Podcasts about My God

Read OnlineThe Most Perfect DiscipleThe mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” Luke 8:19–21In biblical Greek, the word translated as “brothers” can refer not only to biological siblings but also to close relatives, kinsmen, or even spiritual brethren, depending on the context. For example, the Greek translation of Genesis 13:8 describes Abraham and Lot as “brothers,” even though Lot is Abraham's nephew. In Acts 1:15, Peter stood up in the midst of the “brothers,” referring to the larger group of about 120 gathered disciples. And in Romans 1:13, Saint Paul addresses his “brothers” in Rome, meaning all the believers gathered in that city.Therefore, when we read that Jesus' mother and His “brothers” came to see Him, the Church has always maintained that this is not a reference to biological siblings—since Jesus is the only Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary—but to extended relatives, likely from Nazareth, such as cousins or other close kin.Nonetheless, at first glance, another point of confusion could arise from this passage. It might appear that Jesus is distancing Himself not only from His extended kin, but even from His own mother. But is that the case? Certainly not. In fact, a clearer spiritual reading of this passage reveals quite the opposite.Considering the Blessed Virgin Mary's arrival and Jesus' statement that “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it,” who better fulfills this than His own mother? No one. Though she was conceived in grace, receiving the singular privilege of being preserved from original sin from the first moment of her existence, she still possessed free will. Like Adam and Eve—who were created in a state of original innocence—Mary could have freely chosen to turn from God in selfishness and sin. But she didn't.Throughout her life, the Mother of God, who was conceived immaculately, chose, by her free will, to cooperate with grace in every moment. Furthermore, unlike Lucifer—who, according to tradition, saw the glory of his being and desired to exalt himself as god—Mary, seeing the glory of her Immaculate Heart, chose the path of humility and perfect obedience. She never exalted herself but always magnified the Lord.Today's Gospel, in fact, highlights a central mystery and glory of her life: her humility. Jesus knew her humility. As her divine Son, He knew her better than she knew herself. He created her and loved her with the perfection of divine love. Out of that love, He revealed her hidden sanctity by speaking a truth that many might misunderstand but that she, in her simplicity and grace, would fully understand. That truth Jesus spoke would be proclaimed for all eternity: She, more than anyone else, heard the Word of God and acted upon it.This statement is glorious because it highlights Mary's virtue and reveals the depth of her relationship with Jesus. Their bond was not merely biological. She was not first and foremost His mother because she gave birth to Him but because she heard His Word and responded to it with perfect fidelity. That is why she is the most perfect disciple.While it would be an unimaginable gift to be Jesus' mother or one of His biological relatives, Jesus uses this moment to extend an even greater invitation to all of us to become His spiritual kin. He opens the door for all to share in the dignity of divine kinship by listening to His Word and putting it into practice. This is not a lesser calling; it is the very heart of Christian discipleship.Reflect today on the sublime vocation to which you are called. You may not have carried Christ in your womb, but you are invited to carry Him in your heart through grace and obedience. Hear His Word. Cherish it. Act upon it. In doing so, you will not only become a disciple, you will become family and a more perfect disciple.My God and Brother, You have invited us into the family of God, not by blood but by grace and obedience. May I always live up to this calling, never seeking to elevate myself through pride, but choosing instead to humble myself in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May she, my spiritual mother, be my model of perfect love and my guide in true familial union with You. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image via Adobe StockSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Morning lessons: Psalms 22; 1 Kings 1; Ephesians 5:18-33.  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and are so far from my cry, and from the words of my complaint?

“Do you have any crosses without the little man on it?” That’s a real question a woman once asked in a jewelry store. And it says more about how we’ve sanitized the cross today than we’d like to admit.In this message, Pastor Greg Laurie walks us through the darkest hour in human history—and the love that held Jesus there. Notes: Luke 23 The cross was not a fashion statement.It was the most scandalous, horrifying symbol imaginable. Next to Christ’s arrival in Bethlehem, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are the most important events in human history. At the cross, God and man were reconciled. God's righteous demands were satisfied. It's not an accident that when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He pointed us straight back to the cross, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Read 1 Corinthians 15:14–17 But here's the good news: Jesus did die, and He did rise again.And because of that, we know there really is life beyond the grave. That's what sets our faith apart from every other religion. The cross was not an accident, but a plan. God’s plan.Acts 2:23 The cross wasn't a detour from Jesus’ mission.It was the mission. Before there was a Bethlehem, there was a Calvary. Before there was a crown of thorns, a decision was made. Romans 5:8 (KJV)While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. John 10:18 (NIV)“No one takes My life from me, but I lay it down of My own accord” Christ’s road to the cross ran through a series of illegal and rigged hearings. Read Luke 23:26, 32–33 Simon from Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus. A garrison was 600 elite Roman legionnaires. Matthew 26:53 (NIV)“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Jesus had access to more than 70,000 angels. God placed Simon there to have the greatest privilege: to ease the pain of Jesus momentarily as he carried His cross. This brush with Jesus changed Simon forever. Read Luke 23:33–43 The Romans did not invent crucifixion, but they took it to another level. Rome perfected it into a science of suffering. It was a punishment designed to produce the slowest possible death with the greatest possible pain. Crucifixion was death by suffocation. A crucified person might survive for hours, sometimes days. Your arms tire, and your chest can no longer expand to breathe.Therefore, you must push up against the nail in your feet to pull in another breath. THE SEVEN STATEMENTS FROM THE CROSS:1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).2. “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). 3. “Woman, behold your son! Son, behold your mother” (John 19:26).4. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).5. “I thirst” (John 19:28).6. “It is finished” (John 19:30).7. “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46). Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” Our sins put Jesus on the cross. Acts 2:36 (NKJV)“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” That first prayer from the cross, “Father, forgive them,” was ultimately answered.Thousands of those very people were cut to the heart, turned, and believed. No one is beyond the reach of prayer. The two criminals couldn't have escaped their crosses.Jesus could have escaped His with a single word to Heaven. No one is beyond the reach of God, not even a hardened criminal. Believing in Jesus can happen in a flash. Read Luke 23:40–42 This man, only moments old in his new faith, had amazing insight.He knew Jesus was the Son of God and would be going to His kingdom. Luke 23:43 (NIV)“Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 9:23 (ESV)“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” The cross means dying to self. Luke 9:24 (NIV)“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.” The world says, “Find yourself.”Jesus says, “Lose yourself.” Losing your life for His sake isn't the loss of everything.It's the discovery of everything that matters. Isaiah 53:10 (NKJV)It pleased the LORD to bruise Him. Jesus died to show His love for us. If you are ever tempted to doubt God’s love for you, look at the cross. Jesus died to absorb the wrath of God. Jesus suffered and died to provide our forgiveness and justification. Christianity says, “Done!”Jesus said, “It is finished; it is accomplished!” Christ’s love for you and me held Him to the cross. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Do you have any crosses without the little man on it?” That’s a real question a woman once asked in a jewelry store. And it says more about how we’ve sanitized the cross today than we’d like to admit.In this message, Pastor Greg Laurie walks us through the darkest hour in human history—and the love that held Jesus there. Notes: Luke 23 The cross was not a fashion statement.It was the most scandalous, horrifying symbol imaginable. Next to Christ’s arrival in Bethlehem, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are the most important events in human history. At the cross, God and man were reconciled. God's righteous demands were satisfied. It's not an accident that when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He pointed us straight back to the cross, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Read 1 Corinthians 15:14–17 But here's the good news: Jesus did die, and He did rise again.And because of that, we know there really is life beyond the grave. That's what sets our faith apart from every other religion. The cross was not an accident, but a plan. God’s plan.Acts 2:23 The cross wasn't a detour from Jesus’ mission.It was the mission. Before there was a Bethlehem, there was a Calvary. Before there was a crown of thorns, a decision was made. Romans 5:8 (KJV)While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. John 10:18 (NIV)“No one takes My life from me, but I lay it down of My own accord” Christ’s road to the cross ran through a series of illegal and rigged hearings. Read Luke 23:26, 32–33 Simon from Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus. A garrison was 600 elite Roman legionnaires. Matthew 26:53 (NIV)“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Jesus had access to more than 70,000 angels. God placed Simon there to have the greatest privilege: to ease the pain of Jesus momentarily as he carried His cross. This brush with Jesus changed Simon forever. Read Luke 23:33–43 The Romans did not invent crucifixion, but they took it to another level. Rome perfected it into a science of suffering. It was a punishment designed to produce the slowest possible death with the greatest possible pain. Crucifixion was death by suffocation. A crucified person might survive for hours, sometimes days. Your arms tire, and your chest can no longer expand to breathe.Therefore, you must push up against the nail in your feet to pull in another breath. THE SEVEN STATEMENTS FROM THE CROSS:1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).2. “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). 3. “Woman, behold your son! Son, behold your mother” (John 19:26).4. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).5. “I thirst” (John 19:28).6. “It is finished” (John 19:30).7. “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46). Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” Our sins put Jesus on the cross. Acts 2:36 (NKJV)“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” That first prayer from the cross, “Father, forgive them,” was ultimately answered.Thousands of those very people were cut to the heart, turned, and believed. No one is beyond the reach of prayer. The two criminals couldn't have escaped their crosses.Jesus could have escaped His with a single word to Heaven. No one is beyond the reach of God, not even a hardened criminal. Believing in Jesus can happen in a flash. Read Luke 23:40–42 This man, only moments old in his new faith, had amazing insight.He knew Jesus was the Son of God and would be going to His kingdom. Luke 23:43 (NIV)“Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 9:23 (ESV)“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” The cross means dying to self. Luke 9:24 (NIV)“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.” The world says, “Find yourself.”Jesus says, “Lose yourself.” Losing your life for His sake isn't the loss of everything.It's the discovery of everything that matters. Isaiah 53:10 (NKJV)It pleased the LORD to bruise Him. Jesus died to show His love for us. If you are ever tempted to doubt God’s love for you, look at the cross. Jesus died to absorb the wrath of God. Jesus suffered and died to provide our forgiveness and justification. Christianity says, “Done!”Jesus said, “It is finished; it is accomplished!” Christ’s love for you and me held Him to the cross. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House of Praise, Life of Power September 6, 2026 Elwyn N. Johnston Psalm 100 Verse of the Week: “Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3 1. Worship God for His worth, not just His works “Know that the Lord Himself is God” Psalm 100:3 “For the Lord is good” Psalm 100:5 “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God” Isaiah 45:5 “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:6 “I am the Lord, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:18 “there is no other God besides Me” Isaiah 45:21 “magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” Luke 1:46 & 47 “those who know Your name put their trust in You” Psalm 9:10 “Trust in Him at all times…God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8 “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 2. Worship is a weapon “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.” Acts 16:25 & 26 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me….I cry by day, but You do not answer” Psalm 22: 1 & 2 “enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Job 13:15 “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my [mortal] skin is destroyed [by death], yet from my [immortal] flesh I will see God” Job 19:25 & 26 “when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha.” 2 Kings 3:15 “Make this valley full of ditches…You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water” 2 Kings 3:16 & 17 “It happened in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.” 2 Kings 3:20

As your parents get older, they love to tell those stories again, and again, and again. We've enjoyed hearing some of the family stories that my wife's dad had to tell. And, you know what? It filled in a lot of blanks, as we tried to put together the history of the last couple of generations. We asked him once about that little girl named Ada. My wife's grandfather, Granddad Glenn, had one child – her dad. And he wanted a sister! So, Granddad Glenn traveled from their small town to a major city to check out the adoption possibilities at an orphanage there. I don't know if he was prepared for the reception he got there. Everywhere he went, children asked him if they could go home with him. But there was this one dark-haired, dark-eyed little girl who just would not leave his side. Her name was Ada. She wouldn't let go of Granddad's hand, and she kept looking up at him with her big brown eyes and begging him, “Please let me go home with you. Please take me.” He did. And my wife's dad got his sister. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Orphan in Your Heart.” The heart of an orphan desperately reaching for someone to love and take care of her. Maybe that's a feeling you know even though you're not physically an orphan. But life can get pretty lonely; relationships that were supposed to bring you love and happiness ended up bringing disappointment and hurt. You live enough years, there's a good chance you end up feeling abandoned at some point, left out, rejected, alone – even with a lot of people around you. And the biggest mistakes we make in our life are often mistakes we make for love. We keep reaching for a hand that might offer love and saying, “Take me. If you do, I'll be OK.” But we've never really been totally OK. No love has ever been enough love, and sometimes we've paid too high a price to get someone to take us. It's this orphan feeling in the human heart that Jesus Christ speaks to in our word for today from the Word of God, recorded in John 14:18. He says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Jesus says, “I can give you the ‘never leave you' love that your heart's always been hungry for.'” Actually, He's the only one who can finally bring us spiritual orphans home. The loneliness we just keep feeling is ultimately cosmic loneliness. We're lonely for God. Why? Well, He made us for His love and we've left Him. It isn't that we don't have a Father. We feel like emotional and spiritual orphans because we've never begun a relationship with this Father who loves us so very much. In Isaiah 53:6, God describes how we have missed His love. It says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” Our sin – our "my way" living has cut us off from the love we were made for, and only Jesus could bring us back. The rest of that verse says, “The Lord laid on him (that's Jesus) the wrongdoing of us all.” In other words, Jesus died on the cross, carrying all the guilt and all the hell of all your sin and mine. That's why He cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Reason: He was cut off from His Father so you would never have to be cut off from Him again. And now He's reaching out His hand for you to offer you the relationship – the love you were made for. The question is, “Are you going to reach back?” Won't you grab the hand of Jesus and tell Him, “Lord, take me. You're this orphan's only hope. You died for me. I am yours. I want to be a child of the Heavenly Father, born into His family this day because of what You did on the cross for me.” Listen, if that's where your heart is, go to our website. It has all the information you need to confirm that you belong to God through Jesus. That website is ANewStory.com. Your Heavenly Father has come to where you are today to bring you into His family, to bring you home to His love. Like a little orphan many years ago, reach up and say, “Take me.” Oh He will. And you will be an orphan no more.

In our hymn for this weekend we study a hymn by the "Prince of Hymnwriters," Charles Wesley. Wesley wrote over 6,500 hymns and is probably second only to Isaac Watts in both the number of hymns written, as well as the mass use of those hymn in churches since that time.  We are studying his hymn: "Jesus, My Truth, My Way" (TLH 433) from the Trust section of our hymnal. His hymn is a beautiful depiction of Jesus as seen and declared in Scripture. He is our Truth, Way, Light, Wisdom, Guide, Counselor, Power, Help, Refuge, Fortress, Tower, Sure Abode, Horn, Rock, Buckler (Shield), Savior, and God!  The hymn also reminds us that we are weak and powerless to save ourselves. This is why we need Jesus and His work of salvation. Wesley writes: "Myself I cannot save, Myself I cannot keep, But strength in Thee I surely have whose eyelids never sleep." (Verse 5) "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Psalm 18:2) We rejoice that we have a Savior in Jesus who is our security in this life and the life to come. Thanks be to God for the peace we have with Him as our Refuge and Strength! 

My God, Connect Me to Strategic Helpers! "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20 Have you ever felt the aching void of loneliness while navigating life's challenges, wondering who will stand beside you in your journey? In moments of struggle, it becomes clear that we don't just need guidance; we need God-ordained relationships — those strategic helpers who propel us toward our divine destiny. And I am sure the great author of our lives will equip us with friends like Barnabas in the Bible and will connect us to those significant alliances that will shape our calling. Scripture firmly roots this truth in Proverbs 13:20: "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." The story of Ruth is a beautiful testament to the power of strategic connections; Ruth's alliance with Naomi led to her purpose being fulfilled, ultimately bringing her into the lineage of Christ. Similarly, Acts 9:27 speaks of Barnabas standing by Saul, advocating for him when others were hesitant. It reminds us that God often uses people to help reveal and refine our true calling. Acts 9:27 says, "But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus." As you reflect on your own life, think about the connections you need to cultivate or even invite into your circle. Are there individuals you've yet to meet, or perhaps existing relationships that need nurturing? God is in the business of orchestrating divine connections, and you may be just one prayer away from encountering the very people who will ignite your purpose. Align your heart to seek these relationships; let this be your prayer: “Lord, open my eyes to see my strategic helpers and give me the courage to embrace these connections.” I decree and declare over you that divine relationships shall flood into your life, mirroring the faith shown by Barnabas in supporting Saul. May the Holy Spirit lead you to those who will uplift and advance your calling, friends who will stand firm with you in faith and purpose. Just as Barnabas nurtured Paul, know that you are destined for significant partnerships that will create a ripple effect of purpose. Amen. Proverbs 9:9 says, "Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning." Amen. Prayer for the Day!Heavenly Father, thank You for the people You've placed in our lives and the ones yet to come. Orchestrate divine connections and covenant friendships that will advance our purpose and refine our calling. Holy Spirit, let Your presence guide us to those strategic helpers who will walk with us in faith. In Jesus name. Amen. https://maglife.org

The internet used to make a simple promise: create something valuable, get discovered, and earn the visit. That promise is disappearing as Google answers questions on the results page, social platforms suppress outbound links, and AI tools summarize sources without sending them traffic. Rand Fishkin, CEO and cofounder of SparkToro, joins Rachel Truair to ask whether adapting to this zero-click era also helps cement it. Rand explains why attribution rewards the platforms that capture demand rather than the channels that create it, what marketers should measure instead, and why falling traffic may push the industry back toward brand, creativity, and work people genuinely remember.The question underneath it all: when every rational marketing decision sends us deeper into closed platforms, are we surviving a broken internet or helping break it?QuotesThe zero-click playbook"Your job is to go to the places where your audience pays attention."When AI gives you an answer without the source"Check for the source every time. My God, you can't trust those things."Brand building in a zero-click world"Brand building is about being present in people's sort of daily lives and habits."From the conversationHow Google Ads can take credit for demand created by a podcast, PR, content, or an event - and why that distorts the next budget decisionWhy zero-click search has accelerated since 2024 as Google, social networks, and AI tools increasingly answer without sending trafficWhat replaces traffic and attribution: finding where an audience pays attention, creating for that environment, and measuring lift and incrementalityWhy the zero-click era may revive brand building, creative risk, and the kinds of marketing that dashboards struggle to proveWhy websites remain essential even as visits decline, and why Rand now believes "don't build your home on rented land" is outdated adviceAbout the guestRand Fishkin is CEO and cofounder of three companies: SparkToro, makers of fine audience research software, pun-filled Google Alerts alternative Alertmouse, and indie game developer Snackbar Studio.He's the co-author (with Amanda Natividad) of the upcoming Zero Click Marketing and 2018's Lost and Founder. When Rand's not working, he's usually traveling with or cooking a fancy meal for the love of his life, bestselling author Geraldine DeRuiter.Rand was, in a past life, the CEO/cofounder of Moz, and Inbound.org. He's keynoted hundreds of events around the world on marketing, technology, and entrepreneurship and his research has been cited by the US DOJ, FTC, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Economist, alongside thousands of other publications.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin/

Send us Fan MailDo not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 Why do we behave irrationally?Our strongest thoughts are steering our lives.What comes into your mind—Comes out in your life.Cannot have a positive life with a negative mind.Don't control what you think—Never control what you do. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix yourthoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Phil 4:8 NLT  meditate on these things. Phil 4:8 NKJV Meditation: To engage in mental exercise; tofocus one's thoughts. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. Ps 119:15 … I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. Ps 143:5 What stronghold is holding you back?What truth demolishes that stronghold?Write it—Think it—Confess it—Until you believe it.Here is a Daily Confession of Faith for you to use!I am strong and mighty. I have the same power that raised Christ from the dead dwelling inside of me. I am a weapon of righteousness in a world of darkness. I am not my past. I am not what I did. I am who God says I am. He says I am forgiven. He says I am redeemed. He says I am free. I am not a hostage to unhealthy thoughts. The weapons I fight with are not the weapons of this world. I have divine power to demolish strongholds.  I have the mind of Christ directing my thoughts. I have the Word of God guiding my steps. I demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. I take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.  My God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.  The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid! Jesus is first in my life. I exist to serve and glorify Him.I love my wife and will lay down my life to serve her.My children will love God and serve Him with their whole hearts. I will nurture, equip, train, and empower the people around me to do more for His kingdom than they can imagine.I love people and believe the best about others.I am disciplined. Christ in me is stronger than the wrong desires in me.I am growing closer to Jesus every day. Because of Christ, my family is closer, my body is stronger, my faith is deeper, and my leadership is sharper.I am anointed, empowered, equipped and called to reach people far from God.I am creative, innovative, driven, focused, and blessed beyond measure—because the Holy Spirit dwells within me.(*) My words, thoughts, and imaginations are under the power of Christ. I take all thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.I wake up with purpose, direction, and meaning every day of my life.Pain is my friend. I rejoice in suffering because Christ suffered for me.I bring my best—and then some. It's what I bring after I do my best that makes the difference.The world will be different and better because I served Jesus today. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discussion Questions:Have you ever had a moment where you thought, “Why did I do that? I know better than this.” What do you think was happening underneath the behavior?What experiences, messages, relationships, or repeated circumstances can create unhealthy “wiring” in the way we think?Sometimes dysfunctional thinking becomes so familiar that it feels normal. What are some thoughts people commonly accept as “just the way I am” that may actually need to be challenged?Why is taking control of our thoughts different from simply trying harder to behave better? Which part of the daily confessions resonates with you most this week? Thank you for listening to the Relate Community Church podcast! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. If today's message spoke to you, share it with a friend or leave us a review to help spread the word. To learn more about Relate Community Church, visit us at www.relatecommunity.com. You are always welcome here, and remember—you are loved

After Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters nearly destroyed his small North Carolina town in 2024, a pastor noticed an inspiring pattern. As he struggled to answer the persistent question, “What do you need?” donations kept showing up exactly when he needed them. Phone chargers? Out of the blue, a man drove up with a generator, creating a charging station at the church. Drinking water? Suddenly, pallets of water bottles arrived. Coincidence? The Bible points us to God, not mere happenstance. “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). The promise might seem empty to a town nearly demolished by a thirty-foot wall of raging water. But Paul, who was in prison when he offered this encouragement, was no stranger to hardship. Paul was writing to the church in Philippi to thank them for badly needed financial gifts. Except for them, he’d been neglected (v. 15). But God used them to meet his needs. So, His words shined a bright light on God who provided the “riches of His glory” found in Christ Jesus our Savior, in whom we have “every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). Joy, peace, truth, salvation are among the needs He richly provides. In kindness as well, He’ll provide a drink of water too, if that’s what we need. What a loving, generous God.

Psalm 22 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the […] The post The Cry of the Cross (Psalm 22) first appeared on Hope of Christ Church.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.28 For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

In How to Lament, we walk through Psalm 22 and learn a biblical pattern for bringing pain to God. This message shows that lament is not unbelief, but honest faith that turns to God quickly, complains honestly, asks boldly, and ultimately trusts God's victory. Starting with the cry, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”, this sermon explores how Scripture gives language for grief, abandonment, and suffering without hiding the pain. Psalm 22 shows us that even in anguish, we can keep speaking to God, remember who He is, and ask Him to act with confidence and hope. This episode traces four practical movements of lament: turn to God quickly, complain honestly, ask boldly, and trust God's victory. If you are walking through sorrow, confusion, spiritual dryness, or deep distress, this message offers a biblical way to pray through pain without losing hope. Scripture: Psalm 22:1–2, 6–7, 16–17, 11, 19–21, 21–22, 27.

Spiritual Authority and Dominion (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/26/26 I want to remind you and encourage you about the difference between using carnal and spiritual dominion. The Bride is maturing and overcoming the flesh, and she's using her dominion over the spiritual host of wickedness and doing warfare against the DS satanists. The Lord says, If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: If any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed … (Rev.13:10). Jesus exercised dominion in His kingdom; not the kind of dominion that some want and false religious leaders have, which glorifies man. Jesus rejected the offer by Satan to be a worldly king with carnal dominion. The Pharisees and Sadducees had a carnal dominion over the people of God. Jesus commanded the people not to do what they did but to obey them because they sat in the seat of Moses. They were given governmental authority much the same way they are today in the church. Jesus exercised dominion over the curse and over Satan's kingdom. He was destroying the works of Satan in the lives of His people. Jesus had spiritual authority, and the people followed Him willingly because they were drawn of the Father, not because they were under the condemnation of the Law. Spiritual authority was necessary to be spiritually and physically fed, healed, and delivered. The apostate religious leaders had no authority like that then, nor do they now. Even though the disciples did not resist their carnal authority, they did resist their attempt to exercise spiritual authority when it was important. They said, “We must obey God rather than men.” When Peter tried to enforce his carnal authority with the sword, Jesus said, … All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword (Mat.26:52). Then, to show that His spiritual authority can, when necessary, dominate the carnal realm, Jesus said, (Mat.26:53) Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? Anyone who has an angel, much less twelve legions, would not need a puny sword for defense. One angel killed 185,000 men to defend Zion. Jesus then makes the point that if He calls the angels to defend His flesh, how would it be crucified? (54) How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be? This is a good principle for us who also must be crucified. According to type, crucifixion does not necessitate the physical death of the body, but the old nature. (Rom.12:1) … Present your bodies a living sacrifice … The body is dead, meaning that it no longer has a will and rights of its own but is devoted to the service of God. In type, just as Jesus sacrificed His literal flesh, we sacrifice the flesh of the old man while we live. We are told that those who try to defend the body by physical force will be killed for their lack of faith. (Rev.13:10) If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. It is also clear here that if a person needs captivity to fulfill in some way their own crucifixion, the sword will not save them. In fact, it will be judgment to them. (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews …. Those who wrestle with flesh and blood in disobedience to the Word are not fighting for God's kingdom but the world and the flesh. They are attempting to exercise carnal dominion. Jesus exercised dominion to save God's creation. He did not exercise dominion over people who wanted to put to death His flesh. As He did a few times, we also have permission to flee, for it was not yet His time. That is a type for us. We must go through many things in order to put to death our flesh. That is what the world was created for: to bring us into sanctification through the death of the old man, the flesh. Even while the world around us is spiritually putting us on our cross by insults, injuries, persecutions, slander, etc., we have to cooperate with them by turning the other cheek. We have authority to save, heal, deliver, provide, and die to self. Exercising our dominion is God exercising His sovereignty through us. Jesus exercised dominion, but He personally resisted not the evil by turning the other cheek. While the world was crucifying Him, even before He came to the natural cross, His spiritual man was exercising dominion and delivering His people from the curse.  Sometimes we can get mixed up about when to exercise this dominion and when not. We do not have authority to save the old man. We do not want to keep our old life; we want our new life. Jesus said that unless we lose our life, we would not gain our life. So this authority to exercise dominion that God has given us is the same as Jesus had. This dominion is not to get rich in the world, but it is to have all we need to do God's Will. God gave me my last two houses and cars free, in order for me to do His Will. (Php.4:19) … My God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Dominion is not to live after the lusts of the flesh, as they do in a false, worldly prosperity that encourages and empowers the flesh to live. (1Ti.6:8) But having food and covering we shall be therewith content. (9) But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. Here is a promise to those who are not content but love the things of the world. They will be overcome by lusts, and it will be as impossible for them to enter the Kingdom as it would be for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (Mat.19:24‑26).  Jesus exercised dominion over His flesh when He was going to the cross. He said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” He gave them authority to crucify His flesh. In the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus spoke to those who came to take Him, “they went backward, and fell to the ground,” showing that He could stop them if He wanted to save His life, or until it was time to go to the cross. He said in John 10:18, “No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself.” A couple of times, He passed through their midst, apparently translated, because it was not His time to die (Luk.4:30). He had been given authority to save God's people, who believed, and to destroy Satan's kingdom. Our flesh (the carnal man) is part of Satan's kingdom (Rom.8:7). The book of Esther is not only literally true but also a prophetic parable. Haman (the beast) had been given authority by the king (the Lord) to destroy the people of God, while Esther (the bride) had been given authority to save the people of God. The beast and the bride were given opposing authority at the same time by the same king. In type, the beast was given authority to crucify the old man, the carnal nature, and the bride was given authority to bring to life the spiritual man. The king's authority could not be annulled in anything, just as our Lord's authority. Ultimately, the house of the beast was given unto the bride to have authority over it (Est.8:1).  The time will come when God will no longer offer grace to the Gentiles but will return it to Israel. He will permit Christians, at that time, to exercise authority over the people who are trying to kill them. Fire from the Witnesses' mouths destroying their enemies, smiting the earth with every plague, and stopping the rain for 3 ½ years, are examples (Rev.11:5-6). From there to the end, authority will be manifested to destroy the beast's kingdom until this world becomes God's kingdom and He takes control (Rev.11:15). Personal control differs from control by proxy. God runs everything, but He must use vessels of dishonor now (Rom.9:21‑24). The time is coming when He will take control in and through His saints who believe. This dominion is ours as spiritual children of Jesus Christ, but we will grow into it by grace. Dominion starts here in the training grounds but continues for eternity. Here, the Lord teaches us how to be rulers under Him over His creation. (1Co.6:1) Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? (2) Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (3) Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (4) If then ye have to judge things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no account in the church? (5) I say [this] to move you to shame …. If we have authority to judge fallen angels, how much more do we have authority to judge things in this life? Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this: “Thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Lord pointed out to me that this is a command that God is putting in our mouth. Some would object that this puts us in the place of commanding God. Look what God said in (Isa.45:11) Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. In effect, what we command when led by the Spirit, He carries out. In Acts 3:6, Peter commands the lame beggar, “What I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” See, we represent Christ. Peter had authority to represent Jesus and to command the curse. When the lame man walked and bystanders were tempted to credit Peter, he said, “Why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk?” (Act.3:12) God's power fulfills what we command in obedience to Him. Our work here is to manifest God's kingdom here on the earth. At the last trump, it will be said in (Rev.11:15) … The kingdom of the world is become [the kingdom] of our Lord, and of his Christ …. Through whom did God bring this to pass? The Bible gives credit to the saints. (Dan.7:26) … The judgment shall be set, and they (the saints) shall take away his (the beast) dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end. (27) And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High …. The saints, by God's grace, shall exercise dominion to end the beast's dominion. God gave dominion unto Samson even in his ignorance. What was the secret of Samson's power? Judges tells us that the secret was his long hair, and as soon as he lost his long hair, he lost his power. Samson was not a big, muscle‑bound man. In Judges 16:17, he told Delilah, “If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” His enemies wanted to know the secret of his power. They were not asking, “How did you get such big muscles?” That did not occur to them. It is not because of our great ability, or power, or wisdom, or even sinlessness, but through what Jesus did at the cross that we have this authority to reign over sin and its curse. Samson reigned over the enemies of God's people. When Samson lost his submission to God, he lost his dominion. In 1 Corinthians 11:3‑16, the long hair was given unto the woman as a sign of submission to her husband. The Bride submits to the Lord, Who is our husband. The one who took the Nazarite vow, as Samson did, could not cut his hair as a sign of submission. The point is that this great dominion was given to Samson, and he lost it because he lost his hair, a sign of his submission to the Lord.  Nazarites were separated from the world by their submission unto the Lord, signified by their long hair. (Num.6:5) All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. This separation by submission is the meaning of holiness. How did Samson lose his holiness and power? (Jdg.16:19) And she (Delilah) made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. Samson went to sleep, spiritually meaning he no longer had his eyes open to the light of the truth. He submitted his head, or mind in the lap of the harlot Delilah and lost his hair (submission, separation, holiness) and consequently his power or dominion. The moral of that story is that we should not let the harlot have our mind, for then we will have no power of dominion. The religious systems of man, the harlot, have deprived God's people of their power because they are not submitted to the Word of God. (2Ti.3:5) Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. The “bride” in the Song of Solomon was a prophetic parable of the sojourning of the Bride today, who temporarily lost her submission. (Son.5:7) The watchmen (or ministers) that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls (denominations or sects) took away my mantle (Hebrew: “veil”) from me. The watchmen are identified by the Lord as shepherds (Hebrew: “pastors”) in Isaiah 56:10‑12. These pastors, in trying to keep the Bride within their sectarian walls, smote her and took away her veil, which is also a sign of submission to her husband, the Lord. (1Co.11:3) … The head of the woman is the man … (5) But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head … (10) for this cause ought the woman to have [a sign of] authority on her head … (13) Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled? False shepherds have made the people of God submissive to religions rather than Christ as it was in Jesus' day.  In a true type to our day, the Bride in vain sought her beloved first in the broad ways of Babylonish religion. (Son.3:2) [I said], I will rise now, and go about the city (Babylon); In the streets and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. (She sought Him from the false shepherds whose loyalty was to themselves and their own kingdom.) (3) The watchmen that go about the city found me; [To whom I said], Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? (It was not until she was delivered from them that she found the one whom her soul sought.) (4) It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, (In her excitement she wanted to share Him with those among whom she was first conceived and birthed.) Until I had brought him into my mother's house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me. The other daughters of that corporate mother did not share her excitement for her peculiar beloved. (5:9) What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, That thou dost so adjure us? Because of her not being content with “another Jesus,” she was not defiled with the religions of these other daughters and was chosen by her Lord. (6:9) My dove, my undefiled, is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed …. She regained her dominion when she became undefiled with the women representing the false religious systems. Those who bear fruit will walk in the holiness of her steps, not being defiled with the seed (word) of men, for they are spiritual virgins. (Rev.14:4) These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These [are] they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, [to be] the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. The sects of Christianity have become defiled with what Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “Another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or [if] ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different Gospel, which ye did not accept.” (2Co.6:17) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you. Only the Word is the truth that sets free. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Jesus calls His sheep out of the fold of apostate religion to “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” (Joh.10:3) … He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This little flock that follows the Lord in rest is what the bride sought for. (Son.1:7) Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest [thy flock], Where thou makest [it] to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that is veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions? The veil in this case represents the blindness and bondage of submission to religion. (2Co.3:15) But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. (16) But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty. (18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory …. As we can see, those who are unveiled of the legalism of religion see the Lord and come into His likeness. The beloved Lord's answer to “Where thou feedest [thy flock]?” was (Son.1:8) If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. In Jesus' day, it was not possible to feed His Church, meaning “called-out ones,” in the apostate sects of Judaism, so He fed them “beside the shepherds' tents.” Likewise, because the Church has greatly apostatized in our day, Jesus is feeding the flock of freedom, rest, and truth, outside the shepherds' tents. This brought reproach to the bride and Jesus. (6) … My mother's sons were incensed against me …. Those who take up their cross to follow Jesus are commanded to accept this same reproach. (Heb.13:11) For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest [as an offering] for sin, are burned without the camp. (12) Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered without the gate. (13) Let us therefore go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.  Moses, in a true type of Christ, led his people out of the camp of the rebellious apostates. (Exo.33:7) Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it, The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought the Lord went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp. It is in these days that thundering judgments will put the fear of God in those in the camp to come out and meet with the “called‑out ones” on the true mountain of God's Kingdom. (Exo. 19:15) And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman (apostate sect). (16) And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning (the beginning of the third day millennium since the last Adam – where we are now [2 Pet.3:8]), that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. (17) And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. If you have discovered that you have been following man's religions and decide to repent, God will restore your dominion. While in bondage to the Philistines, Samson repented, and his hair began to grow. His dominion returned and he brought down their false temple upon their heads. (Jdg.16:30) And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life. Likewise, as we die to self, we increase in dominion over our enemies. Few who ever exercised dominion in the earth for God were manifestly perfect, including Samson. He refused the dominion of the Lord over himself, and he ultimately lost the dominion that he had over the earth. It is not necessary for God to take away the promises of dominion from the rebellious. Their own heart will not have the faith to partake of it. (1Jn.3:21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. If we do not serve God, our own heart will condemn us, and we will have no faith to exercise dominion. He is still not speaking of manifestly perfect people here, but He does expect us to be disciples, walking in the light that we have. In this way, we are perfect by faith until we manifest perfection. The baby Christian has little knowledge of good and evil, but he is innocent in God's eyes if he is doing what he knows to do. Baby Christians have dominion over sin and the curse, but not over God's people. I have shared this revelation before, but years ago, I had a dream instructing me about the way in which God promotes some to leadership positions over His people. I am making no claims for myself with this dream, merely pointing out principles. In this dream, there were two mountains. (The first mountain represents the kingdom of the world, Babylon, and the second mountain represents the Kingdom of God, Mount Zion.) I was driving a car down the first steep mountain. (This represents humbling ourselves to the Word [Isa.40:4], becoming as a child [Mat.18:4], and losing our carnal life in this world [Mat.16:25-26].) The road that descended this mountain had a trench going down the center of it to the bottom. My car had one set of tires on one side of the trench while the other set was on the other side. I could not turn right or left without falling into the trench and, of course, halting my progress. (Joshua received instructions similar to this for taking the Promised Land. (Jos.1:7) Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. Turning to the right or to the left symbolizes getting off the narrow road of Scripture. It will stop us from exercising authority to take our promised land, which symbolizes living on the promises.) At the bottom of this hill, I got out of the car. I sensed that I had many enemies. (The more we humble ourselves to God's Word, the more enemies we will have, both in the carnal church and the world, just as our Lord.) Then I found, hidden under a bush, some tools like hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches, which were drenched in oil. (The burning bush is where Moses received authority to deliver God's people from bondage. These tools all bind and loose, as does God's authority given to His disciples (Mat.18:18). The promises of the Word are the binding and loosing keys to the Kingdom of God that were given to disciples. The oil signifies the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, if we stay in the straight and narrow way, we will receive authority to bind and loose for God.) From there, I turned to the right (The sheep are set on the right [Mat.25:33].) and went up a steep mountain. (Going down the first mountain entitles us to go up the next. Being humbled in the estimation of the world makes us great in the estimation of the Kingdom. The last shall be first, and the least shall be greatest. (Isa.40:3) … Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord … (4) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low …. The way of the Lord is that those who are humble in the world shall be promoted on God's mountain, but those who are exalted on the worldly mountain will have to come down.) (Jas.4:10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.) Reaching the top of the mountain, I went through the door of an immense palace. (Joh.10:2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (7) Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (Jesus is the only Shepherd of the sheep. He uses vessels that come to the sheep only through Him, the Door. This palace represents the New Jerusalem on Mount Zion, the city that rules over God's people.) Old Jerusalem ruled over God's physical letter people just as New Jerusalem rules over God's spiritual New Testament people. Paul declared that we have come to this spiritual city. He showed us that it is not a physical city that can be touched. (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched … (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem … (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn …. (Jesus' called-out ones come to this mountain. Our journey is to come to this mountain, climb it, and enter the throne room through the Door.)  Then I saw Jesus, the Son of David, sitting on the throne of David. I walked over and sat down next to Him, and we talked. (The throne is the place of dominion that the bride has next to her King.) (Rev.3:21) He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. All who overcome the stubbornness of their evil heart, to abide in the Name of Jesus, will come to this throne. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations (of the mostly Gentile Church) shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. (All who overcome the first mountain of the world will live on the second mountain of the Kingdom of God. These act in “the name of the Lord” because they are seated in the throne of authority with Jesus.  This position has been given to all who are born again, but many have turned to the right or left and do not take their rightful position by abiding in Christ.) (Eph.2:5) Even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), (6) and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly [places], in Christ Jesus. As I talked with Jesus, I heard a noise behind me and turned to see some men trying to climb up into the throne room through a rear window. Jesus said, “Don't worry about them; they can't come in here.” (Obviously, the position of authority may be usurped in Babylon but not in Zion, God's mountain and kingdom.) (Joh.10:1) … He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Jesus, speaking of the apostate ministers of His day, said, “All that came before me are thieves and robbers” (Joh.10:8); and so it is today. Many have stolen the position of authority by not going down the road of humbling themselves to the Word and entering through the Door of Christ. They have robbed the sheep of gifted mentors. They have robbed the sheep of Christ, for ministers can only pass on what they are. Religion has historically made the same mistake. They mistake education in a sect of Christianity to be God's authority and commission. The disciples were perceived to be unlearned and ignorant by the religious leaders (Act. 4:13). However, the religious leaders knew that the disciples had been with Jesus by their gifts. Faith, fruit, maturity, submission to the Lord, and personal knowledge of the Lord and His ways must be passed on to the sheep. Ministers cannot pass on what they do not possess themselves. The daughter harlots (Rev.17:5) are still mass producing hirelings (Joh.10:12-13; Isa.56:9-12); but Jesus comes to lead His sheep out of the Babylonish sheepfolds of men (Joh.10:3-4) so that, unhindered by the traditions of men, they may run after Him. A man must be an elder in experience and maturity in the Word to be promoted as a bishop (overseer) over God's people (1Ti.3:1-7; Tit.1:5-9). A friend dreamed about Christians as babies with beards, showing they had been with the Lord for many years but were still immature. God's people have loved the world, so He has given them immature apostate leaders to tell them what they want to hear. (Isa.3:4) And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. (5) And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable. (Choose the man with the gift over the man with the title.) (2Ti.4:3) For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.

Rawrr! Prayer is good, right? But what happens when someone makes it against the law to pray?!?! Find out in this great episode!Prayer is talking to GodDaniel would continuously talk to God through prayer. Even when he was threatened to be thrown into the lion's den, Daniel would continue to pray to God.Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.– Colossians 4:2Daniel 2, Daniel 6Daniel and the Lion's DenDaniel was a very good, faithful man, who always obeyed God. He would pray to God consistently, three times a day. Daniel had a very close relationship to God due to how often he would talk to God through prayer and because of his unshakable faith. God also gave Daniel an incredible gift—Daniel was able to interpret dreams. This gift led Daniel to successfully interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The king then gave Daniel a high up position in the kingdom and gave him many gifts. Because Daniel was so smart, other wise men in the kingdom were very jealous. Their jealousy led them to convince King Darius to make a new law—that the people were only allowed to pray to the king. If people chose not to obey this law, they would be thrown in the lion's den. These jealous men knew that Daniel would never obey this law since he would pray to God several times a day.Daniel continued to pray in his room, even when he had heard about this new law. After the jealous men saw him do this, they told King Darius. This made King very upset because he cared for Daniel and tried to get him out of trouble, but knew there was no way around it. Before throwing him in the den, King Darius told Daniel “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.” The next morning, King Darius went to check on Daniel and heard Daniel say “My God sent his angel to shut the lion's mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have wronged you, Your majesty.” Daniel had not been harmed! They both knew that Daniel was protected because he had completely trusted God and had faith in Him. Daniel had a great amount of love for the Lord. Daniel also had a deep and personal connection to God because he would intentionally talk to God all the time through prayer. Regardless of the situation he was facing, he would make time to pray. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in our daily routine, that we neglect to prioritize our quiet time with God. But the truth is, God wants to hear from us—He wants us to talk to Him because of His love for each and every one of us.I can talk to God. Questions to think about:1. Why did Daniel continue to pray, even when he knew his life would be threatened?2. Why did Daniel have such a close relationship with God?3. How can I remember to talk to God on a daily basis?

Psalm 22 takes us prophetically to the foot of the cross, revealing the abandonment Jesus experienced, the anguish He endured, and ultimately the victory He accomplished. What begins with the cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" ends with the declaration, "He has done it!" Jesus entered our suffering, carried our sin, defeated the enemy, and opened the way for us to become part of His family. The cross is not the story of Jesus losing, it is the achievement of God. It is finished.

Joy is the most vulnerable emotion. "Joy is vulnerable. That's why we are afraid to feel it. Don't squander hopeful moments by waiting for the other shoe to drop. Lean in and practice gratitude." -​Bremen Brown It takes courage to be happy. Psalm 126 celebrates God's power to deliver and restore Israel, moving between gratitude for what has already occurred and hope for what remains to come. The psalm likely emerged during Israel's return from Babylonian exile, a moment when the community could look back on devastating loss yet forward to complete restoration. “Whenever I read Psalm 126, the phrase “delirious with joy” leaps to mind. What emerges in the opening verses here is a portrait of people whose wildest dreams somehow came true and they discover that they just cannot stop giggling over it” — Scott Hoezee In the opening three verses of Psalm 126, the ancient people of God are recalling their deliverance from hell. They had spent 70 long years in the Babylonian captivity, exiled from everything that had defined and enriched their lives. They had lost everything. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken us?” That's exactly how they felt. Things seemed hopeless. They could see no way out, so when the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, they couldn't believe it. “We were like men who dream.” They hardly dared to believe what had just happened. Their God had actually intervened in the affairs of nations so powerful that they had nearly destroyed God's people. Yahweh had raised up the Persians to defeat the Babylonians who had taken Israel captive. Then the king of Persia promptly set the captives free. After 70 years of Babylonian Captivity, the first Israelis came back home. Stan Mast Psalms 126:1-3 NIVWhen the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalms 126:4 NIV“Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.” Psalms 126:5 NIV“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”We are active participants in the making and breaking of our own joy Psalms 126:6 NIV“Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Sometimes we protect ourselves from future disappointment by refusing to fully enjoy present blessings. The gospel is an invitation into joy that cannot be stolen. God doesn't waste tears.

AUG 23 | Who Is This King? | Mark 15:21-39 ...A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

AUG 23 | Who Is This King? | Mark 15:21-39 ...A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

AUG 23 | Who Is This King? | Mark 15:21-39 ...A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

AUG 23 | Who Is This King? | Mark 15:21-39 ...A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Stress can affect every area of life, from finances and work to family and relationships. But when pressure builds, where do we turn first? In “Staying Strong, Not Stressed,” Cindi McMenamin explains why taking our stress to God before placing emotional expectations on the people around us can strengthen both our faith and our relationships. God already knows every thought, frustration, and word before we express it, making Him the perfect place to bring our burdens first. Cindi shares three practical habits for navigating stressful seasons: tell God first, trust His promises, and thank Him constantly. While these practices may not immediately change our circumstances, they can change how we respond to them and help us become a source of encouragement rather than additional stress for those around us. Highlights Why stress can unintentionally create tension in our closest relationships How taking our frustrations to God first can provide stability and perspective Why we shouldn't expect our spouse, children, or friends to carry the full weight of our emotional needs The Three T's for handling stress: Tell God First, Trust God's Promises, and Thank God Constantly How Scripture provides encouragement when facing financial, relational, work, or health-related stress Why gratitude can change our attitude even when circumstances remain difficult How depending on God can help us become better encouragers to others Want more encouragement throughout your week? Subscribe to The Good Word, LifeAudio’s free weekly newsletter. Sign up at LifeAudio.com/thegoodword Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Staying Strong, Not Stressed By Cindi McMenamin Bible Reading:Even before there is a word on my tongue,Behold, Lord, You know it all (Psalm 139:4 NASB). Stress—whether it’s physical, emotional, relational, or financial—can take its toll on any of us. But how do we handle stress so we don’t push others away from us? I used to find myself reaching out to my husband or my young adult daughter to get the relief, encouragement, or support I needed to get through stressful times. I would provide explanations for my stressed-out behavior and seek their understanding. But I’ve learned through the years that having such expectations of others can backfire. You and I can push our marriages over the edge if we let our spouses know they are not meeting our emotional needs or expectations at a time when they might be dealing with multiple frustrations as well. We can also damage our relationships with our children—regardless of their ages—when we expect them to be there for us, emotionally, when they might not feel equipped to do what it is we are expecting of them, or respond in a way that will meet our emotional needs. There have been many times in the past several years that I’ve had to make a conscious decision not to lay my expectations on my husband or daughter when I’ve felt particularly stressed, regardless of the source. And as I began to take my troubles and stressful times to God first, I found that I was not only more able and stable to deal with whatever came my way, but I could help others in my family through whatever they were going through, as well. David sang in Psalm 139:4 that God knows everything we are going to say, even before there is a word on our tongues. He knows our thoughts before we think them, our words before we say them, and our actions before we carry them out. Certainly, a God like that is the One we should be going to first when we begin to feel stressed. Intersecting Faith & Life: Today, when stress starts rearing its ugly head in my life, I practice these “Three T’s” on a daily basis to stay strong during difficult times: Tell God First—Sometimes you and I need to vent or just talk aloud about what we’re feeling. But our frustrations can come across as accusations or complaints if we’re not careful. And since it is natural for others who love and care about us to try to find a solution to fix our stressful situation, when we just wanted someone to listen, it’s better to go to God with the venting first. Sure, God already knows what we’re going to say, according to Psalm 139:4. But by telling God first all that is on our hearts and minds, He can be the “buffer.” Trust God’s Promises—The Bible is full of God’s promises about His provision and protection. So, when we become troubled about finances, or a work deadline, or health issues, we can find comfort just by remembering some of God’s encouraging words to His people. In Philippians 4:19, Paul says, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” And Romans 8:28 tells us, “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Keep stress sidelined by banking on the promises in the Bible and taking God at His Word. Thank God Constantly—No matter what the situation, there’s always something to be thankful for. One of my friends was discouraged that her husband’s new job didn’t pay as well as his previous one. But some income was better than none. Another friend complained about her teenager’s disinterest in school and his unwillingness to "apply himself,” yet he was still very interested in his church's youth group. We can become people of praise with a contagious positive attitude when we obey God’s command in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in all circumstances.” A thankful spouse, parent, or friend is pleasant to be around. When you and I practice these three T’s—telling God first, trusting His promises, and thanking Him constantly—our circumstances might not change immediately. But by depending on God—and not solely on others—we can not only alleviate the stress in our lives, but we can become encouragers who model to others how to handle stress in their lives as well. Further Reading:Psalm 62:5-8 To grow more dependent on God, and improve your relationships, see Cindi’s book, The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What Most People Get Wrong About Dopamine But you’d be wrong. Well, hey there. Welcome back. I hope you brought a considerable amount of dopamine, because you’re going to need it. You hear that word a lot, don’t you? And when you hear dopamine, you think of reward, right? You think, “Oh, I got a dopamine hit.” You think of gambling and shiny things and all the reward circuits that your brain has for things in your life. You think of exercising and all the positive, healthy things that you do for dopamine. And then you think of the negative things that you do: the overeating and the eating the bad stuff and the sweets, and the other behaviors that perhaps you shouldn’t be engaging in at all or as much. But you’d be wrong. Most people are wrong about dopamine. I’m one of those people until recently. See, I just basically took a broad brush and went, “Oh, you get a dopamine hit, your brain squirts dopamine, and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s the stuff.'” But no, oh, that’s not the stuff at all. How Brain Neurochemicals Drive Seeking So let’s talk about the four neurochemicals that are involved. Technically, three of them are neurotransmitters while one is a neuropeptide, but let’s go with neurochemicals. So here’s what you might be misunderstanding and why it’s so hard to sort of break out of certain loops of things, like doomscrolling and so forth. See, you’re focused on thinking, “Well, I’m just going to scroll until I hit something. It’s that reward and then I stop or whatever.” But it’s the… it’s the journey, not the destination. That’s your problem. That’s the problem with this stuff. So, in other words, you are getting these little microbursts of dopamine. But here’s what dopamine does: It actually keeps you seeking. It says, “Keep looking.” We’re in a state of of almost anxiousness and seeking. And that’s really what its function is. We need a healthy amount of dopamine because that keeps… it can put us in the zone, and it can keep us looking when we shouldn’t be looking. And that’s what happens when you’re scrolling. You get little tiny microbursts of dopamine that says, “Keep looking, keep looking, it’s here, it’s here, keep looking, keep looking.” The norepinephrine gets released when you think you’ve found something. It provides the clarity and focus. When you do find the thing that you’re like, “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff,” that’s when you get the endorphins and the serotonin. The endorphins are the reward. They’re actually a a painkiller, but they make us feel like we’re relieved. And then the serotonin gives us that that feeling of everything’s okay, like, “This is good. This is the good stuff.” The Dopamine Cycle and the Empty Room The problem with that is when you continue to get microbursts for an extended period of time, your brain sort of messes with the receptors and says, “Well, we need to we need to back off from this. This is… we’re getting flooded here.” So then, you start feeling it less, so you start doing it more. Do you see how that might be a problem? It would be analogous to you being put in a completely empty room. The dopamine says, “There’s something here, there’s something here.” So you’re looking and looking in the room and you see that it’s empty, but you’re like, “Well, maybe I haven’t checked every corner.” And you keep looking and looking and looking. And then you see something. So the norepinephrine kicks in and goes, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s let’s focus on that. I think that’s the thing you wanted.” And you look at it and you’re like, “No, this isn’t… this is a ball of yarn! I don’t want this.” But now you’re really looking. So you keep looking and keep looking with your friend dopamine and epinephrine… And then you find it. You finally find the treasure in there. It’s that thing, that thing you really wanted. Look at it! Just go get it. You go and you pick it up, and that’s when you get the endorphin, and then the serotonin kicks in. Ah, I’m so rewarded and I have so much calmness and satisfaction that I found this thing. But wait! “Maybe there are more things in this room,” says dopamine. “We should keep looking!” And that is the cycle that you’re basically repeating, whether you are doing the doomscrolling on Instagram or you are putzing around with something that has no real end or purpose. Okay, I’ve raised your awareness, now what? Why Long-Term Effort Doesn’t Cause Neurochemical Burnout Well, you might say, “Well, these are just biochemicals in your brain. These are these are not like foreign substances, so there’s got to be a real purpose for these, right? So how does that work?” Well, let’s compare this to doing something constructive. So if you really like your job, and since there are a gazillion jobs, let’s… let’s say writing a book, right? You sit down and you write a book, those chemicals are involved as well. Well, why doesn’t that burn out your brain? This is something I wanted to know, because as soon as I found this, I thought, “Well, wait a second. I have been able to sit down and repeatedly focus for months at a time to complete a novel or a book or research or what have you.” And I’ve told people that when I look at The Sword and the Sunflower and I look at how big and thick it is, I think, “My God, if somebody handed that to me and said, ‘I need you to write one of these,’ I’d say, ‘No, no, you don’t. I’m not doing that. That’s impossible.'” So why didn’t my neurotransmitters go, “Whoa, hold your horses here, uh-uh, I’m I’m burnt out”? And the difference is speed. So while the dopamine kept me seeking, it was a slow burn of effort. So if I stop the effort, everything else stopped. When you’re scrolling, you’re just flicking your thumb going, “Nope, nope, nope, maybe, I don’t know, nope, nope, nope, maybe, I don’t know.” And in fact, it’s so low effort that you could be watching TV or talking to someone and scrolling at the same time, and you probably shouldn’t do that. But you really have to focus if you’re looking at plot and characters and overarching things and and looking at the story as a whole and the outline and all that other great stuff. Harnessing Dopamine and Focus for Healthy Productivity And again, you’re probably coming up with analogies of what you do for a living and think, “Well, yeah, I have a lot of long-term, hard-focused things I have to do. I get lost in my spreadsheet, I get lost in my database, I get lost in my software, I get lost in discussions with clients.” So the dopamine is keeping you in that seeking state of wanting to talk to them, of wanting to write, of wanting to do. The norepinephrine keeps you alert and says, “Yeah, this is the thing that we wanted to focus on. Yeah.” In my case, it’s, “Yeah, this is the character development. Oh my God, this is what this person would definitely say here. Yes!” When you make those connections on your spreadsheet, when you make those connections with people in real life, and they say the things that you would ideally want them to say because they’re getting what you’re saying and you’re making the sale, or you’re making the connection, or you’re teaching something, that’s when you’re getting your endorphins and your serotonin. And that’s when you go, “Wow, what a rewarding job. This is what I like to do. I helped someone. I made a whole bunch of money. I taught someone something. This is good. I like this.” Same four neurochemicals applied in a way that’s healthy. Earned Rewards vs. the Cheap Thrill of Doomscrolling So moving forward, I think the most important thing to learn here is that it’s not about getting squirted with endorphins, it’s the constant squirt of dopamine. Dopamine is the real thing that we have to worry about. If you complete a difficult level, and then at the very end you’re rewarded with some sort of reward screen, a a spinny coin, or or a total goes up, or it plays an animation, you go, “Oh, yeah.” But if all you had to do is hit a button on your keyboard and that exact thing would play, you’d say, “Well, well that’s no fun. There’s no challenge there. I didn’t earn it. I didn’t work for it.” So when you are writing a book and you look back on it, or you are completing your job, or focusing on a client and so on and so forth, you feel that effort. You look back on what you did. You played the level! You played the level and you risked your guy dying, and you only have two more quarters left. You risked possibly not making as large of a sale, or not getting the client, or not really getting through to the person with what you’re attempting to teach them. You risk all that, and then you get the reward, and you think, “I want to do that again. I want to go through that challenge with my buddy dopamine and norepinephrine when I’m really focused in on the target.” And that’s why when you are doomscrolling and you look at the clock and you go, “Oh, it’s an hour and a half later,” that’s when you feel like, “What have I done?” Because you don’t look back and feel the effort. There is no effort to feel because no effort was made. Practical Strategies to Stop Doomscrolling and Reclaim Focus Okay, then how do you break out of doomscrolling and things? Well, let’s… let’s take a step back. First of all, it’s perfectly fine to be doing activities that that don’t necessarily have an endpoint, right? It’s okay to twiddle your thumbs, or to doodle, or to watch some silly reel once in a while. There’s nothing wrong with having downtime. It’s when the downtime is hours and you are filled with delightful regret at the end. So one of the things you can do is set a time limit. “I’m just going to mess around for 10 minutes.” Like literally set an alarm. We have all these assistants around us, you… just with your voice, you can set a 10-minute alarm. Or, actually give yourself a legitimate reward. Say you’re going to do something in search of something. Then you’ve brought it forward. Then it moves from your first voice up to your third voice, in which you say, “Hey, I am drawing a line here and I am saying out loud, I’m going to do this.” Now, if that sounds really silly and a waste of time, boom, you just realized that you’re probably not going to do that. Do you have ways of breaking out of your doomscrolling? Do you have a schedule for doing nonsense? Ultimately, I think it’s just the balance you feel is really the balance you are. So, thank you again as always for listening. I will have links in the article to the definitions of these four neurochemicals so that you can look them up and study them yourself. Take care. Thank you for listening as always. Go to markbradford.org to see all my author-related things. Go to Alchemy for Life to see coaching, speaking, writing, and this podcast. Alchemy for Life theme by Mark Bradford and Alchemy for Life. All background music is by Audionautix and Jason Shaw. Links to authoritative sources: Dopamine: National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Dopamine in Health and Disease or Mental Health America / Mayo Clinic – What Is Dopamine? Norepinephrine: Harvard Health Publishing – Brain Chemicals and Communication Endorphins: National Institutes of Health (PubMed) – Neurotransmitters and Peptides Serotonin: Cleveland Clinic – Serotonin Function & Levels

Gary Michuta of Hands-On Apologetics joins the Son Rise Morning Show to explore the remarkable Messianic prophecies found in Psalm 22. From Jesus' cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” to the piercing of His hands and feet, the casting of lots for His garments, and the mocking of the suffering king, Psalm 22 provides a striking portrait of Christ’s Passion centuries before the Crucifixion. Gary also explains the fascinating Hebrew debate over “they pierced my hands and my feet,” the poetic structure of the psalm, and how Jesus' words from the Cross would have called the entire psalm to mind for those who heard them. He discusses these and many other Old Testament prophecies in his book Messiah: Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ.Support the show: https://www.sacredheartradio.com/donate-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When life hits you with grief, disorientation, or feeling utterly forsaken by God, prose often falls short. The Book of Psalms gives us a sacred language to pour out our hearts—whether we are crying out "Help!", singing "Thanks!", or standing in awe of "Wow!" Summary: In this inspiring study of Psalms 1–48, we step out of historical analysis and into the sanctuary of the heart. Often called the "Preface of Jesus Christ," the Psalter offers a timeless collection of prayers, hymns, and prophecies that directly mirror the Savior's life, death, and resurrection. Music as a Lowest and Highest Gear: We explore how David's music soothed Saul's troubled soul and why singing the "song of the heart" is recognized by the Lord as a form of pure prayer. Tree Planted by the Waters vs. Chaff: We analyze Psalm 1, contrasting the deep-rooted disciple who meditates on God's law day and night with the wind-blown "chaff" of ungrounded philosophies. Psalms of Disorientation: We look at David's raw, unfiltered prayers during his lowest moments—such as fleeing from his son Absalom in Psalm 3—and discover how to hold onto hope when family relationships fracture. The Crucifixion Blueprint: We step into the agonizing Messianic prophecies of Psalms 21 and 22, discovering why Jesus uttered the opening line of Psalm 22 ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?") while hanging on the cross. The Good Shepherd & The Temple Gate: We savor the poetic imagery of Psalm 23 and the temple entrance requirements of Psalm 24 ("clean hands and a pure heart"). Be Still and Know: We conclude with the quiet sanctuary of Psalms 46–48, learning how to slow down, disconnect from constant distractions, and find Zion in our daily lives. Call-to-Action: The monk John Cassian counseled his brothers to recite the Psalms not as the words of David, but as "your very own prayer." Which verse in Psalms 1–48 felt like it was written specifically for your heart today? Let's share our favorite lines in the comments below. To keep your spiritual foundation deep and "Unshaken," please like, subscribe, and share this video! Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction to the Psalms 15:46 Instructional Psalm (1) 22:38 History & Prophecy, David & Absalom (2-3) 33:47 Pondering, Prayer, Penitence, & Precaution (4-7) 45:38 Psalms of Praise (8-9) 53:00 Trouble & Trust (10-14) 1:11:27 Worthiness, Loyalty, Sincerity, & Thanksgiving (15-18) 1:31:05 Creation, Law, & Victory (19-20) 1:35:47 Messianic Psalms, Gethsemane & Calvary (21-22) 1:56:31 The Lord Is My Shepherd (23) 2:05:44 The House of the Lord & Humble Petitions (24-25) 2:14:53 Temple Worthiness & Readiness (26-27) 2:32:42 Plea, Praise, & Prayer (28-30) 2:37:41 Deliverance for Christ & through Christ (31) 2:44:32 Confession, Hiding, & Hope (32-34) 2:55:53 False Witnesses & Wickedness (35-37) 3:04:30 Forgiveness, Relief, & Thanksgiving (38-40) 3:16:40 Breaking Bread & Thirsting after Water (41-45) 3:30:59 Songs of Zion (46-48) 3:38:42 Conclusion

When the Curse Comes Close Marshall Segal Download Psalm 108,My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all mybeing!2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!3 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all theearth!6 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!7 God has promised in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth.8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.9 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”10 Whowill bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?11 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.12 Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.A couple months back, our main drain backed up into our laundry room, which is actually strangely normal for our street. A lot of our neighbors deal with tree roots in their drain lines that have to be cleared out once a year. We've done that for years now. But this year was different. In the spring, we noticed the line backing up again, and so we had our guy come out, and he cleared the drain like he had many times before. But just three months later, the laundry room flooded again. Frustrating. So we bring out a different guy. This guy has a camera. And so when he's done, we can see that the drain is actually clear this time. Wonderful. A couple hours later, though, we run the washer and there's more water in the laundry room. We bring the camera guy back, and he confirms the main drain is clear. But we see that the floor drain in the laundry room is badly clogged, and so he clears that one. As he does that, we run the washer again, and realize that the sink drain is also clogged. So, if you're counting, we had not one, not two, but three clogged drains.As I studied Psalm 108 this week (and did a couple loads of laundry), all those clogs came to mind again, because they're a picture of verse 12:“Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!”The salvation of man is like a horrible triple clog, flooding the house over and over and over again. Every time you clear one clog, another one appears. If we trust in man to deliver us, heal us, satisfy us, we're just asking for more dirty water. But our hope is not in man (even men with special cameras). No, our hope is in God and his steadfast love, and that's what Psalm 108 is all about. It's a psalm of David, and David is feeling the pain of the curse again. The world isn't how it should be, and the curse is coming in close again. David's battling enemies at the gate again. He's pleading (again) with God for relief and deliverance, and as he pleads he takes five big steps in the psalm. And those five steps are my sermon this morning.1. We GroanWhen the curse comes close, step 1, we groan. We don't know what situation caused David to write this psalm, but we know he was struggling to see where God was and what he was doing. The psalm opens with loud praise and confidence — “I will sing and make melody with all my being!” — but it doesn't stay there. . . . By the time we get to verses 10–11, he says:“Who will bring me to the fortified city?Who will lead me to Edom?Have you not rejected us, O God?You do not go out, O God, with our armies.”God, we're going out against our enemies and it feels like you've rejected us. It feels like you've tossed us to the wolves and walked away. Where are you?Why aren't you helping us?And before we go any farther, we know this feeling, don't we — persistent conflict somewhere in our family, frustrating dynamics at work that linger over months and months, a friend who keeps disappointing us even after hard conversations, piles and piles of doctor visits (and the problem still won't go away)? God, where are you? God, you promised a peace that surpasses all understanding, but I'm not feeling peace right now. You promised healing, but I'm not experiencing healing. You promised victory over this sin, but I'm not winning yet. No, I'm feeling anxious, attacked, tired, and defeated. This is our home because of sin.We all taste the bitterness of the curse all the time, with all five senses (some of us maybe tasted it this morning, just to get to church). How much of life while we wait here on earth feels a little like we're somewhere between clogs two and three? God, why is there so much water! You know what I have to do today. You know that I'm trying to serve you and honor you and glorify you. Clear these pipes already! I thought you loved me. I thought you knew what I needed before I asked. Why am I still dealing with conflict and temptation, sickness and weakness? That's not the world you promised me when I chose to follow you.David's groaning here, and he's not wrong to groan. This world isn't what it should be — what it will be. And God wants us to feel that. That's the purpose of the curse. He wants us to feel how wicked and destructive sin is. . . . So where are you feeling the crippling consequences of sin? Where do you feel like God has rejected your prayers and pulled back his support? We should groan. David's feelings here are legitimate and important, and it's good for him (good for us) to express them to God, but those feelings also aren't a complete picture. David knows that, and that leads us to the second step.2. We PraiseWhen we experience the curse along our way to glory, we groan. And we're right to groan. But we don't only groan. No, we groan and, second, we praise. Even under the curse and all the consequences of the curse, we praise God. David could praise God even while he felt abandoned by God because he knows reality is so much more than what he feels — more than what he can see from his very limited human perspective. This is where the psalm begins, verses 1–4:“My heart is steadfast, O God!I will sing and make melody with all my being!Awake, O harp and lyre!I will awake the dawn!I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;I will sing praises to you among the nations.For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”It feels like God is not loving and not faithful right now, but David knows better than that. He knows that God's steadfast love has not come to an end and that his mercy is still new again this morning — even in disappointment and defeat. His God is not any less God in the valley. He says, “Your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” I can only see so much down here on earth, God, and it looks pretty dark and bleak where I am, but your steadfast love stands high above all I can see. Your faithfulness reaches as far as I can imagine (and even farther than that). Reality is far bigger than my feelings, like galaxies bigger than my feelings (that's why he's reaching for “heavens” and “clouds” here).I experienced this on a flight with our family recently. It was overcast and rainy when we took off and started climbing, but pretty soon, what happened? We broke through the clouds, and (you've seen this) I saw the sun shining strong and bright, blue sky as far as I could see. It was a whole different world up there. . . . But it wasn't. It was the same world above the clouds as it was below the clouds. We just can't see above the clouds most of the time. If you go high enough, though, it'sall sun. And that's how it is with God's love for you. It may be pretty miserable here beneath the clouds right now, but just above all the clouds you can see, it's all sun. His steadfast love is great above the heavens, his faithfulness reaches to (and through) the clouds. Don't measure his love or faithfulness with your eyes and your trials. The truth is you can't see very much from where you're sitting. David praises what he knows about God even when he can't see his faithful, loving hand. In this case, in this moment of groaning, David reached for praise from another season of his life. He borrowed from two earlier psalms for this new trouble (whatever it was). Nothing in this psalm is new. Verses 1–5 are from Psalm 57, where David praises God after God delivered David from the cave with Saul (this is 1 Samuel 24). Remember that David was hiding in a cave, and Saul was hunting him to kill him. Saul actually went into the cave where David was (terrifying for David), but he didn't know David was in there. In the darkness, David sneaks up and cuts off a piece of Saul's robe and shows it to him later to prove his loyalty. God delivered David that day from great danger — steadfast love above the heavens, faithfulness to the clouds. And now with this new trouble, David reached back for the song he wrote outside that cave. And then the second half of Psalm 108, verses 6–13, are from Psalm 60, where David expresses some distress in battle, but this time, he leads God's people to victory over Edom, wiping out 12,000 soldiers in battle. With God's help, they did valiantly that day. And as David reaches back for old praise in these news trials, he teaches us to do that. Learn these psalms well enough, Cities Church, that you can grab them when the curse comes close to you. And when God answers your prayers, praise him. Write them down. Memorialize them in some way. Write a new song, like we talked about in Psalm 98. And then hold onto those answered prayers for days when the curse comes close again and God hasn't answered yet.3. We AskSo, we groan, feeling the awful weight of sin and all its consequences, and we praise, remembering that God's love and faithfulness are so much bigger than all we feel and fear. David teaches us, third, to ask. We ask God to end the curse and make good on his promises. Notice, David doesn't remember God's promise and stop asking. No, he hears the promise and it emboldens him to ask even harder. God, you promised to deliver us, and so deliver us! God means, for now, to make war on the curse through our asking. One day soon, he'll wipe out the curse — all of his enemies everywhere. But for now, he chooses to defeat the curse a prayer at a time. Here's how David asks in Psalm 108, verses 5–6:“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!Let your glory be over all the earth!That your beloved ones may be delivered,give salvation by your right hand and answer me!”Deliver us, God! Give salvation by your right hand and answer me! That's the first prayer. I have prayers like this in our life, prayers that just won't give. Why won't you answer me, God? . . .One great reason God makes us wait in prayer is because he wants us to keep praying. Why would God make me wait so long? Because he knows some of us would stop praying if we got what we wanted — and it's far more important that we stay on our knees in faith than that we have some temporary relief or comfort in this life. He loves you too much to let you feel like you don't need him. “Deliver me” isn't the only prayer, though, or the highest prayer. No, the highest prayer comes in the verse before, verse 5:“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!”Praying saints like King David can keep praying the same prayers, sometimes for years, because they want something more than they want relief or healing or deliverance. They want God to be glorified! They want his truth and beauty and worth to be seen and enjoyed all over the earth. And they want him to do whatever he needs to do for that to happen. And, Scripture is clear, that might mean we suffer for a little while. It might mean we suffer for the rest of our lives. That's the apostle Paul's thorn, right? Lord, take it away, take it away, take it away — three times he asks — but not my will, but yours be done. And God doesn't take it away — not because he's rejected or abandoned Paul. His steadfast love stands above the heavens, and his faithfulness to the clouds. No, he leaves the thorn for now, because God is more concerned with his glory running out into the world through us, for the eternal good of others, than he is with providing some short-term comfort for us now. He's doing something wonderfully, eternally glorious in all our trials. We just can't see it yet. But we can ask. And God wants us to ask and keep asking, like David does here.4. We TrustWhen we feel the curse, we groan, we praise, we ask, and, fourth, we trust. We hold on hard to what God has promised to do for those who love him. Listen to David cling onto a promise, verses 7–8:God has promised in his holiness: [He doesn't lie!]“With exultation I will divide up Shechemand portion out the Valley of Succoth.Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;Ephraim is my helmet,Judah my scepter.Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah — these are all places within the promised land, the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all of Israel after them. Israel's living in the land by now, but it's still under constant attack. And so David is saying, “God, you said! Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah — those are yours, and you promised to give that land to us. So why does the land feel so fragile? Why do the enemies feel so powerful? Still, he holds onto the promise. You said, and I'm going to trust you.And God didn't promise only the 8,000 square miles of land on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. No, he promised to take every land for his glory. That's what the next verse is about, verse 9. God goes on, “Moab is my washbasin;upon Edom I cast my shoe;over Philistia I shout in triumph.”Now we're outside of Israel. These are Israel's surrounding enemies. And God says, “Oh they belong to me too.” And David believes him. Even when it feels like the Moabites and Philistines have the upper hand and are taking ground, David remembers what God said and he truststhe promise. He keeps looking to God for salvation. He looks to God for salvation, and (next verse) he refuses to look to man. Again, verse 12: “Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!”David knows this temptation all too well. He knows that when the curse is pressing in, and the opposition is intense, and it seems like God has rejected and abandoned him, there will be a terrible pressure to turn and trust in man — to trust in himself and his armies and other armies. If God won't help me, then I'll try something else. Have you felt that temptation? God's way isn't working, and so I'm trying my way.We don't talk this way, of course. We'd never say to each other, “Oh yeah, I'm actually trying out the salvation of man. I'm expecting someone else to save me now.” We don't talk like that, but oh we act like that sometimes. Don't we? We might say God is our Savior, but so much of what we say and do points to a different savior (often to ourselves). We skip time in the word because we're too busy right now. We slip in and out of church because we've got somewhere else to be. We work and work and work and rarely pray. We ask ChatGPT instead.David knew that the salvation of man saves nothing. It accomplishes nothing. It is vain. And he knew he (and we) needed to be reminded that man cannot save. Only God can save.5. We TreadWe do not trust in man — certainly not ourselves — no, we trust in God. And when we trust in him, we will do valiantly. We don't use that word often (at least I don't), but we should. When we feel the curse, we groan, we praise, we ask, we trust, and finally, we tread. Oh we will tread down all the forces of evil and consequences of evil. Verses 12–13:“Oh grant us help against the foe,for vain is the salvation of man!With God we shall do valiantly;it is he who will tread down our foes.”Vain is the salvation of man, but sure is the salvation of God. With God, we shall do valiantly. We shall prevail against all our enemies. For David, that meant Moab and Edom and Philistia. If God is with us, we have nothing to fear and we cannot lose. No matter how bleak it gets, we can take courage and know that we will outlast every enemy of God. Because God himself will tread down our foes. “With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.” And when he treads, he treads with sovereign, unrivaled power. That's what he just said in verse 9:“Moab is my washbasin;upon Edom I cast my shoe;over Philistia I shout in triumph.”Those enemies that seem so massive and powerful to you right now? They're are a bucket for my feet. They're a plastic bin for my sandals. We don't talk about Moab or Edom or Philistia today. They don't seem so big anymore, do they? The Philistines vanished as a people 2,500 years ago. Think about that. Israel fought the Philistines for two or three hundred years. For all that time (the entire history of the United States), these were the terrible giants bearing down on them. Where is God? What if they wipe us out? And then they're completely gone, tossed out like water in a bucket. That's true of every great fear you have today — war, disease, oil prices, artificial intelligence.A.I. is my washbasin. . . . upon cancer I cast my shoe. . . . over Islam I shout in triumph.The giants we most fear are as nothing to him. They're water for him to wash his feet. And I don't know about you, but the giants I battle most aren't out there in the headlines — no, they're in here. Pride. Selfishness. Impatience. Wrath. Envy. Self-pity. And God promises, I'm taking that land too. Whatever temptation looms over you. He says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). In other words,Pride is my washbasin. . . . upon envy and bitterness I cast my shoe. . . . over lust I shout in triumph.The salvation of man is vain. You can't beat that sin alone. But with God, you can and shall do valiantly.The King, the Cave, and the ConquestDavid saw God tread down foes by the tens of thousands — Moab, Edom, Philistia, but he didn't see him tread all his foes. And that brings us to the Table.King David knew God would have his full and final victory, but he also knew that God's people needed another King. A King who would take on flesh, sympathizing with us in our groaning — “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Who would praise the steadfast love and faithfulness of his Father, even in his darkest hour. Who would ask that the bitter cup of the curse be removed from him. Who would trust the Father's word and will — “Not my will, but yours be done.” Who would be betrayed, condemned, crucified, and buried — and through it all, would do valiantly. On the cross, King Jesus tread down his enemies in awesome victory. That King, remember, was also rescued from a cave. And while he has defeated the Enemy already in his death and resurrection, he will return and wash his feet with all his enemies. He'll toss his glorified sandal on anyone who rejects him and stands against him. And on that day, he'll bring us home, where the curse will never come close again.

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?Series: Questions Jesus AskedPreacher: David CourtSunday EveningDate: 16th August 2026Passage: Matthew 27:46

MORNING WORSHIP Matthew 6:9-34; Lord's Day 9 My God and My Father I. The Idea of God's Fatherhood II. The Reality of Our Sonship III. The Comfort of His Care Scripture: Matthew 6:9-34

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-decf69baa0d7626367721f44357a615e{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-decf69baa0d7626367721f44357a615e .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-decf69baa0d7626367721f44357a615e .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 03 – August 14Psalm 18:1-30 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – August 14 Psalm 18:1-30 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0814db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Psalm 18 Psalm 18 Unfailing Kindness to David And to His Descendant Forever (2 Samuel 22) Heading For the choir director. By David, the servant of the Lord, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the grasp of all his enemies, even from the grasp of Saul. Praise to the Rock of Salvation 1 Then he said: I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rocky cliff, my stronghold, and my deliverer. My God is my rock. I take refuge in him. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high fortress. 3 I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. Deliverance From Death 4 The ropes of death entangled me. Floodwaters of destruction [1] rolled over me. 5 The ropes of the grave wrapped around me. The traps of death threatened me. 6 In my distress I called to the Lord. To my God I cried out. He heard my voice from his temple. My cry came before him. It reached his ears. The Greatness of the Deliverance 7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains [2] trembled. They shook because the Lord was angry. 8 Smoke rose from his nostrils, and fire from his mouth devoured. Coals were set on fire by it. 9 Then he tore open the heavens and came down. A dark cloud was under his feet. 10 He rode upon a cherub, [3] and he flew. He soared on the wings of the wind. 11 He made the darkness around him his hiding place. Dark rain clouds [4] surrounded him like a canopy. 12 Emerging from the brightness in front of him     his clouds passed by with hail and coals of fire. 13 Then the Lord thundered in the heavens. The Most High raised his voice with hail and coals of fire. [5] 14 Then he shot his arrows and scattered the enemy. He shot great lightning bolts and routed them. 15 Then the sources of water [6] were revealed, and the foundations of the world were uncovered     by your rebuke, O Lord,     by the breath of wind from your nostrils. 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me. He drew me out of deep waters. 17 Because they were too strong for me, he rescued me from my powerful enemy, from those who hate me. 18 They confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the Lord supported me. 19 Then he brought me out into a wide-open space. He rescued me because he delighted in me. David's Uprightness as a Basis for God's Judgment 20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands he has repaid me, 21 for I have kept the ways of the Lord. I have not done evil and departed from my God. 22 So all his just decrees remain before me, and I have not turned his statutes away from me. 23 I have been blameless with him. I have kept myself from guilt. 24 The Lord has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. God's Uprightness as a Basis for His Judgment 25 To the merciful you reveal yourself as merciful. To the blameless person you reveal yourself as blameless. 26 To the pure you reveal yourself as pure, but to the crooked you reveal yourself as crafty. 27 For you save humble people, but you bring low the eyes of the arrogant. 28 Yes, you light my lamp, O Lord. My God turns my darkness to light. 29 For with you I can charge against a battalion, and with my God I can jump over a wall. God Equips David for Victory 30 This God—his way is blameless. The speech of the Lord is pure. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Footnotes Psalm 18:4 Hebrew floodwaters of belial. Belial means worthless or unrestrained. It later became a name for Satan. Psalm 18:7 See 2 Samuel 22:8, which reads foundations of the heavens. Psalm 18:10 The cherubim are the powerful angels who serve as God's honor guard. Psalm 18:11 Literally darkness of waters, clouds of a cloudy sky Psalm 18:13 The Greek text does not include hail and coals of fire in this verse. It may be an accidental repetition from the preceding verse. The parallel in 2 Samuel 22:14 does not have this repetition. Psalm 18:15 Sources of the sea is the reading in the parallel text in 2 Samuel 22:16. #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

Patrick Larkin, Partner & Practice Leader, Cerity Partners Three years after launching his independent RIA, Patrick Larkin merged with Cerity Partners—but not because that was the original plan. He explains how ownership changed the way he viewed enterprise value, optionality, and the future of his business. In Summary Going independent is often viewed as the destination. Patrick Larkin discovered it was just the beginning. Louis sits down with Patrick, Partner and Practice Leader at Cerity Partners and former founder of Oak Hill Wealth Advisors, to discuss an unconventional journey: leaving Wells Fargo to build an independent RIA, then choosing to merge that business just three years later. Rather than following a predetermined exit strategy, Patrick shares how ownership fundamentally changed the way he thought about enterprise value. A conversation with a prospective acquirer revealed that buyers weren't interested in purchasing a book of business—they were looking for a business. That realization reshaped how he invested, hired, delegated, and ultimately positioned his firm for the future. The conversation from our Build Grow & Transact series also offers a candid look at life after a merger, from evaluating cultural fit and partnership to balancing autonomy with the resources of a larger organization. More broadly, it illustrates how ownership creates optionality—and why the most valuable decision an advisor makes may not be the one they originally envisioned. The Storyline After spending nearly 15 years building a successful practice at AG Edwards, Wachovia, and Wells Fargo, Patrick Larkin launched Oak Hill Wealth Advisors in 2022 with a simple objective: build a business on his own terms. Like many advisors, he expected independence to be the final destination for a long time. But then there was the realization that ownership changes more than economics; it changes perspective. And it became the beginning of an entirely different way of thinking. As acquisition inquiries arrived sooner than expected, Patrick realized something that fundamentally changed his strategy. Sophisticated buyers weren't evaluating his client relationships as a book of business; they were evaluating Oak Hill as an enterprise. That insight shifted his priorities from maximizing short-term profitability to building a business that could thrive beyond its founder. Just three years after launching, Patrick chose to merge with Cerity Partners—not because he was looking for an exit, but because he believed it strengthened the future for his clients, his team, and his family. Louis and Patrick explore what led to that decision, how ownership increased the value of his business almost immediately, why he compares independence to an IPO, and what advisors should consider if they hope to create options for the future—even if they don't yet know what that future looks like. Topics Covered Building enterprise value versus maximizing annual income Creating optionality through ownership Leaving Wells Fargo to launch an independent RIA Why buyers value businesses more than books of business Evaluating strategic partners and acquisition opportunities The economics of independence and business valuation Life after merging with Cerity Partners Balancing autonomy with enterprise-scale resources Leadership, succession, and building beyond the founder Long-term ownership and partnership models > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors Why did Patrick decide to leave Wells Fargo? (11:07) Patrick explains why growing frustrations around control, firm priorities, and the ability to build his business eventually outweighed the comfort of staying put. How did going independent immediately change the value of his business? (21:42) Patrick introduces one of the episode's biggest ideas: why launching Oak Hill felt like taking a company public and how ownership increased the firm's value almost overnight. Why did Patrick sell only three years after becoming independent? (20:03) An unexpected conversation with a prospective acquirer completely changed how he viewed enterprise value and accelerated his long-term thinking. What separates a business from a book of business? (21:42) Patrick discusses why recruiting advisors, delegating client relationships, and investing beyond himself made Oak Hill more attractive to strategic buyers. Why Cerity Partners? (26:48) Rather than focusing on valuation, Cerity emphasized culture, partnership, and long-term alignment—qualities Patrick says ultimately mattered most. What is life actually like after a merger? (37:57) Patrick offers an unusually candid perspective on autonomy, leadership, and why he says he hasn't second-guessed the decision once. Key Takeaways Ownership creates opportunities that often aren't visible until after independence. Enterprise value is built by creating a business that can thrive beyond its founder. The first acquisition conversation can be valuable even if no transaction occurs. Cultural alignment may ultimately matter more than valuation when selecting a long-term partner. Independence doesn't eliminate future options—it expands them. Strategic transactions can strengthen outcomes for clients, employees, and owners simultaneously. The goal isn't simply to own a business; it's to create choices for what comes next. https://youtu.be/f7FGLGjBbyo Quotable Moments “The day Oak Hill launched felt like the business had gone public.” “Potential acquirers weren't interested in buying a book. They were interested in buying a business.” “Ownership isn't simply about control. It's about creating optionality.” “The fear of leaving is almost always worse than the actual experience of leaving.” FAQs Why did Patrick Larkin merge with Cerity Partners only three years after launching his RIA? Patrick explains that independence changed how he viewed enterprise value. After learning what sophisticated buyers were actually looking for, he intentionally built Oak Hill as a business rather than simply managing for annual profitability. Why does Patrick compare independence to an IPO? Because ownership immediately transformed the economic value of his practice. Rather than participating in an internal succession model, he owned an independent enterprise that carried substantially greater market value. What changed after Patrick became independent? Beyond gaining control, he began making decisions through the lens of enterprise value—investing in advisors, systems, and infrastructure that would make the business less dependent on him personally. What made Cerity Partners stand out? Patrick cites the firm's culture, partnership model, meritocracy, long-term vision, and ability to combine local autonomy with enterprise-level capabilities. Is this episode only relevant for advisors considering selling? No. The broader lesson is that ownership creates flexibility. Whether an advisor ultimately remains independent or joins another organization, understanding how enterprise value is created can influence decisions from day one. What is the biggest lesson Patrick hopes advisors take away? That independence isn't simply about leaving a firm. It's about creating the ability to choose what comes next on your own terms. Patrick explains that independence changed how he viewed enterprise value. After learning what sophisticated buyers were actually looking for, he intentionally built Oak Hill as a business rather than simply managing for annual profitability. Because ownership immediately transformed the economic value of his practice. Rather than participating in an internal succession model, he owned an independent enterprise that carried substantially greater market value. Beyond gaining control, he began making decisions through the lens of enterprise value—investing in advisors, systems, and infrastructure that would make the business less dependent on him personally. Patrick cites the firm's culture, partnership model, meritocracy, long-term vision, and ability to combine local autonomy with enterprise-level capabilities. No. The broader lesson is that ownership creates flexibility. Whether an advisor ultimately remains independent or joins another organization, understanding how enterprise value is created can influence decisions from day one. That independence isn't simply about leaving a firm. It's about creating the ability to choose what comes next on your own terms. Related Resources From Start-Up to $31B Behemoth RIA: The Catalysts Behind the Growth of Mega-Firm Cerity Partners Ownership Matters: What Advisors Need to Know When Evaluating Firms Top Tips for Setting Your Business Up for Success Years Before a Move Patrick LarkinPartner and Practice Leader Patrick is a Partner and Practice Leader in the Lansdowne, VA office. He is a member of the Lansdowne Practice, where he works closely with families, foundations, and non-profits to help them define and achieve their financial goals with clarity and confidence. With a deep specialization in retirement income distribution planning and complex risk and wealth management strategies, Patrick is known for helping clients simplify complicated financial decisions, reduce uncertainty, and build sustainable, long-term plans. His approach emphasizes fiduciary responsibility, transparency, and personalized guidance — ensuring clients always feel informed and empowered. Prior to joining Cerity Partners, Patrick was the founding member of Oak Hill Wealth Advisors, where he built a highly respected independent advisory practice that earned the trust of families, professionals, and mission-driven organizations across the region. His leadership was instrumental in shaping a client-first culture that continues today. Patrick's work is rooted in a passion for long-term relationships — guiding clients not just through markets, but through life's milestones such as retirement, business transitions, philanthropic planning, and wealth transfer across generations. He takes pride in being both a strategic advisor and a steady partner to the people he serves. Patrick lives in Bluemont, VA, with his wife Angela, their two children, Paige and Sean, and their Golden Retrievers, Huckleberry and Genoa. Outside of the office, Patrick and his family enjoy an active lifestyle — whether it's hiking and backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, biking the Great Allegheny Passage, or sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. These experiences reflect his belief in balance, resilience, and enjoying the journey — values he also brings to his work with clients. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… Build, Grow & Transact: From Breakaway to Transaction in 3 Years A conversation with Louis Diamond and Patrick Larkin, Partner & Practice Leader at Cerity Partners.      Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Build, Grow & Transact: From Breakaway to Transaction in 3 Years. It’s a conversation with Patrick Larkin, Partner and Practice Leader at Cerity Partners. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at 908-879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual Advisor Transition Report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: Ownership as a way of creating opportunities you can’t always predict. That’s exactly why we created our Build, Grow, and Transact series. Independence isn’t the end of the story. It’s often the beginning of thinking differently about enterprise value, optionality, and what comes next. Today’s guest is Patrick Larkin, Partner and Practice Leader at Cerity Partners, and formerly the founder of Oak Hill Wealth Advisors. Patrick spent nearly 15 years building a successful practice at A.G. Edwards, Wachovia, and eventually Wells Fargo before launching his own independent firm in 2022. Just three years later, he merged that firm into Cerity. At first glance, that timeline might seem surprisingly short, but as you’ll hear, the merger wasn’t a change in direction. It was the result of seeing his business differently once he owned it. Yet, it’s this perspective that really brings that thought home. Patrick said the day Oak Hill launched felt like the business had gone public because overnight, what had been viewed as a book of business became an enterprise with substantially greater value, some four to five times the value of what it was worth at Wells. And that realization changed the way he invested, the way he hired, and ultimately the way he thought about the future. Pat and I also talk about something advisors don’t often discuss candidly, what life actually looks like after a merger. How much control do you give up? What changes day to day? How do you know whether you’re joining a partner or simply selling a business? Whether your long-term plan is to remain independent forever or eventually join a larger organization, Patrick’s experience is a reminder that ownership isn’t simply about control. It’s about creating optionality and putting yourself in a position where the next decision is yours to make. So let’s get to it. Patrick, thanks for coming on our show today. Patrick Larkin: Oh, my pleasure. Nice to meet you, Louis. Louis Diamond: You too. So let’s start off basically how we start every interview. Tell us about yourself, your background, and how you found your way into our industry in the first place. Patrick Larkin: Yeah, thank you for asking. I knew I always wanted to be a financial advisor. That part really wasn’t in question, but upon graduating college and being a 22-year-old, I knew that it was probably not practical to walk in and start advising people my parents’ age with their life savings. Probably wasn’t going to be a recipe for success. So I took a quick tour through the pharmaceutical industry first, which ended up being unexpectedly valuable. My employers there pushed me to think like an entrepreneur and within our territories. And honestly, that mindset never left me. It shaped how I built everything that came after. Eventually, an opportunity presented itself in Loudoun County, Virginia in Northern Virginia, and I became an FA trainee with A.G. Edwards, absolutely fantastic firm to start my career. Now, what drew me to this career was pretty simple. I felt like it was one of the professions that we had an opportunity to do so much good for others while simultaneously also doing well for yourself, and those two things aren’t in conflict. I also really loved the idea that in this profession there was no hiding. You don’t get paid to show up. You get paid for what you actually do. And perhaps for me, what was most important, I loved the weight of responsibility. I loved earning people’s trust. I loved the idea of deserving, being deserving of their trust, and being a steward of what they’ve worked a lifetime to build. I never took that lightly, and I still don’t. Louis Diamond: That’s amazing. Yeah, I mean, the number of people I’ve heard, you talked so fondly about A.G. Edwards and there’s a bunch of other firms that have since been absorbed or emerged that are like the regional firms of old. So not surprised to hear you loved it. A.G. Edwards, obviously, became Wells Fargo Advisors or was acquired or merged with Wells Fargo. So I know you’re at Wells and A.G. Edwards until 2022. So give us a quick version. How’d you build your practice from the pharma world into being in FA? Patrick Larkin: Yeah, so as I started with A.G. Edwards, I came in at really just the perfect time. It was towards the end of the financial crisis. And I built the business the old-fashioned way with a lot of cold calling and eventually did some dinner seminars, which I can tell you is a very expensive way to learn how to speak in front of a room. But I made some progress, and I was also in a great office, small enough that some of the advisors there would hand off some of the smaller accounts that they weren’t interested in working with, and got an opportunity to get a lot of reps in working with real life clients and individuals. I knew early on I didn’t have enough talent to win on talent alone, so I made up for it and compensated for that with really hard work. The real turning point came for me when A.G. Edwards was first acquired by Wachovia Securities, and that was about five years into my career. And at that point, my branch manager, who was eyeing retirement, asked me to step in as her partner, and that changed everything. We eventually moved over to a Wachovia Securities office, another really great local office in Loudoun County, Virginia. And from that office, I worked on and became a CIMA, a CFP, worked with the clients, built a business through referrals. And I found at that point in my career when I would go to a meeting with Wachovia, eventually Wells Fargo, as a young 30-year-old, I would look around the room often and realize that I was the youngest person in the room. The funny thing was 10 years later, I would go into that same room and I’d look around and I still was the youngest guy in that room. And those demographics in our industry, and when I came into our industry, ultimately led that office that I worked in with Wells Fargo Advisors, I eventually was the recipient and party to five different succession plans- Louis Diamond: Wow. Patrick Larkin: … at Wells Fargo Advisors. I hoped that I had built a reputation as somebody that these other advisors would entrust with their clients. And over that time period, really, I would say professionally, one of my accomplishments I’m most proud of is all five of those retired advisors that I used to work with, who had an opportunity to see me work with clients, all became clients of mine, I still continue to work with. And it’s professionally just one of the greatest honors that I’ve ever had. Louis Diamond: I mean, that’s a large number of advisors you helped sunset, but I would agree it’s the ultimate proof of concept that they not only trusted you with their clients and their life’s work, but now also with their family’s wealth. So I like that, kind of the full life cycle there. So I’m curious, though, you stayed at Wells through a really turbulent time through the fake bank scandal. There’s a lot of attrition. I mean, obviously, they’re still a powerhouse to this day, but what kept you at Wells for as long as it did before you left in 2022? Patrick Larkin: You described it as a turbulent time. Pretty turbulent might be an understatement. Even before Wells, the transition to Wells, Wachovia Bank had been the first company that we transitioned to from A.G. Edwards. And we, of course, went through the financial crisis during that time period and handholding our clients and helping them get through that time period and dealing with concerns that we shouldn’t really have to be prepared with. “Is my money safe? It’s not what’s happening to the market, but is my money safe in your institution?” But once things stabilized, I found real purpose in partnering with some of the retiring advisors and opportunities that came up. It was a really wonderful climate and atmosphere in our local office. It was really a family-like atmosphere, and I still had a lot to learn. And all those advisors that I partnered with, I’ve joked I’ve never had an original idea in my entire life. I stole all my good ideas from them. And some of them were really ahead of their time, and I learned, adopted, and built my own philosophies by working closely with them. Ultimately, by the time I left Wells Fargo, I was finishing up the fifth sunset program and had only made my way halfway through the sunset before the opportunity presented itself to create my own practice. Louis Diamond: So I’m curious, when did you first seriously start thinking about leaving and what really tipped the scales for you? What was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back? Patrick Larkin: Yeah, it really was a number of small items and ultimately one big one. But for a long time, I’d been content, but as I tried to grow the business beyond what I could do individually, I felt like I kept running into walls. There were it felt like limitations on how I could build out my team and structure the practice the way I envisioned it. Additionally, there were some new policies that also started to bother me. One of them was the platform advisory fee, which in my eyes was less about client transparency and more about replacing a declining revenue source on the firm’s balance sheet. And after dealing with clients and helping them through the bank scandal at the firm, I was concerned that this would come back and hurt me and the relationships that I had with my clients. Incidentally, I just recently onboarded a new client that transferred to us. And for them, looking at their statement, identifying this platform advisory fee- Louis Diamond: Oh boy. Patrick Larkin: … was the last straw for them before they moved about 15 million of assets to us. Also, I thought I would be I would be a better allocator of resources than Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo retained about half of the revenue that I earned for the business. They seemed to think that the best allocation of that money was additional middle management. Whereas, I thought investment in technology, investment in additional personnel, and an investment in marketing were best places to continue to build out my vision. The final straw, and really a thing that crystallized everything for me was when I read a book in 2021 called The Infinite Game, a book written by Simon Sinek. Chapter eight, the title is Ethical Fading. And it uses the Wells Fargo bank scandal as a case study in what happens when a firm loses its moral compass. I read the chapter and thought, “There it is, I have to do something.” That was really the final push I needed. I mentioned earlier I was very fortunate to start my career with a company called A.G. Edwards, a regional brokerage firm. And while I was at A.G. Edwards, there was a research report that came out on A.G. Edwards as a company. And I’m going to paraphrase a little bit on what was said in that report, but ultimately there was a line in there, and it was a criticism, but I took it as a huge positive as being an employee there. The line said, “While management does not necessarily say it, we believe the client is put ahead of the shareholder.” And that was something I was very proud of. And I just, upon reflecting on it, felt confident those were words that I never was going to see go to print about Wells Fargo. Louis Diamond: So you left Wells in 2022 and founded Oak Hill Wealth Partners in Lansdowne, Virginia. Walk us through that decision. Why go independent rather than going to another firm? Patrick Larkin: I really thought moving to another firm, the things that I had grown frustrated with at Wells Fargo Advisors, I would also find at another wirehouse firm. I was ready, and honestly, the simple answer is I thought I could do better. And I wanted control after having what I felt like was very little control. I had grown frustrated with others making important decisions, and I wanted an opportunity to grab the reins and make decisions on my own. I believe at that time, the future of wealth management was going to be built around fiduciary advice, and I didn’t want to watch that from the sidelines anymore. I was watching what was happening in the industry. And as we were trying to hire new advisors, reaching out to college graduates who were studying CFP programs, identified that they were more inclined to want to start employment with an RIA than a wirehouse. What made the timing work really well was Wells Fargo had actually introduced a program to help advisors in the private client group spin off and establish their own RIAs. Now, whenever I tell this to another advisor, particularly ones that are wirehouses, they can’t understand it. And quite frankly, I don’t understand why they helped us do it, but we were about the 30th practice that they helped us through this process and they provided real support. They hired consultants, made vendor recommendations, even referrals to financing so I could pay off my last succession plan before I left. The only really upside for Wells Fargo was that the ask was that we continue to use First Clearing as the custodian. And one of the downsides for me was I was going to leave all of my deferred comp behind with Wells Fargo. Now, all clients had to do to join me was sign a positive consent. And on May 9th, 2020, we turned on our computers in our new office and our clients were already there. That same day, we launched and started a relationship with Charles Schwab. And it was so exciting to be able to start shopping for what I thought was the best FinTech, really feeling like I was stuck with proprietary tools that Wells Fargo advisors had offered. I felt like I was a kid in a candy store. And if there was a cool tool that I identified that would help us serve our clients better, I was all in and I was buying it. I really feel that some of the technology that Oak Hill eventually bought into and some of the tools we’re using now are going to take years and years before they eventually trickle down to where the wirehouses are, if ever. Louis Diamond: Interesting. So it was really it was for the most part an internal move from one- Patrick Larkin: It was- Louis Diamond: … channel to the other. Patrick Larkin: … it was an internal move, but there was no requirement to stay at First Clearing. As a fiduciary, they couldn’t make those demands. And again, they helped us with the financing, which is really unusual that they helped us secure a loan so I could pay off the last retiring advisor. It’s really unusual that a bank will loan money where there is no business at the time, but because of previous experience that financial institution had working with Wells, they helped us facilitate the transaction. And the program is still in place at Wells Fargo, which is absolutely amazing to me after the experience that I’ve just had myself. Louis Diamond: Yeah, it’s interesting. I mean, does it cannibalize a more profitable revenue source? Sure. But if the alternative was all the assets go to Schwab or Fidelity, to me, honestly, it’s smart. I think they played the long game by not being adversarial on it. Patrick Larkin: I think they played a long game and they took the philosophy, and I think they use it as a recruiting tool that if you love them, set them free. And that’s exactly what they did. Louis Diamond: So for the rest of the episode, I want to talk about your eventual, and not that long period of time, transaction or decision to merge Oak Hill with Cerity Partners. This is our Build, Grow, Transact subseries. And I was really struck by your story because you were three years or so into running Oak Hill, and then your merger with Cerity Partners, an amazing RIA closed. That’s a fairly short runway. Usually when I see folks go independent for the first time, it’s 10, 15, 20 years, maybe never, that they decide to merge or sell. I’m curious to understand your thinking about the transaction. Were you looking to do something? Or was it just like right place, right time and the opportunity presented itself? Patrick Larkin: I had started Oak Hill with the intent of eventually down the road, much closer to retirement, looking for a partner. The opportunity and what I learned early on helped change that idea and philosophy, and I adapted and made modifications to take advantage of it. Louis Diamond: Interesting. So you weren’t necessarily planning on selling or merging the business, it just kind of circumstances happened the way they did? Patrick Larkin: Yeah. When we started Oak Hill Wealth Advisors, it was a really pretty short period of time before we started getting calls from larger national RIAs about potential acquisition, much sooner than I expected. Early on, I just brushed them off, but about a year in, I took one of those calls and it really just opened my eyes up. I realized for the first time this small firm, this little practice actually had some real value, way more than I’d given it credit for. That first call, that first exploration didn’t go anywhere. It wasn’t a good fit. But what it gave me was a much clearer picture of what the serious acquirers were actually looking for. And that changed decisions I made at Oak Hill going forward. I really at that point stopped trying to optimize for near-term profit and really thought of my business as a business and started building towards enterprise value, sometimes at the cost of short-term income. And that turned out to be exactly the right call. Louis Diamond: That’s such an interesting perspective. Let’s double-click into that concept. So it sounds almost counterintuitive that if you kind of had this light bulb moment that like, “Okay, maybe I want to transact my business sooner than I initially thought.” I think most people would say, “Let’s become lean and mean. Let’s become as profitable as possible so my EBITDA’s higher.” But you took the different approach. What were the decisions you did to invest more in enterprise value rather than current cash flow? Patrick Larkin: A true business is one that doesn’t need me to be here every day to operate. And when we left Wells Fargo Advisors, it was myself and one other advisor that created Oak Hill Wealth Advisors. I was responsible for about 95% of the assets and revenue. And one of the more significant investments we made is in additional advisors. I recruited three new advisors, all CFPs, to join Oak Hill Wealth Advisors. Whereas, before I had been largely managing all the relationships myself. For someone that kind of grew up in the regional wirehouse space, it’s pretty counterintuitive to start moving relationships away from you onto other advisors. You’re trained and built to create a moat around your relationships, and realized that the potential acquirers are not interested, at least the ones I was interested in, weren’t interested in buying a book. They were interested in buying a business. And that just meant every decision we made going forward was not profit-driven, but how can I increase the value of the business? So after that first call, I knew I probably would be looking to move forward with a transaction sooner as opposed to the end of retirement. That information that I got on that first call helped me realize that when Oak Hill Wealth Advisors opened its doors on May 9th, 2022, we effectively had an IPO. I had great familiarity with how the succession plans at Wells Fargo Advisors worked. And on that day that we opened our practice, the value of my business jumped to be four to five times the value of it in a succession plan at Wells Fargo Advisors. Now, I knew going forward that I was going to be able to increase revenue. I was going to be able to increase EBITDA. I was going to potentially have some benefits from a market tailwind. I knew the multiples of EBITDA that the firms use may fluctuate, but the biggest change by far occurred leaving the wirehouse and having the value of my business grow four to fivefold in that same day. So what I really focused on was making sure that I was going to, when I was ready to start looking again after I had worked on improving the practice, really was going to look for a firm that was going to be a good cultural fit for both my clients, my team, and myself. Louis Diamond: That’s such a cool perspective. I’ve never heard anyone say that the day we launched your independent business was like an IPO. But honestly, it’s so true. You’re planting a flag in the ground that like, “Here is real value. This is value that we’ve created that we own rather than it being a book of business and a W-2 paycheck.” And it’s a fascinating perspective. Patrick Larkin: Yep. It really is amazing that the value changed that much on one day and the future value changes. Looking at the equity that I owned in Oak Hill Wealth Advisors, it made sense to consider is there a better way to take some risk off the table for myself and my family and diversify some of the equity that I had in Oak Hill Wealth Advisors with a larger enterprise? Louis Diamond: It makes complete sense. Obviously, everyone would sign up for 4 to 5X increase in value. Patrick Larkin: Sure. Louis Diamond: That’s not the reason most people go independent, but it’s important to know. And also, what I really liked about what you shared is I think a really valuable learning for anyone is those calls come in, whether it’s from annoying people like me or from an acquirer, from a firm, they’re not all noise. You took it as an opportunity to learn. Even though that first person who called wasn’t the right fit, it crystallized something in your mind and it let you make proactive decisions that ultimately paid off in spades when it came time to sign the dotted line for your transaction with Cerity. So I think it’s brilliant. And it’s very big picture, big-business-owner-type stuff that I think a lot of people will just filter out because it’s annoying and I’m young, I’m not looking to sell, but that was the journey. Patrick Larkin: Yeah, that first call changed my opinion about timing of when to move forward with a partnership. Originally, I thought this would be something at the end of retirement. The timing of doing so sooner seemed a lot more appealing after having that conversation and realizing what we had actually built. Louis Diamond: Amazing. So ultimately you decided to merge with Cerity Partners. We’ve had Kurt Miscinski from Cerity Partners on the show. They’re a real heavyweight within the RIA world. Most recently, they were valued at $8 billion in a recap, and it’s a very impressive firm. What specifically drew you to Cerity versus other potential buyers? Like you said, you got a lot of calls. Patrick Larkin: After that first call, I just got to work and focused on continuing to take care of our clients, building a team, adding new advisors, being a mentor to those advisors. But at the same time, we were being approached fairly regularly by that point. And I had a pretty good system for quickly deciding whether something was worth a second look, and most weren’t. But about a year ago, one of the national RIAs caught my attention and I started having conversations with them. And once I had progressed with them, I though, “You know what? If I’m giving this consideration, I really need to cast a wider net.” So I reached out to other RIAs that I had looked at and admired and been keeping an eye on. And ultimately, my longtime business coach, Barbara Kay, suggested I talk with Cerity Partners, a company that one of her other clients had just recently joined. And from the very first call, I could tell something was different. And I talked to many different companies. Cerity Partners, and an individual I spoke with, Geoff Newman, they weren’t leading with valuation formulas or deal structure. They were asking questions about my clients, my team, and how I actually ran the practice. They had a very defined process for identifying partners who were genuinely compatible, not just advisors with books that were transferable. And that distinction mattered greatly to me. They also offered really, in my opinion, the right balance of support and still having some autonomy. And their aspiration to deliver consistent standard of care to clients, whether they be in California or Virginia, so that those individuals get the same quality of experience, resonated with how I was already running things within my practice. That combination of support and autonomy, I really liked the idea of continuing to have oversight over my local practice, over our practice, which included the budget, salaries, and bonuses. It more than anybody else felt like a partnership and not a buyout. And I really appreciate it during that first call, Cerity was the only company that talked about a hundred-year plan. It was amazing to me to hear what their thoughts were. Most of the other firms I spoke with talked about valuations. And very quickly in the process, I found myself on a Zoom call with a Patagonia fleece vest-wearing private equity rep walking me through a valuation. And it was efficient, but it was not a cultural fit for me. And the infrastructure behind us and the combination of autonomy is really harder to find than most people think. As I progressed with Cerity, I remember early on in the process thinking to myself, “My God, I hope they want me, I hope they want me,” because I could tell I’m a very process-driven person They had a process with the way they brought me on board. And ultimately, we had a due diligence trip set up to go to one of their larger offices where I met with one of their leaders, Claire O’Keefe, part of their practice development, and had an opportunity to meet with different leaders within the firm and really get my arms wrapped around the potential that they had. Just the quality of the people I encountered through the whole process just kept reinforcing the decision. And by the time we got to the finish line, it didn’t feel like a transaction. It felt like I was joining something that I was excited to be part of. So just a little bit more about what attracted me to Cerity, their culture is just phenomenal. Cerity Partners uses the word “meritocracy” and they actually mean it. Ownership and influence here track your contribution, not your tenure or how well you play the politics. I just attended my first partner meeting in April, and without exaggeration, it was the most extraordinary professional meeting I’ve attended in my 25-year career. During the meeting, there was open debate about the direction of the firm, and every voice in the room carried weight. You could feel the culture. And that type of culture is built over years. You can’t fake it. Everyone in the room it felt like was rowing in the same direction. And by the time the meeting was over, I was so excited to get back to my team and tell them about what I had just witnessed, I wasn’t looking for the exit. I was looking for the brick wall to run through. I was so excited. And every once in a while I wonder having spent so much time in the wirehouse spaces, the bar just set really low for me when I talked to some of my other colleagues that have been independent for a long time. But it was just an absolutely amazing experience. And I do want to just add, one of the last really important things to me about Cerity Partners is I’ve been very fortunate with my career and in this profession. And part of my goal over the rest of my career is to have a legacy. And my legacy currently exists with the families I’ve advised and the team that I’ve built and have served and led. But Cerity Partners is helping me achieve even a greater legacy in our industry with our shared long-term goals. During my first meeting, they talked about their hundred-year vision of being a worldwide employee-owned professional services firm. And currently, and this is very exciting, the employees are the largest shareholder of the firm. No one else I talked to talked about their long-term goals like this, and it’s a vision I believe in. I want to contribute to help to see it accomplished. And one day when I do retire, I want to look back and see how I contribute it to a company that I believe is going to change the direction of professional wealth management. Louis Diamond: Wow. Patrick Larkin: My partnership with Cerity Partners is going to make that a reality. It’s just an amazing place. Yeah, very happy. Louis Diamond: Honestly, you can’t fake that type of enthusiasm. It sounds like- Patrick Larkin: It’s not- Louis Diamond: … you entered into a transaction, which is it’s like jumping into the deep end. How do you sort through what’s the sales process versus what’s real? How much of this is actually going to translate to my life? But hearing you not that long after the transaction, you still feel that and it’s very cool. In the press release I read, you cited estate planning, private markets access, and cross-border planning as key reasons for the merger. Can you talk about what it was about those? Maybe- Patrick Larkin: Yeah. Louis Diamond: … anything else that was missed? Patrick Larkin: Yeah. Louis Diamond: And were those not things that you felt like you could have delivered yourself as a standalone? Patrick Larkin: I thought that they were going to help me be able to be more effective in delivering those, but they weren’t the complete picture. The capabilities that we cited in the release were genuine gaps I wanted to fill and have available for clients and be able to prospect and go after new additional clients. But being fully honest, there were also deeper drivers. One was my team. Sometimes we get emotional about this. Being someone who’s trusted is really important to me, and that’s something I hold in high priority. There are people that followed me out of Wells Fargo to join me. One of my client associates had delayed her retirement so that she could join me and help us launch for the first three months. One of my other client associates has been with me close to 15 years. These are people that trusted me to do the right thing and to make sure that I wasn’t walking them off the plank. Being able to join Cerity Partners and give them a future that didn’t hinge entirely on my personal longevity was a huge relief. And Cerity Partners is an ownership culture. I’m so happy to say today that every single individual on my team in our practice in Lansdowne is now either an equity owner in Cerity Partners or very shortly will be an equity- Louis Diamond: So cool. Patrick Larkin: … equity owner. So they have a stake as well in what they’re building. It matters. My youngest client associate noticed how much it costs to send to FedEx. And he goes, “Now that I’m an owner, maybe we should rethink about sending regular mail.” Another driver was my family. And I’ve always had the philosophy of trying to prioritize and clients first, team and colleagues, and then my family. And I’ve always made decisions that if I put those others before myself, eventually I’ll be taken care of. And going through this transaction, it was so generous to my family and provided such security. There was a little bit of guilt that, “Am I doing this for all the right reasons?” But being able to secure my family’s future, converting equity in a three-year-old RIA into a stake of a $8 billion-plus valuation with institutional backing, that was a meaningful moment and I’d be less than honest if I glossed over that. I also really wanted to be part of something larger than myself. And the opportunity to help build a legacy in this business with Cerity Partners really gives me the platform to do that. Louis Diamond: Very cool. I can tell that you’re genuine, not just because of the way you sound, the way you’re speaking, but in the very beginning of the episode, you talked about the reason you got into this business was because you thought it gave you the dual purpose of being able to help people, but also being able to enrich yourself or your family. So this answer, it comes full circle. You’re able to accomplish all these goals, which made it the right decision. And I think, look, I say to advisors all the time, “You’re allowed to be greedy, you’re allowed to be selfish as long as the clients are still in the front of your mind as the most important thing.” There’s nothing wrong with doing better for clients, building a legacy in your case, but also reaping the rewards of all your hard work and labor and also all the risks that you’ve taken over your career. I got to ask you, though, from being an employee of Wells, where you were running your team, for the most part, you can run the business within their guardrails the way you want, to then running an RIA, which is really like you’re fully in control of everything, to now being a partner, but you’re not the one who has the name on the door anymore. Patrick Larkin: Right, right. Louis Diamond: Well, how do you think about the giving up control and full ownership of your practice versus owning a very small amount of a much larger entity? Patrick Larkin: There was such continuity. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors and Cerity Partners were so philosophically aligned that I genuinely never felt like I was giving up anything that I wasn’t glad to let go. My wife joined the business shortly before I left Wells Fargo Advisors. And still to this day, on my drive home from work, I call her up and say, “You’re not going to believe this.” And it’s all a positive, good thing. So Cerity has struck the perfect balance of that autonomy and support combination that I was looking for. So I still have control and a say over the way our practice is managed. Very shortly after the merger, my supervisor came down and met me for the first time, and we went out together after the day had ended. And early in the conversation I said to him, “What can I do to make your life easier?” And he said, “Pat, what can I do to make your life easier?” And that set the tone that still exists to this day. I almost cried when he said that because that was so different than what I had experienced up to that point. So the collaboration, the way we work together, it’s just absolutely amazing. And not once for a single moment have I second-guessed my decision. And it’s really weird because I’ve now been part of this organization for nearly nine months, and there just has not been one thing that’s occurred where I said, “That’s a disappointment.” It’s just been absolutely amazing every single day. Louis Diamond: Very cool. To me, there’s different arcs of when you want to ask people the question of, “Hey, any regrets?” And usually you don’t want to ask them too soon because they’re still going through the transition and integration and growing pains. And you don’t want to ask them too far in the future because you forget about what was life before. To be this short of a duration into this new partnership and to have these feelings, that’s absolutely pretty special. I got two more questions for you, Pat, if you don’t mind. Patrick Larkin: Sure. Louis Diamond: First one, economically, to me, one of the hardest things for really any advisor to really grapple with or to fully comprehend or make their own is, “I own 100% of the equity in my business. I get to decide when I want to sell in the future. My business is growing 10% per year. I wait to sell until 10 years from now, my business is going to be much bigger and I get to keep all the cash flow. I get to make all the decisions.” That compared to the path that you took, which was take cash off the table, which everyone understands, to, “Now, I own a much smaller piece of a much larger pie.” How would you talk to someone about the financial trade-off between a hundred percent ownership in their business, full control, full discretion over everything, versus becoming a minority equity partner in a larger entity? Patrick Larkin: You have to look at the valuation of my business, again, the day that we opened our doors as Oak Hill Wealth Advisors. There was such a massive jump in the value of the business. There was not going to be an opportunity for an appreciation at that level. So then, you have to compare what the growth rate is of Oak Hill Wealth Advisors versus a Cerity Partners. And I’m not embarrassed to say that Cerity Partners is and has been growing at a much faster rate of return. The value of the equity that I have retained in Cerity Partners, my ownership stake, I fully expect by the time I transact that business as I get closer to retirement, that’s going to be worth many times more than whatever opportunity I would have had at Wells Fargo with the valuation they would have provided me. Nevermind, very important, the tax consequences of a structure like this is all the retiring advisors that I worked with were taxed at their highest marginal rate. I owned a business and we were taxed at long-term capital gains rates. A significant difference in savings in what as the owner we actually realize. So yeah, I feel very comfortable with the ownership that I have and the control and continued opportunity with the meritocracy culture to increase my share of ownership in the company. Louis Diamond: Okay, and let’s do one more question here. I’ll pick it back up. So Pat, I think it’s a really cool perspective. It’s almost do your homework, and if you find the right horse and the right jockey that can run faster than you can on your own, that the equity value will compound and grow and appreciate in a faster, more efficient way than what you’re doing on your own, which makes complete sense. It’s the ultimate trade-off. And again, it’s like jumping into the deep end. On the one hand, Oak Hill was all you, right? You control the growth, for better or worse, for the good days, the bad days, the good years, the bad years, versus now your growth is diversified amongst hundreds of partners across M&A, across different lead flow channels, et cetera. It makes complete sense. But honestly, if I were an advisor, I don’t know how I would think about it. I think it’s all just fact-and-circumstance-based on where I am in my life and who the firm is and what I’m trying to accomplish. But it’s such a cool perspective because usually the playbook that we see, which is why we did this series, is go independent and there’s a long pause until there is a realization of all the value that’s been created. So seeing you do this in a much quicker timeframe, it seems like it was the absolutely right decision. To me, it just is another path, another way that an advisor or a firm is able to think about their future. Any final advice or parting words for someone who is sitting right where you were in 2021 or 2022 thinking about making the leap? And we’ll say a transition in general, or really anything you want to share to wrap our episode here. Patrick Larkin: Thank you for having me, and this is a great question. Happy to give a thoughtful answer to it. Before I’d left Wells Fargo Advisors through the program and started Oak Hill Wealth Advisors, I had an opportunity to go through a due diligence process and make sure that this was going to be a right move for me. There was no carrot out there that was obvious. I learned after that first conversation that I had built a practice that had some value to it. I was leaving behind the security of something I knew, leaving behind a significant amount in deferred compensation, and I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. And through that due diligence process, talked to about five other firms that had recently left Wells Fargo to join this RIA program. I asked them a lot of different questions about what their experience was. And at every point during those conversations, they all said the same thing at different points. And it sounded like this. They said, “I’m working harder than I ever have before, but I wish I had done this sooner.” So my advice to those people, do it. I know that sounds simple, but I mean it. The fear of leaving is almost always worse than the actual experience of leaving. And I understand the inertia of not leaving and the real apprehension of what was on the other side. But what I found was a version of this profession I genuinely didn’t know was possible. One where I could do things the right way on my terms for the people I care most about serving. And not every path is going to look like mine. Some advisors should go fully independent and stay there, and that can be an incredible life. But when it comes time to look for a partner, quite frankly, if Cerity Partners is not on your shortlist, you’re making a significant mistake. And I say that not to sell anything, but because I’ve lived the comparison firsthand and there’s simply nothing else like it. Louis Diamond: So Pat, it’s been really fun, but I don’t think we’ve had anyone on the eight years or so we’ve been doing this show that’s gone through this type of arc or journey that you have. One of my big takeaways or sticking points that this episode brought for me is by going independent and taking control over your future, you created complete optionality for yourself to do exactly what you wanted to do with your business, even if that was different than what you initially planned. So in your case, it was selling within three years of going independent, but by taking action, being proactive, playing some offense, you made the opportunity happen on your terms and your timeline. So this has been fun in so many different ways. I loved your comment about how when you went independent, it’s basically like the day of your IPO, the four-to-five-times increase in value versus an internal succession deal, and even just the way to think about getting equity in a larger entity versus running your own plays only. So thank you so much for doing this. This has been fun. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty, and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibility seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firm’s or could a better option exist? Should I Stay or Should I Go? Is a book written with you in mind? It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively, whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook.   Build, Grow & Transact: From Breakaway to Transaction in 3 Years A conversation with Louis Diamond and Patrick Larkin, Partner & Practice Leader at Cerity Partners.      Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Build, Grow & Transact: From Breakaway to Transaction in 3 Years. It’s a conversation with Patrick Larkin, Partner and Practice Leader at Cerity Partners. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at 908-879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual Advisor Transition Report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: Ownership as a way of creating opportunities you can’t always predict. That’s exactly why we created our Build, Grow, and Transact series. Independence isn’t the end of the story. It’s often the beginning of thinking differently about enterprise value, optionality, and what comes next. Today’s guest is Patrick Larkin, Partner and Practice Leader at Cerity Partners, and formerly the founder of Oak Hill Wealth Advisors. Patrick spent nearly 15 years building a successful practice at A.G. Edwards, Wachovia, and eventually Wells Fargo before launching his own independent firm in 2022. Just three years later, he merged that firm into Cerity. At first glance, that timeline might seem surprisingly short, but as you’ll hear, the merger wasn’t a change in direction. It was the result of seeing his business differently once he owned it. Yet, it’s this perspective that really brings that thought home. Patrick said the day Oak Hill launched felt like the business had gone public because overnight, what had been viewed as a book of business became an enterprise with substantially greater value, some four to five times the value of what it was worth at Wells. And that realization changed the way he invested, the way he hired, and ultimately the way he thought about the future. Pat and I also talk about something advisors don’t often discuss candidly, what life actually looks like after a merger. How much control do you give up? What changes day to day? How do you know whether you’re joining a partner or simply selling a business? Whether your long-term plan is to remain independent forever or eventually join a larger organization, Patrick’s experience is a reminder that ownership isn’t simply about control. It’s about creating optionality and putting yourself in a position where the next decision is yours to make. So let’s get to it. Patrick, thanks for coming on our show today. Patrick Larkin: Oh, my pleasure. Nice to meet you, Louis. Louis Diamond: You too. So let’s start off basically how we start every interview. Tell us about yourself, your background, and how you found your way into our industry in the first place. Patrick Larkin: Yeah, thank you for asking. I knew I always wanted to be a financial advisor. That part really wasn’t in question, but upon graduating college and being a 22-year-old, I knew that it was probably not practical to walk in and start advising people my parents’ age with their life savings. Probably wasn’t going to be a recipe for success. So I took a quick tour through the pharmaceutical industry first, which ended up being unexpectedly valuable. My employers there pushed me to think like an entrepreneur and within our territories. And honestly, that mindset never left me. It shaped how I built everything that came after. Eventually, an opportunity presented itself in Loudoun County, Virginia in Northern Virginia, and I became an FA trainee with A.G. Edwards, absolutely fantastic firm to start my career. Now, what drew me to this career was pretty simple. I felt like it was one of the professions that we had an opportunity to do so much good for others while simultaneously also doing well for yourself, and those two things aren’t in conflict. I also really loved the idea that in this profession there was no hiding. You don’t get paid to show up. You get paid for what you actually do. And perhaps for me, what was most important, I loved the weight of responsibility. I loved earning people’s trust. I loved the idea of deserving, being deserving of their trust, and being a steward of what they’ve worked a lifetime to build. I never took that lightly, and I still don’t. Louis Diamond: That’s amazing. Yeah, I mean, the number of people I’ve heard, you talked so fondly about A.G. Edwards and there’s a bunch of other firms that have since been absorbed or emerged that are like the regional firms of old. So not surprised to hear you loved it. A.G. Edwards, obviously, became Wells Fargo Advisors or was acquired or merged with Wells Fargo. So I know you’re at Wells and A.G. Edwards until 2022. So give us a quick version. How’d you build your practice from the pharma world into being in FA? Patrick Larkin: Yeah, so as I started with A.G. Edwards, I came in at really just the perfect time. It was towards the end of the financial crisis. And I built the business the old-fashioned way with a lot of cold calling and eventually did some dinner seminars, which I can tell you is a very expensive way to learn how to speak in front of a room. But I made some progress, and I was also in a great office, small enough that some of the advisors there would hand off some of the smaller accounts that they weren’t interested in working with, and got an opportunity to get a lot of reps in working with real life clients and individuals. I knew early on I didn’t have enough talent to win on talent alone, so I made up for it and compensated for that with really hard work. The real turning point came for me when A.G. Edwards was first acquired by Wachovia Securities, and that was about five years into my career. And at that point, my branch manager, who was eyeing retirement, asked me to step in as her partner, and that changed everything. We eventually moved over to a Wachovia Securities office, another really great local office in Loudoun County, Virginia. And from that office, I worked on and became a CIMA, a CFP, worked with the clients, built a business through referrals. And I found at that point in my career when I would go to a meeting with Wachovia, eventually Wells Fargo, as a young 30-year-old, I would look around the room often and realize that I was the youngest person in the room. The funny thing was 10 years later, I would go into that same room and I’d look around and I still was the youngest guy in that room. And those demographics in our industry, and when I came into our industry, ultimately led that office that I worked in with Wells Fargo Advisors, I eventually was the recipient and party to five different succession plans- Louis Diamond: Wow. Patrick Larkin: … at Wells Fargo Advisors. I hoped that I had built a reputation as somebody that these other advisors would entrust with their clients. And over that time period, really, I would say professionally, one of my accomplishments I’m most proud of is all five of those retired advisors that I used to work with, who had an opportunity to see me work with clients, all became clients of mine, I still continue to work with. And it’s professionally just one of the greatest honors that I’ve ever had. Louis Diamond: I mean, that’s a large number of advisors you helped sunset, but I would agree it’s the ultimate p

Jesus asks, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—a question that reveals the weight of what Christ endured as he took our sin upon himself, while also showing us that following Jesus means yielding our lives to God rather than pursuing comfort and control.   We should expect suffering, not because suffering is the goal, but because the good works God prepares for us often require us to let go of our own strength, expectations, and attempts to generate life for ourselves. So we yield to him, trusting that whatever must die in us will ultimately give way to life in Christ.

Hosts Shelly and June Volk conclude their detailed study on Psalm 22, highlighting the shift from Messiah's suffering on the cross to His victorious resurrection and ultimate reign over all nations. Exploring New Testament fulfillments and Old Covenant roots, the Volks discuss how Yeshua’s sacrifice invites both Jew and Gentile into God's kingdom. They encourage believers to maintain an eternal perspective, embrace the cross, and pray for revelation (epignosis) and spiritual restoration across the earth. Key Takeaways: Enduring for the Joy Ahead: As detailed in Hebrews 12:2, Yeshua endured the suffering of the cross for the joy set before Him, yielding resurrection power to all who trust in Him. Transformative Knowledge (Epignosis): The revelation knowledge referenced in Ephesians 1:17–18 goes beyond head knowledge—it is a life-transforming reality granted through the Holy Spirit. Global Redemption: Psalm 22:27–28 foretells that all nations (goyim) will turn (shuv / repent) and worship the Lord, pointing to a restored earth under His kingdom rule. Prayers for Israel & the Nations: The church age invites Gentiles into spiritual fellowship while calling believers to pray for Israel's eyes to be opened to their Messiah. It Is Finished: The closing declaration of Psalm 22—that "He has performed it"—foreshadows Yeshua’s final words on the cross: "It is finished." Scripture & Bible Passages Referenced: Psalm 22:1–31 – Prophetic psalm describing the crucifixion, global worship, and final victory of the Messiah. Luke 24:44 – All things written in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms concerning Messiah must be fulfilled. Ephesians 1:16–18 – Prayer for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge (epignosis) of Him. Matthew 27:46 – Jesus cries out on the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Hebrews 12:2 – Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, for the joy set before Him. John 3:16–17 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Acts 15:19–20 – Instructions from the Council of Jerusalem regarding Gentile believers. Support the show: https://shellyandjunevolk.com/product/partner-with-us-psalm-127-fund/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The cross is not merely the place where Jesus died, it is the center of God's redemptive story and the greatest demonstration of His love. Through Psalm 22, written a thousand years before Christ's crucifixion, we see a prophetic picture of Jesus becoming the Sin-Bearer as He cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" In that moment, Jesus experienced the abandonment our sin deserved so that we could receive the acceptance, forgiveness, and righteousness we could never earn. The wonder of the cross is that Christ took our judgment upon Himself, making a way for every broken, guilty, and repentant person to come boldly to the Father by grace alone.

My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me Mark 15:33-41 Rev. Dan Whang

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 9th of August, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Colossians 4:2, in the New Testament, (Amplified Version): “Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.” The second scripture is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “pray without ceasing,…” We pray in the morning, we pray in the evening, we pray during the day, we pray at work, we pray during our social lives. We need to pray more, my dear friends. Many of us are struggling at the moment with our faith because we do not pray to Jesus. We do not pray to our Heavenly Father. We do not pray in the Holy Spirit. I can hear somebody saying, “Aah, but I don't have the time. You know time is money.” Oh folks, the very best investment you and I will ever make when we come back to the Lord at the end of our lives is prayer. That is all we can offer Him, nothing else. Often they couldn't find the Master. Why? Because He was up in the mountain praying to His Father. “Lord, where have You been? The people are waiting for You.” “I have been getting a message from My God.” We need to pray without ceasing. There is no time to waste. Pray for your children, pray for your parents, pray for your loved ones, pray for your country, pray for your people. There is power in prayer. Smith Wigglesworth said, “I never pray for longer than half an hour”, and he said, “I never let half an hour go by without praying!” Oh folks, we need to pray. I was asked a year ago to go to one of the most dangerous places in the continent of Africa. Yes, I am talking about the Cape Flats, a place where there were gang wars taking place, and men were being slaughtered. When I arrived in the stadium, the first thing I asked them was, “Where are the prayer warriors? Where are the intercessors?” “Oh no, they are in a room over there.” I said, “I want to go and see them.”You know, people told me before I left, “Don't go there!” Folks, I want to tell you something now, my life was transformed. When I walked into that room and these intercessors were praying, they were weeping, they were travailing like a woman giving birth to a child. There was such a warmth, such an intensity, such a vibe, such an excitement. They laid hands on me, they started to pray over me. I tell you what - my life was transformed in that moment. I went out and I preached my heart out. I got off that platform. They said to me, “Don't go down to the men.” I went down there. They loved me with such an intensity (one man nearly broke my neck!) Hanging on, the power of prayer! I want you to start to pray more and talk less. Jesus bless you. Have a wonderful day.Goodbye.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0808db.mp3 Listen to Bible reading Through My Bible Yr 03 – August 08 Hosea 9 – 10 Days of Retribution Are Near Hosea 9 1 Do not rejoice, Israel, with excessive celebration like the nations, because you act promiscuously against your God.     You love the wages you can earn as a prostitute at every threshing floor for grain. 2 The threshing floor and winepress will not feed them,     and the new wine will fail for them. 3 They will not remain in the Lord's land.     Ephraim will return to Egypt,     and they will eat unclean food in Assyria. 4 They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the Lord.     Their sacrifices will not be pleasing to him.     For them, their bread will become like the bread eaten by mourners.     Everyone who eats it will be unclean.     This bread will only serve their own appetite.     It will not enter the House of the Lord. 5 What will you do on the day of the appointed festivals     and on the feast days of the Lord? 6 Know this! Even if they flee from destruction,     Egypt will gather them up.     Memphis will bury them.     Thistles will overgrow their silver treasures.     Thorns will grow inside their tents. 7 The days of reckoning have come.     The days of retribution have come.     Israel should know this! Israel Rejects the Prophets     The prophet is treated like a fool,     and the man of the Spirit is called crazy,     because your guilt is enormous,     and because your hostility is so great. 8 A prophet is to be a watchman over Ephraim for my God,     but a fowler's snare is laid for him on all of Ephraim's paths,     and he encounters hostility in the house of his God. [1] 9 They have become extremely corrupt,     as they were in the days of Gibeah.     God will remember their guilt.     He will punish them for their sins. Fertility Worship Brings No Fertility 10 I regarded Israel like grapes found in the wilderness.     I regarded your forefathers like the first ripe fruit on a fig tree in its first season,     but they went to Baal Peor, and they devoted themselves to a shameful thing,     and they became as disgusting as the thing they loved. 11 Ephraim's glory will fly away like a bird—     no birth, no pregnancy, no conception! 12 Even if they bring up their children,     I will deprive them of each one.     Yes, woe to them when I depart from them! 13 I have seen Ephraim planted in a pleasant place like Tyre,     but Ephraim will bring its children out to the executioner. 14 Give to them, Lord—but what will you give?     Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. 15 Because of all their evil in Gilgal,     I hated them there.     Because of their evil deeds,     I will drive them out of my house!     I will love them no more.     All their officials are rebels. 16 Ephraim has been struck down.     Their root has dried up.     They will bear no fruit.     Even if they give birth,     I will put their precious offspring to death. 17 My God will reject them, because they have not obeyed him.     They will be wanderers among the nations. Hosea 10 1 Israel was a spreading [2] vine. He produced fruit for himself.     The more fruit he produced, the more altars he made.     The richer the land became, the richer he made his sacred memorial stones. 2 Their hearts are insincere, [3]     so now they will suffer for their guilt.     The Lord will break down their altars     and destroy their sacred memorial stones. Kings Cannot Save You 3 Certainly now they will say, “We have no king     because we did not fear the Lord,     but what could such a king do for us anyway?” 4 They speak empty words.     With empty oaths, they make agreements.     That is why disputes sprout like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field. 5 The inhabitants of Samaria will be terrified because of the calf [4] of Beth Aven.     Yes, its people will mourn over it,     and its idolatrous priests will cry out over it,     over its lost glory, because it has gone into exile. 6 It will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the Great King. [5]     Ephraim will be gripped with shame,     and Israel will be ashamed of its own idol. [6] 7 Samaria, like her king, will be carried off     like a twig on the surface of the water. 8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will become unusable.     Thorns and thistles will grow on their altars.     They will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”     and to the hills, “Fall on us!” Learn the Lesson of Gibeah 9 Israel, you have sinned ever since the days of Gibeah,     where the evildoers took their stand.     The war against the evildoers caught up with them at Gibeah, did it not? 10 When I see fit, I will discipline them. [7]     Peoples will be gathered against them         to bind them for their double guilt. [8] 11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh.     I will put a yoke on her beautiful neck. [9]     I will harness Ephraim.     Judah will plow.     Jacob will break up the ground. 12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,     and reap mercy.     Break up your fallow ground.     It is time to seek the Lord,     until he comes and rains righteousness on you. 13 You have plowed wickedness.     You have reaped injustice.     You have eaten the fruit of your lies,     because you trusted in your own way,     in the large number of your strong warriors. 14 Therefore the roar of battle will rise against your people,     and all your fortresses will be destroyed,     as Shalman [10] devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle.     Mothers were dashed to the ground with their children. 15 This is what will be done to you, Bethel,     because of your great wickedness.     At dawn the king of Israel will be completely destroyed. Footnotes Hosea 9:8 This verse is difficult. Hosea 10:1 The Hebrew word may have a negative connotation like invasive. Hosea 10:2 Or divided Hosea 10:5 Variant calves Hosea 10:6 The text of the last word of the line is uncertain. Hosea 10:6 Or plan. The meaning of the last word is uncertain. Hosea 10:10 The text of the line is uncertain. Hosea 10:10 Or two crimes. The text of the line is uncertain. Hosea 10:11 The text of the line is uncertain. Hosea 10:14 The king of Assyria The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0807db.mp3 Listen to Bible reading Through My Bible Yr 03 – August 07 Hosea 5:15 – 8:14 Hosea 5 15 I will go. I will return to my place     until they admit their guilt and seek my face.     In their distress they will earnestly seek me. Israel's Need to Return to the Lord 15 Come, let us return to the Lord. For he has torn us to pieces,     but he will heal us.     He has struck us,     but he will bandage our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us.     On the third day he will raise us up,     so that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the Lord.     Let us pursue knowledge of the Lord.     As surely as the sun rises,     the Lord will appear.     He will come to us like a heavy rain,     like the spring rain that waters the earth. God's Grief Over Israel's Impenitence 4 What am I going to do with you, Ephraim?     What am I going to do with you, Judah?     For your faithfulness [1] is like a morning mist,     like early dew that disappears. 5 That is why I cut them to pieces by means of the prophets.     I killed them with the words of my mouth.     The judgments against you go forth like the light. 6 For I desire mercy, [2] and not sacrifice,     and the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings. 7 Like Adam, [3] they have broken the covenant.     They acted treacherously against me there. 8 Gilead is a city of evildoers,     stained with bloody footprints. 9 As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man,     so do bands of priests.     They commit murder on the road to Shechem.     They have committed shameful crimes. 10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing.     Ephraim practices sexual immorality there.     Israel defiles itself. 11 Judah, also for you, a harvest has been appointed,     when I restore the fortunes of my people. [4] Israel's Corruption 7 Whenever I want to heal Israel, the guilt of Ephraim is uncovered,     and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed,     because they deal dishonestly.     Thieves come inside,     and bandits raid outside. 2 In their hearts Ephraim does not realize that I remember all their wickedness.     Now their deeds are all around them.     They are in front of my face. 3 The people of Ephraim make the king glad with their wickedness.     They make their officials happy with their lies. 4 They are all adulterers,     burning like an oven.     The baker does not need to stoke the fire     from the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened. 5 On the day [5] of our [6] king, the officials became sick from the intoxicating wine.     He reaches out his hand to the blasphemers. 6 Indeed, their hearts are like an oven.     They approach him, while plotting against him.     Their anger sleeps all night,     but in the morning it burns like a blazing fire. 7 They are all hot as an oven.     They devour their rulers.     All their kings have fallen.     Not one of them calls on me. 8 Ephraim mixes itself with the nations.     Ephraim is a flatbread not turned over. 9 Strangers have devoured his strength,     but he does not realize it.     There are gray hairs on his head,     but he does not realize it. 10 The arrogance of Israel testifies against him,     yet they have not returned to the Lord their God,     and they have not sought him, despite all this. Israel's Instability 11 Ephraim is like a gullible dove, without sense.     They call to Egypt.     Then they appeal to Assyria. 12 When they go out, I will spread my net over them.     I will bring them down like birds from the sky.     I will discipline them, on the basis of the report about their assembly. [7] 13 Woe to them,     because they have strayed from me!     Destruction comes upon them,     because they have rebelled against me!     I want to redeem them,     but they speak lies against me. 14 They do not cry out to me with their hearts,     but they howl on their beds.     They gather together [8] for grain and new wine.     They turn away from me. 15 Though I trained and strengthened their arms,     they plot evil against me. 16 They return, but not upward. [9]     They are like an unreliable bow.     Their officials will fall by the sword because of their angry tongues.     Because of this, they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt. The Lord's Anger Burns Against Israel 8 Raise a ram's horn to your lips! A vulture is circling over [10] the Lord's house,     because they have broken my covenant     and rebelled against my law. 2 Israel cries out to me,     “My God, we acknowledge [11] you!” 3 But, in fact, Israel has rejected what is good.     An enemy will pursue him. 4 They set up kings, but not with my approval.     They installed officials, but I did not choose [12] them.     From their silver and their gold they made idols for themselves,     so they will be cut off. 5 I reject [13] your calf idol, Samaria!     My anger burns against these people!     How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6 That thing sitting there is from Israel!     A craftsman made it, so it is not God.     Certainly that calf of Samaria will be smashed to pieces! 7 Because they sow the wind,     they will reap the whirlwind.     The standing grain forms no heads,     so it will yield no flour.     Even if it would yield flour, foreigners would swallow it up. 8 Israel is swallowed up.     Now among the nations they are like a pot no one wants. 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey all by itself.     Ephraim has hired lovers. 10 Even though they hire lovers among the nations,     I will now gather them together.     They will begin to suffer in a little while,     because of oppression by a king with many officials. 11 Ephraim has multiplied his altars for sin offerings,     but for him they became altars for sinning. 12 Though I wrote many teachings from my law for them,     they regarded them as strange. 13 They offer sacrifices to me just to get the meat. [14]     They sacrifice flesh and eat it,     but the Lord is not pleased with them.     Now he will remember their guilt     and punish their sins.     They will return to Egypt. 14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and built palaces. [15]     Judah has multiplied its fortified cities,     but I will send fire on its cities,     which will devour its citadels. Footnotes Hosea 6:4 Or mercy Hosea 6:6 Or faithfulness Hosea 6:7 Or at Adam. We are aware of no act of covenant breaking at the city of Adam. Hosea 6:11 Or though I would rather restore my people from captivity. Some translations join this line with verse 7:1. Hosea 7:5 The birthday or the coronation day Hosea 7:5 The Targum reads their. Hosea 7:12 Or I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together. The meaning of the line is uncertain. Hosea 7:14 Or they cut themselves, a reference to heathen religious practices Hosea 7:16 Or not for the better. The translation above is literal. Many translations suggest the emendations return to the Most High or turn to Baal. Hosea 8:1 Or an eagle is about to swoop down on Hosea 8:2 Or know Hosea 8:4 Literally know Hosea 8:5 The Hebrew text reads he rejects. Ancient versions read reject! Sudden shifts of person are not unusual in Hosea. Hosea 8:13 The meaning of this line is uncertain. Hosea 8:14 Or temples The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

https://square.link/u/UHRU92rp - Donate HereToday's reading takes us to Hosea 8, where Israel's broken covenant brings the warning that punishment is coming. They still used spiritual language and cried, “My God, we know you,” but their profession was loud while their obedience was absent. They had rejected God's law, replaced His authority, and redesigned religion to suit their own desires.Hosea 8 reminds us that empty religion cannot save and manufactured idols cannot replace the God who made us. Israel sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind because they multiplied altars while forgetting their Maker. So today, read Hosea 8 and let it warn your heart: do not settle for words without obedience, religion without surrender, or worship that sounds spiritual but has forgotten God.

Hosts Shelly and June Volk continue their deep dive into Psalm 22, highlighting how King David's words prophetically detailed the Messiah's crucifixion 1,000 years in advance. The Volks examine key New Covenant cross-references such as Luke 24:44, Ephesians 1:17–18, Matthew 27, and Luke 23, exploring the practical power of epignosis—a life-transforming, experiential knowledge of God. They reflect on the Messiah's endurance, His unbroken fellowship with the Father amidst intense suffering, and how believers are called to participate in the fellowship of His sufferings. Key Takeaways: Experiential Knowledge (Epignosis): The knowledge referenced in Ephesians 1:17 is not merely intellectual; epignosis requires active participation that yields personal, life-transforming spiritual revelation. Prophetic Fulfillment in the Gospels: Messiah’s experience on the cross directly fulfilled Psalm 22, from His cry of "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" to the specific sneering, head-wagging, and abuse recorded in Matthew 27 and Luke 23. Unbroken Unity: Despite the agony of taking on human sin, Messiah maintained continuous personal communion with the Father, repeatedly crying out "My God." Fellowship of Suffering: When believers face unjust trial or abuse while doing good, they enter into the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, supported by the assurance of eternal reward. Remembering Past Deliverance: Recalling how God delivered earlier generations provides foundational strength, hope, and trust during current trials. Scripture & Bible Passages Referenced: Psalm 22:1–31 – Prophetic psalm outlining Messiah's trial, suffering, historical deliverances, and eventual global victory. Luke 24:44 – Jesus affirms that all things written in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms concerning Him must be fulfilled. Ephesians 1:16–18 – Prayer asking for the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the deep knowledge (epignosis) of God. Matthew 27:39, 46 – Fulfillment of Psalm 22 through the mocking of onlookers and Jesus’ cry from the cross. Luke 23:35 – Account of rulers and onlookers sneering at Messiah, challenging Him to save Himself. Support the show: https://shellyandjunevolk.com/product/partner-with-us-psalm-127-fund/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Shelly and June Volk open a prophetic study on Psalm 22, examining how King David’s words foretold the crucifixion of Messiah a thousand years in advance. The Volks highlight key New Testament connections, including Luke 24:44 and Ephesians 1:17–18, explaining how true revelation knowledge (epignosis) transforms a believer's relationship with God. They explore Messiah's agony on the cross, the dual nature of Christ as Son of God and Son of Man, and the enduring spiritual unity between the Father and the Son through suffering. Key Takeaways: Prophetic Alignment: Psalm 22 offers an exact descriptive forecast of Messiah's suffering on the cross long before crucifixion was practiced in Israel. Transformative Knowledge (Epignosis): Based on Ephesians 1:17–18, true knowledge of God is not merely intellectual, but an active, life-changing spiritual revelation. Fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures: As stated in Luke 24:44, Messiah came to fulfill everything written concerning Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Son of God and Son of Man: Yeshua walked as the second Adam to take on human sin and become a curse for humanity, enabling believers to inherit God's righteousness. Unbroken Fellowship: Despite crying out in anguish ("My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"), Messiah maintained personal, trusting communion with God throughout His trial. Scripture & Bible Passages Referenced: Psalm 22:1–31 – Prophetic psalm detailing Messiah's crucifixion, prayers, endurance, and eternal victory. Luke 24:44 – Confirmation that all things written in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms must be fulfilled. Ephesians 1:16–18 – Prayer for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge (epignosis) of Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 – Messiah made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Isaiah 53:10 – It pleased the Lord to bruise Him, making His soul an offering for sin. 1 Peter 3:18 – Messiah suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. Support the show: https://shellyandjunevolk.com/product/partner-with-us-psalm-127-fund/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opening Summary COL Chels Chae, USA (Ret.), served nearly 30 years in the Army, from West Point graduate, infantry officer and 75th Ranger Regiment veteran to commander of the Wolfhound Battalion at Schofield Barracks. He finished his career as Chief of Staff for Joint Task Force Homeland Defense and Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Army Pacific. For 13 of those years, he and his wife, Christine, walked through their son's mental health crisis, a season no military school prepared him for. In this episode, Chae talks with host Josh Jackson about the difference between competence and dependence, why his prayers once sounded like mission briefings, and how a solitary drive to a hospital in Pasadena, Calif., reshaped the way he talks to God. If you've been trained to project strength while privately carrying something you can't fix, this conversation offers a hard-won picture of God's providence—usually visible only in the rearview mirror. Chae is the author of the devotional One Life Under God: Back to Faith—A Daily Roadmarch. More information at his author site. Questions answered and themes covered in this interview include: How do you find your identity in Christ after retiring from the military? Start by separating who you are from what you've done. Rank, position, and assignment all change; identity in Christ doesn't. Twenty years ago, Chae says, he would have answered the identity question with "I'm an Army officer, I'm a Ranger, airborne." Today he answers first as a follower of Jesus Christ, then as Christine's husband and a father—and everything else, he says, is simply something he has done. That reordering came shortly after retirement, when he realized someone else was sitting in his office, someone else was commanding his units, and life just kept moving. He describes God asking him a direct question in that season: "Who are you now?" Titles were never meant to define him. They were window dressing. Why do my prayers feel like a mission briefing? Because military training teaches you to arrive with the problem already solved—and that habit follows you into prayer. Chae's prayers, by his own account, followed the briefing format: explain the problem, present the proposed solution, ask God to bless the plan. He wasn't intentionally excluding God; he simply assumed he already understood what needed to happen. The danger of leadership, he says, is believing that a careful enough plan and enough hard work can solve almost anything. Eventually a season arrived where no rank, no leadership training, no planning process, and no amount of grit produced an answer. He now calls that one of the greatest gifts God gave him, because it taught him the difference between competence and dependence—and mature Christian leadership, he argues, requires both. How do I trust God when I can't fix my child's problem? You trust God's character instead of your own ability to solve it. Chae and Christine walked a 13-year journey with a son in a mental health crisis, initially diagnosed as a lifelong condition. From the outside, the family looked fine—promotions, a strong marriage, active in church. Inside, he faced something none of his skills touched: gathering information, developing courses of action, deciding, leading. He kept asking God to change the circumstances and heal his son; looking back, he believes God was changing him instead, exposing where he trusted his own ability over God's authority and sovereignty. Faith, as he defines it, isn't confidence in what you hold in your hands—it's confidence that God remains good whether you understand his plan or not. What held them together was finding a private place and praying out loud together. How do you pray when you're angry at God? Pray honestly, without a mask—anger, tears, and unanswered questions included. Chae's most formative prayer wasn't composed or reverent. He was alone in a car, driving to the hospital where his son was, yelling and weeping, asking God why an innocent child at the very start of his life had to go through this. In the silence afterward, he sensed God's answer: "Now you know how you should pray to me." He anchors this in Psalm 22, which he says gives him permission to be honest with God without pretense or protocol. If David (and later Jesus) could say "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1), nothing needs hiding from a God who already sees the heart. The same season changed what he asks for—less "fix this, Lord," more "what do you want to teach me today?" How do you know God's will for your future as a Christian? Stop trying to figure out God's plan for 10 years from now and start walking faithfully with him today. God is the only one who lives on what Chae calls "the far side of the future"—he already knows tomorrow, and the lamp you're holding only lights the ground directly in front of you. Chae tells the story of a young manager who had decided he'd change jobs in a year; Chae asked whether every decision between now and then would be colored by that plan. A week later the man dropped it and committed to being faithful to his team—"Don't worry, God's got you." Chae's own summary of Jesus is blunt: don't worry about tomorrow, seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33-34). Give today the effort God assigned you, and be able to say you were loyal to it. Why can't I see God's plan while I'm going through it? You usually don't see it in the moment—you see it looking back. Chae puts it this way: nothing in the windshield helped him figure out what the future held for his sons or his family. But in the rearview mirror he sees all of it—God's faithfulness, goodness, and purpose he couldn't have identified while he was living it. He describes being embarrassed, in hindsight, by how much energy he spent on the horrifying feeling of not knowing what came next, only to look back and say, "Oh. Okay. Now I see." His own immigration story reads the same way: born in London, back to Korea, then to New York and Chicago at 12 as his father chased a better education for the family. He didn't recognize God's providence at the time. He sees it now. Asked what he'll say first in heaven, his answer is one word—aha—because that's where he'll finally see all of it. Editor's note: In this episode, the passage about going into your room and closing the door to pray is cited as Matthew 5. The correct reference is Matthew 6:6, part of Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount.

What do you do when everything you built is taken from you in a single storm? Almost no one thinks that question will ever land on them personally, and then one day it does. Pastor Brian preached this message to a congregation whose city had just been devastated by an EF3 tornado, and the answer he gave is one every person is going to need at some point.In this sermon, Pastor Brian opens with a hard truth. On July 27, 2026, an EF3 tornado over a mile wide touched down for more than twenty minutes and tore through the neighborhoods of Appleton, Menasha, and Neenah. Miraculously, no one was killed. But the loss will take generations to rebuild. And in a moment like that, everyone around you starts watching to see how you respond. Not because you asked for the spotlight, but because the world is quietly asking a question in every disaster. How do Christians handle storms?Pastor Brian says the answer is that Christians are different. Not weird. Different. Christians still grieve. Jesus himself grieved the death of Lazarus in John 11, even though he was minutes away from raising him. Grief is not weakness. It is honesty. But the way a Christian grieves is otherworldly, because our identity is anchored in a King whose kingdom is not of this world.Then Pastor Brian walks through two storms in Scripture that reframe everything. In Luke 8, Jesus calms the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and the disciples' response is not relief but fear, because they realize they had no idea who was in the boat with them. And in Matthew 27, at noon on the day Jesus was crucified, the sky went dark and Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). He names what the cross actually is. It is the storm that defines Christians. You and I were asleep in a sinking boat we did not even know we were in, and Jesus went into the water for us. We may not get every "why" answered on this side of glory. But we know the why of Jesus. His why was you.That is why Christians are different about home (we build houses, not homes, because only Jesus is home), different about neighbors (we can be generous because we gave up everything to Christ already), and different in storms (we do not have all the answers, but we have the God who understands the tears).Eight people gave their lives to Christ in the seven days after this tornado through Samaritan's Purse and community ministry. The house may fall. The eternal work never does.If you have been through a storm you cannot explain, or you are watching one right now, this teaching is for you.#AllianceChurch #SundaySermon #BibleTeaching #JesusSaves #ChristianFaith #ChurchOnline #WisconsinChurch #FaithThatMoves #HopeInJesus #SermonSeries #faith #jesus #god #christianity #christian #tornado #storm #hope #grief #church #gospel #wisconsin

What do you do when everything you built is taken from you in a single storm? Almost no one thinks that question will ever land on them personally, and then one day it does. Pastor Brian preached this message to a congregation whose city had just been devastated by an EF3 tornado, and the answer he gave is one every person is going to need at some point.In this sermon, Pastor Brian opens with a hard truth. On July 27, 2026, an EF3 tornado over a mile wide touched down for more than twenty minutes and tore through the neighborhoods of Appleton, Menasha, and Neenah. Miraculously, no one was killed. But the loss will take generations to rebuild. And in a moment like that, everyone around you starts watching to see how you respond. Not because you asked for the spotlight, but because the world is quietly asking a question in every disaster. How do Christians handle storms?Pastor Brian says the answer is that Christians are different. Not weird. Different. Christians still grieve. Jesus himself grieved the death of Lazarus in John 11, even though he was minutes away from raising him. Grief is not weakness. It is honesty. But the way a Christian grieves is otherworldly, because our identity is anchored in a King whose kingdom is not of this world.Then Pastor Brian walks through two storms in Scripture that reframe everything. In Luke 8, Jesus calms the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and the disciples' response is not relief but fear, because they realize they had no idea who was in the boat with them. And in Matthew 27, at noon on the day Jesus was crucified, the sky went dark and Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). He names what the cross actually is. It is the storm that defines Christians. You and I were asleep in a sinking boat we did not even know we were in, and Jesus went into the water for us. We may not get every "why" answered on this side of glory. But we know the why of Jesus. His why was you.That is why Christians are different about home (we build houses, not homes, because only Jesus is home), different about neighbors (we can be generous because we gave up everything to Christ already), and different in storms (we do not have all the answers, but we have the God who understands the tears).Eight people gave their lives to Christ in the seven days after this tornado through Samaritan's Purse and community ministry. The house may fall. The eternal work never does.If you have been through a storm you cannot explain, or you are watching one right now, this teaching is for you.#AllianceChurch #SundaySermon #BibleTeaching #JesusSaves #ChristianFaith #ChurchOnline #WisconsinChurch #FaithThatMoves #HopeInJesus #SermonSeries #faith #jesus #god #christianity #christian #tornado #storm #hope #grief #church #gospel #wisconsin

Song List:1- Praise Him! Praise Him!2- The Lily of the Valley3- Nearer, My God, to Thee4- Living By Faith5- God Leads Us Along - Bro. Daniel TidwellMessage: Bro. Daniel TidwellScripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-13Invitation- Wherever He Leads I'll Go August 2, 2026 (Night Service) Liberty Hill

"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions." — Daniel 6:22If you've been facing workplace opposition, waiting on a long-overdue breakthrough, or wondering when your "suddenly" moment will arrive, this message is for you.Drawing from Daniel Chapter 6, Coach Crystal shares how staying loyal to God—rather than title, position, or money—activates divine rescue and unexpected blessings in your life and career.In this message:Community Testimony: A powerful reminder to include God in every area of your career and life.The "Suddenly" Moments: Expecting God to move in non-typical, surprising ways.Lessons from Daniel 6: Remaining a prayer warrior when facing workplace pressure or opposition.Corporate & Career Prayer: Standing firm as a Kingdom citizen at work.☕ Join Us Live Every Monday!Start your week with faith and strategy every Monday morning at 7:30 AM EST for the Career Prosperity Prayer Call.

July 29, 2026 | Lesson 7: Angels: Guard and ProtectNEW! Watch us ONLINE! Click here!SHOW NOTES: From the first chapters of Genesis to the book of Acts, Scripture shows us angels standing watch—guarding sacred ground, encamping around God's people, shutting the mouths of lions, and even opening prison doors. This isn't a side theme in the Bible. It's woven throughout Scripture.· After Adam and Eve are removed from the Garden, God places cherubim with flaming swords at the entrance to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24).· A familiar Bible story is Daniel in the lions' den. After spending the night with the lions, Daniel tells the king, "My God sent His angel, and He shut the mouths of the lions" (Daniel 6:22). · The prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the Aramean army. Elisha asks God to open the servant's eyes—the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17).· In Acts 12, Peter is imprisoned for a second time, chained between two guards — and an angel appears. His chains fall off, and the angel leads him right past the guards and through the gates, which open by themselves.For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.Psalm 91:11Head to Heart:Remember — Daniel wasn't kept out of the lions' den. Peter was freed, but James was not. Protection in Scripture doesn't always look like avoiding hardship altogether; sometimes it looks like God's presence sustaining us during it.Is there a trial you've been praying only for God to remove, when maybe He's asking you to trust His presence within it? What would it look like to shift that prayer from "get me out" to "meet me here"? SONG: Angels - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koGOTl48DcY&list=RDkoGOTl48DcY&start_radio=1

Sometimes it seems the Bible gives us conflicting guidance. For example, in Philippians 4:4 the Apostle Paul exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord always, and in case we didn't hear him the first time, he repeats, again I say rejoice. Christ-followers should be rejoicing people. That would seem to say we should always be positive, have smiles on our faces, and never feel sad. But then in Romans, the same Apostle Paul tells us to weep with those who weep. King David in the Psalms repeatedly poured out his rawest grief and deepest questions to God. Over half of the Psalms are called Psalms of lament. Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion (Psalm 77:7-9)? That doesn't sound much like rejoicing in the Lord always. In fact, it is a lament—a prayer of pain, a raw, honest expression of grief and sorrow. Think of how Jesus lamented in the Garden of Gethsemane when he confessed My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. And on the cross, he cried out with a loud voice, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And there's an entire book in the Old Testament called Lamentations! Even a brief survey of Scripture confirms those who follow Christ will have times of lament in their lives. Somehow, we've often overlooked that biblical practice so many Christians feel guilty when they lament. But honest lament is not only permitted, it is encouraged in God's Word. Could it be you need to learn to lament? Please understand I'm not talking about throwing a pity party every time your feelings are hurt! But feeling sorrow and pain and hurt when life throws unexpected bad news or difficult dark days our way should lead us to honest and candid prayers of lament. The Bible gives us some guidance on expressing our laments—laments which lead to acceptance or deliverance or guidance and eventually to joy, whatever your need may be.

What do you do when you feel completely forsaken?In this reflection on Psalm 22, John Ortberg explores one of the most haunting prayers in all of Scripture:"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"These are not only the words of the psalmist—they are the words Jesus prayed from the cross.John explores the unique pain of abandonment, the difference between explanation and healing, and the remarkable hope hidden in one tiny word that many of us overlook:"My."This episode explores:- Psalm 22 and the experience of forsakenness- Why abandonment wounds so deeply- Jesus' cry from the cross- The man with the withered hand- The difference between explanation and healing- The hope found in belonging to God even in our darkest momentsScriptures:- Psalm 22- Matthew 27- Mark 15- Mark 3- Isaiah 53#Psalm22 #JohnOrtberg #Prayer #Jesus #Cross #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #Hope #Suffering

What if you've been reading the Old Testament your whole life and missed the most important name on every page? Dr. Don Parry opens the Hebrew Bible with a scholar's precision and a testimony revealing how Elisha's miracles, his very name, and 6,800 attestations of Jehovah converge into one stunning, Christ-centered portrait of a God who never stops showing up.SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTSEnglish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT228ENFrench: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT228FRGerman: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT228DEPortuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT228PTSpanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastOT228ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/s7MPgm2gLooFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBook WEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletter SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE0:00 - Part 1 - Dr. Don Parry5:27 Bio 8:01 Elisha's name “My God is salvation”15:41 The prophetic mantle: Elijah to Elisha19:58 Elisha as a type of Jesus Christ and chariots of fire24:48 Chariot mysticism, temples, returning to God's presence30:36 Restoration-era chariot visions–Joseph Smith and angels36:04 Old Testament metaphors in Restoration scripture40:04 Elisha heals the waters at Jericho46:09 The mocking young men and she-bears55:06 Don't mock the Lord's anointed1:00:10 Jehoshaphat, Moab, and seeking God through a prophet1:04:23 Music invites revelation, and Elisha calls for a minstrel1:09:29 Water miracle without rain1:10:45 End of Part 1 - Dr. Don ParryThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorSydney Smith: Social Media, Graphic Design "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com