Podcasts about navajo indians

What are we doing with what we've been given for the Kingdom? Let's take some time to reflect on that together. Tune in this Sunday to explore this deeper with Kent. EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins. Interview with Staff What jobs have you held outside of ministry if any? What is the thing you hope for the people who serve in your ministry? What is one helpful thing you wish people knew about what goes on behind the scenes in ministry? Why do you do this? What in the world are you thinking - you could make more money in the business world, you could get insurance paid for you, you could be building up retirement. So, why do ministry? What was it that put the "why" in you? OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Give it up for our team!  Thank you guys for all you do for our church! You know, Ministry is a weird job. I've had calls at 2 in the morning from a kid whose mom just got thrown through a window and he needed me to talk him down from killing his stepdad.  I've woken up to a call to come over to someone's house and counsel them in the most dire of situations. I have sat by the bed of the dying and cared for them and met with countless couples who are considering throwing in the towel on their marriage.  On top of that we have daily concern for the spiritual life of those God has stewarded us with, even when they don't always personally care or think about it themselves. My job specifically I have to be able to lead with the business acumen of a CEO, be available for one-on-one counseling, be able to study like a scholar or professor, be able to get up and speak like a motivational speaker, be a manager and lead meetings, be humble, have a character that matters, be spiritually full to give to others who are spiritually hungry, be able to read a spreadsheet and talk to people who have never seen a spreadsheet. As a pastor, there are very few people you can actually be yourself with - most people feel like they can bear that burden, but the moment they find out their pastor struggles, they walk away.  It's extremely lonely. Why do we do it? Why would anyone choose ministry? ILLUSTRATION: Literally a few years back, before coming to Harmony, my brother called me and told me he was bummed because his Christmas bonus was going to be less that year. When he told me what the bonus would be, it hit me that his bonus was more than my entire salary for the year. Oof, that's tough… So, why would we do this? Why choose it? I chose this because I want to take as many people as I possibly can with me. b I want to see as many people as I can, find Jesus, and become His disciples.  Reminds me of the parable of the talents, you know the parable right? A landowner gives a few of his servants bags of gold, one gets 5, one gets 3, and one gets one bag of gold.  When the master comes back he finds out the guys that got 5 & 3 bags had invested it and doubled their money, but the other guy took his one bag and buried it.  The master berates him for just burying his gold instead of putting it to work for him.   Look, at the end of your life when you stand before Jesus, he's not going to ask you what cars you owned, or how big your house was. He's not going to ask how many subscribers you had to your YouTube channel or TickTock or how many days of vacation you didn't use. He's going to ask you one question, “What did you do with what you had for the Kingdom” You don't need to do what I do or Amber does. What you need to do is look at what you've been given and use it for the Kingdom. CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: My favorite musician of all time was Rich Mullins - he was a Christian artist in the 90s who died tragically.  Rich had a passion for Native Americans and decided at some point to step away from his music career to be a missionary in New Mexico to the Navajo Indians. Rich tried it but was really struggling, it wasn't going like he thought it would.  He called his uncle and was talking to him and his uncle said, “Rich, you're not a very good missionary, but you are really good at making money.  Why aren't you making money and giving it to those who are good at being missionaries”  The reason I like Rich Mullins is not because he was a great musician, although he has some rich lyrics.  The reason I like him is because he decided he would be only be paid the average working man's salary and gave the rest of his money away.  Rich realized his job was to take as many with him as he could - not to hoard it all.  What are you good at you could use for the Kingdom? Are you good with kids? We need people in our kids ministry and student ministry. Are you someone people want to be around? Invite them to church with you. Are you good at making money? Redirect that to the Kingdom. You know, one of the biggest problems I think in Christianity is we professionalized it. Ephesians 4:11-13 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Look, Jesus didn't give me or our staff to do the ministry by ourselves b He gave us -> to equip you -> to do the works of service Today, I want to call you to something practical - we have this board out in the lobby that shows the holes in ministry that need to be filled.  We want you to pray and then go and fill those spots, to find your why, and to give it all for the Kingdom.

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In this episode, The Yank tells of his time spent with Taiwan's Indigenous people the Saisiyat. He details their fascinating history and traditions, involving a 4-day festival every 2 years that consists of drinking their homemade rice wine and slaughtering and feasting on a wild boar. The Yank also tells of his time spent with the Navajo Indians of New Mexico and Arizona and how unbeknown to him he would have to slaughter a goat. Featuring original music from Taiwan's: Lucy

Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008. Her website is www.writingfrommyheart.com.*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Zone TV Channel Radio Feed (Free - No Subscription Required) - https://www.spreaker.com/show/xztv-the-x-zone-tv-show-audio The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com (Free)To contact Rob McConnell - misterx@xzoneradiotv.com

Hello dear listeners; and here we go with another fantastic podcast from Blind Guys Chat. Well, one member of our team is missing this week. It looks like Jan has absconded to the pub so he can watch the Monaco Grand Prix highlights because he can't believe the result. So, what to do…? Luckily Clodagh doesn't need to go to makeup, but the same can't be said about Stuart! So Clodagh kindly agreed to learn the Dutch way of life so she could fill in for Jan for the entire show. Let's hope she doesn't need as many holidays as the Dutch man. We kick off the show by asking Clodagh one of the most important questions that Blind Guys Chat ever ask, what was the weather like today? Stuart has news on the up coming international conference on English Braille, starting on Sunday 5 June. If you would like to attend, visit www.iceb.org to find out more. Our guest this week is Siobhán Long from Enable Ireland. Siobhán does a phenomenal amount of work for people with disabilities including the development of an assistive technology passport and also the assistive technology loan bank. She also talks to us about Enable Ireland's relationship with Microsoft and her upcoming presentation at ICCHP-AAATE in July. In TV corner we are talking about ‘The Lincoln Lawyer' and Stuart poses the question, why doesn't content on Netflix have audio description given the same content has AD on other channels? In our emails section, Derry Lawlor has ordered his Svárovský cane and Amy wants to know what music the Blind Guys like. So, saddle up your horse, pull up your britches, fill your canteen with Irish coffee and let's form a posse in search for Jan Bloem. Blind Guys Chat - 5 out of 17 Navajo Indians prefer it to whiskey. Don't forget: • Please rate and review us on your chosen podcasting platform. • We'd love to know what you'd like us to talk about in upcoming shows; send us your suggestions by email: blindguyschat@gmail.com • Don't forget you can send us your Blindie Tips and other thoughts by email also on blindguyschat@gmail.com • If you'd like to support the podcast, you can treat the Blind Guys to a coffee by clicking the link below. Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-6f08ef for 40% off for 4 months, and support Blind Guys Chat.

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Latham Jenkins Episode 078 Video Storytelling Earns Unique 65-Acre Property WSJ House of the Year -The Lockbox Podcast with Jeffrey Brogger  Latham Jenkins is a leading luxury and lifestyle real estate broker in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He's worked in the position for many years and has sold luxury homes to many individuals including A-List celebrities looking to get out of the big city and move to a quiet neighborhood (Harrison Ford, Kim Kardashian & Kanye West, and more). Jenkins is the leading publisher for Jackson Hole's Visitors Guide and the Jackson Hole Traveler. He also publishes Homestead Magazine, the valley's preferred home design brand. Collectively, this gives him unmatched insider knowledge on everything from the nuances of each JH neighborhood, to homes yet to be listed. In a way, he's an ambassador to the city. Jenkins is known to push the envelope to set his listings apart from others. His properties span acres and the homes have vast histories, one of his recent properties being a 110-year-old estate inspired by the Navajo Indians. In addition, he was able to successfully sell a 65-acre listing called Cody Creek that initially was on the market for 6+ years when represented by a different agent. Cody Creek Sanctuary then went on to be recognized by the Wall Street Journal as House of The Year.  Listen to the insightful Lockbox episode w/ Latham Jenkins about how he became successful in real estate from being a tour guide to the magazine and then to the real estate. Like a great storyteller, he shared awesome stories and strategies for getting the interest of people. In this episode, we discuss: How did Latham first fall in love with Jackson Hole and then eventually get into the real estate business? Criteria of how to be successful in real estate and even level up! What strategies does he do in Instagram and YouTube? How can you understand the magic of the property and capture it correctly? Talking about the interview process being so critical “Why should everybody give a damn?” Can a handwritten thank you card lead you to success?! What are the questions you should consider to evaluate when to say No? How patience relates to respect that will lead to improving oneself? What is the business look like going forward? Connect with Latham Contact Info: 307-690-1642 Website: https://www.livewaterjacksonhole.com/ Email: latham@livewaterproperties.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lathamjenkins/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lathamjenkinsrealestate/ Connect with Jeff: https://steezy.digital/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.brogger  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-brogger/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffbrogger FREE DOWNLOAD: The Ultimate Real Estate Goal Setting Framework This SMART spreadsheet will automatically breakdown the number of phone calls, appointments, or open houses you need in order to achieve your income goal!!! Click below to download this SMART spreadsheet today! https://steezy.digital/ultimate-real-estate-goal-setting-framework Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008. Her website is www.writingfrommyheart.com.*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Zone TV Channel Radio Feed (Free - No Subscription Required) - https://www.spreaker.com/show/xztv-the-x-zone-tv-show-audio The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com (Free)To contact Rob McConnell - misterx@xzoneradiotv.com

Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008. Her website is www.writingfrommyheart.com.*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Zone TV Channel Radio Feed (Free - No Subscription Required) - https://www.spreaker.com/show/xztv-the-x-zone-tv-show-audio The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com (Free)To contact Rob McConnell - misterx@xzoneradiotv.com

Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008. Her website is www.writingfrommyheart.com. ****************************************************************** To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv *** AND NOW *** The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.com The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008. Her website is www.writingfrommyheart.com. ****************************************************************** To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv *** AND NOW *** The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.com The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008. Her website is www.writingfrommyheart.com. ******************************************************************To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

Navajo Indian speaks about the Navajo Indians and their role in World War 2 at Iwo Jima.  With all of the demands on white people today to proclaim their known or unknown level of racism, here, and AMERICAN INDIAN, speaks of their nation's support of America.  Implied in his narration is the fact that even though individuals can demonstrate varying levels of bad behavior, the Democratic Republic this Indian defends is NOT racist.  

Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women - Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008.For Your Listening Pleasure all the radio shows available on The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network with our compliments, visit - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv.Our radio shows archives and programming include: A Different Perspective with Kevin Randle; Alien Cosmic Expo Lecture Series; Alien Worlds Radio Show; America's Soul Doctor with Ken Unger; Back in Control Radio Show with Dr. David Hanscom, MD; Connecting with Coincidence with Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD; Dick Tracy; Dimension X; Exploring Tomorrow Radio Show; Flash Gordon; Imagine More Success Radio Show with Syndee Hendricks and Thomas Hydes; Jet Jungle Radio Show; Journey Into Space; Know the Name with Sharon Lynn Wyeth; Lux Radio Theatre - Classic Old Time Radio; Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka; Paranormal StakeOut with Larry Lawson; Ray Bradbury - Tales Of The Bizarre; Sci Fi Radio Show; Seek Reality with Roberta Grimes; Space Patrol; Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka; The 'X' Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell; Two Good To Be True with Justina Marsh and Peter Marsh; and many other!That's The ‘X' Zone Broadcast Network Shows and Archives - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv

Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women - Lynn Wallace and her late husband served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians. Lynn has written numerous articles and two curriculum packages. She is the mother of one grown daughter. She lives on her parents' farm in Montrose, Colorado. Ambassador-Emerald International published her first book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women in May 2008. For Your Listening Pleasure all the radio shows available on The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network with our compliments, visit - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv. Our radio shows archives and programming include: A Different Perspective with Kevin Randle; Alien Cosmic Expo Lecture Series; Alien Worlds Radio Show; America's Soul Doctor with Ken Unger; Back in Control Radio Show with Dr. David Hanscom, MD; Connecting with Coincidence with Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD; Dick Tracy; Dimension X; Exploring Tomorrow Radio Show; Flash Gordon; Imagine More Success Radio Show with Syndee Hendricks and Thomas Hydes; Jet Jungle Radio Show; Journey Into Space; Know the Name with Sharon Lynn Wyeth; Lux Radio Theatre - Classic Old Time Radio; Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka; Paranormal StakeOut with Larry Lawson; Ray Bradbury - Tales Of The Bizarre; Sci Fi Radio Show; Seek Reality with Roberta Grimes; Space Patrol; Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka; The 'X' Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell; Two Good To Be True with Justina Marsh and Peter Marsh; and many other! That's The ‘X' Zone Broadcast Network Shows and Archives - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv

Psalm 18:4 - During WW11, the United States had a secret code that was never broken by the Japanese. This secret group of military “Code Talkers” were Navajo Indians from New Mexico. They used their native language to send secret communications on the battlefield. In reality the Japanese didn’t need any sophisticated training to break the code. All they needed to do was to understand the Navajo Indians. How does this apply to us? Husbands, “You are married to a Code Talker!” Guys you don’t need any sophisticated training to understand your wife, you just need to investigate her culture and language.

In this episode we talk about some beautiful concepts from the Navajo Indians as well as the Japanese. History teaches us everything we need to know about our future as long as we are willing to take the time to understand and learn. As humans, I think that we tend to forget that we have the beautiful ability and power to reset. Everyday is a brand new day to start anew and create the person we want to become. The key to all of this is simply 1% more each day. No massive goals, no big leaps, no audacious pivots. Just 1% each day. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/talen40/support

Sanjay Rawal worked in the human rights and international development sectors for 15 years in over 40 countries before focusing his love for photography and storytelling onto filmmaking. His first feature, Food Chains (2014), premiered at the 2014 Berlinale and screened at Tribeca before securing domestic distribution from Screen Media. The film was produced by Eva Longoria and Eric Schlosser and narrated by Forest Whitaker.  It went on to screen in 1,100 more theaters during its theatrical, semi-theatrical & community screening tour. A lifelong runner, Sanjay was happy to lose the pounds he gained eating Mexican food in farmworker towns and take on a project about running. His latest film, 3100: Run and Become, opened in theaters in fall 2018 and comes to New Zealand in February 2020.   Sanjay learned under spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy and studies in this film the power of running to connect humans to powers beyond themselves. The film follows the incredibly long and brutal 3100-mile race held every year in New York City as well as diving into the long human history of long-distance running visiting The Mt Heiei Monks in Japan to the Navajo Indians to the Kalahari Bushmen. A film not to be missed and an interview to open the mind to new possibilities.   We would like to thank our sponsors:   Running Hot - By Lisa Tamati & Neil Wagstaff   If you want to run faster, longer and be stronger without burnout and injuries then check out and TRY our Running Club for FREE on a 7-day FREE TRIAL Complete holistic running programmes for distances from 5km to ultramarathon and for beginners to advanced runners.   All include Run training sessions, mobility workouts daily, strength workouts specific for runners, nutrition guidance and mindset help Plus injury prevention series, foundational plans, running drill series and a huge library of videos, articles, podcasts, clean eating recipes and more.   www.runninghotcoaching.com/info and don't forget to subscribe to our youtube channel at Lisa's Youtube channel  www.yotube.com/user/lisatamat and come visit us on our facebook group   www.facebook.com/groups/lisatamati Epigenetics Testing Program by Lisa Tamati & Neil Wagstaff. Wouldn’t it be great if your body came with a user manual? Which foods should you eat, and which ones should you avoid? When, and how often should you be eating? What type of exercise does your body respond best to, and when is it best to exercise? These are just some of the questions you’ll uncover the answers to in the Epigenetics Testing Program along with many others. There’s a good reason why epigenetics is being hailed as the “future of personalized health”, as it unlocks the user manual you’ll wish you’d been born with! No more guesswork. The program, developed by an international team of independent doctors, researchers, and technology programmers for over 15 years, uses a powerful epigenetics analysis platform informed by 100% evidenced-based medical research. The platform uses over 500 algorithms and 10,000 data points per user, to analyze body measurement and lifestyle stress data, that can all be captured from the comfort of your own home Find out more about our  Epigenetics Program and how it can change your life and help you reach optimal health, happiness, and potential at https://runninghotcoaching.com/epigenetics You can find all our programs, courses, live seminars and more at www.lisatamati.com    Transcript of the Podcast:   Speaker 1: (00:01) Welcome to pushing the limits, the show that helps you reach your full potential with your host, Lisa [inaudible], brought to you by Lisatamati.com Speaker 2: (00:13) You're listening to pushing the limits with Lisa Tamati. Welcome back everybody. Today I have a very, very special podcast, but before we get underway, I just want to remind you, if you want to reach out to me, you can do that at lisatamati.com Find me on Instagram. I'm very active on Instagram at least to [inaudible] the same on Facebook. And I'd love you to come and check out our website and our flagship programs. We have three programs. We mainly do our work and we have the epigenetic program, we have the run online run trading system running hot, and we also have mindset you, which is all about mental toughness, resilience, and being the best version of yourself that you can be. So make sure you go and check those lisatamati.com Right now. Today we have a very special guest all the way from New York city. Speaker 2: (01:05) His name is Sanjay revile. Have you haven't heard of? Sanjay? He is an internationally renowned filmmaker. He was in the human rights and international development sector for 15 years and worked in over 15 so over 40 countries before he tuned his love for photography and storytelling into his new career, which is filmmaking. He's done a number of films. I'm most well known as his feature film, his first feature film called food chains. This was produced with Eva Longoria and Eric Schlosser and was an over 1100 theaters worldwide. And his latest film is what we're going to be talking about today. Now Sanjay is a lifelong runner. He's dedicated to doing just this running. And he was also a follower of the late Sri chum NOI, who many of you runners may know of. He was a Indian spiritual leader who died in 2007, but he was very much into unifying religions and to meditation and the power of a sport and athleticism to help you reach spiritual realms, which I find really, really fascinating subject. Speaker 2: (02:25) And the film that Sanjay has just produced is called 3,100 run and become, and it's based around the fact that human beings are meant to do this long, long distance running that we talk about that we're born to run. And it's particularly seen it on the race in New York city. 3000, 100 miles. This has been going for over 27 years, I believe around half mile block in New York city. And every year about 14 to 16 runners come to test the metal against horrifically long brutal arduous race. And the distances that they cover in that time is over 52 days. Is 3,100 miles set is over with just up, no, sorry, just over 5,000 kilometers. That's like going right across the United States, but in a half mile blocks. So you can imagine how hard this is. It's absolutely brutal. It's not something I would've ever tackled. It's too big. But he talks in chosen this foam, one of the characters, the main characters is the Norwegian runner who has done this over 15 times. And as really the world's best at the super, super, super long distances. So we get into a really deep conversation around philosophy and spirituality. The power of running to train, seeing yourself the healing abilities of running, how it can connect you with mother nature and you know, soul, a lot of our modern day woes. So without further ado, here's Sanjay. Speaker 3: (04:01) Well, hi everybody and welcome to pushing the limits. It's fantastic to have you guys back again. We're nearly at the end of 2019 and I can't believe it. And today I have a special special guest with me who is sitting in New York city at the moment. Sanjay Rowe. Wow. Welcome to the show. Sanjay. Speaker 4: (04:20) Thank you so much. It's a, it's a winter here, so I'm just trying to keep it together while you guys enjoy mother nature in a different way than I am right now. Speaker 3: (04:28) Yes, I've been, yeah. Well you're welcome to come over here anytime. We'd love to have you ever New Zealand. You can come and visit way. That'd be fantastic. So have you ever been to New Zealand? Speaker 4: (04:38) I have, I haven't been there in almost 20 years, but I am coming for about 10 to 12 days at the end of February. The screen, the movie that we're going to talk about. Speaker 3: (04:48) Oh wow. Okay. I've got to make sure I get to that somehow. So we'll talk about that afterwards. So everybody listening who doesn't know sanjay you will soon. So he has produced a number of films over his career. But recently won a film that we are going to be talking about mostly today is a film called 3,100. Sanjay, can you tell us a little bit about this amazing though? Speaker 4: (05:15) Yeah, I'd be happy to. So the movie's 3,100 running become and it follows a pretty diminutive relatively unheard of. Finished man named Ashbery. Hannah Alto is a paper boy by trade. At the same time, he is an underground, multi-day distance running legend. The film follows him trying to complete the 3,100 mile race and the year 2016 this race is the world's longest certified road race. It's almost 5,000 kilometers. It's just a few case short of five K 5,000 but it takes place all around a half mile, close to a kilometer along a loop. In the heart of New York city runners have to try to complete at least a hundred K a day for 52 days in order to finish the race. Under that window. It's grueling, but at the same time, although it sounds like an absolute misery Fest, a suffer Fest, people don't come out of it physically devastated. In fact, the only way you can actually tell the line for this type of mores is to have a deep understanding of the spirituality of long distance running. Speaker 4: (06:31) So in the film, not only do we follow Ash Briana, El Alto, but to kind of show how and why this race is even possible, we'd go back into time. We follow three other runners on their own quests, but runners who come from very deep traditional cultures of running a, we follow an ultra marathoner on the Navajo nation. In Arizona, we go to the Kalahari desert and Botswana at hunt with Bushman hunters who chase down game across two to three day law tracks. And we follow an aspirant in the Highlands of Japan who was doing a thousand day Trek of about 31,000 miles in the mountains outside of Kyoto. This shows the spirituality that's inherent to running that really fuels the runners in the 3,100 mile race. Speaker 3: (07:20) Wow. Well you preaching to the converted here and a lot of my audience, of course Evan runners. And what really surprises me, I mean I have to, I have to tell you a little bit of a story. I actually tried to get a documentary series done for discovery channel called run the planet and we actually uncovered, so the Kalahari, the Navajo, the, the Mount Tia amongst the, and a number of other tribes, people with stories and legends of doing long distance running. I didn't manage to pull it off. We did the the pilot for the series a in Australia reenacting an Aboriginal men story who ran 250 kilometers to save a friend of hers across the desert. And that was the end of the project unfortunately. But you actually manage the Paul was off which a huge amazing seat too though because I know what these sort of things take. Speaker 3: (08:17) But we, we came from the same premise that running is an inherently, we are born to run and stuff. The famous book is from Chris Google. We have born to run and we are made for this sort of long distance stuff and that we've done that throughout history. And you have uncovered these amazing people doing these incredible things. What's interesting for me is you've come from a very spiritual background and I've actually not come from that same background as a runner come more from the sporting and the, you know and I, I think I lived a lot of untapped potential sort of on the table looking back cause I didn't tap into the more spiritual side. I think I did to a certain degree without really understanding it. But you know, let's talk a little bit about Sri chum noise and what the races that he set up all around the world actually have to do with a 3,100 mile race. And, and your, your what, what your beliefs are around, she treats your NOI and has had a trick to long distance running. Speaker 4: (09:25) First of all. I so wish you'd completed that series. It sounds like it would have been awesome and I probably wouldn't have had to do this movie. Speaker 3: (09:33) It would have been complimentary, would've been awesome. Yeah. We didn't manage to pull it off. As, you know, there are lots of hurdles to jump through when you're totally, yeah. Speaker 4: (09:44) So, you know, to your question, I, I ran track in high school and I, I, I grew up in the United States and you know, the state that I grew up in, California has 35 million people. So a lot of people ran track, you know, but kind of got disillusioned from everything at university and ended up after graduation moving from the West coast of the U S to New York city where an Indian spiritual teacher named Sri Chinmoy lived his path really intrigued me because no harm, no foul, like there's no superiority or inferiority. But he really advocated a a pretty unified philosophy of not just making your heart strong and, and trying to develop the kind of beautiful qualities that we have inside, like love and peace and joy. But he also felt that physical fitness was a paramount importance to achieving that sense of inner peace. And so he came at running an exercise from a totally different vantage point than I did for me. Speaker 4: (10:45) You know, it was all about competition. And you know, when I was in high school, I would win a lot of races, but by the time I got to college, you know, I was no longer in that kind of top echelon. And you know how it is. It's like once you realize you're never going to be like at the very, very top, you know or, or you're not going to win every single race. I know you want a lot of races, you start really losing, you know, a sense of purpose. But when I came across region wise philosophy, it was totally different. You know, and, and this is reflective in all the cultures that we explore in 3,101 and become that there's something unique about running and we just have to take it on faith that unlike any other activity, however wonderful, whether it's tennis or swimming or biking, that running connects us to mother nature in a completely unique way. Speaker 4: (11:41) And when I, when you know, when I spent time with the Navajo and people will see in the film are our main Navajo character. Sean Martin says, when you run your feet are praying to mother earth, you're breathing in father sky. You're showing them, you're praying to them, you're showing them that you're willing to work for the blessings of mother earth. And that's a philosophy that I've seen reflected in traditional cultures all over the world. And that was in Sri Chinmoy. His philosophy, even though we don't actually, nobody really consider as Eastern philosophy as something that really revolves around an act of, of, of physical fitness, like running. Yeah. But in a sense, you know, it was men and women, humanity's first religion, that idea of connecting to nature and the energies both within and without through our feet. So when, when, when he kind of presented that to me and to others, that blew my mind, but I wasn't really ready for the philosophy. You know, I ran 800 meters and the 1500 meters, but when I moved to New York to study with them in 1997 that was the summer that the 3,100 mile race was launched and I hadn't, I hadn't even done a marathon. So the idea of doing 60 miles a day or 52 days just blew my mind. Speaker 3: (13:03) Yeah, absolutely. How does the human body, I mean I've, I've done, you know, the longest I've run is like through New Zealand, like 3000, 250 Ks in 42 days, which is not as much money per day is what they were doing. Given we were on the road and doing book tours and things at the same time. But the, the amount of pain in the suffering that you do go through and people have often said to me, did you reach this flow state? And then you became a, and I know that a lot of people experience that. And I, and I have to say I had had times or flow state when I was in a flow state, but unfortunately I couldn't leave a hole myself in that flow state. And the, the suffer face did, you know, it was about, you know, overcoming a lot of pain amazing levels of fatigue with a lot of willpower which we know as limited, you know, we will have a limited amount of willpower. Speaker 3: (14:09) And, and I was always hoping to reach that state of self transcendence really. And, and Neveah, but I hadn't been a catered myself to meditation and to the other sides of all that. Probably enough looking back which I'm much more into these days. But back then it was all about, you know, the physical, mental, the mental strength and the physical strength to actually prepare your body for this battle going in. And this is a completely different approach to what Sri, Jim NOI head and what these people that are doing the 3,100 have really it's, and I wonder how do they actually get to that, you know, as someone who's don't done a hell of a lot of running and not really achieved that flow state for long periods of time, at least how the heck do they do it. Speaker 4: (15:00) So there, there, there are two types of runners in the race and you know, again, no superiority or inferiority, but there are very few people on earth like you that have the mental fortitude to like will themselves through 40, 45, 50 days, you know, of of doing, you know, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, a hundred Ks per day. Like, you know, that willpower will only take you so far. And, and in your darkest moments, you know, in the run, willpower is not going to offer you any light. If it's gone, then it's just Sufferfest. So a lot of people who come to the 3,100, whether they, there, they come from a background of faith or not, they realize either in their first attempt or beforehand that if they don't kind of develop access to a place within themselves where they can be happy, simply just happy in the worst moments. Speaker 4: (15:58) If they can't be in that flow state at will, then it's going to be a long 52 days. And you know, a lot of people, I would say probably at least a third to a half of people who do it the first time, you know, it's, it's it's a mixture of pleasure and pain and those moments like you experienced in, in your, in your cross-country run, those moments are enough to get you up the next day. But they're not necessarily gonna fuel every single mind mile. That said, it's like the people that come back and do it over and over and over, either through the race or outside the race, they really develop the power of meditation and at the same time, like unlike your race, and I think you'll appreciate this more than most, the reason why they do the race on a half mile loop is so that you have access to your aid every half a mile. Speaker 4: (16:53) You have access to a bathroom every half a mile. There's no traffic. There's foot traffic on this loop from just the public, but it's a pretty isolated area of New York and you don't have to worry about cars or anything. So in that sense your mind can like stop forgetting about the surroundings and, and it's, it's a lot easier that way. So that said, it's like this race, like the people that get the most out of it come at it the way you would now that come at it, knowing that you need to have access to that meditative side of you and you need to train with that in mind. It's like you have to find a way to find joy or happiness in those moments of exertion. And that doesn't come spontaneously out in the suffer Fest. You have to build that in your training. Speaker 3: (17:38) Yeah. And you have to develop that skill and the years and years of meditation, I should imagine to be able to reach that state. And that's something that fascinates me now. And I'm in, I'm developing, you know, those skills of late, but it's something that I wish on head back then instead of just the will and mindset. And I'm doing this no matter what. And, and it surprises me that how many people can override all of the the pain and the, you know, we do have an amazing ability to deal with things. But I cannot, I cannot, in all honesty, say to you, I enjoy it or I was happy in doing a lot of those races. There was a lot of, you know, I want to achieve this. It's a challenge. It's an opportunity to find out who I am. And I think when we, when we connect to nature and we do find out so much about ourselves and so even though I didn't approach it from a spiritual point of view, I think the stuff that I learned from it has been so, so powerful to helping me in, in everyday life. Speaker 3: (18:51) In, in getting through obstacles, other people that are doing these types of things, in your opinion just more, are they tapping into a higher power? Are they able to actually leave the the, the suffering behind in some way? Speaker 4: (19:12) That's a great question. So like going to the time that we spent with the Bushman and the Kalahari, these cultures that have been running for literally 125,000 years, they say you cannot separate running from God. Of course, if you want to run to become a better looking person running, we'll give that to you. If you want to run to become healthy running, we'll do that for you. But if you run with the intention, I mean this is wild, but if you run with the intention of getting closer to the divine part of yourself, to the divine part of the universe, whatever you, you label that as running, we'll get you there. I mean, just like if you meditate for just power of concentration, it'll do it. If you meditate to feel a little bit of peace, it'll do it. But if you meditate for a self discovery to discover the oneness you have with the divine, that's everywhere. Speaker 4: (20:07) Meditation will do that. And so when it, when it comes to running this particular race, people come into it as a pilgrimage. You know, you can either come into it what the mental attitude of like, I'm going to do this, I'm going to achieve this. But there was a runner on an Israeli multi-day champion and Coby Orrin who did the race, I think in 2017 and across the first thousand miles he was pushing. And he actually sat in Israeli national record for the fastest time to a thousand miles in the midst of this 3,100 mile race. But he realized that the true meaning of this race wouldn't reveal itself unless he moved into a completely different state of mind. And he realized that he had to take the race as a pilgrimage. And what that meant was not thinking about your splits, not thinking about how many miles you're doing each day, but really finding a way to focus on the meaning of each action of each step. Speaker 4: (21:06) And when he got into that sense of, or lack of expectation, and when he got into that sense of focus, he realized that there was, there was joy, there was actually happiness by looking at the moments, by looking at the specific actions and the steps and that happiness wasn't going to come. Looking at your watch or looking at your daily mile totals, that happiness kind of existed in the middle of all that. But again, it's like, it all sounds like fun and games, but unless we had that kind of intention, we don't actually find where happiness really exists. Speaker 3: (21:40) Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, overcoming changing perspective. I mean, I never went into races with the, the thought of winning, to be honest, most of the time it was all about, you know, survival getting through to the other in some which way. And I've had some very spiritual type experiences underway. Perhaps induced by, you know, fatigue, sleep deprivation, those types of things, hallucinations. And the things that you actually discover about yourself are just absolutely mind blowing, even without the spiritual aspect. But I do wish now that I had gone more into that side of things to be able to overcome the limitations. You know, what worries me nowadays as a, as a running coach and we train $700 sleets all around the world is, is the danger that is involved with ultra marathon running. Because there is, you know, you can do permanent damage. Speaker 3: (22:44) I've done some damage to my body. Why do these guys not have physical damage from doing these extreme races or do they? I've had, you know, big problems with things like rhabdomyolysis kidneys, you know, not functioning properly from repeatedly breaking down too much muscle. Things like that, fibroid problems, adrenal problems, adrenal burnout. Do these guys ever suffer from those sort of normal physical breakdowns? Of course, muscle tears and in those sorts of things as well. And if not, why not? Why do they not have that limitation, those very human limitations on them Speaker 4: (23:26) That, that, that, that's a great question. You know, as, as opposed to most ultra distance running, I mean this is more akin to your, your, your 42 days across New Zealand where you can't push it. You know, you can't win the 3,100 mile race in a day, but you can lose it in a day and it's not wanting a 24 hour race where you can say like, I can push myself past the limit because I can sleep for two weeks and I can take care of like the damage I do across the next six months or a year with the 3,100. Imagine doing a hundred K then waking up again and doing it again and then waking up again and doing it again. And the, the, the leaders are, are, are at about 120 K per day. So it's a totally different mindset. I mean, you know, they can't, they Canyon say that when you run long distances, whether they're 10 Ks or marathons, you have to run dumb. Speaker 4: (24:20) The UMB like in the 3,100 you have to have like a real sense of softness between your ears. You know, even physiologically, it's like if your, if your mind is thinking and thinking and thinking, your face muscles get tense, which tenses up, you know, your upper cervical vertebra, which have ramifications all the way down your body and you start getting repeated. Use injuries. Your, your knees aren't aligned, your tabs aren't aligned. But frankly it all starts in the mind. And so if you can find a way not to be in your mind, to cultivate, you know, your heart, your spiritual heart, that things that you focused on in meditation and bring those feelings and emotions and sense of self, sense of peace, sense of joy into your one, then it becomes an entirely different experience physiologically. You know, you're much more in tune with what's going on. Speaker 4: (25:14) You're much more in tune with the sense of balance. You have more patients. But in that patience, when you're not pushing, you can also experience a sense of happiness that you, you, you typically don't get in shorter races. And when I mean shorter like, you know, 24 hours and less, where are you going? Like, I've got to get there. I've got to get there. I can't stop. I can't stop. You know, when you've got that type of an attitude in a race, you, you rarely dissociate from your mind. I mean, the trick for those of us wanting shorter races is finding ways in training like the Kenyans to completely get rid of expectation and to find a way to get into that flow state in the first couple of miles. Speaker 3: (25:53) Yup. Yeah. And it does association. I mean, I definitely use it to some degree, obviously not to the degree that I would like to have used it and being able to take your mind away from the pain and the suffering in the body. And that's one of the tools that I, you know, teach about a little bit. And I do find like when you get into a rhythm, a rhythm is something that that is meditative. And I'm often, if I'm running behind, someone will use their feet as a little flicker of they fry, they fried and they, it's almost a trance like state that you can get into. But I can't keep it in the forever. That's a, that's the key point I think. And that's the difference between these guys. So they are tapping into things that we as, you know, average not so spiritual human beings, if you like, for the ones who have a bit of expression and you know, can't tap into. Speaker 3: (26:52) And that's what I find absolutely fascinating because I know what it takes to run 70 Ks a day. I cannot imagine the amount of pain that it would take to run 120 days beyond. It's certainly beyond my physical limitations. And the, the amount of pain that you'd have to overcome us is, is phenomenal. But what you were saying there about stress and stress is I listened to an interview with dr Chatterjee that you were talking about stress and how, why can't AIDS epidemic in our world. And it's one of the killers and it's one of the most problematic things. And we are living in a cult stunt state of alertness and fight or flight sort of state because of the society that we live. And we're no longer being chased by lions, but we seem to be living in that constant state is meditation and using even this, running this self transcendent, running a way of calming the body and stopping those stress responses. Speaker 4: (27:59) So the curious thing is that running is humanity's oldest physical practice, maybe dance as well. That movement through your feet and there is something electric when you're aware of it, between the connection between mother earth and our feet, our lungs breathing in oxygen and air, there's something deeply nourishing and effecting that way. At the same time, meditation is humanity's oldest practice of contemplation. Not just getting rid of stress, but understanding who we are, why we're here, what we're meant to do in any given moment. And meditation gives us access to different parts of our body and our, or of our being, I should say. It's like we've got a tool belt on and we've got 15 sets of tools, but we're using a hammer 24 hours a day. You know, it's like we might not even know all the other tools that we've got, but meditation is a very simple, very natural way for people to go, wow, when I'm stressed, I don't have to like think about it. Speaker 4: (29:05) I don't have to like, you know, just become obsessed with what's going on. There's another part of me that will allow me to feel something different, to allow time, for example, to take its course at the same time. If, if this dress requires something hyper-focused, you know, we can pull that tool out and apply it to the moment and get rid of that stress in a very constructive, you know, analytical way. Some meditation and running, you know, are really the two oldest tools that we have. But it's a question of, of coming back to that as, as a civilization, as a species. And you know, obviously as individuals we can come back to that just, you know, we just have to, we just have to take those first steps. Speaker 3: (29:45) Well, I actually had to an argument or not an argument, but a discussion with reduce your, of the, the portal, which is a new movie that's come out. Tom Cronin, who was on the podcast a few weeks ago and he was, he's, it's all about meditation and the power of meditation to heal the whole world. And I'm a very, very interesting man. And I said to him, I believe meditation running is a meditation. And he said to me, no, it's not a meditation. It's running. And I said, I know, and I had this discussion with an amazing no, because running you are in a sympathetic nervous system state and you're not in a parasympathetic state. Speaker 4: (30:23) It's that if for four, I would say for most people not myself included. That was true up until a few years ago. But I F I was trying to understand why the people who do the 3,100 mile race, most of them come back and do it a second time, a third time. The main character in the movie, Ashby Hunnel, you know, did it again last summer for get this a grand total of 15 times he's completed that race 15 times when when you understand that running and meditation can actually go together, you know, and you've explore what that truly means. I mean, again, it's, it's not simply the fact and I, I get where he's coming from. It's not simply saying like, my running is my meditation. The way that chopping onions is my meditation. It's like, you know, I, I get the kind of like, you know, hyperbole that that comes with that. But if you get into a state in running where you're completely beyond your mind, where you're completely in that flow state and, and you know, it's like the definition or the flow state is not an absence of pain, but it's finding happiness in the, in that exertion. And there there was a Hopi elder. Hopi is there. There are tribes in central Arizona, some of the best runners anywhere Speaker 3: (31:46) We uncover the swipe for that with a series. Yeah. Speaker 4: (31:50) Yes. W a Hopi elder had told us when I was on a prayer run with a bunch of native kids in Arizona, he told us as, as we headed off for monument Valley, he said, find joy through exertion. And that was mind blowing to me because how many of us, when, when we're really working hard, number one, feel joy, number one or number two, even know that we can feel joy in those moments of intense effort. And he said, not only do you need to realize that joy exists in the most extreme forms of exertion, but you can find it. You just have to be aware of it and find a way to, to tap into it. I mean, that totally changed the way I race that only that changed the way I run. It's like in those moments when you're really pushing to learn that joy actually exists there. Speaker 4: (32:43) That you can go beyond that pain by tapping into joy. I mean that that's how to get into flow. That's literally step one and to getting into flow. And when you're in that flow state as, as you know, it's like you can have experiences or you can tap into those same places within your being that you try to get to in your highest form of meditation. That said, learning and knowing how to meditate is going to help you get into that state a lot easier. And if you get into that state and running, you're going to be able to get into that state when you're meditating. So I completely disagree based on experiences that I've had personally, but more importantly, seeing these cultures that have understood the connection between prayer running and the spirit for tens of thousands of years. Speaker 3: (33:33) Oh, I'm so glad you've said that because I've, you know, had a debate with myself over the last few weeks because I took him on what he said, and I thought, well, that's probably got an element of truth about, you know, we're looking at the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system, and you, when you are in the meditative state, you have to be in the sympathetic state. But I have that, I've had that experience of being in a meditative state, running granted I can't do it on demand, but I have been there. So I, I was having trouble with that sort of like autonomy, if you like. They, they're sort of opposites. And that gives me permission to go back to the thought. And yes, actually there's a type of meditation and it is a powerful one and it's something that I've missed like the last four years. Speaker 3: (34:19) Sandra, you you wanna know, but I had a mom who had a mess of aneurysm and my listeners know the story and was in a vegetative state, basically would have any high function at the age of 74. And obviously the last four years I just stopped doing the long distance running because I had to completely focus on her rehab and that, you know, they're trying to make a living was all there was 24 hours in a day basically. And now four years later, I've just written her book. It comes out in March this year. It's called relentless and tells the story of, of bringing her back and she's now completely normal again. At the age of 78 against all odds. And I created, I created this comeback journey that I've been on with her, on to the fact that I've done this running. Speaker 3: (35:06) If I had not have had the mental skillset that I developed through running, I wouldn't have been able to, to do the things that I did with here to look outside the square to, to push through boundaries that most people would have, you know, quit long, long time ago. And to go up against some medical system and say, no, this is the, she will come back. And this the story is very powerful because it's in why I'm so passionate about getting this book out there is because it taps into these types of tools that we discover when we are doing these extreme things like you know, running long distance races and we learned stuff about ourselves and then how the body works and how that we are capable of so much more than what your average local doctor will tell you. What capable of, I mean, have you ever been to a local doctor and they've said, look, you can't run anymore. You've got a sore knee. Yeah, Speaker 4: (35:59) Yeah. I mean, I mean th th th the thing to understand is that we physiologically evolved as runners. You know, from, from an evolutionary biology standpoint and all your, all your listeners will know that the humanities first advantage as bipedal beings was number one, unlike Quadra peds, we could step without having to breathe. Many people can imagine what a dog looks like or a horse looks like in full sprint when their legs are extended, you know, splayed out on the, on the an extension. Their lungs, inhale air. When the legs come together as they all do, they all come together in the middle of the, of the center of gravity. It's like that's when the lungs are forced to expel air. So they're incredible anaerobic beings, but we're the only animals by virtue of standing on two feet that can like trot and not have to breathe every single time we take a step. Speaker 4: (36:56) And so that's given us a tremendous sense of endurance. You know, we can breathe, you know, multiple times per step, which Quadro peds can't do. And you know, we can, we can breathe every three or four steps, which also keeps our Arabic level kind of pretty low. So it's like, if you, if you look at that, you know, human beings are meant to move on our feet. The things that take us away from that state of being are all the, all the afflictions of modern day life. But I would say weirdly enough, like I, I'm on the medical team at the 3,100 mile race too, and 95% of the day to day trauma that the runners face. The pain, you know, we can take away through a deep tissue, we can take away through Raul thing, but it tends to come back day in and day out. And when that starts happening to runners, I tell them like, look, your problems are mental. Speaker 4: (37:50) Like there's no reason why if these problems are taken away through through some sort of therapy that they, that they should come back the next day. I find that 90% of injuries that people have through, you know, basically through a non-traumatic running racing is totally different. But when you're just in training and you're just doing like low stress low intensity type of stuff, you know, maybe heavy miles, the injuries that are repeated use injuries are really due to bad form, which really comes from a state of mental unrest from a state of anxiety and not allowing the mind to release. And then the body subsequently to release. Speaker 3: (38:31) There's not so much rinks in the core strength and you know, like we teach about, you know, you've got to have a strong core and strong had some things to be able to be upright. You were saying it's more of a mental stimulus. That's, that's the problem that we are because of the stress that we're all under or that we are thinking we are under we're actually inflicting that on our bodies as, as much as anything else. Speaker 4: (38:56) I mean of course is since most of us don't spend day to day, you know, I spend, spend our day to day kind of inner body the way we might've as hunters and gatherers. Yeah. Yeah. We need to do all the range of motion, all the core activities that we don't get from our, our, our standard nine to five jobs. Yeah. But still like you have plenty of students that do all of that and that still gets Phantom injuries. Yep. And then I'll take it Speaker 3: (39:22) Good. You know, I can do everything and I'll still be struggling with one or two injuries Speaker 4: (39:27) And that come that that comes entirely from the mind. Like the 3,100 mile race is a great Petri dish for it. Because like I said, like, you know, like LA last summer, Ashby hunt all did it and I was, his handler. It, I would kind of take care of his afflictions, you know, every break he had every six or eight hours. And after a few days of of him having calf pain and taking it away through simple, you know, deep tissue or, or Rolfing or, or, or you know, active release stuff. And I just told them like, I can take care of this every single day. But the reason why you're having these problems is somehow you're, you're not running fluidly, you know? And that comes in that race from overthinking, from stressing out, for thinking about stuff that you shouldn't be thinking about. Mainly from, from thinking at all. Speaker 4: (40:18) Yeah. And so I go, I go back to the time I go back to the time we spent with Sean Martin on the Navajo reservation. We're all you're supposed to do when you run is listen to the sound of your feet. Breathe in the universe through your lungs. And when you do that, you begin to feel the importance of the connection of your feet and mother earth and your breath and father sky. And that nourishes you. And that gives you the sense of happiness that you need from running. But most of us, myself included when I go for a run and looking at my watch, I'm looking at my pace, I'm thinking about my workout. I might think about like, you know what I'm going to eat afterwards, what I'm going to do afterwards. My, my, my, my experience of running is already done, you know, and I'm getting nothing out of each moment. I'm only just checking off a workout. And that's the difference. It's like unplugging from our playlist, you know, you can run with a GPS watch. We all do. But not worrying about what your watch says to you, but listening to yourself, listening to your thoughts, listening to your heart, and taking, running as a spiritual discipline rather than as an escape. I mean, that's when the fruits of running really, really coming to the fore. Speaker 3: (41:34) Yeah. And I'm just going back briefly to that story with mum. The difficulty if I haven't been able to do the long distance running in the, in the last, you know, three and a half, four years and I've missed the clarity of mind that came with it. You know, when you, when you spend hours a day running is indulgence as that sounds. It actually, you know, I had time to work through the problems that I was facing in my life and to get them out, it's very cathartic, sort of a, a thing to do. And when you don't have that, you can be missing that piece quite badly. And then, you know, so they, I think running is a physical release and a spiritual release in a, in a mental release. It's a, it's all rolled into one and the connection that you say to, to mother earth. Speaker 3: (42:28) And I think this is one of the major, major problems that especially our young generation are facing because we so on devices and we so connected all of the time that we have no time to just be in our own thoughts or just being with ourselves and to just be in movement. We just constantly wanting entertainment or connection. And, and not being connected to mother Ruth not being outside in the burning sun, the freezing rain, the, all of those things that really make us feel good. You know, when you go for a run in a storm, you can't come back, you know, if anything but invigorated and like alive, you know. And it might've been hard and it might've been cold and it might've been this, but you're alive. You're, you're feeling you're alive. And I think that they, in their very artificial world where everything's air conditioned and we jumped from Avalon to a garage, into the car and off to the mall and you know, all of these things is just disconnecting us so completely from, from the way that we are meant to be living generally, like outside of just running, but just not being connected to nature is, is killing us, I think. Speaker 3: (43:44) Do you agree? Speaker 4: (43:46) I'm, I'm totally with you now. You know, imagine that 3,100 mile race on a city block. It's sidewalk. Almost a K it's, but it's a square. So it's like you're going around right angles. It takes place in New York city summer, you know, for for almost eight weeks where the temperature last summer climbed above 41 42 seas. For a day or two. But much of the time in, in the heat of the day, you know, you're talking between 32 and 36 Celsius. Again, it's like unrelenting. You're pretty close to some major roads. There's buildings all around and it's not like you're running through the grand Canyon, but that, but that said, it's like if you're, you know, on the South Island or if you're in the grand Canyon, it's really easy to feel the power of mother nature. But our, our Navajo character's father is a, is a as a medicine man. Speaker 4: (44:39) And he told me mother earth is under the sidewalk to no mother earth is under the asphalt. That is mother earth. So on this course, you know, people are, are desperately, desperately struggling to maintain their connection to nature despite being in an urban setting. And you know, when you've got that type of intense focus on what you need when it comes to you, it's, it's in a much higher dosage than you can imagine. So like, yeah, in the 3,100, that connection to mother earth, even though they're running around in circles on a sidewalk, it's absolutely essential. Speaker 3: (45:16) Absolutely. And that you don't need, you know, people often say, well we don't lock them did on these rices and the Sahara and the Gobi desert and Dave belly and Australia and all like Himalayas. To be honest, actually it wasn't about, Speaker 4: (45:33) Yeah, Speaker 3: (45:33) The views, it wasn't about what you were seeing, keeping you going. In fact, most of the time, unfortunately, you know, your heat is usually down on the ground trying not to fall over the next thing or you're so, so tired. You can have the enjoy your surroundings very often. And, and of course it is more inspiring to at least go to these places and you know, in the before and the after and the cultural exchange that you have. But actually during the race, it's not about the beauty, you know, it's and running around and ran a block or running through a desert. They're both connected the both outside and nature. Like you say, they both are. Speaker 4: (46:15) And w one of the great things about this race happening in New York is that whatever you need, whether it's a new pair of shoes, whether it's a very specific type of medicine you're in New York city, someone will be able to get a volunteer. We'll be able to get it for you within a couple of hours. And as you know, it's like when you travel for these like international ultras, very often if you don't have something with you is stuffed, you are not going to get it. Yeah. It's not going to be a good experience for you. Speaker 3: (46:44) No, it must be. Yeah, it definitely has a be a great advantage to have all of the things around you and that half-mile block, although it's, you know, mind numbing and people think, Oh gosh, going around in a circle. I mean I've only done like 24 hour races, but they are easier than running across the desert per se, where you don't have access to anything. And if you've forgotten something, you're in deep, deep trouble, physically in trouble. But it does become about the mind and what you are, what you were doing. The so this, this movie is coming to New Zealand. This phone was [inaudible]. Speaker 4: (47:23) Yeah. Yeah. So from February 10th through, we'll be traveling from, I think we're going to be an Oakland, Wellington, Christchurch maybe a few other places in between doing single nights screenings. The information is going to be up on our Facebook page, which I think is facebook.com forward slash 3,100 film and afterwards, after the 20th, that you can't make, one of those screenings will be up on all the online platforms. But Lisa, I would love to have to be able to, to, to ask you questions at one of our screenings. You know, I'm not sure what city you're in, but Speaker 3: (48:02) It would be fun. It would be really, really fun. I think we can make that happen. I live in a little place called new Plymouth, so you probably not coming here, although that would be awesome. But I can travel to, you know, walking into Wellington or something to make sure that I get to see this and I've seen the movie. But to actually meet you would be of course just, you know. Awesome. and you know, people out there, how do they get tickets so they can just go onto Facebook and find out where the screenings are. Get me tickets via that way. Speaker 4: (48:30) Yeah. The, the, the, the movie screenings are going to be in proper theaters and all of those cities. And so, you know, on our Facebook page there's links to the times and dates and we're going to be adding a few more things here and there. But yeah, all the tickets can be purchased online. Speaker 3: (48:45) Fabulous. And we will put all the links in the, in the show notes and stuff and all that. I do want to ask you a couple more questions about you and your background because you've had a fascinating life. This isn't the first movie you've done. Tell us about how did you get into filmmaking? Cause I'm very fascinated by filmmaking. I made a couple of, well eight documentaries, but on a very, very low budget documentaries. And I know I want to know, you know, how did you fall into this area and do the amazing things that you've done. So tell us a little bit about your life. Speaker 4: (49:19) I, I'm, I'm a Jack of all trades, master of none. Know I, I moved from California to New York to basically, you know, S to just study what's rich and white and spend a few years even with a good university degree, you know, just spend a few years working in health food stores and just, you know, getting to understand who I was and what I really wanted to do in life before launching into a career or whatnot. But switch in my head a lot of friends from other Theresa to Desmond Tutu and Mikhail Gorbachev and Mandela. And as I got more interested in kind of humanity specifically in, in like international development, humanitarian aid, human rights, I began having opportunities to work with some most rich and moist friends. So I got a chance to, to work with Desmond Tutu and you know, a ton of other people and gradually kind of like made my way into the world of humanitarian aid and human rights. Speaker 4: (50:18) So I kind of worked in that, in that sphere for about 15 years till around 2010, 2011. And you know, realize that a lot of the projects that I really, really enjoyed were ones that required me to take photos or to make little small documentaries, just being the only person with a camera for hundreds of miles. And I began making some short films, like my first one that most of them have been on sports, weirdly enough. My, my first one was called ocean monk and it was like an, a personal exploration of the connection between meditation and surfing in the winter in New York city. Of all things. I mean there is surfing like you know, in New York city in the winter here, you know, you might walk through, you know, half a meter of snow or a meter of snow to get to the water. But you can imagine like when the city's going like 24 hours a day to be out in the water was no one else around is probably the only experience of real nature we can get in New York city. Speaker 4: (51:21) But my, my second film explored, you know, kind of a curious aspect of streets and noise life. You know, after he stopped being able to do distance running, he took up weightlifting and he left, he lifted astronomical pounds, you know, in fact, when I was in New Zealand in 2002 and 2003 I was actually on a three month trip with him and one of, one of the cutest things he did was he went to a farm, you know, not too far away from Topo. A sheep farm and sheep are put into little cages and put onto this contraption that's reaching. Mike could sit under and he would like push up, you know, a cage with a sheep on each hand and you know, lifted a thousand sheep. It was just, it was really, really cute and childlike but also kind of mind boggling. And the physicality. Speaker 4: (52:11) I made a film called challenging and possibility, but then kind of went back to my human rights roots and made a film about the exploitation of farm workers in the United States. And that was, that actually achieved some success. You know, we had some famous people that were involved, Forrest Whitaker and then this movie 3,100 run and become was my second, you know, big feature length project. Wow. Oh, I should add as well. Just jumping back to the last topic that there have been two Kiwis that have done that 3,100 mile race, a man named Jade Lynn who did it I think in 2006 but there is a three time female finisher of the race. Hurry to Davey's. She lives in the States, but she's actually gonna be in New Zealand with us for all these screenings. They, cause she's doing a series of events during that time called the peace run. It just basically, it's like a, an Olympic torch style relay where they're going to be running from Oakland all the way down. You know, obviously what the ferry all the way down to Christchurch and stopping in a zillion schools. So she'll be at all though. She'll be at all the screenings too. I'll get to make a hopefully. Speaker 3: (53:27) And we also have another very famous lady. He used to do the 2000 kilometer race in New York city. Sandy Barwick. Oh yeah. Cause she's [inaudible] who was my role model. I feel like as a little girl growing up and who, who came with me to the family when I ran through death Valley, an incredible woman fates that again, just defy I think she had nine world records. I think some of them still stand. So we've got a, you know, great tradition in New Zealand of incredible runners and, and she was certainly way above where it, anywhere I ever got to. So we've got some amazing people. And on the note of shirt tree, Jim, he wanted to tell you just a little cute story. I was in the nationals. We have the streets of NOI, 24 hour race in Oakland every year. Speaker 3: (54:17) And it was, she was actually very, very sad while we were doing it was, it was in 2007 and we were doing the 24 hour race and a day before the race. [inaudible] He died as you would. Well, and, and so the people were devastated who were organizing. Right. And so they all just dropped everything and flew to New York basically. And I didn't really understand the whole street and rowing movement at that stage. I just, just was a runner turning up to the race to run and all of a sudden the rice was no longer happening. So one of the other runners and I, we decided we're doing it anyway, so we just, we ran around the track for hours. Well, I need actually made it to 20 hours that they ended. It was a absolutely torrential rain. The poor people in the street show me the way that were just so devastated. Speaker 3: (55:16) I just had to go, you know, they just had to be there to say goodbye to the master. And it was just a really for us back home running around in the rain, me and one other guy. And it was one of those special memories because it wasn't an official race. It wasn't going to be the official national race. And I'd been trying for years to qualify for the New Zealand team to go to the world champs. So I had to wait another year before I qualified, but we did get there in the end. But yeah, just the dedication to him was, was really moving and that they all just, they just dropped tolls and all just flow to, to New York overnight. It was really they were so, they were so devastated, obviously. Because he was such a great man and, and it was a man who, who really unified the religions rather than, you know, things are, don't matter. From what I understand. He was a very unifying figure. And yeah, for sure. I mean, his philosophy was, was, was love of God. Again, from an Eastern tradition, we don't really have the singular Speaker 4: (56:24) Concept of, of God being just, just, you know, a masculine energy, you know, it can be anything and everything. And, you know, we, we worship many different forms of, of the divine. But you know, his was about, you know, kind of an ancient path that way. But at the same time it was very accepting of people no matter what their backgrounds were. And, you know, he felt that you could live in the outer world and still achieve the highest. You didn't necessarily need to become a monk and renounce everything. And I know he loved New Zealand, you know, he, he had a, he's had a long friendship with a number of Kiwi runners like Alison Rowe, who he, I think he first met during the the New York city marathons. And you know, just to my great benefit, when we opened the movie in theaters in New York city and in November of 2018, it was during the week of the New York city marathon. And Alison was there to be inducted in the New York city marathon hall of fame, and she came to one of our screenings and did a panel. So I got to meet a lifelong hero of mine. And yeah. It's like, it's interesting because all the people that I've met through each and Moy still have, you know, you know, some sort of a connection with activities that his followers still kind of hold around the world. Speaker 3: (57:41) Yeah. Yeah. And even, you know, even my life. So through that we connected in some weird, weird, bizarre way, you know, and that's fantastic. And, and th the, the one that you did was the on the food food chain. Tell us a little bit about the food chain movie. And that was all about the, the site of conditions for workers migrant workers. Speaker 4: (58:04) Yeah. So most countries require some sort of foreign labor to pick their food. And especially when you're looking at like industrialized countries. I mean even England, you know, has had pre-Brexit you know, had a lot of, a big requirement for Polish workers, for Chinese workers, for Thai workers to come seasonally to pick food. You know, we know these are the hardest, most labor intensive jobs anywhere in the world and most people in developed countries don't want to do that kind of work no matter how much it pays. But in as we know it, those types of jobs don't pay much at all. I guess the big corollary in the South Pacific are the, the fishing fleets with a lot of indenture Thai workers, Filipino workers, Burmese workers working in essentially some in some cases like realistically slave like conditions. But the movie really delves not just interpersonal stories but looks at the kind of economic system behind it. Speaker 4: (59:05) Most of us, most places in the world kind of follow a food system that America set up. And that's like a supermarket grocery system where we expect to buy the cheapest possible food, good quality, but like very low prices. And w you know, Walmart in the U S a big chain kind of started that. And from their standpoint, they insisted on buying it ultra low prices from farmers and from meat producers and dairies, but buying in very, very high volume. And that created a set of conditions that not only had made it really hard to be a farmer in the us, but has made farm work essentially, you know, extremely low wage. Now we've see, we see these supermarkets all over the world and this is really a model that was created in the U S and exported to other countries. Even though you know, obviously there's, there's chains that are completely, you know, owned by people in their country. Speaker 4: (01:00:04) But when that supermarket system, that idea of convenience and being able to have the same types of food, you know, 365 days a year, that's made us in the U S rely on a lot of like New Zealand blueberries. But at the same time, you know, you guys get a lot of stuff into your country that are, that are not seasonal, that aren't grown in New Zealand, but that you still expected very low prices and we don't necessarily know the ripple down the food chain that it's causing farmers to really, really make very little at the same time. It creates this reliance on labor that's very colonial, that's very almost kind of feudal as well. And that's what the, the movie food chains kind of looks into. Speaker 3: (01:00:47) Well thank you for bringing it to light because it is a worldwide problem and that, you know, we have migrant workers here as well from the islands. You know, I, when I was the young girl I used to work on, on fruit, on, you know, Apple picking and kiwifruit cracking, I can tell you it's bloody hard work and very little money. Speaker 4: (01:01:07) Yeah. So yeah, so you, you, you, you, you absolutely know that it's, it's not something you would ever want to do the rest of your life. Speaker 3: (01:01:15) Oh my, no, definitely not. I'd rather run the 3,100 actually. There you go. There you go. Look st I would have taken up so much of your time today and I just really wanted to thank you for all the work you do, all the goodness that you put out into the world because it's very, very powerful what you are sharing and you're making people think and you're making people aware of some of these humanitarian stuff that you've done earlier. And also with this new wonderful movie that you bought out, everybody, you have to go and see this movie. It is, if you're into running, obviously you have to go. But if you are into just finding out about what the human body is capable of, what the human mind is capable of, and you want to see very average. And I put that into, you know, a quotation marks, average looking, average appearing, people doing incredible things. Speaker 3: (01:02:06) And that's the beautiful thing about ultra marathon running. We don't all look like Hussein bolt or Paula Radcliffe or or some, you know, elite specimen. We just normal people, but with very, very strong minds and strong willpower to do things. And in this case, it's all about the spiritual side as well. So thank you very much for doing this movie, for putting it out there. And I can't wait to see it and I hope we can connect and not, I can get to one of those screenings that would be absolutely fabulous. Meet you. It'll make my entire trip worthwhile. Right. We've got to make that happen. Thanks for not Sanjay. Thanks so much, Lisa. Speaker 1: (01:02:48) That's it this week for pushing the limits. Be sure to write, review and share with your friends and head over and visit Lisa and her team at Lisatamati.com.

The banners in our sanctuary reflect our commitment to seek “wisdom from the world’s religions that inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.” Today we unveil a new banner that represents Indigenous spirituality. It has been created for us by our friends at the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society and is a long-awaited addition to our sanctuary. This banner will remind us of our commitment not only to seeking wisdom but also to reconciliation in Canada, which is all about seeking wholeness and balance that has eluded our society for so long. We offer special thanks to Elder Rose Wabasca, our guest musician Lloyd Cardinal, and our Friends from Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society. 00:00 1 Welcome by Gordon Ritchie 02:38 2 Prelude and Banner Procession music by Lloyd Cardinal 09:32 3 Opening Words “For the Beauty of the Earth” by Barbara J . Pescan, read by Gordon 10:08 4 Kindling the Chalice “Beauty Is Before Me” words from the Navajo Indians of North America, read by Rev. Audrey Brooks 12:08 5 Call to the Four Directions by Elder Rose Wabasca 22:47 6 Reflection on the Pipe Ceremony by Elder Rose Wabasca 32:03 7 Reflection on the “Offering of Intention” by Rev. Brian Kiely 36:28 8 Reading “Eternal God, Mother and Father, Spirit of Life” by M. Susan Milnor, read by Rev. Audrey Brooks 38:01 9 Hymn 22 “Dear Weaver of Our Live’s Design” 39:53 10 Reading “We Are All More Human than Otherwise” by Richard S. Gilbert, read by Jeff Bisanz 41:31 11 Sharing Our Abundance--Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office 42:25 12 “Carry The Gift” by R. Carlos Nakai 44:06 13 Offering Response 44:45 14 Address by Elder Rose Wabasca 57:02 15 Silent Candles of Care and Connection 57:54 16 Meditation in Word 551 “Earth Teach Me” from the Ute Indians of North America 59:25 17 Meditation in Song “Earth Smoke Lament” by R. Carlos Nakai 1:03:12 18 Hymn 163 “For the Earth Forever Turning” 1:05:12 19 Closing Words “Interfaith Benediction” words by Gary Kowalski read by Rev. Brian Kiely 1:06:22 20 Extinguishing the Chalice 1:06:43 21 Postlude music by Lloyd Cardinal 1:11:25 22 Special Thanks 1:12:02 23 “Carry the Flame” The Unitarian Church of Edmonton is a liberal, multi-generational, religious community. We celebrate a rich mosaic of free-thinking, spiritually-questing individuals joined in common support and action. We welcome diversity including diversity of beliefs from divine believers to humanists, from pagans to atheists and agnostics. We believe in the compassion of the human heart, the warmth of community, the pursuit of justice and the search of meaning in our lives. We gather with gratitude on traditional Cree lands that are now a part of Treaty Six and shared by many nations. A treaty is an inheritance, a responsibility and a relationship. May we be good neighbours to one another, good stewards to our planet and good ancestors to our children. UCE - https://www.uce.ca/ Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/41659071349/ Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/UnitarianChurch/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/EdmUnitarian Twitter - https://twitter.com/UnitarianUCE Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/unitarianuce/ SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/user-189401827/

In this episode artist and podcast host, Sonja Smalheer, tells us her personal story about how art has impacted her life. She shares how winning an art competition, living with the Navajo Indians and the struggles she experienced during apartheid were all defining moments that catapulted her art career. She talks about how her love for art took her 6000 km north, from Cape Town, South Africa to The Netherlands where she now works and teaches other artists how to create with confidence, work with impact and understand the business of art. Don't forget to subscribe and get the latest podcasts!    

"We're very excited man", enthused Max Cavallera on Soulfly's upcoming album, Ritual, set to be unleashed on October 19. "It's our 11th album and it's got some really cool things on it. It's a little bit of a return to the tribal grooves with some recording with the Navajo Indians and a lot of fast and aggressive stuff also. It's a jam packed record full of excitement and I'm very happy. So far we've got three songs out there, "Evil Empowered", "Ritual" and "Dead Behind the Eyes" but I can't wait for people to hear the whole thing."In the full interview Max discussed the album in-depth, running through a selection of songs from the album including his collaboration with Lamb of God's Randy Blythe, the title and it's significance, the return of more tribal elements, the importance of having his son Zyon play on drums, where he gets his anger and aggression still, an Australian tour and more.

Disclaimer The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.     Dr. Clifford A. Hudis Welcome to this ASCO in Action podcast. This is ASCO's monthly podcast series where we explore policy and practice issues that impact oncologists, the entire cancer care delivery team, and most importantly, of course, the individuals we take care of, people with cancer. My name is Clifford Hudis, and I am the CEO of ASCO as well as the host of the ASCO in Action podcast series. For today's podcast, I am really pleased to have as my guests - and you heard that right, plural - Doctor Ed Balaban, one of ASCO's delegates to the American Medication Association House of Delegates and Doctor Kristina Novick, an alternate delegate to the AMA House of Delegates. Both Dr. Balaban and Dr. Novick recently represented ASCO at the AMA House of Delegates meeting where they advocated for cancer policy priorities. During our conversation today, we'll get an update on the AMA meeting, we'll hear more about some of the key issues that we discuss, and then we'll spend some time talking more broadly about ASCO's role at the AMA. Dr. Balaban and Dr. Novak, welcome, and thank you for joining me today. Now, let's start with a general overview of the AMA House of Delegates, what this governance body is and why, as a medical specialty society, ASCO should care about its activities. Dr. Balaban, you have served for many years as an ASCO delegate to the AMA House of Delegates, and I want to take this opportunity first to thank you for that service. But second, I want to ask you what exactly is the role of the House of Delegates? And how does it influence what the AMA actually does? Dr. Edward Balaban So Dr. Hudis, thank you very much for inviting both Dr. Novak and myself to speak for a moment about this because it is something that I don't think that the general membership really understands or appreciates. So the AMA House of Delegates, it's an amazing collection. It's also known as the House or the HOD, and it turns out to be the principal policy-making body of the AMA. It is in a democratic forum that represents views and interests of a number of member physicians and, in fact, represents close to 170 or so societies. We meet twice a year, and the whole idea of meeting is to eventually establish policy in medical, professional, and governance matters that have to do with the AMA business activities and principles of the AMA. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis And how many members are there? And exactly how are the members selected? Dr. Edward Balaban So the delegates right now-- and I say right now because it does change based on the number of AMA members within each representative society. But right now, the delegates number around 620, I believe. ASCO, right now, we have six delegates. Three of them are full delegates and three are alternate delegates. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis All right. So ASCO has three delegates who are appointed plus three alternate delegates. Is that right? Dr. Edward Balaban That's right. The full delegates are voting delegates. And we'll get into the details of that, I'm sure. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis So what actually happens? You have 620 delegates get together. I assume you're in a big ballroom at a hotel in Chicago. And what exactly goes on in that meeting room? Dr. Edward Balaban So, again, we meet twice a year. We meet shortly after the ASCO annual meeting in June and spend a fair amount of time in Chicago then. And then we meet once again in November at another site. The meeting itself, each time, lasts maybe three or four days but the preparation for the meeting goes on for months. And in fact, Dr. Novak and myself and the rest of the delegation are beginning to think about November's meeting now. So the way this goes-- the way it all happens is a bit complicated, but it's fairly straightforward nevertheless. We as representing ASCO and I guess medical oncology come to understand some of the more important issues that are facing practice, no matter what setting it might occur in. Those issues then lead to crafted resolutions that are presented eventually to the House of Delegates. We go over them based on ASCO policy as well as the interests that lie within the delegation itself and frankly what we hear from the different committees within ASCO. As we're putting together resolutions, the other societies-- and again, there are a number of societies, 170, 180 societies. They're putting together their resolutions, too. In addition to that, problems that had been discussed in the past at the AMA that have made their way to the board or various committees, those reports are being formed. Dr. Edward Balaban And so there is a gathering of all those resolutions and all of those board reports that become available perhaps a month, six weeks, maybe eight weeks prior to the beginning of the meeting itself. Each one of those resolutions and board reports that are then reviewed in our case by ASCO and a staff. And oh, by the way, I should say right off the top that ASCO staff is superb, and nothing happens without their help. But we review each resolution that's pertinent to the world of medical oncology. We develop our own resolutions as best as we can. We start to share them with other societies that we feel might be interested. And then eventually, those are all submitted to the AMA and then we gather. The first day in Chicago or wherever we meet is usually sort of the time to start to politicking. And it really is in the truest sense that. We review those resolutions. We review our thoughts. Others meet us in hallways and meeting rooms and committee spaces that want us to participate and/or get our thoughts on different problems. Those resolutions then make their way to a panel where we testify for them. Either Cristina or myself or one of the delegation stands up and says, "This is what we have our concerns with from ASCO. We would like the AMA House of Delegates to think about this." Those resolutions are then thought through by a committee that is an aside committee. It's made up of maybe five or six people. And again, this occurs the day before the actual House itself meets in that big ballroom that you just mentioned. Dr. Edward Balaban That committee then decides, "Well, that resolution that Dr. Balaban just presented, that is already AMA policy," or, "That does hold some water," or, "We need to think about is whether we want to go forward with that or not." The following day, that is when we met in that big ballroom, a whole bunch of us. And it's all the voting delegates, the 600 and so, alternate delegates. There's usually a number of international organizations there. Press is there. Observers from around the country are there. And each one of these resolutions that need to be talked about are then brought forth. The debate sometimes can be very quick but sometimes, it could be fairly contentious and confrontational sometimes but fortunately, that's not always the case. It's done in a very structured, Parliamentarian way. And then at the end of all that, there is a vote that the AMA House of Delegates either accepts or rejects the particular resolution that, in our case, ASCO has presented or reaffirms it into data and/or policy that the AMA already has or wants to re-look at it and send it down the road to be looked at, again, at the board level or at some committee level to come back. Dr. Edward Balaban It all sounds terribly complicated. The business of the House of Delegates can spread over two or three days. It is always an amazing process with so many folks with so many different ideas. And you would think that at the end of all that that there has to be great chaos, but year after year, meeting after meeting, I'm always impressed how we walk away from there with a consensus. And it may not be exactly like you wanted but it makes sense at the end of all that meeting. So it is a complicated process. It's a difficult one to explain. It's a bit of a learning curve to be part of it but once you see it happen, you understand that something good has taken place. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis Well, that's great. We're going to come back a little bit maybe and talk about execution or implementation, what all of this leads to. But maybe first, I want to ask Dr. Novick-- first of all, I want to say thank you for joining us again today. Your role in all of this is as an ASCO alternate delegate. So tell us, what exactly does that mean? Dr. Kristina Novick Well, thank you very much, as well, for having me today. So I think as Dr. Balaban has explained is that ASCO's allocated three delegate positions and three alternate delegate positions. And together, we make up what we call the ASCO Delegation to the AMA. Being an alternate delegate allows me to participate in the House of Delegates and support ASCO's activities. We work together as a group often several months before the meeting to try to create a list of priorities that we can then formulate into resolutions. During that time, we're often working with other specialty societies that have similar priorities. We try to gain their support for our objectives. And likewise, they reach out to us to gain support for their objectives. We then create this list of resolutions that we submit for the meeting. And often, we end up reviewing probably over 100 to 200 resolutions just for each meeting. With the help of ASCO staff, we review these resolutions and we come up with position statements for the resolutions, especially when some of them are related to ASCO's priorities and policies. So as an alternate delegate, really, what I get is pride in being part of the medical oncology community and being an ASCO member. We're a small but mighty delegation. We only make up 0.5% of the delegates but we find that we have friends not only in the cancer caucus but also within other organizations that have similar priorities. And then we have the respect of the House representing our patients who are vulnerable in terms of their cancer diagnoses. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis So maybe you could expand a little bit and talk about what some of the policy priorities that we actually worked on to advance in the June meeting. Are there any specific ones that come to mind that you think our listeners should be aware of? I mean, I guess, for example, PBMs or 340B or opioids. Are any of those issues that you could illuminate for us? Dr. Kristina Novick We had a number of resolutions that we submitted this year. The ones that really do come to mind are, first of all, the pharmacy benefit managers resolution. We found that there was a lot of interest, not only from our organization and the experience that we've had within oncology with pharmacy benefit managers but also other specialties have also expressed frustration as to what has occurred with their involvement over time. In particular, ASCO's resolution asked for data gathering on the impact of the pharmacy benefit managers, on clawbacks in direct and indirect remuneration fees. The House of Delegates agreed with us on this and also wanted to gather data on the top 25 medical pre-certification requests with exploration as to what percentage of those ultimately were approved after physician appeal. I thought this resolution was really important because we know that pharmacy benefit managers, they end up controlling the drug benefits for over 210 million Americans, many of which are Medicare Part D participants as well. In addition, there were other resolutions that were focused on pharmacy benefit managers such as the state of Michigan was concerned about the regulation of compounded medications by pharmacy benefit managers and requested that the FTC and FDA get involved with increased regulation. And the board of trustees as well further outlined AMA's efforts to combat restrictions that were created on prescription and dispensing of opioid analgesics by pharmacy benefit managers and requested that we oppose their control of dose or duration limits on our prescription and on dispensing. Dr. Kristina Novick In addition, we also looked at the 340B program. I think that there's going to be a lot of interest in this as we try to further control drug costs. The 340B program, for those that aren't familiar with it, was a program that was actually created decades ago in an effort to try to increase the affordability of supporting patients who are underinsured or uninsured and have their access to medications that often can be quite expensive which is something that our patients in oncology experience quite often. Over time, the program's been used especially by large hospital systems as a way to try to increase the reimbursement that they receive for medications that they dispense to their patients. And we had questions as an ASCO delegation as to whether this was really going to the benefit of the population that it was originally intended for. So our resolution asked for increased transparency and oversight of the program. We believe that you need to use those savings in order to help the patients that are underinsured and most need that support. Ultimately, the AMA supported this but they also wanted to investigate our request that we no longer use the disproportionate share hospital adjustment to determine the eligibility. So we'll hear back from them in the fall of 2018 as to what the conclusions are of that report. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis So I think it sounds like these resolutions and some others that we were promoting were received favorably. I hinted though with this question a moment ago, with them passed, can you tell our listeners exactly what this means? How does the passage of one of these resolutions actually lead to a practical change in our environment? What happens next to make this part of our new reality? Dr. Kristina Novick So resolutions typically are either new policy or directives that take action. Essentially, new policy can be used to support further action by the AMA as issues arise within the legislature, within courts, within allocation of resources by the AMA which is a very large organization. They can also be used to help coordinate efforts by other organizations. The directives that take action are more specific, and the AMA will report back as to what actions they have done and also what they've achieved in response to those directives. So essentially, the House of Delegates, because it meets twice a year, directs these directives and the activities of the AMA. And in between the meetings themselves, the board of trustees acts as the body that will make the recommendations as to what the AMA needs to do to achieve the directives if there's any question in that regard. So what will happen from here is the board of trustees will be reviewing the resolutions that have been passed and then create the list of priorities and objectives to pursue over the next year. And the AMA has a tremendous amount of advocacy that it's able to do. But I think the most important thing that it can do is help coordinate these efforts across states, societies, across specialty societies which is something that we wouldn't be able to do just on our own. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis So the real boots on the ground as it were amounts to advocacy at the state and national level, talking to legislators, talking to regulators, talking for that matter I guess to other stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem and trying to influence practical rules and regulation and policy. Is that a fair summation when it's all said and done? Dr. Kristina Novick I think that's a great way to summarize. Essentially, if you go meet with a legislator, it's very easy for them to dismiss you although we do have a lot of clout, I think, coming from the oncology perspective. But still, it's easier to divide us up into different specialties and say, "Well, psychiatrists want this and dermatologists want that." But when it turns out that we all share common objectives, we can approach them and say, "The medical community, this is what we want. This is what is best for our patients." It's a lot stronger, I think when it comes from that perspective. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis That's great. So before you go and I turn back to Dr. Balaban, I'm just curious as to what your perspective is on the fact that we have this very exciting, new milestone for the oncology community at the last AMA meeting and that was that Dr. Barbara McAneny was sworn in as the president of AMA. She's the first oncologist to serve in that role. What do you think that role means for ASCO and the oncology community? Dr. Kristina Novick We are very excited about Dr. McAneny taking over as president of the AMA. She certainly brings not only a medical oncologist perspective to the leadership of the AMA but she also brings the perspective of a physician who is taking care of underserved populations, who is a patient advocate before all else. And I think we're all going to benefit from that leadership that she's shown over the years in that regard. She's also been very good at being a role model in terms of how to practice medicine in a sustainable fashion which is something that we need. So I am incredibly excited about her leadership and her accomplishments of rising to this position within the organization. A lot of leaders within the AMA will come from large delegations. And as I said, we're not a large delegation. We're a specialty society that has three delegates spots, three alternate delegate spots. But the fact, I think, that we have now also as our advocate the president of the AMA, I think that there's going to be a lot of potential opportunities for medical oncology to get additional help from the AMA on our key issues and to be more involved as well. So I think it was very exciting to see her take that position. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis So Dr. Balaban, I know you've known Dr. McAneny for many, many years. And I was really touched and I thought it was a thought-provoking comment during her inauguration where, if I remember correctly, she made a plea to move away from the term providers. And I think it was a plea to focus really on physicians. I don't know if I'm misremembering that, but it struck me that it was an important semantic distinction. Knowing her, knowing her passion, knowing her years of service to the community, to ASCO, to her patients, what's your perspective on how she'll be different as an AMA president? Dr. Edward Balaban Like you mentioned, she's been involved with the AMA in every facet of the AMA, oh, my gosh, for years. And as Cristina mentioned, this is almost precedent-setting. Neither she nor I can remember a specialty society having a successful campaign for presidency. Barb did say exactly that. She moved away from the idea of provider because to her-- and I shouldn't speak for her but she has shared enough with me and with the AMA. Provider's sort of a tone of a definition that's part of the system. And when I say the system, I mean as it currently is in the medical community. Well, the one thing that she has proposed is that she would like to fix this system. And she'd like to readjust it, reset it, rethink it, re-personalize it that we are just not providers. We are the physicians. We are the people that drive it. We are the people that make those decisions that will make it flounder or be successful. So she has tried to reroute this, and she can do it because she does relate. As Dr. Novak said, she can communicate so well, whether it's the Navajo Indians in New Mexico or with the CEOs in Chicago. She has traveled all those different areas. Dr. Edward Balaban And she does not mince ideas or words. She'll say very effectively what needs to be done. And Barb and I, as with most people on the planet, we'll go back and forth on a number of things. But I could tell you that we're all very pleased to be, in a sense, on her coattails. But let me just add to that that when it comes to oncology patients, I have come to learn at the AMA that our patients and our problems tend to be first and foremost almost Barb will say a canary in a coal mine. Maybe it's with the expensive and difficult drugs that we use and the difficult diseases that we face and the multitude of problems that we do run into with each and every one of our patients, whether it's physically or economically or socially or whatever, we tend to run the tip of the iceberg. And so other societies, other world within AMA will come to see what oncology thinks. And Barbara represents a huge spokesman in that area. Dr. Clifford A. Hudis Well, that's really great. And I think that we're all excited by this turn of events and the unique opportunities that the year ahead will bring, and also I think the lingering impact in the years that follow we'll be able to have on the AMA. So with that, I want to again thank both Dr. Balaban and Dr. Novak for joining me today for this ASCO in Action podcast. For the listeners, I'd like to remind you that you can always learn more about ASCO's work with the AMA, and you can continue to follow ASCO in Action for news and updates. You can visit ASCO Connection to read great recaps of the meetings that are usually written by Dr. Balaban himself. And you can find them online at connection.asco.org searching for Balaban, and that's B-A-L-A-B-A-N. So until next time, thank you all for listening to this ASCO in Action podcast.  

BEYOND the DARKNESS is a wild one today, Sasquatch and Star Language and in a surprise twist, we are joined by members of the Galactic Empire....YES, WE ARE SERIOUS! Garrett Duncan joins us in a surprising episode and brings with him Star Elders & The Forest Brothers who share wisdom in an impromptu set of channeling sessions that catch Dave & Tim unprepared. Garrett Duncan was born and raised on the Navajo reservation. He is from a small community of Sanostee, New Mexico and is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Garrett underwent his spiritual awakening in 2008 that opened a connection to otherworldly entities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEYOND the DARKNESS is a wild one today, Sasquatch and Star Language and in a surprise twist, we are joined by members of the Galactic Empire....YES, WE ARE SERIOUS! Garrett Duncan joins us in a surprising episode and brings with him Star Elders & The Forest Brothers who share wisdom in an impromptu set of channeling sessions that catch Dave & Tim unprepared. Garrett Duncan was born and raised on the Navajo reservation. He is from a small community of Sanostee, New Mexico and is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Garrett underwent his spiritual awakening in 2008 that opened a connection to otherworldly entities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3x01 'The Blessing Way' - Episode Analysis Our coverage of Season 3 begins as Tony Black kicks off the long-awaited deep dive into the season with Darren Mooney, talking the season premiere. With Mulder presumed dead having been trapped in the boxcar under a New Mexico quarry, Scully returns to the FBI to face censure and probation from Skinner and other superiors, as suspicion grows over whether she has the digital tape containing the MJ-12 files in her possession. As the Cigarette-Smoking Man puts pieces in play to recover it, Mulder undergoes a spiritual rebirth deep in the practices of the Navajo Indians...   After their mammoth discussion last year about 'Anasazi', Tony & Darren continue their journey dissecting The Unopened File - talking Scully's agency, the power of memory and much more...  Host Tony Black Guest Darren Mooney Production Tony Black (Editor/Executive Producer), Kurt North (Patron), Michelle Milbauer (Patron), Jenn Ferguson (Patron), Astrid Klosterkoetter (Patron), Naomi Miller (Patron), Adam Silva (Patron), Cathy Glinski (Patron), Andrew Brooker (Patron), Andrew Blaker (Patron), Isabelle Dubois (Patron), Deana Ferreri (Patron), Katie Doe (Patron), Cortlan Waters Bartley (Patron), Malcolm Crang (Patron), Marlene Stemme (Patron), Martha Payne (Patron), Michael Gehrmann (Patron), Jeremy Daniels (Patron), Alexander Gates (Patron), Russell Hugo (Patron), Kelsey L Mayer (Patron), Bethany Good (Patron) Find us online... FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ITUNES The X-Cast on PATREON Next time... Tony returns alongside Carl Sweeney to talk 5 films each which inspired The X-Files...

3x01 'The Blessing Way' - Episode Analysis Our coverage of Season 3 begins as Tony Black kicks off the long-awaited deep dive into the season with Darren Mooney, talking the season premiere. With Mulder presumed dead having been trapped in the boxcar under a New Mexico quarry, Scully returns to the FBI to face censure and probation from Skinner and other superiors, as suspicion grows over whether she has the digital tape containing the MJ-12 files in her possession. As the Cigarette-Smoking Man puts pieces in play to recover it, Mulder undergoes a spiritual rebirth deep in the practices of the Navajo Indians...   After their mammoth discussion last year about 'Anasazi', Tony & Darren continue their journey dissecting The Unopened File - talking Scully's agency, the power of memory and much more...  Host Tony Black Guest Darren Mooney Production Tony Black (Editor/Executive Producer), Kurt North (Patron), Michelle Milbauer (Patron), Jenn Ferguson (Patron), Astrid Klosterkoetter (Patron), Naomi Miller (Patron), Adam Silva (Patron), Cathy Glinski (Patron), Andrew Brooker (Patron), Andrew Blaker (Patron), Isabelle Dubois (Patron), Deana Ferreri (Patron), Katie Doe (Patron), Cortlan Waters Bartley (Patron), Malcolm Crang (Patron), Marlene Stemme (Patron), Martha Payne (Patron), Michael Gehrmann (Patron), Jeremy Daniels (Patron), Alexander Gates (Patron), Russell Hugo (Patron), Kelsey L Mayer (Patron), Bethany Good (Patron) Find us online... FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ITUNES The X-Cast on PATREON Next time... Tony returns alongside Carl Sweeney to talk 5 films each which inspired The X-Files...

Music has a special way of communicating gospel principles and inspiration from the Spirit. Music can help in missionary efforts in a number of ways as well. This weeks main guest is Garth Smith. Garth and his wife present multi-media firesides that primarily use music to convey truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the atonement. Garth talks about some of his experiences giving firesides around the country, and he also talks about his own missionary service among the Navajo Indians in the southwest United States. Join Kelsey Edwards, and Nick Galieti in this special musically-themed interview. Following that interview is our special interview by Shawn Rapier of the Latter-day Lives Podcast. He interviews director and producer Brian Brough, who has created a number of wonderful films, including an upcoming film about Emma Smith; Brian shares a powerful conversion story from his missionary service in the Sao Paulo, Brazil mission about an investigator who, after years of meeting with missionaries was able to come to a testimony of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. To listen to the full interview with Brian Brough and Shawn Rapier, click here. We end with this episode with a beautiful and inspiring message from Kelsey Edwards in light of the tragic shootings that have recently taken place in Florida. Please take some time to rate and review our podcast and share it with others. It would mean the world to us to see more people be inspired in this wonderful cause of missionary work.

Monument Valley, which straddles the state lines of Arizona & Utah, is a place most of us have seen & never visited or listened to. The 'true West' of John Ford movies and endless car adverts. Mark Burman takes his microphone through the red dust of history with Navajo guide Larry Y. Holiday. Chased by the storm clouds and lightning, theirs is a trip through nature's own movie set. At the turn of the 20th Century very few outsiders had penetrated its mysterious spaces. Spanish priests, American soldiers and silver hungry prospectors had vied with warring Ute and Navajo Indians amidst the red rock. Then came isolated trading posts and the first flourishings of tourism in the 1920's. American's eager to 'discover' what was still a largely blank space on the map but was firmly part of the Navajo Nation, who had returned to their land of rock and sand after defeat and exile. Exactly 60 years ago a teenage Pippa Scott made what was then an arduous journey to act in John Ford's The Searchers. In 1955 it was a remote and inaccessible place. No running water, power or telephones but it offered a towering landscape of eroded rock like no other. An ancient place , still home to a small community of Navajo's who eke out a living in a place of deep spiritual significance to them and exercising a powerful pull on all our imaginations via the words of writers like Zane Grey & Willa Cather & the films of John Ford. Lose yourself in the swirling dust.

We're talking this morning about our series on Angels and Demons and of course we get to turn to the bright side, the light side this morning which is nice. I'm looking forward to that, talking about angels. We have, I think as a culture, a real love, an affinity for angels as a people. Angels are in our art, our literature, in our movies. My favorite movie angel is Clarence in It's A Wonderful Life. Television shows, one that has really popularized angels is Highway To Heaven, remember that one with Michael Landon or Touched By An Angel with Roma Downey. That was must see TV on Sunday nights for a long time—this whole idea that an angel can take on human form and be among us. Actually, that's got a little bit of biblical support. There's an obscure passage in the book of Hebrews, the 13th chapter, the 2nd verse. It says, 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. It's a rather obscure, kind of a strange reference, isn't it? Almost as if an angel could be one of us and we not know it. I had a couple strange experiences in my life. One happened to Brenda when our oldest daughter was 1 ½ years old. She was in a terrible car accident. I was on my way to it and traffic was backed up for blocks. There were ambulances, fire trucks—a multi-car accident; I was terrified. When I talked to her, it was before cell phones, so she called my office and I asked if everything was okay. She said, “Carrie's been hit on her side.” She meant her side of the car. I thought she meant her side and so I was terrified. I bypassed the traffic jam moving in and out of traffic. I finally got there and I saw the car. You could tell the car was totaled; the car was in awful condition. Later on I would say to her, “It's a good thing that Carrie wasn't in the front seat, in the passenger seat, she would have been killed.” She said, “She was in the passenger seat.” All she had was a little tiny scratch. The car was completely caved in. What was so strange was, immediately after the accident, I mean seconds after the accident she was terrified for the life of our daughter. A woman showed up at the window, this was winter time, knocked on the window, Brenda lowers the window and (the woman) says, “I just want you to know that you're okay and that your daughter's okay and this was not your fault.” I mean, right after the accident (she is) in the street telling her this. She turned to look at Carrie and then she turned back to talk to the woman but she was gone. She was looking everywhere and she was gone. Did I tell that accurately? Thank you. (Laughter.) Another time I was teaching as a youth pastor in Rockford. We had this thing called “A Planned Famine” where you starved yourself for 30 hours to raise money for the poor. It was one of the first years that World Vision would ever do that and I was teaching on this passage (while) in a downstairs room with about 25-30 high schoolers who were all hungry. We're winding this thing down and I'm teaching on the passage in James about feeding those who are hungry and Hebrews 13:2 about entertaining angels unaware, you know. While I'm teaching this, do you get me? While I'm teaching this, there's a knock on the door and one of the girls is there. I said, “Sue, I'm teaching. Couldn't this wait?” She said, “Pastor Jeff there's a man upstairs who says he's had no food in three days and he wants to know if we'll feed him.” While I'm teaching about feeding the hungry and entertaining angels unaware…the kids are like, “That's a set up. Yeah. Very funny.” I'm like, “No, no set up.” They're like, “Whhoooaaaa.” We made food for the guy and we all kind of stood there watching him walk down the hallway like he was just going to disappear. (Laughter.) That never happened. We watched him walk out of sight, but no poof. No glow, no Monica scene where the lights come up and she says “I'm an angel,” none of that stuff. But, it was very peculiar. I can't say for sure what those encounters were but very peculiar, indeed. There is a more definitive verse that's in the same book in the first chapter, the 14th verse where it says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” He asks a rhetorical question, are not all angels, are they not all ministering spirits? Of course, the answer was supposed to be, yes, they are. So, the word angel means messenger. That's literally what it means. You are a messenger. You are someone who is bringing a message. Secondly, they are spirits which means they can minister spiritually. They are spirits. They have advantages that we wouldn't have. Thirdly, their job is to minister. Minister to whom? To those who will inherit salvation. How do they minister? We're going to see that they are very involved in the Christmas Story as we look at the birth narrative in Matthew. We'll look at the birth narrative in Luke tomorrow night in the Christmas Eve service. But, this morning looking at the birth narrative in Matthew, there's a lot of intervention (by) angels. What's interesting is they come and they minister. They come to encourage, comfort, guide, direct and redirect, and to warn, and to teach, much like ministry that we would do. The angles come to do it, what's interesting in Matthew is they always do it in dreams. In Luke it's not the case, it's a visual, awake experience. But, in Matthew every account of intervention is angelic and happens in a dream form. You're kind of vulnerable when you're sleeping, right? You're kind of receptive and you in an unconscious state. You and I have never ministered to someone in their dreams before, never done that, but a spiritual being could. Because while our physical beings are sleeping our spiritual self is very much awake. What is that like, before we look at the dreams, what would that be like? Have you ever wondered what that would be like, to be spoken to in a dream? I'm going to step out here and share a story with you this morning and you might think me crazy for telling it. But I'm going to tell it because maybe it will help us understand what Joseph and the Magi might have experienced. I can't say for sure that what I experienced was from God. I'm certainly not saying it was angelic, but maybe it might help us understand this important part of the Christmas Story. When I was 36 years old I found out that we were going to have another child. Now, I had a boy and a girl and I was very content with that. And so, you've got your future planned out and that's just the way it is. When the news came that we were going to have another child seven years after the last child, I was not ready for that. I was not ready for that emotionally or any other way. I was not overjoyed with the news. I'm thinking, boy, I don't want to be a dad again this old in life. I'm 36 years old and I'm thinking I'm old. I long to be 36 again. (Laughter.) I was like, at this age, to be a dad again? So, I went through a period of depression. I was just thinking, I had it all figured it and now we're going to have a baby and I'm not ready for it and I don't know if I'm going to be ready for it and I was just really down, just really discouraged, saying, “God do you know what you're doing?” kind of thing. One night, I had a dream. Again, I don't want to embarrass myself or for you to think I'm a wacko or something, but I just want to tell you what happened to me, to tell you my experience. I had a dream and it was one of those dreams—and I don't know if you ever had this before—but while I was having this I knew I was in bed, I knew I was sleeping when I had this encounter, and I was desperately trying to wake up. I knew I was in my bedroom, I knew all about my surroundings but yet, I was asleep. I felt like I couldn't move. In my dream a friend of mine whose name is Myla (she'd been a friend of ours for many years and then she died unexpectedly in her early 30s) whom I hadn't seen or talked to in years, in this dream, I saw her. I said, “Myla, it's good to see you. You look great, you look wonderful. It's so good to see you.” She smiled back and said, “It's good to see you, too.” I don't remember anything else but seeing her. I don't remember what was around us. I don't remember any other people. There was certainly no other activity. It was just a one-on-one conversation and the conversation made sense. It wasn't dream like. The conversation I had with her was as real to me as any conversation I will have with you today, is the best way I can explain it. I said, “Myla, what are you doing here?” It didn't take long for me to remember that she is deceased. I said, “Wait a second, you died. I can't be talking to you, you died.” She said, “I know. But, I've been sent by God to deliver a message to you.” I said, “I'm not comfortable with this.” (Laughter from the congregation.) That's what I said. I said, “I'm not comfortable with this; and I don't mean to offend you, but I want to leave. I want to leave.” She said, “I know, you can, but I want to tell you this. This child is a gift from God and you're going to love this child.” She started talking about my relationship with my soon to be born daughter. And then I said, “I appreciate your sharing that with me. I just want to wake up. I want to go.” You know, “Thanks for coming.” (Laughter) She said, “I understand.” I said goodbye and I was like, I gotta wake up, I gotta wake up, come on. It took me a while. I was like, I'm in my room, I want to wake up… As soon as I woke up I said, “Brenda, you've got to wake up. I just talked to Myla and here's what she said…” And from that moment you could say it was just a dream and it was nothing more than that. But, I wasn't thinking about her (Myla) and it was just the way it happened. For me, I had a visit; my attitude and my whole demeanor, my whole outlook changed from that moment forward toward the birth of our daughter. Maybe that's something like what Joseph went through—that stage where you're kind of asleep and kind of awake. You're cognitive, you're aware but you also know that you are sleeping. Okay? I won't go on anymore with that, you can call me crazy if you want to, but that was my experience. Now, I'm not saying Myla had become an angel, but she certainly was a messenger to me on that day. Matthew's gospel, the first chapter, we've already looked at the first dream—that was a dream that came to Joseph when he was embarrassed and ashamed to take Mary as his wife, feeling like she'd been unfaithful to him, that she'd not kept her vows of betrothal and that he was going to put her away, privately. But because of the encouragement and the teaching of the angel, who said look, this is part of God's plan. Do not be ashamed. Do not be afraid to take her as your wife. And so that dream took place. Through that ministry of the angel, Joseph married Mary. In chapter 2, a little time has passed and now the Magi are coming from the east to try to find where the Christ child was. We are, as a family, going to the Adler Planetarium this week just to get away, in Chicago. I'll never forget the presentation we all saw at the planetarium, they're not doing it now but they did it for years called The Star of Bethlehem. Did any of you ever see that when that was at the Adler? Wasn't that fantastic? I walked in there thinking, this is a place of science and they're going to just ridicule my faith. They recreated the sky over Bethlehem when Christ was born. They talked about this magnificent cosmic display. Science verifying, recreating the sky and talking about how the star would have seemed to have moved, this alignment of constellation and the Leo constellation and the royal planet and the royal star all aligned to create this brilliant affect in the sky over Bethlehem. They said they weren't saying it was the star of Bethlehem, we're just telling you something wonderful and strange happened in the sky over Israel at that time in history. And so they followed the star and they came to the place where they can't find him and they stop to speak to Herod. Now, Herod is an awful man. Herod is a man who will do anything to cling to power. Herod is a man who killed two sons that he deemed a threat to his throne, a threat to his power. This is a sick, twisted man. Not knowing these things, they come to Herod and seek out, “Where is this king, we've come that we might worship the King of the Jews?” And so Herod inquires. He finds out that there's a Bible prophecy in the book of Micah, that the Christ will be born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is this obscure little village. I mean this is pinpoint accuracy. Instead of saying the Messiah would be born in the United States it would be like a prophecy that said the Messiah would be born in Footville. Okay? I mean, it's pinpoint, a small little village. And yet, the prophecy was there and so King Herod knew there was something to this. Of course the Magi are warned in a dream that says not to come back because he is going to do great harm to the child. So, they find Jesus, Jesus is now a child. It says he is no longer an infant. He's in a house; he's not in a manger. I hate to spoil your nativity scene with your wise men; I think go ahead and keep the wise men there. They're part of the Christmas Story, but they came a little later and they worshipped him and gave him their gifts. In verse 12 they are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned another way. Let's pick up in verse 13. Open your Bibles to Matthew 2:13... 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. The word child for Jesus, describing Jesus the child, is the word for toddler. He's no longer an infant. He could have been as old as two years old by the time the Magi arrive. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Here in the midst of this story of joy and gladness, hope and light, is this dark story about a man who, not only would kill his own sons but would kill innocent little children that he would deem as a threat to his throne. We can (ask) how can a loving God allow that to happen in such a time of joy as the birth of the Messiah? How could (this be?) Maybe God's not all-good if he allowed that to happen. Or maybe he's not all-powerful because he knew about it and couldn't stop it. Maybe he's not all-knowing because he didn't prevent it. If you were here last week you might have an answer for someone who says those kinds of things. I just want to touch on that briefly for those of you who weren't here last week. We talked about the problem of evil. Remember we said what evil is. I'm not going to preach the whole sermon again but I do want to touch on it a little bit. We said what evil is. We define evil, let me back up, I'm a little rusty, it's been a week...We talked about what silence is, silence is the absence of sound. Silence is a nothing. If there is a room full of sound there's nothing that's called silence that's going to come in and overcome the sound. Darkness is the absence of light. There is no substance called darkness that is going to come into the room and steal away the light. Darkness is a nothing; it's when light is gone. Cold is the absence of heat. Cold is what we describe what we feel when heat is removed from a place. In like manner, evil is the absence of good. Evil is what happens when we turn away from the goodness of God because God has given us something called free will. It's a two edged sword. It's a blessing and curse. Free will can do wonderful things but free will can also kill and destroy. One of the ways we illustrate it is this, if somebody says to you, “How can God be good and allow this kind of an evil like Herod did in slaughtering the innocents?” You might say, “How would you like it if you were told what was right and wrong and you were forced to do what somebody else said was right. Somebody else defined your values and set the course of your life for everything you were supposed to do and you had no choice. Maybe it's a government, maybe it's a church—those are called cults and they exist. They tell you this is what you're going to do, this is what you're going to think and this is what's right and you have no choice in the matter. How would you feel about that? The average person is going to say, “I wouldn't like that very much.” Why not? Well, because I want to choose for myself. I want to have freedom to make my decision, what's right and what I want to do and how I want to live. So, we agree that freedom of choice is a good thing. Yes, we do. Thirdly, we ask the question, “If you can choose good, if you're free to choose good does that also mean you are free to choose badly, to choose wrong?” Yes, it does. If I'm free to choose (what is) good, I'm also free to choose what is evil. And lastly, the fact that I can choose evil is a good thing because it means that I am morally free. Not that the evil I would choose is good, but the fact that I am free to choose it means I am morally free. God agrees. To take away that freedom is a greater evil; so, God allows us to make choices, even horrendous choices. He's our judge and he would judge Herod and Herod would pay for his sin. But, no one was responsible for what happened to those babies besides King Herod. Herod made a choice to turn away from God's goodness. He had the audacity to think he could thwart the plan of God. Think about that, that's a monstrous sized ego to think you could thwart the plan of God, and yet he did. And so, there's this dark period in Bethlehem. Maybe some 20 boys were killed. Bethlehem is not a big place if you factor in the vicinity, we estimate maybe around 20 infants. But, one would have been too many. Herod just loses it and he sheds innocent blood. Verse 19, says, 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. This guy was so incompetent that Rome removes him after six years in office and just says you're done, you're an idiot, and you're gone. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.” So here are these dreams and in each of these dreams the angels minister. They minister in much the same way we would. Sometimes ministry is to warn, sometimes ministry is to guide, sometimes ministry is to redirect. Sometimes ministry is to comfort or encourage or to teach. Here is something that we have in common with the angels: you and I are called to be angels in this sense, we are messengers and we have been sent. The verse in Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Sent forth: that word is in the present tense meaning God has sent them, is sending them, and will continue to send them. Likewise God is sending us. (Turn to) the book of 1Peter chapter 4 verses 8-11 and let's read them together, 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. So how we minister is going to change. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. Peter says how we minister changes. What we do changes. But the fact is we have been sent by God. The fact is we have a message to give from God. I want to tell you, as your pastor, and I've been here since we started coming up on 23 years, I've never been prouder to be the pastor of Faith Community Church than I am right now. We are coming into a body that is “getting it”. We are recognizing that we have been sent and we're going. I think about missions in this last year and then looking forward into next year. I think about the group we sent to Haiti, we did wonderful things and they're going back in January. I'm so proud of that team. I'm thinking of Team Tychicus coming back from Cambodia and Zambia over Thanksgiving and the great work they did ministering to the missionaries there. I am thinking about the team of ladies we are sending to the Dominican Republic real soon. I think about the team that is getting ready to go to Mexico this summer to minister. I think about our youth who minister in Minnesota to an Indian reservation to the poor. I think about a team that we sent to Tuba City, AZ this summer with Bertie Baker to minister to the Navajo Indians on a reservation there. I see a church that's getting the message and I'm very proud of that, and I see that's going to continue. Not only abroad but at home here, I've seen us minister. During the fall in our small groups we had Micah 6:8 service projects going on: twenty-six small groups, 26 services blitzing this city with the love of Christ. We heard amazing stories of how you ministered to families who lost everything and how you ministered to women at the battered women's shelter for abused wives and women. How our youth group and other CARES ministries adopted those girls who'd lost their mother so tragically to a homicide this year and made sure that their Christmas had something good in it, distributing presents. I could just go on and on as I know you're involved with the CARES ministry. Every month we are involved in reaching out in CARES ministry and reaching out to Wilson School, the school that we're a part of. I see us in a tangible way, expressing the love of Christ. I just want to encourage you in 2013. If you're sitting on the sidelines, get involved. Join us. Recognize that Christ did send you. Recognize that you do have a message. It's not just to be a “pew potato”; it's not just to be a consumer, a sponge that soaks it up. Occasionally allow the Holy Spirit to squeeze you out and let his love and the knowledge and the goodness he's place within you come out of you and into the life of others. When you invite somebody tomorrow to the Christmas Eve service to hear the message of the good news, that's being a minister; that's being an angel to somebody. God has called us to be angels as well, not with wings and halos but as we are. He has called us to be salt and light to a lost and dying world. 2013 is going to be a good year for our church. I hope it's a year when you step up and say, “God, I recognize I'm being sent. I'm not waiting for orders to be sent, I have been sent. What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to serve? How do you want me to give?” Let's be light to our community and to our world. Let's pray together, “Father we are so grateful for the Christmas Story as we hear the good news of the Messiah. How you aligned those stars and those planets, and science verifies that, to show a brilliant light over Bethlehem, for those Wise Men to come. How you used the ministry of angels to guide and direct, to warn and to comfort, to teach and encourage. And Lord, our reactions with angels, only heaven will be able to tell us the things that happened to us that we're not even aware of. We're thankful for their ministry. We're thankful that we too have been sent, that we too are messengers of the kingdom, that we have a job to do. And, Lord I pray that as you have blessed us in 2012 that you will bless us again in 2013 and help us to do even greater things for the Kingdom

Navajo Indians building powerplants.

This is not what I wanted to look up and see when I pulled into church today, the snow, the sleet, and the slick roads. I commend you for being here today, and why dont you just give yourselves a round of applause. I was nervous and scared thinking there wouldnt be many people to talk to today, but there are a few more than I anticipated-not the normal, but better than I anticipated and hoped. The earlier service was as well. Weve gotten a little soft this winter. Weve not really had much in the way of snow, and we toughen up as the season goes by. Sometimes we are a little bit of pansies when winter first starts. This really is about the second snow we have had. Im glad you guys are all tough. Were continuing in our Clinker Brick series this morning. For the sake of those who are new, I want to talk to you about what a Clinker Brick is. This series is called Hand Me Another Clinker Brick. A clinker brick is a brick that is damaged, either when it was manufactured or somewhere along the construction site it became damaged like this brick (holding one up) which is missing a corner. A mason would look at this brick and say, Oh, this is no good. This brick is damaged, and he would cast it aside. There are those who see the value in clinker bricks, see the beauty in them since no two are exactly the same. Theyre actually used for other purposes; maybe a wall would be made of clinker bricks. Sometimes, as in the case of a church in New England, the entire structure is built with clinker bricks. What that means is that though we have flaws, though we make mistakes, God sees fit to use us to build His church because we will never be rid of our shortcomings-to the day we die. We should not use that as an excuse or be content with that. We should strive to have those imperfections removed, but we also know at the same time we will struggle with sin and our sin nature until the day we die. We were born, and we will die, a clinker bricks. People have flaws. Were not talking here about defects that were born with or illnesses. Were talking about defects of character, bad behaviors and attitudes-sin that we harbor in our lives. Each week were looking at a different person in the Scripture, a different clinker brick. Were talking about them and ourselves. This week will be no different. Were talking this morning about Defining Discipleship. Anyone here today ever bit off more than you could chew on a project or undertaking? You start; maybe youre going to remodel your home. Youre tearing up the carpet and the floor, and all the sudden you think, What am I getting myself into? Maybe youve gone to run something like a marathon. About halfway through that marathon, you think, What in the world am I doing? Sometimes people will go into marriage, believe it or not, not really counting the cost. They will be three years into a marriage, or sometimes three weeks, and theyll go, What was I thinking? Ive encountered that on many occasions. People do not fully contemplate… Maybe a business venture… You invest a lot of capital to start something off, or you put a lot of money into an investment that starts to go south. You say, What was I thinking? I can remember back in 1989 as I was laying the foundation to start our church. I resigned from the position in Rockford. This church did not exist. I was thinking to myself, What am I doing? Im going to work for a church that does not exist. I would think, I must be nuts. I must be crazy. We all have bit off seemingly more than we can chew: to start up a new ministry or whatever it might be. Financially, you name it. Jesus wanted those who were seeking to be His followers to understand the commitment they were making before they made it. He wanted them to grasp the importance of the decision to be His disciples. To become a disciple of Christ was not something you would do casually or flippantly and without weighing what was at stake. It was a decision He wanted you to make sure that you really pondered and thought it through. Thats why, as a church, we value seekers who come through and who ask questions, who investigate, who take time and ponder this important decision. We would rather have that and have them make a quality, sound decision to follow Christ than [to make] an impulsive, emotional decision which doesnt last. Wed rather they really think through their commitment. Jesus talks about this in Luke 14, if youd turn there please this morning. Were going to begin reading with Verse 25 (page 1034 of pew Bibles), Large crowds were traveling with Jesus… Thats where were going to pause for a second: large crowds. Jesus was not into large crowds. Jesus did not care about large crowds. Jesus was not interested so much in a quantity as quality. He wanted fully-devoted followers. So He is going to separate the men from the boys, those who are really serious and those who are just following Him because theyre curious; want to see a miracle; its the latest thing to do; its the latest fad to follow Jesus. I went to a large high school in Rockford. I remember freshman basketball: 60 guys tried out that first day. We hardly touched a basketball except for a drill. All we did was run, exercise and run. The next day 40 guys showed up. All we did was exercise and run until we wanted to throw up. The next day, 25 guys show up. We ran until we dropped. Then, the coach says, Okay, now that the guys who werent serious about it are gone, now well get down to playing some basketball. So Jesus is going to give a defining moment, an address to say, Heres what it means to be My follower. This is not something you want to be casual about. Really think about the decision youre making. …and turning to them He said: If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be My disciple. That verse has been very misconstrued and misinterpreted over the years. Well talk about it again in a few moments. (Picking up on Luke 14:27) And anyone who does not carry His cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will you not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, This fellow began to build and was not able to finish. Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who do not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple. How many of you this morning consider yourselves to be disciples of Christ? Let me see your hands. How many of you read that definition and then start to wonder, Am I truly a disciple? Yeah, one of us (as in one persons hand went up). I read that and it scares me. …in the same way, he who does not give up everything cannot be My disciple. And I say, I havent given up everything. Ive given up some things to follow where I think He wants me to go. I ask you this question quite literally this morning: how many of you think it sounds good to you to sell your homes, quit your jobs, leave your families and friends, and move to Illinois? How many of you think that sounds like a good idea, and you are wanting to do that? One of you wants to move to Illinois (again, one hand went up-congregation laughing). Nobody else wants to move to Illinois, right? It doesnt sound good. Im going to be quite frank and honest with you. How I felt about moving to Wisconsin was about how you feel about moving to Illinois. I didnt want to. I didnt know any of you. I loved my home and my church, my job; my friends and my family were there. I didnt want to move here. I gave up some things. I didnt want to come here any more than you want to go there. Now that Im here, I like it. Now that Im here, I dont want to go back. I didnt want to go. I didnt give up everything. My family is with me. I gained more than I gave up. Thats the way God works. He is more of a giver than a taker. But…He says, Unless you give up everything… Are we to take that literally? Because if we take that literally, we are all in trouble this morning. If being a disciple of Christ means you give up everything you have to follow Him, there is not a person here who could raise their hand by that definition and say, Im a disciple because nobody here has given up everything to follow Him. Let me explain this passage: Jesus often speaks in extremes or hyperbolae to illustrate a point. For instance, I might say to you, Today, Chicago Bears will kill the Saints to advance to the Super Bowl. I dont mean it literally. I dont mean theyre literally going to kill them. Its an expression to illustrate a point. It almost sounds like blasphemy, doesnt it? Theyre going to kill the Saints. Plus, theyve been crowned like Gods team now, so you almost feel like youre anti-American by not pulling for the Bears. If the Bears lose, and I hope they dont, but if they do, I will pull for the Saints in the Super Bowl like the rest of you. Its kind of like us against America right now. Before you got me off track, what I was saying is what He says is unless you hate your mother and father and children and brother and sister-even your own wife… does He literally mean hate? Does Jesus want you to hate people? No. Jesus says, Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Jesus is not contradicting Himself. He is not contradicting the Scripture. What Jesus is trying to say here is your earthly relationships, even the closest relationships, have to be superceded by your relationship to Him. He is to be more important than any earthly relationship, even more so than your family. Hes talking here about a level of commitment. He says, Im not just going to be one of your choices. Im not just going to be the slice of the pie. I want to be the pie. I want to be the focus of your life. Is your relationship with Me your most important relationship? When He says, Pick up your cross and follow after Me or you cannot be My disciple, we should not understand that in a literal sense. Jesus does not want you to cut down a tree, strip its bark, make a cross beam, nail them together, strap it on your back and carry it everyday everywhere. He doesnt mean that. The cross represents sacrifice. The cross represents humility. So Hes saying to His followers, Listen, if you follow Me, its not about advancement. You have to be willing to lay down pride. You have to be willing to die to yourself. Following Me is not about power. Its about humility. Its about sacrifice. You have to crucify self if you want to be My disciple. Thats what He means when He says pick up your cross. He did not literally mean hate. He does not literally mean pick up a cross. For most of us, He does not literally mean give up everything and follow Him. What He is talking about here is willingness, about the attitude of a disciple-an attitude that says, Everything I have belongs to You, God. I will go where You want me to go; I will say what You want me to say; I will do what You want me to do; I will serve where You want me to serve; I will give what You ask me to give. Jesus, oftentimes, would have people who wanted to follow Him, and Hed say, No, you stay right here. If we all sold everything we had, who would fund the Gospel? There are some people who work and make investments to give resources for the Gospel. Thats why they work. God doesnt expect the whole church to sell everything it has to follow Him. What Hes talking about here is an acknowledgment that everything you own belongs to Him. When you have that understanding, the giving is not a sensitive subject anymore. Serving is not a touchy subject anymore. When the church talks about giving a tithe or ten percent of our income as required in the Scripture, a lot of people get upset with that. If youre truly a disciple, you know its not your money. Its Gods money-100 percent of it. Its all His. He allows us to keep 90 percent. When we talk about serving, its not about you giving your leftovers to the Lord. Its about you giving your best to the Lord. (In a grumbly voice) Oh, the church always wants you to volunteer for everything under the sun… You understand that everything you have, your gifts, your talents, they come from God. God wants you to offer them back, to give them back. If youre a disciple, you understand that. That does not urk you; that does not irritate you. You know why youre on this planet: to serve Him. I said (this is) not for everybody because there are some people He has called to radical commitments. I want you to flip over a few pages to Luke 18:18 (page 1039); we find the story of the rich ruler. Hes been a good man; hes lived a good life. Hes also accumulated a lot of worldly goods. He just wants to know, Am I good enough? Have I made the grade? Is there something else I have to do or is what Ive done good enough? He comes to Jesus and asks Him a question, …Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Why do you call Me good? Jesus answered. No one is good-except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother. All these things I have kept since I was a boy. [Hes a] pretty good guy. Hes saying in regards to this brick, if this brick were his life, hes saying, You really cant find any flaws in me. Theres no clink here. There are no stars here. Every command Ive been given to do, I have done. I have done exactly what God has asked me to do. Now, is there anything else I need to do? Hes hoping Jesus is going to reply and say, Just keep doing what youre doing, and youre in. Jesus doesnt do that. Jesus gives a very unexpected reply. He says, You still lack one thing. [The man would reply] You know, one thing isnt bad. If all I have to do is one more thing, thats good news, really. Hes done all but this one thing he has to do. If youre in some sort of project, maybe one of those some assembly required things that takes you a couple of weeks, you get to the last step, and all you have to do is one more thing. Maybe youve been filling out forms for the some government bureaucracy, and they say, This is your last form. You say, All right! Were at the end of the tunnel here. One more thing, and then were done. Youre running your marathon. You have your last mile, one more mile. So, one thing isnt bad. He says, One thing. Sell everything you have... Everything you have… …and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me. Notice, Jesus says one thing you lack, and then He listed three: Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me. What He was saying here was the essence of discipleship. Sell everything you have... Youll do what I tell you to do. …and give it to the poor…. Youll give what I tell you to give. …and come and follow Me. Youll go where I tell you to go. Thats a disciple. He doesnt do it. It says, When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. He was not willing to give up the stuff of this earth for the Kingdom of Heaven. That didnt seem like a good deal. He saw God as more of a taker than a giver. He weighed those two on the scale, and he found Jesus offer wanting. He was consumed with the here and now. You see, a true disciple lives in the here and now, but their true focus is on eternity. Its on the Kingdom. Then he walked away. Let me ask you a question: where are these mans possessions today? Where are these things he was unwilling to sacrifice? Where is his nice home? It is dust. His nice furniture, his jewelry and his possessions, theyre gone with the winds of time. What about his money? Where is that? Where is his gold? Where is his silver? Its gone. What about eternity? Eternity is just as real and as present and alive as the day he asked the question. He chose wrongly. A disciple, when it comes to choice between earth and Heaven, chooses Heaven. The temporal and the eternal, [and the disciple] chooses the eternal. He began to look at what it was going to cost him, what he was going to lose, instead of what he was going to gain. Before were too hard on this rich ruler, before we point a finger at him and shake it, there have been times you and I have walked away. There have been times you and I have listened to God tell us to do something, and we have not done it; or to say something, and we have not said it; or to go somewhere, and we have not gone there; or to serve in some capacity, and we have not served. You and I are guilty of this same thing, arent we? A true disciple lives on earth, but his or her focus is the Kingdom. Were going to listen to a song called Not of this World right now by a group called Petra. (You can find lyrics at http://www.christianrocklyrics.com/petra/notofthisworld.php) If youve been coming here for awhile, you know that I am working on a canvas in all four services. How many of you think you know what it is yet? Nobody? How many believe me when I say that by the time Im through, some of you might even want this picture? Nobody? Its true. This blackness represents sin. It represents our clinker brickness-remember thats a word we invented? See this rich ruler thought he was pretty together. He thought he had it all right. Jesus says, Youre lacking one thing. What was the one thing he lacked? The one thing he lacked was: The word of God says you shall have no other gods before me, so love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. Who did he love the most in his life? Himself. What did he value more than anything else? His possessions. Sometimes, thats you and I. Sometimes, were just like that guy in the story, just like the rich young ruler. We value the wrong things. We value the things of this earth, the people of this earth. Were not willing to pick up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow after Him. I want to share a couple of examples for you of people who I think have lived out this passage in radical ways. One is a man by the name of St. Francis of Assisi? When you think of St. Francis, you probably think of a monk with a robe and his head shaven. Thats accurate. …living in the woods and loving nature and birds, and thats accurate. What you dont know about Francis of Assisi is that he began life as the son of a well-to-do clothing merchant in Italy. It was assumed he would grow up to be the heir for the business. That was the custom. You did what your father did, so he would be the next in line to run the successful clothing business. He had money, and he spent it. He spent it on himself, pretty lavishly. He spent it on his friends. He was very popular, very talented, very gifted, a great personality, a lot of money, so he attracted a lot of friends. He was generous with them; he was generous with himself. Really, he was a clinker brick in that sense because he didnt use his money for good things. He used it only for Francis and the benefit of Francis. Then things began changing. He began to see the needs around him, and he began to have a desire to help the poor. That desire increased over time to the point where he actually began to focus, not so much on himself, but, upon the needs that were around him. He started rebuilding a chapel that had become dilapidated and was in ruins. He started to give excessive amounts of his money, really, his fathers money to the poor. He once went so far as to tell his friends he was getting married. They said, Francis, you dont have a girlfriend. Who in the world are you marrying? He said, Im marrying the finest lady of them all. They were all baffled, much like you are about this painting over here. He said, Im marrying Lady Poverty. His giving to the poor bothered his father so much that he though maybe his son had lost his marbles, so he locked him up in the cellar. He literally locked him up and would not let him come out. He went to the bishop-he was there for a long period of time-and he said, You have to come and speak to my son. Hes crazy. Hes giving away all of my money to the poor. You have to do something about this. The bishop talked to Francis. Francis explained his conviction and that he was going to take a vow of poverty. He was going to give away everything he had. The bishop said, Thats fine. You can give away what you have, but this is what belongs to your father, so you have to make a decision. Either you renounce the business, or you choose to be a part of the business and follow after the footsteps of your dad. Francis did something very peculiar. He renounces everything. He takes all of his possessions; he puts them in a pile; he literally strips down to his birthday suit; he takes all of the clothes off his back, including his undergarments, and he lays them on the ground. [That was] very symbolic because his father was a clothing merchant. He said, I give these things back to you, Father. I am devoting myself fully to God. He walked in the buff into the woods. He eventually does get a robe and puts it on. He walks around, prays, and he sings hymns. Hes happy. People start asking, Why are you so happy? You lost everything. You gave up everything. How can you be so happy? He started telling them about God. He started telling them about his vow of poverty. Pretty soon, there are about 11 other guys who join in and form this Little Brothers of St. Francis. They would become the Franciscan Monks. A woman, Clare, would also devote herself to the group, and she would start the Poor Clare Nuns. They would be blessed by the Pope, and he would bless their order. He (Francis) spent his time like a hermit in the woods. Then one day, a scripture impacted him. It was Matthew 10. It talked about going on and ministering, getting rid of everything-even your shoes. You go around and minister to people, and thats what he did. He began to devote himself to ministering to the poor. He began to minister to the sick and the lepers. They did good things. They werent just living in isolation by themselves. They eventually began to use their spirituality and their love for God in the real world and do some amazing things in helping the poor. Here is a guy who literally lived out the commands of Luke 14. Is there anybody like that today? Is there anybody who has a radical faith like that? Most of us, Hes not going to call us to give up everything, but are there some that He still speaks to in that way? How many of you have ever heard of a song called Our God is an Awesome God? How about a song called Oh God, You Are My God, I Will Ever Praise You, Step by Step Youll Lead Me, and I Will Follow You All of my Days? That and many other songs were written by a man by the name of Rich Mullins. Rich died untimely at the age of 42, about 10 years ago. Prior to that, he wrote songs for Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and other leading contemporary Christian artists. He launched his own solo career. When he wrote Awesome God, his sales took off. His career took off to the top of the charts. He became a household name in many Christian families. His music was played on the radio all the time. One of the last things I did, one of my last responsibilities in Rockford when I was a youth minister there, was [to schedule Rich Mullins to sing before an evangelist spoke at the Metro Centre]. The churches of Rockford banned together, 150 churches strong-thats pretty impressive, to bring in an evangelist by the name of John Guest. He was an Episcopalian, so the mainline churches were in favor of it; but he was strongly evangelical, so the evangelical churches were in favor of it. Catholic, Protestant, mainline and contemporary-150 strong-onboard to bring in a person. It was an amazing thing. We rented out the Metro Centre, which holds about 7,000 people. We came close to filling it every night of the week. We would bring in a Christian artist, and then John Guest would speak and give an invitation to receive Christ. I was in charge of the two youth nights, Wednesday and Saturday. The Saturday night one was the same night my son was born, so I was trying to direct everything from the hospital. It was an interesting day. I just said, I hope he comes any day but Wednesday or Saturday because those are pretty intense days for me. I was in the hospital directing traffic from there. My favorite artist was Rich Mullins. I loved his music. We had deep pockets. We could write a check, so we could ask anybody. I said, We have to get Rich in here. He is so anointed and has such a strong message. Lets get Rich. The chairman, as we were listening to Rich warm up, saw Rich with the long hair, unshaven, and a bit sloppily dressed. His first impression wasnt too good. He kind of looked at me like, Are you sure you know what youre doing here? Is this the right guy? I said, Trust me, Dennis, by the time hes through, youll know hes the right guy. He did; he ministered to us. Just in talking with this guy, I noticed he was very much a part of this earth, but his focus was on the Kingdom. He had some radical ideas and radical thoughts. He was a great guy. I spent time with him. We took him to an interview on QFL. We took him out to eat and spent a lot of time with him, getting to know him. One thing that was interesting is the check; he asked that we make it out to the Kid Brothers of St. Frank for $2,500. I still have the contract-I was looking at it this week. I thought to myself, Who? What is the Kid Brothers of St. Frank? How come Im not making it out to Rich Mullins or some promotional company or agent? I didnt find out until later that Kid Brothers of St. Frank…St. Francis, St. Frank-its the same guy. Rich Mullins was a huge fan of St. Francis of Assisi. Rich Mullins had taken, like Francis, a vow of poverty. He had every penny he made given to a charity that ministered to the Navajo Indians. Thats where he lived. He lived on the Navajo reservation. He worked for a church. A small church on the reservation paid him a pittance of a salary, just enough to buy food. This is a guy who could have been, or would have been, a millionaire with the royalty from the songs he wrote, the royalty from his albums which sold number one best sellers-the royalties from all of his concerts; he kept not one cent. He lived with the Navajos in the same one-room, made of wood-basically the size of your bathroom-and he taught the children music. He shared the Gospel with the Indians on that reservation. That was his life. His music was just something that was a way to help these people. He said, My real job is I teach music to a small group of Navajo children. [He was] quite an interesting fellow, wasnt he? That was Rich Mullins. What a great guy! You say, What are you doing, Pastor? Are you trying to tell us we need to sell everything we have and strip into our birthday suits and walk into the woods? Or [should we] go live in a one-room place somewhere? Is that what youre saying to us? Yeah. No, no, no, no. What Im saying to you is a disciple has two things: a disciple has a willingness to do whatever God has called him to do, and a disciple has a focus on the Kingdom. Those two men are examples of people who made radical decisions to follow what God had called them to do, whose focuses were on the Kingdom of Heaven, not on this earth. Imagine, as we close our service this morning, we decide as a church that we are tired of the cold. We love Wisconsin, but were tired of snow and cold and dreary skies. Were going to all move to Florida, and were going to start a church in Florida where its sunny and warm. Were all going to live there. This is just hypothetical now. Were not some sort of a cult who travels together. For the sake of an illustration, were going to say we do. We all load up our cars, and we meet here at the church. We take off for sunny Florida to live. Thats our destination. We drive for several hours, and we pull into a rest area. We use the bathroom; we stretch; we get a drink; we talk a little bit. We load up in our vehicles, and we continue on driving. We drive a few more hours, and we pull off at the next rest area. We notice something. Youre not there. Where are you? We wait, but you never show up. I say, We cant leave without them. Theyre part of us. So we all get in our cars and turn around and go back to the last place we saw you, which is at that rest stop. Low and behold, there you still are. Only, youve unpacked your car; youve set up a tent; youve got stakes in the ground; youve inflated some furniture and put that in your tent; youve built a little fire to stay warm; youve got some books and a little radio and a TV with rabbit ears youre trying to tune in. You see me and you say, Hey, how are you doing? I say, What are you doing? Why are you here? Why are you making a home here? You say, Well, I kind of like it. I didnt plan it. I know we were just here for a moment. I know were on our way to Florida, but it just started to feel like home for me after awhile, so I decided Im going to stay. Youre going to live in a rest area? Yeah, I kind of like it. Theres a bathroom right there. Theres a vending machine thats always full. People come and go. Its an exciting place. Its scenic; there are trees, and I kind of like it here. I think Im going to call this home. I would say, Are you nuts? Weve got something so much better ahead of us. This is not our destination. This was just a temporary stop. Our destination is Florida where its sunny and warm. Were going together as a community. Its going to be great! Come on! Oh, I know. Maybe someday, but right now I really want to set my home up here. That would never happen in real life. You wouldnt do that. The government would not let you do that, in case Ive given you any ideas. Sometimes we do that here. This place, this earth, is just a temporary stop. Its a pit stop. In the span of eternity, were here for a rest area stay. Its just a short visit. Were on a destination to a much better place. Dont get side-tracked. Dont think the temporary stop is where you need to be putting up your tent and making your home, focusing here. Keep your eyes on the destination. Follow the Lord. Thats what a disciple does. Hes willing to go, willing to serve, willing to give whatever God calls him to do, to say or to give. Follow where He leads, and His focus-though He is on earth-His focus is the Kingdom. The Kingdom is a much better place, and its for eternity. Lets stand together as we close in prayer. Next week, well continue in our series on Clinker Bricks. Then the following week as well, on communion Sunday, we will conclude our series on Clinker Bricks, and we will find out what in the world is going on with this portrait. (Pastor has added a layer of black each week to a canvas.)