Podcasts about nations

Sign up for our e-newsletter today! --------This Christmas, you can shine the light of Christ into places of darkness and pain with a purchase from the Joni and Friends Christmas catalog. You are sending hope and practical care to people with disabilities, all in the name of Jesus! Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Tara dives into the mechanics of immigration and its impact on U.S. politics, revealing how certain populations are being brought to major cities, often unable or unwilling to assimilate, and the consequences for American elections. She examines the massive welfare system supporting these communities, illegal issuance of Social Security numbers, and the potential political influence of these populations. The episode also explores how cities like New York are becoming demographically and culturally distinct from the rest of the U.S., and the urgent steps conservatives must take to protect American governance, culture, and elections. *Understanding how immigration, welfare, and demographics are shaping America's political future.* Immigration, Welfare, Social Security fraud, Illegal immigrants, New York City, Demographics, Political strategy, Democrats, Republicans, UN, Biden administration, Trump administration, Shadow electorate, Communist influence, Urban policy, Government spending, Midterms, Homeland Security, Election integrity In this eye-opening episode, Tara explains how U.S. immigration policies and welfare programs have created a “shadow nation” that influences elections and urban politics. She highlights New York City as a case study, with one in five residents unable to speak English and nearly half born outside the U.S., living on extensive welfare programs funded by taxpayers. Tara details how billions in government spending, illegal Social Security issuance, and preferential immigration policies have created an electorate that favors socialist or communist candidates. She warns of the potential for cities to become culturally and politically disconnected from the rest of America, urging conservatives to take decisive action to restore lawful immigration, reduce welfare abuse, and protect American elections and governance.

Oliver Wong Citylights Church is a non-denominational church located in Greenville, SC, that exists to be followers of Jesus devoted to Building Family, Blessing Neighbors, and Bringing Good News to the Nations.

In this week's message, part 1 of the Limitless: Declare Him to the Ends of the Earth series, Calvary Church turns to Psalm 96 with Dr. Willy Rice for a powerful reminder that God's purpose has always extended to all nations. In a world filled with noise, believers are called to lift up a new song—a song of salvation, glory, and grace that resounds to the ends of the earth. Discover how worship fuels mission, and how the people of God become a living testimony of His greatness among the nations. When we declare His glory and proclaim His grace, the world hears the good news: the Lord reigns.Support the showFind us at! Calvary.us

The Wilderness E10 — Throughout ancient Israel's long history of wandering in the wilderness, failing in the garden land, being exiled to the nations, and then continuing to struggle after their return to the land, one thing has been clear. The people need a faithful shepherd like Moses who can guide them into God's provision and wisdom. So after Jesus is baptized in the wilderness and succeeds in his own wilderness tests, you can probably guess where Jesus goes to feed, heal, and teach people! In this episode, Jon and Tim explore stories in the gospels where Jesus provides for Israelites and non-Israelites in the wilderness, acting as a new Moses-like shepherd.CHAPTERSRecap of Theme and Setup for Jesus as a New Moses Figure (0:00-14:03)The People's Need for a Shepherd (14:03-24:04)Bread in the Wilderness for Israel (24:04-38:12)Discussing Bread With Pharisees and a Canaanite Woman (38:12-47:35)Bread in the Wilderness for the Nations (47:35-1:02:37)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode's official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Be Like Water” by Lofi Sunday, Zairis TéJion “Holy” by Lofi Sunday, Just Derrick “It's Gonna Be Alright-22” by Lofi Sunday, Marc Vanparla “jazz club” by Lofi Sunday, PAINT WITH SOUNDBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today's episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this inspiring episode, we delve into the remarkable journey of Britnie Turner—an unstoppable force of purpose, resilience, and impact. From humble beginnings in South Carolina to becoming a real estate mogul, humanitarian, and global change-maker, Britnie's path wasn't easy. She faced rejection, heartbreak, and the relentless pressure of building her empire from the ground up. Through unwavering faith, grit, and vision, Britnie transformed every setback into a stepping stone—founding companies that rebuild nations, empower survivors, and restore hope where it's been lost. Her story bridges the worlds of entrepreneurship, survival, and service, showing that true leadership is born through adversity.

Last time we spoke about the fall of Wuhan. In a country frayed by war, the Yangtze became a pulsing artery, carrying both hunger and hope. Chiang Kai-shek faced a brutal choice: defend Wuhan to the last man, or flood the rivers to buy time. He chose both, setting sullen floodwaters loose along the Yellow River to slow the invaders, a temporary mercy that spared some lives while ripping many from their homes. On the river's banks, a plethora of Chinese forces struggled to unite. The NRA, fractured into rival zones, clung to lines with stubborn grit as Japanese forces poured through Anqing, Jiujiang, and beyond, turning the Yangtze into a deadly corridor. Madang's fortifications withstood bombardment and gas, yet the price was paid in troops and civilians drowned or displaced. Commanders like Xue Yue wrestled stubbornly for every foothold, every bend in the river. The Battle of Wanjialing became a symbol: a desperate, months-long pincer where Chinese divisions finally tightened their cordon and halted the enemy's flow. By autumn, the Japanese pressed onward to seize Tianjiazhen and cut supply lines, while Guangzhou fell to a ruthless blockade. The Fall of Wuhan loomed inevitable, yet the story remained one of fierce endurance against overwhelming odds.   #174 The Changsha Fire Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the summer of 1938, amid the upheaval surrounding Chiang Kai-shek, one of his most important alliances came to an end. On June 22, all German advisers to the Nationalist government were summoned back; any who refused would be deemed guilty of high treason. Since World War I, a peculiar bond had tied the German Weimar Republic and China: two fledgling states, both weak and only partially sovereign. Under the Versailles Treaty of 1919, Germany had lost extraterritorial rights on Chinese soil, which paradoxically allowed Berlin to engage with China as an equal partner rather than a traditional colonizer. This made German interests more welcome in business and politics than those of other Western powers. Chiang's military reorganization depended on German officers such as von Seeckt and von Falkenhausen, and Hitler's rise in 1933 had not immediately severed the connection between the two countries. Chiang did not share Nazi ideology with Germany, but he viewed Berlin as a potential ally and pressed to persuade it to side with China rather than Japan as China's principal East Asian, anti-Communist partner. In June 1937, H. H. Kung led a delegation to Berlin, met Hitler, and argued for an alliance with China. Yet the outbreak of war and the Nationalists' retreat to Wuhan convinced Hitler's government to align with Japan, resulting in the recall of all German advisers. Chiang responded with a speech praising von Falkenhausen, insisting that "our friend's enemy is our enemy too," and lauding the German Army's loyalty and ethics as a model for the Chinese forces. He added, "After we have won the War of Resistance, I believe you'll want to come back to the Far East and advise our country again." Von Falkenhausen would later become the governor of Nazi-occupied Belgium, then be lauded after the war for secretly saving many Jewish lives. As the Germans departed, the roof of the train transporting them bore a prominent German flag with a swastika, a prudent precaution given Wuhan's vulnerability to air bombardment. The Japanese were tightening their grip on the city, even as Chinese forces, numbering around 800,000, made a stubborn stand. The Yellow River floods blocked northern access, so the Japanese chose to advance via the Yangtze, aided by roughly nine divisions and the might of the Imperial Navy. The Chinese fought bravely, but their defenses could not withstand the superior technology of the Japanese fleet. The only substantial external aid came from Soviet pilots flying aircraft bought from the USSR as part of Stalin's effort to keep China in the war; between 1938 and 1940, some 2,000 pilots offered their services. From June 24 to 27, Japanese bombers relentlessly pounded the Madang fortress along the Yangtze until it fell. A month later, on July 26, Chinese defenders abandoned Jiujiang, southeast of Wuhan, and its civilian population endured a wave of atrocities at the hands of the invaders. News of Jiujiang's fate stiffened resolve. Chiang delivered a pointed address to his troops on July 31, arguing that Wuhan's defense was essential and that losing the city would split the country into hostile halves, complicating logistics and movement. He warned that Wuhan's defense would also be a spiritual test: "the place has deep revolutionary ties," and public sympathy for China's plight was growing as Japanese atrocities became known. Yet Chiang worried about the behavior of Chinese soldiers. He condemned looting as a suicidal act that would destroy the citizens' trust in the military. Commanders, he warned, must stay at their posts; the memory of the Madang debacle underscored the consequences of cowardice. Unlike Shanghai, Wuhan had shelters, but he cautioned against retreating into them and leaving soldiers exposed. Officers who failed in loyalty could expect no support in return. This pep talk, combined with the belief that the army was making a last stand, may have slowed the Japanese advance along the Yangtze in August. Under General Xue Yue, about 100,000 Chinese troops pushed back the invaders at Huangmei. At Tianjiazhen, thousands fought until the end of September, with poison gas finally forcing Japanese victory. Yet even then, Chinese generals struggled to coordinate. In Xinyang, Li Zongren's Guangxi troops were exhausted; they expected relief from Hu Zongnan's forces, but Hu instead withdrew, allowing Japan to capture the city without a fight. The fall of Xinyang enabled Japanese control of the Ping-Han railway, signaling Wuhan's doom. Chiang again spoke to Wuhan's defenders, balancing encouragement with a grim realism about possible loss. Although Wuhan's international connections were substantial, foreign aid would be unlikely. If evacuation became necessary, the army should have a clear plan, including designated routes. He recalled the disastrous December retreat from Nanjing, where "foreigners and Chinese alike turned it into an empty city." Troops had been tired and outnumbered; Chiang defended the decision to defend Nanjing, insisting the army had sacrificed itself for the capital and Sun Yat-sen's tomb. Were the army to retreat again, he warned, it would be the greatest shame in five thousand years of Chinese history. The loss of Madang was another humiliation. By defending Wuhan, he argued, China could avenge its fallen comrades and cleanse its conscience; otherwise, it could not honor its martyrs. Mao Zedong, observing the situation from his far-off base at Yan'an, agreed strongly that Chiang should not defend Wuhan to the death. He warned in mid-October that if Wuhan could not be defended, the war's trajectory would shift, potentially strengthening the Nationalists–Communists cooperation, deepening popular mobilization, and expanding guerrilla warfare. The defense of Wuhan, Mao argued, should drain the enemy and buy time to advance the broader struggle, not become a doomed stalemate. In a protracted war, some strongholds might be abandoned temporarily to sustain the longer fight. The Japanese Army captured Wuchang and Hankou on 26 October and captured Hanyang on the 27th, which concluded the campaign in Wuhan. The battle had lasted four and a half months and ended with the Nationalist army's voluntary withdrawal. In the battle itself, the Japanese army captured Wuhan's three towns and held the heartland of China, achieving a tactical victory. Yet strategically, Japan failed to meet its objectives. Imperial Headquarters believed that "capturing Hankou and Guangzhou would allow them to dominate China." Consequently, the Imperial Conference planned the Battle of Wuhan to seize Wuhan quickly and compel the Chinese government to surrender. It also decreed that "national forces should be concentrated to achieve the war objectives within a year and end the war against China." According to Yoshiaki Yoshimi and Seiya Matsuno, Hirohito authorized the use of chemical weapons against China by specific orders known as rinsanmei. During the Battle of Wuhan, Prince Kan'in Kotohito transmitted the emperor's orders to deploy toxic gas 375 times between August and October 1938. Another memorandum uncovered by Yoshimi indicates that Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni authorized the use of poison gas against the Chinese on 16 August 1938. A League of Nations resolution adopted on 14 May condemned the Imperial Japanese Army's use of toxic gas. Japan's heavy use of chemical weapons against China was driven by manpower shortages and China's lack of poison gas stockpiles to retaliate. Poison gas was employed at Hankou in the Battle of Wuhan to break Chinese resistance after conventional assaults had failed. Rana Mitter notes that, under General Xue Yue, approximately 100,000 Chinese troops halted Japanese advances at Huangmei, and at the fortress of Tianjiazhen, thousands fought until the end of September, with Japanese victory secured only through the use of poison gas. Chinese generals also struggled with coordination at Xinyang; Li Zongren's Guangxi troops were exhausted, and Hu Zongnan's forces, believed to be coming to relieve them, instead withdrew. Japan subsequently used poison gas against Chinese Muslim forces at the Battle of Wuyuan and the Battle of West Suiyuan. However, the Chinese government did not surrender with the loss of Wuhan and Guangzhou, nor did Japan's invasion end with Wuhan and Guangzhou's capture. After Wuhan fell, the government issued a reaffirmation: "Temporary changes of advance and retreat will not shake our resolve to resist the Japanese invasion," and "the gain or loss of any city will not affect the overall situation of the war." It pledged to "fight with even greater sorrow, greater perseverance, greater steadfastness, greater diligence, and greater courage," dedicating itself to a long, comprehensive war of resistance. In the Japanese-occupied rear areas, large armed anti-Japanese forces grew, and substantial tracts of territory were recovered. As the Japanese army themselves acknowledged, "the restoration of public security in the occupied areas was actually limited to a few kilometers on both sides of the main transportation lines." Thus, the Battle of Wuhan did not merely inflict a further strategic defeat on Japan; it also marked a turning point in Japan's strategic posture, from offense to defense. Due to the Nationalist Army's resolute resistance, Japan mobilized its largest force to date for the attack, about 250,000 personnel, who were replenished four to five times over the battle, for a total of roughly 300,000. The invaders held clear advantages in land, sea, and air power and fought for four and a half months. Yet they failed to annihilate the Nationalist main force, nor did they break the will to resist or the army's combat effectiveness. Instead, the campaign dealt a severe blow to the Japanese Army's vitality. Japanese-cited casualties totaled 4,506 dead and 17,380 wounded for the 11th Army; the 2nd Army suffered 2,300 killed in action, 7,600 wounded, and 900 died of disease. Including casualties across the navy and the air force, the overall toll was about 35,500. By contrast, the Nationalist Government Military Commission's General Staff Department, drawing on unit-level reports, calculated Japanese casualties at 256,000. The discrepancy between Japanese and Nationalist tallies illustrates the inflationary tendencies of each side's reporting. Following Wuhan, a weakened Japanese force confronted an extended front. Unable to mount large-scale strategic offensives, unlike Shanghai, Xuzhou, or Wuhan itself, the Japanese to a greater extent adopted a defensive posture. This transition shifted China's War of Resistance from a strategic defensive phase into a strategic stalemate, while the invaders found themselves caught in a protracted war—a development they most disliked. Consequently, Japan's invasion strategy pivoted: away from primary frontal offensives toward a greater reliance on political inducements with secondary military action, and toward diverting forces to "security" operations behind enemy lines rather than pushing decisive frontal campaigns. Japan, an island nation with limited strategic resources, depended heavily on imports. By the time of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Japan's gold reserves,including reserves for issuing banknotes, amounted to only about 1.35 billion yen. In effect, Japan's currency reserves constrained the scale of the war from the outset. The country launched its aggression while seeking an early solution to the conflict. To sustain its war of aggression against China, the total value of military supplies imported from overseas in 1937 reached approximately 960 million yen. By June of the following year, for the Battle of Wuhan, even rifles used in training were recalled to outfit the expanding army. The sustained increase in troops also strained domestic labor, food, and energy supplies. By 1939, after Wuhan, Japan's military expenditure had climbed to about 6.156 billion yen, far exceeding national reserves. This stark reality exposed Japan's economic fragility and its inability to guarantee a steady supply of military materiel, increasing pressure on the leadership at the Central Command. The Chief of Staff and the Minister of War lamented the mismatch between outward strength and underlying weakness: "Outwardly strong but weak is a reflection of our country today, and this will not last long." In sum, the Wuhan campaign coincided with a decline in the organization, equipment, and combat effectiveness of the Japanese army compared with before the battle. This erosion of capability helped drive Japan to alter its political and military strategy, shifting toward a method of inflicting pressure on China and attempting to "use China to control China", that is, fighting in ways designed to sustain the broader war effort. Tragically a major element of Chiang Kai-shek's retreat strategy was the age-old "scorched earth" policy. In fact, China originated the phrase and the practice. Shanghai escaped the last-minute torching because of foreigners whose property rights were protected. But in Nanjing, the burning and destruction began with increasing zeal. What could not be moved inland, such as remaining rice stocks, oil in tanks, and other facilities, was to be blown up or devastated. Civilians were told to follow the army inland, to rebuild later behind the natural barrier of Sichuan terrain. Many urban residents complied, but the peasantry did not embrace the plan. The scorched-earth policy served as powerful propaganda for the occupying Japanese army and, even more so, for the Reds. Yet they could hardly have foreseen the propaganda that Changsha would soon supply them. In June, the Changsha Evacuation Guidance Office was established to coordinate land and water evacuation routes. By the end of October, Wuhan's three towns had fallen, and on November 10 the Japanese army captured Yueyang, turning Changsha into the next primary invasion target. Beginning on October 9, Japanese aircraft intensified from sporadic raids on Changsha to large-scale bombing. On October 27, the Changsha Municipal Government urgently evacuated all residents, exempting only able-bodied men, the elderly, the weak, women, and children. The baojia system was mobilized to go door-to-door, enforcing compliance. On November 7, Chiang Kai-shek convened a military meeting at Rongyuan Garden to review the war plan and finalize a "scorched earth war of resistance." Xu Quan, Chief of Staff of the Security Command, drafted the detailed implementation plan. On November 10, Shi Guoji, Chief of Staff of the Security Command, presided over a joint meeting of Changsha's party, government, military, police, and civilian organizations to devise a strategy. The Changsha Destruction Command was immediately established, bringing together district commanders and several arson squads. The command actively prepared arson equipment and stacked flammable materials along major traffic arteries. Chiang decided that the city of Changsha was vulnerable and either gave the impression or the direct order, honestly really depends on the source your reading, to burn the city to the ground to prevent it falling to the enemy. At 9:00 AM on November 12, Chiang Kai-shek telegraphed Zhang Zhizhong: "One hour to arrive, Chairman Zhang, Changsha, confidential. If Changsha falls, the entire city must be burned. Please make thorough preparations in advance and do not delay." And here it seems a game of broken telephone sort of resulted in one of the worst fire disasters of all time. If your asking pro Chiang sources, the message was clearly, put up a defense, once thats fallen, burn the city down before the Japanese enter. Obviously this was to account for getting civilians out safely and so forth. If you read lets call it more modern CPP aligned sources, its the opposite. Chiang intentionally ordering the city to burn down as fast as possible, but in through my research, I think it was a colossal miscommunication. Regardless Zhongzheng Wen, Minister of the Interior, echoed the message. Simultaneously, Lin Wei, Deputy Director of Chiang Kai-shek's Secretariat, instructed Zhang Zhizhong by long-distance telephone: "If Changsha falls, the entire city must be burned." Zhang summoned Feng Ti, Commander of the Provincial Capital Garrison, and Xu Quan, Director of the Provincial Security Bureau, to outline arson procedures. He designated the Garrison Command to shoulder the preparations, with the Security Bureau assisting. At 4:00 PM, Zhang appointed Xu Kun, Commander of the Second Garrison Regiment, as chief commander of the arson operation, with Wang Weining, Captain of the Social Training Corps, and Xu Quan, Chief of Staff of the Garrison Command, as deputies. At 6:00 PM, the Garrison Command held an emergency meeting ordering all government agencies and organizations in the city to be ready for evacuation at any moment. By around 10:15 PM, all urban police posts had withdrawn. Around 2:00 AM (November 13), a false report circulated that "Japanese troops have reached Xinhe" . Firefighters stationed at various locations rushed out with kerosene-fueled devices, burning everything in sight, shops and houses alike. In an instant, Changsha became a sea of flames. The blaze raged for 72 hours. The Hunan Province Anti-Japanese War Loss Statistics, compiled by the Hunan Provincial Government Statistics Office of the Kuomintang, report that the fire inflicted economic losses of more than 1 billion yuan, a sum equivalent to about 1.7 trillion yuan after the victory in the war. This figure represented roughly 43% of Changsha's total economic value at the time. Regarding casualties, contemporary sources provide varying figures. A Xinhua Daily report from November 20, 1938 noted that authorities mobilized manpower to bury more than 600 bodies, though the total number of burned remains could not be precisely counted. A Central News Agency reporter on November 19 stated that in the Xiangyuan fire, more than 2,000 residents could not escape, and most of the bodies had already been buried. There are further claims that in the Changsha Fire, more than 20,000 residents were burned to death. In terms of displacement, Changsha's population before the fire was about 300,000, and by November 12, 90% had been evacuated. After the fire, authorities registered 124,000 victims, including 815 orphans sheltered in Lito and Maosgang.  Building damage constituted the other major dimension of the catastrophe, with the greatest losses occurring to residential houses, shops, schools, factories, government offices, banks, hospitals, newspaper offices, warehouses, and cultural and entertainment venues, as well as numerous historic buildings such as palaces, temples, private gardens, and the former residences of notable figures; among these, residential and commercial structures suffered the most, followed by factories and schools. Inspector Gao Yihan, who conducted a post-fire investigation, observed that the prosperous areas within Changsha's ring road, including Nanzheng Street and Bajiaoting, were almost completely destroyed, and in other major markets only a handful of shops remained, leading to an overall estimate that surviving or stalemated houses were likely less than 20%. Housing and street data from the early post-liberation period reveal that Changsha had more than 1,100 streets and alleys; of these, more than 690 were completely burned and more than 330 had fewer than five surviving houses, accounting for about 29%, with nearly 90% of the city's streets severely damaged. More than 440 streets were not completely destroyed, but among these, over 190 had only one or two houses remaining and over 130 had only three or four houses remaining; about 60 streets, roughly 6% had 30 to 40 surviving houses, around 30 streets, 3% had 11 to 20 houses, 10 streets, 1% had 21 to 30 houses, and three streets ) had more than 30 houses remaining. Housing statistics from 1952 show that 2,538 houses survived the fire, about 6.57% of the city's total housing stock, with private houses totaling 305,800 square meters and public houses 537,900 square meters. By 1956, the surviving area of both private and public housing totaled 843,700 square meters, roughly 12.3% of the city's total housing area at that time. Alongside these losses, all equipment, materials, funds, goods, books, archives, antiques, and cultural relics that had not been moved were also destroyed.  At the time of the Changsha Fire, Zhou Enlai, then Deputy Minister of the Political Department of the Nationalist Government's Military Commission, was in Changsha alongside Ye Jianying, Guo Moruo, and others. On November 12, 1938, Zhou Enlai attended a meeting held by Changsha cultural groups at Changsha Normal School to commemorate Sun Yat-sen's 72nd birthday. Guo Moruo later recalled that Zhou Enlai and Ye Jianying were awakened by the blaze that night; they each carried a suitcase and evacuated to Xiangtan, with Zhou reportedly displaying considerable indignation at the sudden, unprovoked fire. On the 16th, Zhou Enlai rushed back to Changsha and, together with Chen Cheng, Zhang Zhizhong, and others, inspected the disaster. He mobilized personnel from three departments, with Tian Han and Guo Moruo at the forefront, to form the Changsha Fire Aftermath Task Force, which began debris clearance, care for the injured, and the establishment of soup kitchens. A few days later, on the 22nd, the Hunan Provincial Government established the Changsha Fire Temporary Relief Committee to coordinate relief efforts.  On the night of November 16, 1938, Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Changsha and, the next day, ascended Tianxin Pavilion. Sha Wei, head of the Cultural Relics Section of the Changsha Tianxin Pavilion Park Management Office, and a long-time researcher of the pavilion, explained that documentation indicates Chiang Kai-shek, upon seeing the city largely reduced to scorched earth with little left intact, grew visibly angry. After descending from Tianxin Pavilion, Chiang immediately ordered the arrest of Changsha Garrison Commander Feng Ti, Changsha Police Chief Wen Chongfu, and Commander of the Second Garrison Regiment Xu Kun, and arranged a military trial with a two-day deadline. The interrogation began at 7:00 a.m. on November 18. Liang Xiaojin records that Xu Kun and Wen Chongfu insisted their actions followed orders from the Security Command, while Feng Ti admitted negligence and violations of procedure, calling his acts unforgivable. The trial found Feng Ti to be the principal offender, with Wen Chongfu and Xu Kun as accomplices, and sentenced all three to prison terms of varying lengths. The verdict was sent to Chiang Kai-shek for approval, who was deeply dissatisfied and personally annotated the drafts: he asserted that Feng Ti, as the city's security head, was negligent and must be shot immediately; Wen Chongfu, as police chief, disobeyed orders and fled, and must be shot immediately; Xu Kun, for neglect of duty, must be shot immediately. The court then altered the arson charge in the verdict to "insulting his duty and harming the people" in line with Chiang's instructions. Chiang Kai-shek, citing "failure to supervise personnel and precautions," dismissed Zhang from his post, though he remained in office to oversee aftermath operations. Zhang Zhizhong later recalled Chiang Kai-shek's response after addressing the Changsha fire: a pointed admission that the fundamental cause lay not with a single individual but with the collective leadership's mistakes, and that the error must be acknowledged as a collective failure. All eyes now shifted to the new center of resistance, Chongqing, the temporary capital. Chiang's "Free China" no longer meant the whole country; it now encompassed Sichuan, Hunan, and Henan, but not Jiangsu or Zhejiang. The eastern provinces were effectively lost, along with China's major customs revenues, the country's most fertile regions, and its most advanced infrastructure. The center of political gravity moved far to the west, into a country the Nationalists had never controlled, where everything was unfamiliar and unpredictable, from topography and dialects to diets. On the map, it might have seemed that Chiang still ruled much of China, but vast swaths of the north and northwest were sparsely populated; most of China's population lay in the east and south, where Nationalist control was either gone or held only precariously. The combined pressures of events and returning travelers were gradually shifting American attitudes toward the Japanese incident. Europe remained largely indifferent, with Hitler absorbing most attention, but the United States began to worry about developments in the Pacific. Roosevelt initiated a January 1939 appeal to raise a million dollars for Chinese civilians in distress, and the response quickly materialized. While the Chinese did not expect direct intervention, they hoped to deter further American economic cooperation with Japan and to halt Japan's purchases of scrap iron, oil, gasoline, shipping, and, above all, weapons from the United States. Public opinion in America was sufficiently stirred to sustain a campaign against silk stockings, a symbolic gesture of boycott that achieved limited effect; Japan nonetheless continued to procure strategic materials. Within this chorus, the left remained a persistent but often discordant ally to the Nationalists. The Institute of Pacific Relations, sympathetic to communist aims, urged America to act, pressuring policymakers and sounding alarms about China. Yet the party line remained firmly pro-Chiang Kai-shek: the Japanese advance seemed too rapid and threatening to the Reds' interests. Most oil and iron debates stalled; American businessmen resented British trade ties with Japan, and Britain refused to join any mutual cutoff, arguing that the Western powers were not at war with Japan. What occurred in China was still commonly referred to in Western diplomatic circles as "the Incident." Wang Jingwei's would make his final defection, yes in a long ass history of defections. Mr Wang Jingwei had been very busy traveling to Guangzhou, then Northwest to speak with Feng Yuxiang, many telegrams went back and forth. He returned to the Nationalist government showing his face to foreign presses and so forth. While other prominent rivals of Chiang, Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and others, rallied when they perceived Japan as a real threat; all did so except Wang Jingwei. Wang, who had long believed himself the natural heir to Sun Yat-sen and who had repeatedly sought to ascend to power, seemed willing to cooperate with Japan if it served his own aims. I will just say it, Wang Jingwei was a rat. He had always been a rat, never changed. Opinions on Chiang Kai-Shek vary, but I think almost everyone can agree Wang Jingwei was one of the worst characters of this time period. Now Wang Jingwei could not distinguish between allies and enemies and was prepared to accept help from whomever offered it, believing he could outmaneuver Tokyo when necessary. Friends in Shanghai and abroad whispered that it was not too late to influence events, arguing that the broader struggle was not merely China versus Japan but a clash between principled leaders and a tyrannical, self-serving clique, Western imperialism's apologists who needed Chiang removed. For a time Wang drifted within the Kuomintang, moving between Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, and Chongqing, maintaining discreet lines of communication with his confidants. The Japanese faced a governance problem typical of conquerors who possess conquered territory: how to rule effectively while continuing the war. They imagined Asia under Japanese-led leadership, an East Asia united by a shared Co-Prosperity Sphere but divided by traditional borders. To sustain this vision, they sought local leaders who could cooperate. The search yielded few viable options; would-be collaborators were soon assassinated, proved incompetent, or proved corrupt. The Japanese concluded it would require more time and education. In the end, Wang Jingwei emerged as a preferred figure. Chongqing, meanwhile, seemed surprised by Wang's ascent. He had moved west to Chengde, then to Kunming, attempted, and failed to win over Yunnan's warlords, and eventually proceeded to Hanoi in Indochina, arriving in Hong Kong by year's end. He sent Chiang Kai-shek a telegram suggesting acceptance of Konoe's terms for peace, which Chungking rejected. In time, Wang would establish his own Kuomintang faction in Shanghai, combining rigorous administration with pervasive secret-police activity characteristic of occupied regimes. By 1940, he would be formally installed as "Chairman of China." But that is a story for another episode.  In the north, the Japanese and the CCP were locked in an uneasy stalemate. Mao's army could make it impossible for the Japanese to hold deep countryside far from the railway lines that enabled mass troop movement into China's interior. Yet the Communists could not defeat the occupiers. In the dark days of October 1938—fifteen months after the war began—one constant remained. Observers (Chinese businessmen, British diplomats, Japanese generals) repeatedly predicted that each new disaster would signal the end of Chinese resistance and force a swift surrender, or at least a negotiated settlement in which the government would accept harsher terms from Tokyo. But even after defenders were expelled from Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan, despite the terrifying might Japan had brought to bear on Chinese resistance, and despite the invader's manpower, technology, and resources, China continued to fight. Yet it fought alone. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In a land shredded by war, Wuhan burned under brutal sieges, then Changsha followed, a cruel blaze born of orders and miscommunications. Leaders wrestled with retreat, scorched-earth vows, and moral debts as Japanese force and Chinese resilience clashed for months. Mao urged strategy over martyrdom, Wang Jingwei's scheming shadow loomed, and Chongqing rose as the westward beacon. Yet China endured, a stubborn flame refusing to surrender to the coming storm. The war stretched on, unfinished and unyielding.

In this episode, Nicole and Diana chat with guest Linda Broenniman. Linda, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, is the middle child of seven born to Hungarian physicians who survived World War II. She holds a BA in psychology from Swarthmore College and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon. Linda is also a Wilbur Award recipient and a GenerationsForward speaker for the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center.  Linda shares her remarkable journey of uncovering hidden family secrets that date back eight generations, including her father's Jewish identity, which was kept secret due to the trauma of World War II and the antisemitism of the time. She discusses the courage of her parents in creating a new life in the U.S. and the incredible story of her mother saving numerous people during the Holocaust, leading to her recognition as Righteous Among the Nations by the Israeli government. Linda also talks about the challenges of uncovering these secrets, the impact of keeping such secrets, and the profound importance of learning about one's ancestry. Listeners will learn about Linda's genealogical discoveries, the complexities of family history, and the healing power of understanding one's roots. This summary was generated by Google Gemini.  Links The Politzer Saga website - https://politzersaga.com/ The Politzer Saga book on Amazon - https://amzn.to/46XzDUf (affiliate link) The Politzer Saga Exhibit at Rumbach Synagogue in Budapest, Hungary - https://politzersaga.com/exhibition/ Sponsor – Newspapers.com For listeners of this podcast, Newspapers.com is offering new subscribers 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription so you can start exploring today. Just use the code "FamilyLocket" at checkout.  Research Like a Pro Resources Airtable Universe - Nicole's Airtable Templates - https://www.airtable.com/universe/creator/usrsBSDhwHyLNnP4O/nicole-dyer Airtable Research Logs Quick Reference - by Nicole Dyer - https://familylocket.com/product-tag/airtable/ Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide book by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/2x0ku3d 14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge Workbook - digital - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-digital-only/ and spiral bound - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-spiral-bound/ Research Like a Pro Webinar Series - monthly case study webinars including documentary evidence and many with DNA evidence - https://familylocket.com/product-category/webinars/ Research Like a Pro eCourse - independent study course -  https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-e-course/ RLP Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-study-group/ Research Like a Pro with DNA Resources Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist's Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence book by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthlin - https://amzn.to/3gn0hKx Research Like a Pro with DNA eCourse - independent study course -  https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-ecourse/ RLP with DNA Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-study-group/ Thank you Thanks for listening! We hope that you will share your thoughts about our podcast and help us out by doing the following: Write a review on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. If you leave a review, we will read it on the podcast and answer any questions that you bring up in your review. Thank you! Leave a comment in the comment or question in the comment section below. Share the episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. Sign up for our newsletter to receive notifications of new episodes - https://familylocket.com/sign-up/ Check out this list of genealogy podcasts from Feedspot: Best Genealogy Podcasts - https://blog.feedspot.com/genealogy_podcasts/

In this episode, we take on Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Although he is now more well known as an economist because of his later book The Wealth of Nations, Smith shows himself to be a philosopher in his own right in Moral Sentiments. Smith, contrary to popular characterizations, wanted to show that our conduct is not solely motivated by egoism or selfishness, but that we are also motivated by the fortunes of others. For Smith it is only through sympathy that society can achieve stability and harmony. What follows is a comprehensive examination of how we develop virtue, expound rules for justice, and cultivate emotional maturity through our sympathy for others. This episode is all of you who feel society has become more emotionally dysfunctional, lost its sense of shame, and want to understand why it is so frustrating when our so-called ‘friends' refuse to hate what we hate. Join the pod as we learn about propriety and justice!leftofphilosophy.comReferences:Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, intro Amartya Sen (New York: Penguin, 2009).Music:“Vintage Memories” by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com“My Space” by Overu | https://get.slip.stream/KqmvAN

Podcast audio: This talk by Robertas Bakula was recorded live on July 2nd in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

Seven countries have engineered radical approaches to personal freedom that most governments refuse to admit are possible – from abolished armies to zero income tax to citizens who can literally fire their king. These jurisdictions prove that sovereignty, wealth protection, and individual liberty can coexist when state power is limited by design.Explore these countries' residency and/or citizenship programs and the specialists who can help you plan for them.

Israel's Future in Bible Prophecy:  A Biblical Exposition   Introduction: The Setting from Luke 21 As we open our Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 21, we find Jesus standing on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the city of Jerusalem. His disciples marvel at the temple's grandeur, but the Lord turns their attention to far greater matters—the signs of the end times and the destiny of His people.    In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus declares: "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”   Here, the Lord Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, a tragic fulfillment of judgment on unbelieving Israel.    Yet, notice the phrase "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." This points beyond that historical event to a future restoration. The "times of the Gentiles" refer to the period when Gentile powers dominate Jerusalem, but it has an end. From this vantage, Jesus shifts in verses 25-28 to cosmic signs and His return:   "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”   Luke 21 sets the stage for our study: Israel's past rebellion, present trials, and glorious future under the Messiah's reign. God's Word promises that though Israel has stumbled, He will lift them up. Let us trace this thread through Scripture, seeing God's unchanging faithfulness to His covenant people. Israel's Past: From Abraham's Call to Repeated Rejection To understand Israel's future, we must first look back to her origins. God did not find Israel as a nation; He created her. In Genesis 12:1-3, the Lord calls Abram, a Gentile idol-worshiper from Ur of the Chaldees:   "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”   Abram—later Abraham—became the father of the Jewish nation through Isaac and Jacob, whom God renamed Israel (Genesis 32:28). This was no accident of history; it was divine election. God promised Abraham an everlasting covenant in Genesis 17:7-8:   "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”   This covenant is unconditional—based on God's promise, not Israel's performance. It includes land, seed, and blessing, and it stands today. God reiterated it to Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15), forming the twelve tribes of Israel.   Yet, from the exodus onward, Israel repeatedly rejected her Creator. In the wilderness, they murmured against Moses and God (Exodus 17:3; Numbers 14:1-4). Entering the land, they turned to idols (Judges 2:11-13).    The kings, from Saul to the divided kingdom, led them into idolatry, culminating in Assyrian and Babylonian captivities (2 Kings 17:7-18; 2 Kings 25). Prophets like Jeremiah warned of judgment for covenant unfaithfulness (Jeremiah 3:6-10).   This pattern peaked in the rejection of the Messiah Himself. The Jewish leaders knew the Scriptures foretold His coming. Psalm 22:16-18 vividly describes His crucifixion:  "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”   Isaiah 53:3-6, 9-12 paints the suffering Servant: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ... And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”   Micah 5:2 pinpointed His birthplace in Bethlehem. Zechariah 9:9 described His humble entry on a donkey. The religious elite studied these texts daily. Yet, when Jesus fulfilled them—born in Bethlehem, riding into Jerusalem on a colt, bearing our sins on Calvary—they rejected Him defiantly, not blindly.   In John 1:11, we read: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." They expected a conquering general to smash Rome, not a suffering Savior (Acts 1:6). But they knew. In Matthew 27:22-25, Pilate asks, "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" The crowd cries, "Let him be crucified." When warned of innocent blood, they shout, "His blood be on us, and on our children." This was open defiance. Peter charges in Acts 2:23: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."    And in Acts 7:51-52, Stephen indicts: "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.”   Israel's history is one of gracious election met with stubborn rebellion. Yet God, in mercy, preserved a remnant through exile and diaspora, never forsaking His word.   Israel Today: A Tiny Nation Amid Global Hatred and Fleeting Peace Fast-forward to our day. Ethnic Israel—the Jewish people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—numbers about 9.6 million worldwide, with roughly 7.3 million living in the modern State of Israel. This political entity, reestablished in 1948, occupies a land about 8,500 square miles—roughly seven times the size of Rhode Island, yet smaller than many U.S. states, squeezed between vast hostile neighbors. It's a miracle of survival: a people scattered for nearly 2,000 years, regathered to their ancient homeland against all odds.   But today, antisemitism surges like a tidal wave, especially in the United States. Reports show a 21% global rise in incidents in July 2025 alone, with the U.S. seeing nearly 70% of religion-based hate crimes targeting Jews. ADL surveys reveal antisemitism has woven into daily American Jewish life—on campuses, streets, and workplaces—spiking since recent Middle East conflicts. Why this hatred? Scripture unveils the roots.   First, it's divine judgment for rejecting the Messiah. In Matthew 27:25, their cry of "His blood be on us, and on our children" echoes through generations, as Jesus warned in Luke 19:41-44: "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”   This "visitation" was Christ, spurned. Zechariah 12:2-3 prophesies nations gathering against Jerusalem like a "burdensome stone," a future reality foreshadowed today.   Second, Satan fuels this enmity. As the father of lies (John 8:44), he hates Israel because through her seed comes the woman's offspring who crushes his head (Genesis 3:15). Revelation 12:13 depicts the dragon (Satan) pursuing the woman (Israel):    "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child." Satan knows Israel's role in God's redemptive plan—birthplace of the Church, guardian of Scripture, and future throne for Messiah.   Why does God allow this? To humble His people, drive them to repentance, and fulfill prophecy. Deuteronomy 28:15, 64 warns of curses for disobedience:  "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. ... And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.”   Yet, this scattering has an end. God uses hatred to refine Israel, as Hosea 5:15 states: "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.”   Amid this, Israel boasts more peace initiatives than any nation. The Abraham Accords under President Trump in 2020 normalized ties with Arab states, and in 2025, Trump unveiled a bold 20-point Gaza peace plan, signed in its first phase, aiming for enduring prosperity without forced displacements.    Trump's "peace through strength" approach—bolstered by U.S. resolve—has invitations from leaders like Egypt's el-Sisi for regional summits. Noble as these are, Scripture warns they are fragile. Daniel 9:27 foretells a future "prince that shall come" (the Antichrist) who "shall confirm the covenant with many for one week"—a seven-year peace deal with Israel, only to break it midway: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”   No human accord can thwart God's timeline. These deals set the stage for the ultimate betrayal.     We must distinguish: Ethnic Israel is God's covenant people, the physical descendants of Abraham (Romans 9:4-5).    Political Israel is the modern state—a vessel for prophecy, but not the full spiritual fulfillment yet.  God preserves the nation, but salvation comes to individuals who repent.   God Is Not Done with Israel: Insights from Romans 9-10 Turn to Romans 9-10, where Paul, a Jew of Jews, wrestles with his people's unbelief. He affirms God's irrevocable gifts in Romans 11:29: "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." But chapters 9-10 explain the tension.   In Romans 9:1-5, Paul's anguish pours out: "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”   Israel has every advantage—covenants, law, promises—yet many reject Christ. Paul explains in Romans 9:30-33: "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”   Their zeal without knowledge (Romans 10:2) led to defiance.    Yet God hardens whom He will (Romans 9:18), not arbitrarily, but to fulfill mercy on both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 11:11-12, 25-27): "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? ... For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”   "All Israel shall be saved"—a national turning to Messiah at His return. Paul quotes Isaiah 59:20-21 and 27:9, confirming future restoration.     Beware of replacement theology, the dangerous error claiming the Church has permanently supplanted Israel in God's plan. It twists Romans 11 to say the "olive tree" is only the Church, erasing Israel's distinct promises. This denies the land covenant (Genesis 15:18), ignores prophecies like Ezekiel 37's dry bones reviving as a nation, and contradicts Paul's plea in Romans 10:1: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved."    This desire points future, not past. God has two programs: one for the Church (the body of Christ, Jew and Gentile in one, Ephesians 2:14-16), and one for national Israel. To merge them robs God of His faithfulness and fuels antisemitism by devaluing the Jewish people. Though Israel has defied Him—from golden calf to crucifying the King—God loves His covenant people. Jeremiah 31:3 whispers: "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."    He cannot break covenant; Numbers 23:19 assures: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”   Israel's Future: Tribulation, Invasion, and Glorious Restoration The road ahead is stormy, but victory dawns. Zechariah 12:10 promises: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”   The Great Tribulation: Judgment and Awakening The Tribulation—a seven-year period of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7)—brings global wrath, but especially on Israel. Why? First, to judge unbelieving Jews and the world for sin. Revelation 6-19 details seals, trumpets, and bowls of judgment. Second, to break Israel's defiance, as Zechariah 13:8-9 foretells:  "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”   Third, to prepare earth for Christ's return in Revelation 19:11-16, where He treads the winepress of wrath: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. ... And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”   During this horror, Israel becomes a focal point—and unwilling host to the world. Revelation 12:6 describes: "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Multitudes flee to Israel seeking refuge, only to face Antichrist's fury. Yet, salvation breaks through. God seals 144,000 Jewish evangelists from the tribes (Revelation 7:4-8)—12,000 from each—to proclaim the Gospel worldwide.    Two witnesses in Jerusalem, empowered, most likely Moses and Elijah, prophesy for 1,260 days, calling fire from heaven and striking with plagues (Revelation 11:3-6): "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. ... And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” Their ministry awakens thousands. When slain, God resurrects them before a watching world (Revelation 11:7-12). Many Jews repent, fulfilling Romans 11:26. As Antichrist's abomination desecrates the temple (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15), believing Jews flee to Petra (Bozrah), the rose-red city of Edom. Jesus urged in Matthew 24:15-21:  "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: ... For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”   God supernaturally protects them there for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:14), as Micah 2:12 gathers a remnant to "Mizpah"—a stronghold.   The Ezekiel 38-39 Invasion: Gog's Futile Assault Before or early in the Tribulation, a massive coalition attacks a seemingly secure Israel. Ezekiel 38:1-6, 8-9, 14-16 describes: "And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. ... After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. ... Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.”   Gog (a title, perhaps Russia's leader) leads Magog (Russia), Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer (Turkey), and Togarmah. They invade for spoil, when Israel dwells "safely"—perhaps post-peace deal. God allows it to reveal His holiness (Ezekiel 38:16, 23).  But He intervenes supernaturally in Ezekiel 38:18-23; 39:1-6: "And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. ... Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”   Birds and beasts feast on the dead (Ezekiel 39:17-20), and it takes seven months to bury them (39:12).  God uses this to turn Israel to Him (39:21-22, 29): "And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. ... Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”   The Antichrist's Treachery and Christ's Victorious Return The Antichrist emerges as a false peace-broker, confirming that seven-year covenant (Daniel 9:27). But midway, he betrays: halting sacrifices, setting up his image in the temple (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4): "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”   He persecutes Jews savagely (Daniel 7:25: "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High"), demanding worship (Revelation 13:15).   But Christ returns! In Revelation 19:19-21: "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”   He binds Satan (Revelation 20:1-3) and crushes Israel's foes at Armageddon (Zechariah 14:1-4, 9): "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. ... And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”   The Millennial Restoration: Blessing Beyond Eden With enemies vanquished, Christ establishes His 1,000-year kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6). Israel, at last, fulfills her calling as head of nations (Isaiah 2:2-3). Zechariah 8:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 paints the joy: "Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. ... Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. ... For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.”   The desert blooms (Isaiah 35:1-2: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing").    En-Gedi's shores overflow with fish (Ezekiel 47:8-10): "Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.”   Israel becomes the world's economic powerhouse, exporting blessings (Zechariah 8:13). Nations stream to Jerusalem for instruction (Micah 4:1-2). The wolf dwells with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6-9), pre-Edenic harmony restored.   Beyond the Millennium, after final rebellion and judgment (Revelation 20:7-15), God creates new heavens and earth (Revelation 21:1-4; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). No more curse—eternal joy, with redeemed Israel and Church worshiping the Lamb forever.   Beloved, Israel's story is God's story: rebellion met with grace. Though they defied Him, He pursues with everlasting love. As Luke 21 urges, when signs unfold, "look up"—redemption draws near. May we, like Paul, pray for Israel's salvation, standing firm on God's unbreakable Word. Amen.

Welcome to the Freedom Church Podcast! We believe every person matters to God! Freedom Church is a multi-ethnic church located in the heart of Round Rock, Texas. You will hear a relevant word that you can use in your day-to-day life. We believe God has great things in store for the future of Freedom Church.If your NEW HERE, would like to GIVE or follow along with our VIRTUAL SERMON NOTES click below to use our ALL ACCESS PASS. Its everything you will ever need in one convenient place.ALL ACCESS PASS:https://linktr.ee/freedomchurchrrSupport the show

John Piper | Cowardice, consumption, and comfort often stand between us and God's global work. What can set us free to be world Christians?

C dans l'air du 1er novembre 2025 : Guerre commerciale : Trump a-t-il gagné ?Fin du bras de fer ? Six ans après leur dernière entrevue, le président américain Donald Trump et son homologue chinois Xi Jinping se sont rencontrés jeudi, en Corée du Sud. Un sommet censé apaiser la brutale guerre commerciale qui les oppose, et qui ébranle toute l'économie mondiale. A l'issue des discussions, Donald Trump a qualifié la rencontre de "grand succès" et s'est, comme à son habitude, présenté en vainqueur de cette épreuve de force face au géant chinois. Mais la situation est loin d'être aussi évidente alors qu'aucun document n'a été signé.Pékin pourrait accepter de retarder l'application de ses restrictions à l'exportation de terres rares, ces minerais indispensables aux industries automobile, des smartphones, ou encore de l'armement, sur lesquels la Chine exerce un quasi-monopole. Le géant asiatique envisageait également de reprendre ses achats de soja aux États-Unis, un sujet sensible politiquement à l'heure où les agriculteurs américains souffrent. Mais en contrepartie le président américain a annoncé la baisse immédiate des droits de douane appliqués aux produits chinois. Ces derniers passent de 20% à 10%. La situation revient donc à peu près à celle qui précédait le début de la guerre commerciale lancée par Washington. Pékin a souffert mais n'a pas plié face à Donald Trump, dont la promesse de s'imposer commercialement par la force reste pour l'heure lettre morte.Mais aux Etats-Unis les promesses du candidat républicain ont-elles été suivies d'effets ? Le retour de Donald Trump aux affaires devait être synonyme du renouveau de la prospérité américaine. S'il y a bien eu un rebond spectaculaire de la croissance au deuxième trimestre, la Fed, la banque centrale américaine, dépeint une réalité bien plus morose. Loin des effets d'annonce, l'économie ralentit et les hausses de prix se poursuivent et s'accentuent. Les augmentations salariales peinent à suivre le rythme de l'inflation, qui entame le pouvoir d'achat des Américains. C'est pourtant sur ce sujet, notamment, que le candidat Trump avait su séduire les électeurs.Sur les questions environnementales, le locataire de la Maison-Blanche peut en revanche bel et bien se targuer d'avoir remporté une bataille. À quelques jours de l'ouverture de la 30e conférence des Nations unies sur le climat, le milliardaire philanthrope Bill Gates, également cofondateur de Microsoft, a affirmé que le réchauffement de la planète n'allait « pas conduire à la disparition de l'humanité », et dénoncé la « vision catastrophiste » des experts sur le sujet. Il n'en fallait pas plus au président américain pour crier victoire, lui qui prétend depuis longtemps, contre toute évidence scientifique, que le réchauffement climatique est un « canular ».Qui de Donald Trump ou de Xi Jinping a vraiment gagné son bras de fer ?Les Américains vivent-ils mieux depuis le retour de Donald Trump aux affaires ?Donald Trump a-t-il définitivement remporté son combat contre la lutte environnementale ?LES EXPERTS :- PIERRE HASKI - Chroniqueur international - France Inter et « Le Nouvel Obs »- SYLVIE MATELLY - Économiste - Directrice de l'Institut Jacques Delors- AMY GREENE - Politologue - Experte associée à l'Institut Montaigne- NICOLAS BARRÉ - Directeur de la rédaction - « Politico »- NICOLAS CHAPUIS - Correspondant du Monde à New York

À l'occasion de la Conférence des Nations unies sur les changements climatiques à Belem (Brésil), Éco d'ici, Éco d'ailleurs explore les initiatives concrètes menées sur le continent africain pour conjuguer croissance économique et décarbonation. Au Sénégal, on cherche à produire une électricité plus verte et à inventer une agriculture plus durable. ⚡Une énergie plus verte pour le Sénégal Au cœur du programme Smart Grid de la Senelec, la compagnie nationale d'électricité, un nouveau centre de dispatching supervise le réseau électrique national et ses interconnexions avec cinq pays voisins (Gambie, Mauritanie, Mali, Guinée-Conakry et Guinée-Bissau). L'objectif affiché : 40% d'énergies renouvelables d'ici 2030. Une ambition soutenue par des outils numériques et de l'intelligence artificielle pour prévoir la demande et optimiser la production à moindre coût.

À l'occasion de la Conférence des Nations unies sur les changements climatiques à Belem (Brésil), Éco d'ici, Éco d'ailleurs explore les initiatives concrètes menées sur le continent africain pour conjuguer croissance économique et décarbonation. Au Sénégal, on cherche à produire une électricité plus verte et à inventer une agriculture plus durable. ⚡Une énergie plus verte pour le Sénégal Au cœur du programme Smart Grid de la Senelec, la compagnie nationale d'électricité, un nouveau centre de dispatching supervise le réseau électrique national et ses interconnexions avec cinq pays voisins (Gambie, Mauritanie, Mali, Guinée-Conakry et Guinée-Bissau). L'objectif affiché : 40% d'énergies renouvelables d'ici 2030. Une ambition soutenue par des outils numériques et de l'intelligence artificielle pour prévoir la demande et optimiser la production à moindre coût.

Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot preview the Ezra East conference (Nov. 1, 2025, Ingersoll, ON) and tackle one of the West’s most urgent questions: How should Christians think about immigration? Joe walks through the major waves of immigration to the US, UK, and Canada and shows why not all immigration is the same—older migration from Christianized nations was far less destabilizing than today’s government-engineered mass migration from non-Christian contexts. They discuss how secular, globalist elites have used “multiculturalism” to dilute the Christian character of Western nations and why importing rival law orders (like Sharia) is not the same as church courts or Christian mediation. They also highlight key themes for the conference: Islam, immigration, the loss of Christian culture, and recovering a biblical balance between hospitality and preserving community. In the Premium+ post-show, Michael asks Joe: Why do Islamists and the radical left keep teaming up (e.g. “queers for Palestine”)? Joe explains their shared enemy (Christianity), shared totalitarian impulse, and political convenience.

Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot preview the Ezra East conference (Nov. 1, 2025, Ingersoll, ON) and tackle one of the West's most urgent questions: How should Christians think about immigration?

In Season 3, Episode 6 Nick Tilsen is joined by Brittany Koteles, Executive Director of Land Justice Futures. This organization helps religious land owners pursue land justice – shifting the narrative of land as a commodity to one of repair, restoration, and reciprocity. Land Justice Futures works closely with Christian communities and Catholic sisters to move toward repair.  According to Land Justice Future, the Catholic Church is the world's largest private landowner, with land on every continent, in every country across the globe. In this conversation, Nick and Brittany talk about what LANDBACK means to the Catholic church, what organizing nuns is like, and the very first Catholic land return in history. The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration will return two acres of lakefront property to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on October 31, 2025. Listen to the episode to hear just how this work is being done and how sisters of the Catholic Church are digging in and riding for LANDBACK.  GUESTS: Brittany Koteles, Executive Director of Land Justice Futures LEARN MORE: https://www.landjusticefutures.org To learn about our big wins and hear stories from our grantees and loan relative across Turtle Island, read our 2024 Impact Report on our website at: https://ndncollective.org/impact-reports Support the For the People Campaign today! Your donation to NDN Collective directly supports Indigenous organizers, Nations, Tribes, and communities leading the fight for justice and liberation. Donate now to fund the frontlines, fuel the movement, and rematriate wealth. ndnco.cc/ftpcdonate For more ways to support, read our For the People Campaign blog: ndnco.cc/25ftpcbb1  EPISODE CREDITS: Host: Nick Tilsen Executive Producer: Willi White Music: Mato Wayuhi Editor: Willi White Copywriter: Jordynn Paz Digital Engagement: Angie Solloa Production Support: Layne L. LeBeaux PRESS & MEDIA: press@ndncollective.org  FOLLOW NDN COLLECTIVE:https://ndncollective.org https://www.instagram.com/ndncollective https://www.linkedin.com/company/ndncollective/ https://www.facebook.com/ndncol https://www.threads.net/@ndncollective https://bsky.app/profile/ndncollective.bsky.social https://www.tiktok.com/@ndncollective https://x.com/ndncollective

New @greenpillnet / Network Nations pod out today!

Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot preview the Ezra East conference (Nov. 1, 2025, Ingersoll, ON) and tackle one of the West's most urgent questions: How should Christians think about immigration?

Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot preview the Ezra East conference (Nov. 1, 2025, Ingersoll, ON) and tackle one of the West’s most urgent questions: How should Christians think about immigration? Joe walks through the major waves of immigration to the US, UK, and Canada and shows why not all immigration is the same—older migration from Christianized nations was far less destabilizing than today’s government-engineered mass migration from non-Christian contexts. They discuss how secular, globalist elites have used “multiculturalism” to dilute the Christian character of Western nations and why importing rival law orders (like Sharia) is not the same as church courts or Christian mediation. They also highlight key themes for the conference: Islam, immigration, the loss of Christian culture, and recovering a biblical balance between hospitality and preserving community. In the Premium+ post-show, Michael asks Joe: Why do Islamists and the radical left keep teaming up (e.g. “queers for Palestine”)? Joe explains their shared enemy (Christianity), shared totalitarian impulse, and political convenience.

Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot preview the Ezra East conference (Nov. 1, 2025, Ingersoll, ON) and tackle one of the West’s most urgent questions: How should Christians think about immigration? Joe walks through the major waves of immigration to the US, UK, and Canada and shows why not all immigration is the same—older migration from Christianized nations was far less destabilizing than today’s government-engineered mass migration from non-Christian contexts. They discuss how secular, globalist elites have used “multiculturalism” to dilute the Christian character of Western nations and why importing rival law orders (like Sharia) is not the same as church courts or Christian mediation. They also highlight key themes for the conference: Islam, immigration, the loss of Christian culture, and recovering a biblical balance between hospitality and preserving community. In the Premium+ post-show, Michael asks Joe: Why do Islamists and the radical left keep teaming up (e.g. “queers for Palestine”)? Joe explains their shared enemy (Christianity), shared totalitarian impulse, and political convenience.

Joining Stephanie K and Jay this week in the studio is Crystal Croffe from Mott Community College.  Taste of the Nations is your ticket to an unforgettable evening filled with bold flavors, rich culture, and community spirit. Travel the globe in one night and savor curated dishes from India, Senegal, Mexico, and Italy.  For more information visit their website by clicking here.

Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot preview the Ezra East conference (Nov. 1, 2025, Ingersoll, ON) and tackle one of the West's most urgent questions: How should Christians think about immigration?

Island nations in the Caribbean worked on rescue and recovery operations in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. The storm tore through Jamaica, leveling some communities entirely. It also left a trail of destruction in Cuba and Haiti. At least 30 are reported dead so far. William Brangham reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Island nations in the Caribbean worked on rescue and recovery operations in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. The storm tore through Jamaica, leveling some communities entirely. It also left a trail of destruction in Cuba and Haiti. At least 30 are reported dead so far. William Brangham reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Guest Bio: Renee Kylestewa Begay is from the Pueblo of Zuni in Southwest New Mexico. She is a mother to three daughters and married to high school sweetheart Donnie Begay. During her undergrad, she founded the Nations movement—a national ministry...Good morning. It's October 30th, 2025. Can you believe it? So I'm releasing these videos. Today's videos on resilience. Four distinct cultures coming at you. Jenny McGrath. Me, Danielle, my friend Renee Begay from New Mexico and Rebecca Wheeler, Walston. Tune in, listen to the distinctly different places we're coming from and how we're each thinking about resilience. And then find a way that that impacts you and your own community and you can create more resilience, more generosity, more connection to one another. It's what we need in this moment. Oh, and this is The Arise Podcast, and it's online. If you want to download, listen to it. There you can as well.   Renee Begay (00:14):Okay, cool. Okay, so for those watching my introduction, I'll do it in my language. So my name is Renee Bega. I just spoke in my language, which is I'm from the Pueblo of Zuni tribe in Southwest New Mexico, and I shared the way that we relate to one another. So you share the clan system that you're from. So being a matrilineal society, we belong to our, there's lineage and then we are a child of our father's side of the family. And so I belong to the Sandhill Crane clan as my mom is my grandma. And then my daughters are Sandhill Crane, and then I'm a child of the Eagle Clan, which is my dad's side. So if I do introduce myself in Zuni and I say these clans, then people know, oh, okay, you're from this family, or I'm, or if I meet others that are probably Child of Crane, then I know that I have responsibility toward them. We figure out responsibility toward each other in the community and stuff, who's related to all those things. Yeah. And here in New Mexico, there are 19 Pueblo tribes, two to three Apache tribes, and then one Navajo nation tribe. So there's a large population of indigenous tribes here in New Mexico. So grateful and glad to be here.(02:22):Yeah. I guess I can answer your question about what comes to mind with just the word resilience, but even you saying a d Los Muertos, for me that was like, oh, that's self-determination, something that you practice to keep it going, to remember all those things. And then when you mentioned the family, Jenny, I was like, I think I did watch it and I looked on my phone to go look for it, and I was like, oh yeah, I remember watching that. I have a really short-term memory with books or things that I watch. I don't remember exactly details, but I know how I felt. And I know when I was watching that show, I was just like, whoa, this is crazy.(03:12):So yes, I remember watching that docuseries. And then I think Rebecca, when you're talking about, I was thinking through resilience feels like this vacillation between different levels, levels of the individual in relation to the community, how much do we participate in self discovery, self-determination, all those things, but then also connect it to community. How do we continue to do that as a community to stay resilient or keep practicing what we've been taught? But then also generationally too, I think that every generation has to figure out based on their experience in this modern world, what to do with the information and the knowledge that is given to us, and then how to kind of encourage the next generation too. So I was just thinking of all those scenes when I was listening to you guys.Rebecca (04:25):Yeah, when you said the generational thing that each generation has to decide what to do with the information given to them. This past weekend in the last week or so was that second New Kings march, and there's some conversation about the fact that it was overwhelmingly white and in my community that conversation has been, we weren't there. And what does that mean, right? Or the noticing that typically in this country when there are protests around human rights, typically there's a pretty solid black contingency that's part of that conversation. And so I just have been aware internally the conversation has been, we're not coming to this one. We're tired. And when I say I say black women specifically in some instances, the larger black community, we are tired.(05:28):We are tapping out after what happened in the last election. And I have a lot of ambivalence about that tapping out. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it does make me think about what you said that in this moment my community is taking the information given to them and making a conscious choice to do something different than what we have done historically. So that's what I thought about when you were mentioning the generational sort of space that's there. What do we do with that and what does that mean about what we pass to the next generation?Danielle (06:09):Through this moment. So I think it's interesting to say, I think Rebecca said something about does your resilience, what does it feel grounded in or does it feel solid? I can't remember exactly how she put it. And yeah, she's frozen a bit on my screen, so I'll check in with her when she gets back. And I would say I felt like this week when I was thinking about my ancestors, I felt in having conversations in my family of origin around race and assimilation, just that there was this in-between generation. And I mean like you mentioned the voting, you saw it in our voting block, the Latino voting block pretty clearly represented.(07:09):There was this hard push for assimilation, really hard push and the in-between. And I feel like my generation is saying that didn't work. And so we know the stories of our ancestors, but how did we interpret those stories to mean many of us, I would say in our community to mean that we don't fight for justice? How did we reinterpret those stories to mean the best course was silence or forgetting why people migrated. The reason for migration was not because there was a hate for our land. That's very clear to me. The reason for migration was what we see now happening with Venezuela. It was ongoing oppression of our people through the, well, in my case, through the Mexican government and collaboration with the United States government that exacerbated poverty and hunger, which then led to migration. So do we forget that? It seems like we did. And in some, I wondered to myself, well, how did a guy like Cesar Chavez or I, how did they not forget that? How did they remember that? So I think resilience for me is thinking Los was like, who were my ancestors remembering why they moved and remembering what this moment is asking me to do. Is it asking me to move somewhere and maybe physically move or mentally move or I don't know what the movement means, but it's some kind of movement. So that's kind of what I thinkRenee (09:07):I'm seeing the importance of, even just in this conversation, kind of the idea of the trans narrative across all communities, the importance of storytelling amongst each other, sharing stories with each other of these things. Like even just hearing you Danielle of origins of reasons for migration or things like that, I'm sure very relatable. And we have migration stories too, even within indigenous on this continent and everything. So I think even just the importance of storytelling amongst each other to be able to remember together what these things are. I think even just when we had the opportunity to go to Montgomery and go to the Rosa Parks Museum, it, you hear the macro story of what happened, but when you actually walk through the museum and read every exhibition, every paragraph, you start learning the micro stuff of the story there. Maybe it wasn't everyone was a hundred percent, there was still this wrestling within the community of what to do, how to do it, trying to figure out the best way to do good amongst each other, to do right by each other and stuff like that. So I just think about the importance of that too. I think Danielle, when you mentioned resilience, a lot of times it doesn't feel good to practice resilience.(11:06):For me, there's a lot of confusion. What do I do? How do I do this? Well, a lot of consultation with my elders, and then every elder has a different, well, we did this, and then you go to the next elder, oh, well we did this. And so one of my friends said three people in the room and you get four ideas and all these things. So it's just like a lot of times it doesn't feel good, but then the practice of it, of just like, okay, how do we live in a good way with each other, with ourselves, with what faith you have, the spiritual beliefs that you hold all those, and with the land, all that stuff, it's just, yeah, it's difficult to practice resilience.Rebecca (12:03):I think that that's a good point. This idea, the reminder that it doesn't always feel good. When you said it, it's like, well, duh. But then you sit for a minute and you go like, holy crap, it doesn't feel good. And so that means I have to be mindful of the ways in which I want to step away from it, take a step back from it, and not actually enter that resilience. And it makes me think about, in order to kind of be resilient, there has to be this moment of lament or grief for the fact that something has happened, some type of wounding or injury or threat or danger that is forcing you to be resilient is requiring that of you. And that's a moment I always want to bypass. Who has time to, no, I don't have time to grieve. I got stuff I got to do, right?(13:06):I need to make it to the next moment. I need to finish my task. I need to keep it together. Whatever the things are. There are a thousand reasons for which I don't want to have that moment, even if I can't have it in the moment, but I need to circle back to it. Once the chaos sort of settles a little bit, it's very difficult to actually step into that space, at least for me personally, probably somewhat out of the cultural wider narratives that I inhabit. There's not a lot of invitation to grief element or if I'm very skilled at sidestepping that invitation. So for me, that's what comes to mind when I think about it doesn't feel good. And part of what doesn't feel good for me is that what there is to grieve, what there is to process there to lament. Who wants to do that?(14:10):I think I told you guys outside of the recording that my son had a very scary car incident this week, and several people have asked me in the last 48 hours, are you how? Somebody said to me, how is your mother heart? Nothing in me wants to answer that question. Not yesterday, not today. I'm almost to the point, the next person that asked me that, I might smack you because I don't have time to talk about that. Ask me about my kid. Then we maybe could ask me about myself and I would deflect to my kid really fast.Jenny (14:59):I'm thinking about, for me, resilience feels so connected to resistance. And as you were sharing stories of migration, I was thinking about my great great grandparents who migrated from Poland to the States. And a few years ago we went to Poland and did an ancestry trip and we went to a World War II museum. I really traced World War I through World War ii, but it really actually felt like a museum to resistance and seeing resistance in every tier of society from people who were Nazis soldiers smuggling out letters that were written in urine to people making papers for people to be able to get out.(16:05):And I found myself clinging to those stories right now as ice continues to disappear people every day and trying to stay situated in where and how can I resist and where and how can I trust that there are other people resisting even if I don't know how they are, and where can I lean into the relationships and the connections that are fostering collective resistance? And that's how I'm finding it as I am sitting with the reality of how similar what we are experiencing in the US is to early days of Nazi Germany and how can I learn from the resistance that has already taken place in former atrocities that are now being implemented by the country that I live in.Rebecca (17:41):That makes me think, Jenny of a couple of things. One, it's hard to breathe through this that we are perilously close to Nazi Germany. That feels like there's not a lot of vocabulary that I have for that. But it also makes me think of something that Renee said about going to the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, and stepping really close to the details of that story, because I don't know if you remember this, Renee, but there's one exhibit that talks about this white law firm that was the money behind the Montgomery bus boycott and was the legal underpinning behind that. And I don't think I knew until I went to that museum and saw that it's like one picture on one poster in the middle of this big exhibit. And I don't think I knew that. I know a lot of things about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Busboy.(18:53):I've taught them to my kids. We know about her and the bus and all of that, but the details and to know that there was this group of white people in 1950 something that stepped forward to be resistant in that moment. And it's like, gosh, I didn't know that. And it makes me, Jenny have the question, how many more times has that happened in history? And we don't actually have that information. And so the only larger narrative that I have access to is how white people were the oppressors and the aggressors in that. And that's true. I'm not trying to take anything away from that. But also there was this remnant of people who said, not me, not my house, not my family, not today, not tomorrow, not at any time in my lifetime. Am I going to be on the wrong side of history on this conversation? And I think that that's probably true in many places and spaces that we don't have access to the detail of the stories of resistance and alliance that is there across people groups, and we don't have that information.Jenny (20:21):It makes me think of something that's front of mind just because we were in Detroit last week as we talk about Rosa Parks, she lived the end of her days in Detroit in a home that the CEO of Little Caesar's spot for her,Wow. Where it's like one, it's tragic to me that such a heroine had had to need some financial assistance from some white CEO, and that was what that CEO decided to use his money towards is really beautiful for me. And you can go to her house in Detroit. It's just a house now. But it is, it's like how many of these stories we know that actually are probably for good reason if they're happening right now, because it's not always safe to resist. And we were just having breakfast with a friend today talking about, and or what a brilliant show it is and how resistance probably needs to be underground in a lot of ways in this current moment.Danielle (21:54):Do you know the animal for Los Martos, Renee? Maybe it, it's the Libre. It's the spirit animals from Mexican folklore, and they come out and they have to, traditionally they represent three of the four elements like air, water, earth, and fire. And so they put them on the altars and they're like spiritual protectors or whatever. And they highlighted during this time, and I don't know if any of y'all have seen some of the videos of, there's a couple videos where there's a couple of these more racist folks trying to chase after a person of color, and they just trip and they fall out their face on the pavement and talking with a couple of friends, some Mexican friends, they're like, oh, Libre has got that. They just bam flat, just the idea that the earth tripped them up or something. I love that. Something in the spirit wall brought them to their knees. So yesterday I took Luis is like, what are you doing? I made him go get me all this spray paint. And I put these wood panels together and partly we had at home and I was using his wood. He's like, don't paint all of it, but I was painting this panel of this que and I'm going to put it in downtown, and it's not something I'm doing and I'm thwarting the government. But it did feel resilient to paint it or to think about the spirit world tripping up these guys. It gave me some joyRebecca (23:42):But I actually think, and I've talked to you about this a little bit, Danielle, I think what I love about that is that there's something in the collective story of Mexican people that you can borrow from, that you can pull from to find this moment of resilience, of resistance, of joy, of relief release. And I think we need to do more of that. So often when we step into our collective narratives, it's at the pain points, it is at the wounding points. And I think that I love that there's something of something that you can borrow that is a moment of strength out of our collective narrative. I think that that's actually how you grow resilience. I think it is how you learn to recognize it is you borrow from this collective narrative, this moment of strength so that you can bring it with you in this moment. I think that that's who Rosa Parks has been in my community to me in my family, I think I've told you guys this before, but I have a daughter who's now in college, but when she was in elementary school, we had a whole thing for a semester with a bus driver that just had it out for black and brown kids on her bus route to the point that all the white kids in our little suburban neighborhood were like, what the heck is wrong with a bus driver coming after all the brown people?(25:13):And I remember actually borrowing from the story of Rosa Parks to say to my daughter, this is how we're going to handle this. What does it look like for you with dignity, but really firmly say, you cannot mistreat me. You will not mistreat me on this bus route. And so to me, the story, what you're telling Danielle, is that same sort of, let me borrow from this folklore, from this narrative, something to give to myself, to my family, to my people in this moment. I love that. I'm going to borrow it. I'm going to steal it. So send me a picture of the painting.Renee (26:03):Yeah. Have you guys talked about, I guess expressions or epigenetics, I guess with resilience with epigenetics, when we do experience hardship, there's a certain way of taking that hardship in and either it alters our expression or our reaction, our behavior and how we carry that through across generations. But I was thinking of that word even with Jenny when you were talking about resilience to you, you remember it maybe probably in your body as resistance because of your great grandparents. My question was, or even just with D Los MTOs, the spirits that help that are kind of like protectors, did you guys sense that as information first or did you feel it first kind like that there's this feeling inside, you can't really quite pinpoint it, but you feel it as a practice and then when you do get that information, you're like, ah, that's what it was. Or is it the other way? I need information first. And then you're like, okay, it confirms this. I dunno. I don't know if that's a clear question, but I was just kind of curious about that. Even with the Rosa Parks, this is how we're going to do it, this is how we remember it, that was successful in its ways. Yeah.Jenny (27:54):I think for me personally, the more stories I learn, the more of me makes sense. And the same great grandparents were farmers and from where they lived to the port sold vegetables along the way to pay for their travels. And then when they got to the port, sold their wagon to pay for their ship tickets and then just arrived in the states with practically nothing. And there's so much of a determined hope in that, that I have felt in myself that is willing to just go, I don't know where this is going to lead to, but I'm going to do it. And then when I hear these stories, I'm like, oh yeah, and it's cool to be with my husband as I'm hearing these family stories, and he'll just look at me like, oh, that sounds familiar.Danielle (29:07):I think there's a lot of humor in our family's resistance that I've discovered. So it's not surprising. I felt giddy watching the videos, not just because I enjoyed seeing them fall, but it did feel like the earth was just catching their foot. When I used to run in basketball in college, sometimes people would say, oh, I tripped on the lines. The lines of the basketball court grabbed them and just fell down. And I think for a moment, I don't know, in my faith, like God or the earth has its own way of saying, I'm not today. I've had enough today and you need to stop. And so that's one way. I don't know. I feel it in my body first. Yeah. What about you? Okay.Renee (30:00):Yeah, humor, definitely A lot of one elder that I knew just with crack jokes all the time, but had the most painful story, I think, of boarding school and stuff. And then we had the younger generation kind of just ask him questions, but one of the questions for him to him was, you joke a lot, how did you become so funny? And then he was just like, well, I got to do this, or else I'll like, I'll cry. So there's just the tragic behind it. But then also, yeah, humor really does carry us. I was thinking about that one guy that was heckling the lady that was saying free Palestine, and then he tripped. He tripped backwards. And you're like, oh.(31:00):So just those, I think those captures of those mini stories that we're watching, you're like, okay, that's pretty funny. But I think for us in not speaking for all indigenous, but even just within my community, there's a lot of humor for just answering to some of the things that are just too, it's out of our realm to even just, it's so unbelievable. We don't even know what to do with this pain, but we can find the humor in it and laugh about the absurdity of what's happening and And I think even just our cultural practices, a lot of times my husband Donnie and I talk about just living. I don't necessarily like to say that I live in two worlds. I am part of both. I am. We are very present in both of just this westernized society perspective, but we do see stark differences when we're within our indigenous perspective, our worldview, all those things that it's just very like, whoa, this is really different.(32:27):There's such a huge contrast. We don't know if it's a tangent line that never crosses, but then there are moments where when communities cross that there is this possibility that there's an understanding amongst each other and stuff. But I think even just with our cultural practice, the timeline of things that are happening in current news, it's so crazy. But then you look to, if you turn your head and you look toward the indigenous communities, they're fully into their cultural practices right now, like harvest dances and ceremonies and all those things. And it's just kind of like, okay, that's got grounding us right now. We're continuing on as it feels like the side is burning. So it's just this huge contrast that we're constantly trying to hold together, living in the modern world and in our cultural traditions, we're constantly looking at both and we're like, okay, how do we live and integrate the two?(33:41):But I think even just those cultural practices, seeing my girls dance, seeing them wear their traditional clothing, seeing them learning their language, that just my heart swells, gives me hope that we're continuing on even when it feels like things are falling and coming apart and all those things. But yeah, real quick story. Last week we had our school feast day. So the kids get to kind of showcase their culture, they wear their traditional clothes, and kids are from all different tribes, so everybody dresses differently. We had a family that was dancing their Aztec dances and Pueblo tribes in their Pueblo regalia, Navajo students wearing their Navajo traditional clothes and all those things. So all these different tribes, everyone's showcasing, not just showcasing, but presenting their cultural things that they've been learning. And at the very end, my daughter, her moccasin fell off and we were like, oh, no, what's happening? But thankfully it was the end of the day. So we were like, okay. So I took apart her leggings and then took off her moccasin and stuff. Then so we started walking back to the car, and then my other daughter, her moccasin leggings were unwrapping.(35:17):We were laughing, just walking all the way because everyone, their leggings were coming apart too as they were walking to their car. And everyone's just laughing all like, okay, it's the end of the day. It's okay. We're falling apart here, but it's all right. But it was just good to kind of have that day to just be reminded of who we are, that we remain, we're still here, we're still thriving, and all those things.Rebecca (35:56):Yeah, I think the epigenetics question is interesting for the story arc that belongs to black American people because of the severing of those bloodlines in the transatlantic slave trade. And you may have gotten on the ship as different tribes and different peoples, and by the time you arrive on US soil, what was many has merged into one in response to the trauma that is the trans glamorous slave trade. So that question always throws me for a loop a little bit, because I never really know where to go with the epigenetics piece. And it also makes me understand how it is that Rosa Parks is not my ancestor, at least not that I know of. And yet she is my ancestor because the way that I've been taught out of my Black American experience to understand ancestry is if you look like me in any way, shape or form, if there's any thread, if there is a drop of African blood in, you count as an ancestor.(37:13):And that means I get permission to borrow from Rosa Parks. She was in my bloodline, and I teach that to my kids. She's an elder that you need to respect that. You need to learn all of those things. And so I don't usually think about it until I'm around another culture that doesn't feel permission to do that. And then I want to go, how do you not catch that? This, in my mind, it all collapses. And so I want to say to you, Renee, okay, every native person, but when I hear you talk, it is very clear that for you ancestry means that tracing through the clans and the lines that you can identify from your mother and your father. So again, not just naming and noticing the distinction and the differences about how we even understand the word ancestor from whatever our story arcs are, to listen to Jenny talk about, okay, great grandfather, and to know that you can only go so far in black life before you hit a white slave owner and you lose any connection to bloodline. In terms of the records, I have a friend who describes it as I look into my lineage, black, black, white, nothing. And the owner and the listing there is under his property, not his bloodline. So just noticing and naming the expansiveness that needs to be there, at least for me to enter my ancestry.Rebecca (38:56):Yeah, that's a good, so the question would be how do generations confront disruption in their lineage? How do you confront disruption? And what do you work with when there is that disruption? And how does, even with Rosa Parks, any drop of African-American blood, that's my auntie, that's my uncle. How do I adopt the knowledge and the practices and traditions that have kept us going? Whereas being here where there's very distinct tribes that are very different from one another, there's a way in which we know how to relate through our lineage. But then also across pan-Indian that there's this very familiar practice of respect of one another's traditions, knowing where those boundaries are, even though I am Zuni and if I do visit another tribe, there's a way that I know how to conduct myself and respect so that I'm honoring them and not trying to center myself because it's not the time. So just the appropriateness of relationships and stuff like that. So yeah, that's pretty cool conversation.Danielle (40:40):It was talking from a fisherman from Puerto Vallarta who'd lived there his whole life, and he was talking, he was like, wink, wink. People are moving here and they're taking all the fish. And we were like, wait, is it Americans? Is it Canadians? He is like, well, and it was people from other states in Mexico that were kind of forced migration within Mexico that had moved to the coast. And he's like, they're forgetting when we go out and fish, we don't take the little fish. We put 'em back and we have to put 'em back because if we don't put 'em back, then we won't have fish next year. And he actually told us that he had had conversations. This is how close the world seems with people up in Washington state about how tribal members in Washington state on the coast had restored coastline and fish populations. And I thought, that is so cool. And so his whole thing was, we got to take care of our environment. I'm not radical. He kept telling us, I'm not radical in Spanish. I want my kid to be able to fish. We have so much demand for tourism that I'm worried we're going to run out, so we have to make this. How do we make it sustainable? I don't know. It just came to mind as how stories intersect and how people see the value of the land and how we are much more connected, like you said, Renee, because of even the times we can connect with people across thousands of miles,(42:25):It was really beautiful to hear him talk about how much he loved these little fish. He's like, they're little and they squirm around and you're not supposed to eat. He is like, they need to go back. They need to have their life, and when it's ready, then we'll eat them. And he said that in Spanish, it sounded different, but sounded way better. Yeah. Yeah. In Spanish, it was like emotional. It was connected. The words were like, there's a word in Spanish in Gancho is like a hook, but it also can mean you're deceived. And he is like, we can't deceive ourselves. He used that word. We can't deceive ourselves that the fish will be here next year. We can't hook. And with the play on words, because you use hook to catch fish, right?That's like a play on words to think about how do we preserve for the next generation? And it felt really hopeful to hear his story because we're living in an environment in our government that's high consumer oriented, no matter who's in charge. And his slowing down and thinking about the baby fish, just like you said, Renee is still dancing. We're still fishing, felt good.Renee (43:59):I remember just even going to Juno, Alaska for celebration when all the Alaskan tribes make that journey by canoe to Juneau. And even that, I was just so amazed that all the elders were on the side on the shore, and the people in the canoe did this whole ceremony of asking for permission to come on the land. And I was like, dang, even within, they're on their own land. They can do what they want, but yet they honor and respect the land and the elders to ask for permission first to get out, to step out. So it's just like, man, there's this really cool practice of reciprocity even that I am learning. I was taught that day. I was like, man, that's pretty cool. Where are those places that will help me be a good human being in practicing reciprocity, in relationship with others and with the land? Where do I do that? And of course, I remember those things like, okay, you don't take more than you need. You always are mindful of others. That's kind of the teachings that come from my tribe, constantly being mindful of others, mindful of what you're saying, mindful of the way you treat others, all those things against. So yeah. So I think even just this conversation crossing stories and everything, it's generative. It reminds us of all these ways that we are practicing resilience.(45:38):I was going to tell you, Danielle, about humor in resilience, maybe a little humble bragging, but Randy Woodley and Edith were here last week, and Donnie and I got to hang out with them. And I was telling them about this Facebook group called, it's like a Pueblo Southwest group. And people started noticing that there were these really intimate questions being asked on the page. And then people started realizing that it's ai, it's like a AI generated questions. So with Facebook, it's kind of maybe automatically implemented into, it was already implemented into these groups. And so this ai, it's called, I forget the name, but it will ask really sensitive questions like cultural questions. And people started, why are you asking this question? They thought it was the administrator, but then people were like, oh, they caught on like, oh, this is ai. And then people who kind of knew four steps ahead, what was happening, they were like, don't answer the questions. Some people started answering earnestly these really culturally sensitive questions, but people were like, no, don't answer the questions. Because they're mining for information. They're mining for knowledge from our ways. Don't give it to them.(47:30):So now every time this AI robot or whatever asks a question that's very sensitive, they just answer the craziest. That's a good one of them was one of 'em was like, what did you learn during a ceremonial dance? And no one would ask that question to each other. You don't ask that question. So people were like, oh, every time I hear any man of mine, a country song, they just throw out the crazies. And I'm sitting there laughing, just reading. I'm like, good. Oh man, this is us. Have you ever had that feeling of like, this is us. Yes, we caught on. We know what you're doing. This is so good. And then just thinking of all these answers that are being generated and what AI will spit out based off of these answers. And so I was telling Randy about this, and he just like, well, this is just what used to happen when settlers used to first come and interact with indigenous people. Or even the ethnographers would come and mind for information, and they gather all this knowledge from indigenous communities. And then these communities started catching on and would just give them these wild answers. And then these ethnographers would gather up this information and then take it to the school, and the teachers would teach this information. So maybe that's why the school system has some crazy out there information about indigenous peoples. But that's probably part of what's happened here. But I just thought that was so funny. I was like, oh, I love us.Rebecca (49:19):Yeah, that's going to show up in some fourth graders history report or social studies report something about, right. And I can't wait to see that. Yeah, that's a good idea. So good. That feels like resistance and resilience, Renee.Renee (49:40):Yeah. Yeah. Humorous resistance. It just, yeah. So one of the questions is, have you ever harvested traditional pueblo crops?(49:52):And then some puts, my plastic plants have lasted generations with traditional care.So unserious just very, yeah, it's just so funny. So anytime I want to laugh, I go to, oh, what did this ai, what's this AI question for today? Yeah. People have the funniest, funniest answers. It givesYeah, yeah. Jenny's comment about it kind of has to go underground. Yeah. What's underneath the surface?Danielle (50:36):I have to pause this, but I'd love to have you back. Rebecca knows I'm invited every week. May invited. I have a client coming. But it is been a joy.  Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

Passer de 500 millions de dollars à 2,5 milliards de dollars d'aide humanitaire pour cette année 2025, c'est le premier objectif de la Conférence de soutien à la paix et à la prospérité des Grands Lacs, qui se tient aujourd'hui à Paris, en présence notamment du Congolais Félix Tshisekedi et du Français Emmanuel Macron. Quelles sont les plus grandes urgences de l'heure dans l'est de la RDC ? Le médecin gynécologue De-Joseph Kakisingi exerce à Bukavu et préside le Conseil National des Forums d'ONG Humanitaires et de Développement (CONAFOHD). Il est présent à Paris et répond aux questions de Christophe Boisbouvier. RFI : Quel est le problème le plus urgent à régler pour les millions de Congolais déplacés par la guerre ? De-Joseph Kakisingi : Le problème le plus urgent à régler aujourd'hui, c'est d'abord l'accès à l'alimentation, à la nourriture. Parce que ces milliers de déplacés aujourd'hui sont bloqués dans une zone sans accès physique, et donc ils sont coupés de leur source d'alimentation. Et donc ça devient très urgent qu'ils aient accès à la nourriture, qu'ils aient accès aux soins médicaux. Donc, il faut l'approvisionnement en soins médicaux et, en fait, qu'ils aient aussi accès à des espaces sûrs. Est-ce que la prise des villes de Goma et de Bukavu au début de l'année par les rebelles et leurs soutiens rwandais, est-ce que cette prise a aggravé la crise humanitaire ? Effectivement, cette crise est venue aggraver davantage une crise humanitaire qui était déjà assez alarmante, et notamment par les blocus que cela fait autour de ces villes-là et autour des zones périphériques. Ça entraîne notamment la fermeture de l'espace aérien et des aéroports, comme l'aéroport de Goma et celui de Bukavu. Les routes aujourd'hui sont dégradées pendant la saison des pluies et les banques sont fermées et l'accès par les frontières est très difficile. Et donc cela vient exacerber une situation humanitaire qui était déjà assez grave. Ces millions de Congolais déplacés, ils vivent dans quelles conditions concrètement ? Alors, ils vivent dans des conditions très difficiles. Vous savez, avant la chute de Goma et de Bukavu, il y avait des camps de déplacés autour de Goma, autour de Bukavu, et donc l'assistance était assez facile à partir des ONG nationales et internationales et des Nations unies qui pouvaient subvenir aux besoins urgents de ces populations. Mais aujourd'hui, les camps de déplacés ont été fermés et ça fait que ces populations sont en train d'errer sans abri, sans assistance, sans possibilité qu'elles puissent être mieux regroupées pour être mieux aidées. Et ça fait qu'elles vivent dans des conditions très, très difficiles. Ce qui veut dire que vous-même qui êtes médecin gynécologue, vous ne pouvez pas soigner tous les malades, c'est ça ? Oui, c'est ça, effectivement, le problème est là où l'accès est difficile pour s'approvisionner en médicaments, beaucoup d'hôpitaux, beaucoup de zones de santé voient leurs stocks de médicaments en rupture, et ça fait que les hôpitaux ne peuvent plus offrir des soins de qualité parce qu'il n'y a pas de médicaments. Et nous, comme médecins, nous nous trouvons face à une grave difficulté. Parfois, on est obligé d'assister à des décès de personnes qu'on aurait pu sauver si on avait des médicaments à portée de main. Moi, je viens de Bukavu, au cœur de la crise, et il nous arrive de voir des femmes mourir ou des enfants par manque de médicaments. Il nous arrive de voir des femmes mourir d'hémorragie post-partum parce qu'on n'a pas l'ocytocine pour pouvoir prévenir les hémorragies et parce que la chaîne du froid devient difficile dans ces conditions où l'espace aérien est fermé. Il nous arrive aussi de voir des enfants mourir parce qu'on manque des médicaments essentiels et parce que les voies d'accès sont difficiles. Est-il vrai qu'il y a encore des stocks de médicaments sur plusieurs sites du Nord-Kivu et du Sud-Kivu, mais qu'on ne peut pas les acheminer jusqu'aux centres de santé, jusqu'aux populations à cause des tracasseries administratives, à cause des checkpoints ? Oui, il arrive effectivement que certaines organisations internationales disposent des stocks dans les grandes villes, mais il y a effectivement des tracasseries administratives, comme par exemple, je viens de voir une note qui est sortie il y a quelques jours au niveau de Kinshasa, où on annonce que toute tentative de contractualisation d'aide humanitaire avec les zones périphériques doit d'abord se référer au ministère national. Et quand on voit l'étendue du pays, quand on voit tout ce qu'il y a comme zones de santé et les difficultés, ça fait des tracasseries administratives en plus. Y a-t-il aussi des tracasseries du côté des rebelles du M23 ? Effectivement, c'est des deux côtés, de plus en plus. Il y a des doubles taxations, il y a des contraintes pratiquement pour les ONG nationales, il y a des menaces, des intimidations et ça rétrécit l'espace humanitaire et ça fait que l'aide humanitaire n'arrive pas. Est-ce qu'il y a au moins des corridors humanitaires ? Jusqu'à ce jour, non. On a essayé d'établir un corridor humanitaire entre Bukavu et Uvira par exemple, et cela n'a pas marché à la dernière minute. Toutes les parties au conflit se sont opposées ou ne l'ont pas permis. Cette conférence de Paris, où vous êtes ce jeudi, qu'est-ce que vous en attendez ? La première chose, c'est en fait donner un peu plus de la lumière sur la crise congolaise. Si vous voyez, il y a beaucoup de visibilité sur la crise de Gaza, beaucoup de visibilité sur la crise de l'Ukraine, mais très peu de visibilité sur la crise congolaise. La deuxième chose qu'on attend de cette conférence, c'est en fait une sensibilisation pour le financement de l'action humanitaire. Le plan de réponse humanitaire de cette année était évalué à 2,5 milliards de dollars pour pouvoir répondre aux besoins des 6,8 millions sur les 21 millions de personnes qui sont en besoin d'aide humanitaire au Congo. Mais jusqu'à ce jour, ce plan n'a été financé qu'à 500 millions de dollars. Et on attend de cette conférence, qu'il y ait un peu plus de solidarité pour qu'on arrive peut-être à lever le double de ce qui a déjà été donné et ainsi pouvoir apporter de l'aide à toutes ces communautés qui sont dans les besoins humanitaires urgents. À lire aussiRDC: à Paris, une conférence de soutien à la paix dans la région des Grands Lacs

In this third episode of our Resurrection Series, Tim and Steve explore one of the most misunderstood disciples—Thomas. Was he really a doubter… or just a man who longed for the same encounter his friends had? This powerful conversation will challenge how we think about doubt, belief, church community, and what it means to bear the marks of grace.

Evangelist Scott Caudill- A sermon preached Wednesday Evening, on October 29, 2025.

Episode Summary: Something surprising is happening in churches across the West: young men are coming back! Not for hype or entertainment, but for meaning, mission, belonging, and direction. Are our churches ready to meet this incredible moment?In this episode, we're joined by author and professor Dr. Nancy Pearcey to unpack the deeper ideas shaping this cultural “vibe shift.” Together, we explore why the church's sacred-secular split has failed men's discipleship, how the manosphere fills the vacuum, and what it takes to move from momentary revival to lasting reformation!We also trace how family formation sits at the heart of cultural renewal. From marriage and parenting to workplace rhythms that keep fathers present, we discuss practical ways to re-enthrone the family and recover a whole-life gospel that forms men and women as equal image bearers with distinct gifts.If you've sensed the shift but wondered what to do next, this conversation maps a path toward renewal: dethrone the marketplace, re-enthrone marriage and the family, and rebuild culture from the home outward.Who is Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA)? Since 1997, DNA's mission has been to equip followers of Jesus around the globe with a biblical worldview, empowering them to build flourishing families, communities, and nations.

Welcome to The Weekly, produced by TAB Media Group, which publishes The Alabama Baptist and The Baptist Paper. Each episode features news headlines read by TAB Media Group staff and volunteers. New episodes are released weekly on Wednesday mornings. Articles featured in this episode: Baptists prepare to respond as Hurricane Melissa devastates Caribbean islands Alabama volunteer says disaster relief is 'great way to spend a vacation,' spends 4+ months in North Carolina Young Alabamian launches campus speaking tour for 'hard conversations' 'Taste of missions': IMB's residency program equipping young adults First person: Look for 'golden calf' when winning matters more than integrity Lass Words: An encouraging trend spotted while watching football Leatherwood to be nominated for state convention president Scottsboro's Wells to be nominated for state convention first vp Trussville's Whitley to be nominated for state convention first vp Gadsden's Alexander being nominated for state convention 2nd VP State convention annual meeting set for Nov. 11–12 Alabama football players say game gives them opportunity to serve, 'be a light' Sunday School Lesson Commentaries Subscribe to The Baptist Paper to get the Kids Edition! Sports for the Nations uses recreational gifts for the gospel First person: Maybe try softer approach, avoid knocking heads Visit TAB Media HERE Subscribe on iTunes HERE

In this first new episode in several weeks of our Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman are excited to be back together, as they examine some of the unusual aspects of this week's Torah portion of Lech Lecha: Abraham and Sarah begin to set the stage of history in ways that will profoundly effect their descendants, and all the world. The teachings and educational activities of Jerusalem Lights tap into the inner meaning of the prophecies concerning the reciprocal relationship between Israel and the Nations, providing greatest access possible to Universal Torah: Torah for Everyone!Jerusalem Lights is a 501 (c) 3 US non-profit organization. For more information: https://www.rabbirichman.com/jerusalem-lights​websiterabbirichman.comFacebookfacebook.com/groups/282440396475839More infowww.youtube.com/@jerusalemlights-rabbirichman

Show Notes:In this profound episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin and guest interviewer Linda explore the extraordinary story of a woman whose Hungarian refugee parents survived World War II and the Holocaust. The guest recounts the shocking discovery of her hidden Jewish heritage within a family that had long believed they were Catholic. Through years of research, recovered letters, and family documents, she uncovers her mother’s recognition as “Righteous Among the Nations” and her father’s harrowing survival in Nazi labor camps. This conversation weaves together personal storytelling and historical truth, illuminating the weight of inherited trauma, the courage to confront silence, and the power of remembrance. Linda’s journey serves as a moving reminder that uncovering our histories—no matter how painful—connects us to our humanity and shapes the stories we pass forward. ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of war, genocide, and trauma related to the Holocaust. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Key Takeaways:● Exploration of personal and family identity across generations.● The guest’s discovery of hidden Jewish roots within a family who believed they were Catholic.● Her mother’s recognition as Righteous Among the Nations for protecting Jews during the Holocaust.● Her father’s survival through Nazi labor camps and the brutal conditions of Auschwitz.● The discovery of family documents and how they revealed a hidden legacy.● Insights into Hungarian Jewish experiences during World War II.● The importance of preserving memory and confronting silence among survivors.● The enduring impact of repression and trauma on post-war identity.● The guest’s efforts to educate others through The Politzer Saga book and museum exhibition.● A call to listeners to uncover and share their own family stories of resilience and truth. Interview recorded in Great Falls, Virginia.     Linda Ambrus Broenniman’s Bio:Linda Ambrus Broenniman grew up in Buffalo, New York, as the middle child of seven born to Catholic Hungarian physicians who survived World War II and began a new life in the United States in 1949. After earning her BA in Psychology from Swarthmore College and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, Linda left corporate America to pursue her passion for entrepreneurship, founding companies in technology and biotechnology. Her curiosity and drive to uncover hidden potential led her on a personal quest to uncover her own hidden family history. Through years of research, Linda pieced together the remarkable story of her Jewish ancestors—the Politzer family—and their lives lost to her father’s silence. Her book, The Politzer Saga, brings their stories to life and forms the foundation of The Politzer Saga Exhibit, a permanent exhibition housed in the newly renovated Rumbach Synagogue in Budapest, Hungary. Linda lives in Great Falls, Virginia with her husband, Ed, of 30 years.     Connect with Linda Ambrus Broenniman:

Oliver Wong Citylights Church is a non-denominational church located in Greenville, SC, that exists to be followers of Jesus devoted to Building Family, Blessing Neighbors, and Bringing Good News to the Nations.

Chypre est aujourd'hui l'un des rares pays d'Europe encore coupé en deux, séparé par une ligne de démarcation surnommée la « ligne verte ». Pour comprendre cette division, il faut remonter à l'histoire mouvementée de cette île stratégique, située entre l'Europe, le Moyen-Orient et l'Afrique.Jusqu'en 1960, Chypre était une colonie britannique. Mais après des années de tensions, Londres accorde l'indépendance à une République de Chypre censée unir ses deux principales communautés : les Chypriotes grecs (majoritaires, environ 80 %) et les Chypriotes turcs (environ 18 %). L'équilibre est fragile. Les premiers rêvent souvent d'énosis, c'est-à-dire le rattachement à la Grèce, tandis que les seconds craignent cette domination et défendent l'idée d'un partage, voire d'une union avec la Turquie.Très vite, le jeune État s'enlise dans les conflits communautaires. En 1963, les affrontements éclatent entre les deux populations. Les Chypriotes turcs se regroupent dans des enclaves protégées, tandis que les forces britanniques et les Nations unies établissent une zone tampon, une bande de terrain traversant Nicosie, la capitale. Cette frontière provisoire deviendra, au fil des ans, une cicatrice durable.Le tournant majeur survient en 1974. Un coup d'État mené par des nationalistes chypriotes grecs, soutenus par la junte militaire au pouvoir à Athènes, renverse le président Makarios dans le but d'unir Chypre à la Grèce. En réponse, la Turquie intervient militairement, invoquant son rôle de puissance garante prévu par les accords d'indépendance. Son armée débarque au nord de l'île et prend rapidement le contrôle d'environ 37 % du territoire. Des dizaines de milliers de personnes fuient de part et d'autre : les Grecs au sud, les Turcs au nord.Depuis, l'île reste divisée. Au sud, la République de Chypre, reconnue internationalement et membre de l'Union européenne depuis 2004. Au nord, la République turque de Chypre du Nord, proclamée en 1983, mais reconnue uniquement par la Turquie. Entre les deux, la zone démilitarisée contrôlée par l'ONU, longue de 180 km, matérialise la séparation.De nombreux pourparlers de paix ont tenté de réunifier l'île, notamment sous l'égide de l'ONU et de l'Union européenne, sans succès durable. Aujourd'hui encore, Chypre symbolise la fracture géopolitique entre le monde grec et le monde turc, une division née d'un conflit ethnique et politique, figée depuis un demi-siècle — au cœur même de la Méditerranée. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

The Paris Climate Agreement has the primary goal of limiting global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and preferably 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.  Meeting this goal involves reaching global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the second half of the century.  Doing so requires the substantial adoption of renewable energy sources to […]

La capitana de la selección española, autora del gol ante Suecia, ha hablado con Manu Carreño tras el partido

L'Afrique connaît une augmentation sans précédent de sa population urbaine. D'ici 2050, les villes du continent accueilleront 700 millions d'urbains supplémentaires pour atteindre 1,4 milliard d'habitants. Des populations qui auront donc besoin de logements et de services et des villes qui devront s'efforcer de développer leurs infrastructures. Dans le même temps, les conséquences du réchauffement climatique : inondations, sécheresse, pics de chaleur, érosion côtière sont déjà palpables sur le continent africain. L'enjeu de construire des villes aménagées en fonction des risques et un habitat durable adapté au climat, est d'autant plus crucial.  Alors que l'urbanisation se fait de manière anarchique, que les populations manquent de moyens, que le secteur de la construction est dominé par le béton, matériau pas toujours adapté, quelles solutions pour les villes africaines ? Quels progrès ont déjà été accomplis par les municipalités ? Et comment appuyer les innovations en matière de construction ?  Émission à l'occasion du Sommet Climate Chance Afrique 2025 qui se déroule du 27 au 29 octobre 2025 à Cotonou au Bénin.    Avec :  • Luc Setondji Atrokpo, maire de Cotonou et président de l'Association Nationale des Communes du Bénin (ANCB) • Luc Gnacadja, ancien secrétaire exécutif de la Convention des Nations unies sur la lutte contre la désertification, ancien ministre de l'Environnement, de l'Habitat et de l'Urbanisme du Bénin. Fondateur et président de GPS-Dev (Governance & Policies for Sustainable Development), un think tank dont la mission est de rendre les systèmes de gouvernance plus propices au développement durable, notamment en Afrique. Vice-président de l'association Climate Chance • Ahouefa Madiana Pognon, ingénieur conseil construction bioclimatique, associée au cabinet d'architecte Ko • Anne Attane, anthropologue à l'IRD (Institut de recherche pour le développement), spécialiste des dynamiques familiales et des économies domestiques tant en milieu rural qu'urbain ouest-africains, au sein du Laboratoire Environnement et Développement (LPED) à Marseille. En accueil au Bénin au sein du Laboratoire de recherches Socio-Anthropologiques sur les Systèmes Organisés et les Mobilités (LASMO)   Programmation musicale :  ► Je Gère - Ami Yerewolo ► Mom'lo siwaju - Star Feminine Band.  

6. The Campaign Focuses on the League and Eugene Debs David Pietrusza 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents The campaign featured the Democratic ticket of Cox and Roosevelt against Harding. Though criticized for his "bloviating" speeches, Harding was a charming speaker who avoided trouble. After meeting the frail Woodrow Wilson, Cox was deeply moved and made the League of Nations the central, defining issue for the Democrats—a political miscalculation. Wilson refused to compromise on the League due to a personality flaw that made him unable to accept opposition. Other critical issues included Prohibition, debated as "wet and dry." The segment introduces Eugene Debs, the Socialist candidate, whose platform contained concepts like social security that would later become mainstream policy.

1. The Legacy of Woodrow Wilson and the Split over the League of Nations David Pietrusza 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents The 1920 election followed President Woodrow Wilson's debilitating stroke in October 1919, which left him perpetually frail. The core issue became the League of Nations, which Wilson championed but the Republican Party bitterly contested, ultimately causing public skepticism. Wilson held fierce opposition to former President Theodore Roosevelt, who died in January 1919. Roosevelt had detested Wilson's neutrality regarding German aggression. Despite his frail health, Roosevelt would have been the unstoppable Republican candidate had he lived. Wilson reacted to news of Roosevelt's death with shockingly hateful language, revealing the depth of his personal animosity toward his predecessor. 1929 Hoover Inaugural

4. The Republican Convention: Harding Emerges from the Smoke-Filled Room David Pietrusza 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents The Republican National Convention in Chicago in June 1920 was hot and chaotic. Leading candidates included Hiram Johnson, Leonard Wood, and Frank Lowden, while Warren Harding was a distant long shot, seeking the presidency partly to boost his reelection campaign for his Senate seat. The balloting quickly established the limits of the frontrunners. Because Republicans required only a majority for nomination, unlike the Democratic two-thirds rule, they were able to pivot to Harding, who was seen as an acceptable compromise. The Republican platform on the League of Nations was deliberately ambiguous, reflecting the deep division between internationalists like Hoover and isolationists like Lodge. 1913 WILSON OPENING DAY

5. The Democratic Convention: Wilson's Downfall and the Rise of Cox and Roosevelt David Pietrusza 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents Meeting in San Francisco in July 1920, the Democrats grappled with Woodrow Wilson's political liability due to his uncompromising League of Nations stance and desire for a third term. Wilson received only a grim demonstration of support, and his cabinet feared he would die if nominated. The two leading contenders were William Gibbs McAdoo, Wilson's son-in-law, and Ohio Governor John Cox. Due to the Democratic two-thirds rule, the convention took many ballots. Cox, a moderate publisher, secured the nomination after 44 ballots. After meeting with Wilson, Cox abandoned his moderate position to strongly support the League. Franklin D. Roosevelt was chosen as Vice President due to his name recognition, Navy service, and New York connections. 1929 HOOVER INAUGURAL

#931 | Ed, Dharnish, and Daniel unpack Manchester United's three-match winning streak and the tactical shifts driving it. The conversation explores Ruben Amorim's evolving setup - the changing press and out-of-possession shape, the role of the front three, Luke Shaw's tweaked role, Bruno's excellence in midfield. And how it all came together against Brighton. Beyond Old Trafford, the trio touch on Liverpool's wobble, weaknesses in other top-six rivals, and how the African Cup of Nations could reshape the season. It's an episode full of tactical detail and a bit of optimism. 0:00 - Introduction 4:40 - Defensive Compactness and Structure 9:10 - Forward Combinations 13:40 - Martinez's Upcoming Return and Impact 18:10 - Margins and Set Pieces 22:40 - Liverpool Analysis and Squad Flaws 28:20 - League Depth and Top Four Race 36:10 - Wrap If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Curtis Bronzan 

Curtis Bronzan 

On the first day of his Asia trip, Trump sought to shift attention from controversies at home to deals struck with allies in the region. Treasury Secretary Bessent said the administration is closing in on a trade deal with China ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi on Thursday. John Yang speaks with Jonathan Czin of the Brookings Institution for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy