite deities. The allure of Baal worship was the promise of profit and prosperity. I've chosen four words that tell the story of the showdown between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and frame our role in modern culture.I. Courage (vv. 16-17)II. Contest (vv. 20-40)III. Confrontation (v. 21)IV. Cause (v. 36)Talk with God: Meditate on Matthew 6:24 and ask the Lord to reveal the areas of your life in which you're trying to “serve two masters.”Talk with others: Encourage a fellow believer to keep their eyes on Jesus, no matter what they're walking through this week.Talk with kids: Why was it wrong for Saul to make the burnt offering?

1 Kings 18. There are many Bible stories that involve a mountain. This chapter in 1 Kings recounts the time Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. In this study, Evangelist Gavin Williams examines how God demonstrated His power on Mount Carmel and rained His blessings on Elijah and the people.

Emmett Dowling threw two long touchdown passes to Marshaun Thornton and Mount Carmel knocked off three-time defending 8A champion Loyola 21-17 to remain undefeated in its quest for a fourth straight state title.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/friday-night-drive--3534096/support.

Pastor opens today's class with the words from Psalm 135:15-18 "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." We will see the truth of these words in today's study. Elijah' Days: Most of this prophet's ministry was during the height of King Ahab in the north in Israel and King Jehoshaphat in the south in Judah. His name, Elijah, is even prophetic. In Hebrew it literally means, my God is Jehovah. ⁃ A time of great apostasy - under Ahab and Jezebel there was an attempt to get rid of any semblance of worship of the Living God and to supplant God with the worship of Baal. ⁃ A prophet of great faith (Elijah) ⁃ A man of insignificance (very little is know about him, was he even an Israelite?) ⁃ A time of great danger for believers. Ahab and Jezebel sought to destroy God's prophets. ⁃ A ministry of great impact Elijah's ministry is recorded in 1 Kings 17-19, 21 2 Kings 1-2 2 Chronicles 21 Elijah's Ministry: ⁃ Prediction and Provision (1 Kings 17) Elijah speaks that there will not be rain or dew for the next few years. This is a direct attack on King Ahab's gods. And the drought begins. Elijah goes into hiding. There are some great stories of God's miraculous provision for Elijah during the famine. ⁃ Contest at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18-19) God tells Elijah 3 years after the drought started that he was to go to Ahab and tell him that God would send rain. Elijah confronts Ahab about abandoning God and says for Ahab and his people and 850 prophets of Baal to meet him, a prophet of God, at Mt. Carmel and offers them the choice to follow God or Baal. Elijah is severely outnumbered against 850 false prophets, but the contest begins. ⁃ The Contest - those prophets worshiping Baal were told to pray to Baal for Baal to bring fire onto their altar, but it never comes. Elijah then builds his altar of 12 stones (1 for each tribe of Israel), slaughters the bull and then covers the altar in water and at 3pm he prays to God and the fire of the Lord falls on Elijah's altar. When the people see this they fall and cry out, "The Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God!" They destroy the false prophets, and the rains start falling. ⁃ The Aftermath - Elijah runs to Jezreel (the summer palace) where Jezebel threatens him saying she is going to ensure he is killed. Elijah becomes fearful and runs for his life. He hides in the wilderness and becomes very discouraged and depressed. He tells God that he's had enough, and to take his life. Then an angel of the Lord comes and tells him to head to Mt. Sinai where the Lord will appear to him. Join us next week as we continue our study of Elijah! Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Today on the Back Porch (Part 3 of our Mountain & Valley series), Lisa, Allison, and Dr. Jim Howard walk through the theology of peaks and valleys, from Elijah's bold stand on Mount Carmel to his post-victory crash in 1 Kings 19.  Along the way, we explore how God meets our fatigue and grief with rest, renewal, and the gift of community. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and join us on the porch!

Can indecision hold your spiritual life hostage? We explore this compelling question by diving into the dramatic biblical story of Elijah's confrontation with King Ahab and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. This narrative underscores the vital importance of making firm choices and committing to God, especially amidst life's uncertainties. Drawing from the profound insights in James, we emphasize the necessity of seeking God's wisdom to overcome the paralysis of indecision, as wavering beliefs can lead us astray. As we navigate the "valley of decision," inspired by Joel chapter 3, we confront the internal struggles and fears that accompany choice-making. Indecision often stems from fear of the consequences, but recognizing the urgency and judgment that awaits can spur us to action. Here, we learn the importance of taking self-inventory and pursuing wisdom, while considering the eternal consequences of our choices. With examples from notable figures like Charlie Kirk and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we discuss the transformative power of living for God and the courage required to embrace truth and self-denial. Finally, we reflect on the essence of choosing to live by faith, inspired by the teachings of both scripture and the lives of those who have walked the path before us. Through prayer and seeking God's guidance, we can find the strength to become not just hearers, but doers of the word. Join us as we explore how each decision impacts not only our lives but also future generations, reminding ourselves of the peace and direction found in committing wholeheartedly to faith. Where to dive in: (00:08) Decide (12:32) Valley of Decision and Consequences (22:40) Seeking God's Wisdom for Decision Making (36:51) Choosing to Live for God (44:18) Deciding to Live by Faith (57:07) Choose You This Day (01:05:51) Finding God's Guidance Through Faith Next steps: - Spend Time in the Word: Read the passages mentioned today: 1 Kings 18, James 1, Joel 3, and Joshua 24. - Reflect on what it means to choose God daily — not just in belief, but in every decision. - Ask God for Wisdom Daily: Make it part of your morning routine to say, “Lord, give me wisdom for what's ahead.” Let that simple prayer be your first step toward clarity and peace. - Share This Message: If this episode encouraged you, send it to a friend or family member who might also feel stuck between choices. Sometimes, your obedience opens the door for someone else's freedom. About your host: Jaime Luce' testimony has daunting personal mountains and treacherous financial valleys. She was trapped in day-to-day stress and couldn't see a way forward. But how she started is not how she finished! And she wants you to know God has a plan for your life too, no matter how tough it seems. Today, Jaime has been married to the love of her life for almost three decades, owns two companies, and has become an author and podcaster. God's way is always the blessed way! Free chapter of Jaime's new book: You Don't Need Money, You Just Need God: https://jaimeluce.com/book/ Connect: - Website: https://jaimeluce.com - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaime.luces.page - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaime_luce/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaime-luce-00395691/