Podcasts about one saturday

Hey, Family Brand community! We're trying something new on the podcast this week—new chairs, a new setup, and a conversation that started with something Chris wasn't actually planning to do. A couple of months ago, Chris got a new phone and, when he was setting everything back up, decided not to reinstall social media. There wasn't some dramatic social media detox or big declaration behind it. He just felt like he shouldn't put it back on his phone. What happened next surprised both of us. Chris started noticing that he felt more present—with me, with our kids, with his team, and even with himself. Then he took the experiment a little further. One Saturday, knowing he'd be spending hours doing tractor work, he intentionally left his headphones behind. No podcast. No music. No inspirational content. Just a few hours alone with his thoughts. And strangely enough, that felt uncomfortable at first. It made us wonder: when did being alone with our own thoughts become something we needed to avoid? That question led us somewhere much bigger. We both love books, podcasts, coaches, mentors, and personal development, and they've absolutely changed our lives. But Chris realized that some of the most profound ideas and breakthroughs he's ever experienced didn't actually come from someone else. They came during the times when he slowed down enough to ponder, pray, ask questions, and listen. Melissa has been experiencing something similar while preparing for an upcoming talk at church. By intentionally creating more quiet instead of immediately filling every empty moment with another audiobook or piece of content, ideas and clarity have started coming naturally. It made us wonder: what if the wisdom and inspiration we're constantly searching for is more available to us than we realize? And in today's world, this conversation feels especially important. We can outsource our thinking to influencers, podcasts, experts, social media, and now even AI. Those tools can be incredibly useful—we use them too—but they can't replace your own intelligence, intuition, faith, or understanding of your unique life. Sometimes asking someone else to tell us what to do is simply easier than doing the uncomfortable work of getting clear about what we actually want. Maybe we don't always need another answer. Maybe we need enough silence to hear the answer that's already trying to get through. So we're leaving you with a challenge this week: choose one time when you'd normally reach for stimulation—driving, working out, doing chores, or sitting down at the end of the day—and don't. Skip the podcast. Leave the music off. Put the phone away. Bring one of those questions that's been sitting in the back of your mind and give yourself enough stillness to actually think about it. Pray, ponder, listen, or simply sit with your thoughts and see what comes up. You might be surprised by what you already know. Hit play to hear the full conversation! P.S. We're here to help you build your own Family Brand, one episode at a time. So go ahead, hit play, and let's grow together! Or, if you're ready to dive even deeper into our community, follow the links below.   LINKS:   All Links Family Brand!  stan.store/familybrand familybrand.com/quiz familybrand.com/retreats.    Episode Minute By Minute: 00:00 A New Look for the Family Brand Podcast 02:00 The Accidental Social Media Break 03:00 What Happened When Chris Deleted Social Media 04:00 Being More Present Without Social Media 05:00 Learning to Be Alone With Your Thoughts 06:00 Why Silence Can Feel Uncomfortable 07:00 Experimenting With Less Stimulation 08:00 Where Our Biggest Breakthroughs Really Come From 09:00 Are We Already Connected to the Answers? 10:00 Melissa's Experience Creating More Quiet 12:00 Making Space for Inspiration 13:00 Is Wisdom Always Available to Us? 14:00 Why Do We Outsource Our Intuition? 15:00 Trust, Control, and Finding Clarity 16:00 Why Thinking for Yourself Is Harder 17:00 Social Media, Podcasts, and AI 18:00 The Danger of "I Don't Know" and "I Probably Should" 19:00 A Simple Challenge for More Clarity 20:00 Spend One Moment This Week in Silence  

Two timelines now sit in front of the jury deciding Mario Fernandez's fate in the Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire trial. Before the killing: January 29, 2022, when FBI records show Henry Tenon's phone leaving Fernandez's Potomac Avenue rental and tracing Bridegan's world — his neighborhood, his kids' gym, Jacksonville Beach — while Fernandez's phone pinged around the property. After the killing: three checks from Fernandez to Tenon, $2,000 and $3,000 dated March 28, 2022, and $5,000 dated April 4, with "landscaping" and "Kickstarter Good Luck!!" on the memo lines. Prosecutors read those two timelines as a rehearsal and a payoff. The defense reads them as a renovation day and a bill for property work — one memo, it argues, may actually say "roofing."Day 4 also produced the trial's sharpest concessions. Lead Detective Chris Johns agreed no DNA, prints, or footage put Fernandez in the blue F-150. ATF Agent Mike Stengel agreed investigators never searched the home where the truck turned up — and then told the jury investigators were informed in 2023 that the gun was destroyed shortly after the shooting. The defense disputes that account.Fernandez is charged as the orchestrator: first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony, for allegedly hiring his former tenant to kill his wife's ex-husband. Tony Brueski walks through why evidence that would sink a gunman means little against this charge, why the quiet cellphone testimony bears on it directly, and what it means that all three defendants — Fernandez, Shanna Gardner, and Henry Tenon — will face juries in the span of months. The verdict watch starts when testimony ends August 28.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#JaredBridegan #MarioFernandez #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #HenryTenon #ShannaGardner #MurderForHire #JacksonvilleBeach #FernandezTrial

Simon Katich, Justin Langer and Tom Morris preview the Second Test ahead of the start of the play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Morris speaks to Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson during the lunch break. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Morris, Bharat Sundaresan, Simon Katich, Justin Langer and John Donohoe call the action as Australia take all ten Bangladesh wickets for just 64 runs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Bergeron writes a free newsletter at five in the morning, five days a week, and has for years. One Saturday he sent it out saying he saw something happening between data and energy and wanted in. A reader named Mark, who had never once replied in five years, wrote back. That email became a data center company that has since shrunk the standard footprint by 92 percent. That is the whole method. Rob publishes in public, constantly and for free, and lets the right people find him. Rob calls himself the tilapia of realtors. He owns Winner Realty in Louisville, runs OffMarket.deals nationally, writes The Morning Bergeron five days a week, and is building what he hopes becomes the institutional standard for data centers. On paper that is four unrelated businesses. In practice it is one move, repeated. The wholesalers in Louisville were all convinced they were competing for the same buyers. Rob ran comps for them for years and never once took a deal off them. When he finally asked for their buyer lists, they handed them over. He merged those lists with his own, charged two thousand dollars only when he brought the buyer, and made forty two thousand in year one. That business is now OffMarket.deals. He posted on the BiggerPockets subreddit because nobody else was posting there. That produced David Greene. He sent one newsletter into the void about data and energy. That produced a partner, a connection to HKS, and a design that shrinks data center footprints by 92 percent, runs closed loop on 40 gallons of water a year, uses submerged cooling so it makes no noise, and routes its waste heat to farms. And he sends unsolicited letters of intent to listed properties and for-sale-by-owners on behalf of his clients' buy boxes. Direct mail hits at 1.1 percent and costs money. Rob hits at 2.1 percent and spends nothing. His frame for all of it: we are in the NIL era of real estate, where everyone has to earn everyone's business. Nobody is owed a repeat client. Rob also gives one percent of Winner Realty's net profits to Hand in Hand, which builds houses in Belize for about ten thousand dollars each. His stated legacy goal is one house every month, forever. Find Rob: The Morning Bergeron newsletter, and OffMarket.deals for assignable contracts and the buyers list. This week's book: The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501147765?tag=clarkstholdin-20 Chapters 00:00 The NIL era of real estate 00:33 Welcome to Real Estate Underground 01:45 Meet Rob Bergeron, the tilapia of realtors 03:00 Why investor clients are worth the reputation they have 03:30 Louisville: slow to rise, slow to fall 05:00 Where Rob is looking now: energy, water, land, agriculture 06:00 Bloom Energy, small modular nuclear, and a Q1 2027 timeline 07:00 Three Mile Island, and the cousin who built the cleanup robots 08:15 One Saturday email into the void 09:30 The Louisville Network becomes OffMarket.deals 10:45 Uniting the tribes: competing wholesalers, one buyers list 11:00 HKS, SoFi Stadium, and a data center division three months old 12:00 Shrinking the footprint by 92% 12:45 The good neighbor data center 13:45 Why retrofits beat new builds 14:15 Waste heat, farmers, and who is actually getting squeezed 15:45 Let the average person own the residuals, not BlackRock 16:30 Shooting your shot 16:45 How posting on a subreddit produced David Greene 18:00 Louisville as a real estate brain trust 19:00 What the next three years look like 20:30 3D printing, automation, and what is actually viable 21:15 The unsolicited LOI play: 2.1% hit rate, no money spent 22:45 The NIL era: everyone earns everyone's business 23:30 Winner Realty and giving agents more than one trick 23:45 Rob's Brain 24:15 Winner Services: lending, oil and gas, water treatment, data center land 25:15 Three or four things a day 25:45 Hand in Hand, and the house that changed the math 26:45 Two grand versus $1,900 a year 27:00 One house a month, forever 28:15 The Power of Moments 29:30 Water balloons, a record, and sending Panera anonymously 30:00 Why wholesaling is the lowest barrier in the business 31:30 The deal he would take back: a partner with no money in it 32:45 What he should have built on the front end 33:30 Less chips, more steak: how Rob reads 35:00 The highlights someone finds after he is gone 35:30 How Rob defines success 36:15 An ADD brain, AI, and making it linear 38:00 Obsidian, and Ed's own workaround 39:15 Music, sun, and saying weird things in public 40:00 Where to find Rob Elevista - Speed as a Service™Elevista Connect is the first AI-powered lead conversion system built for real estate investors.

One Saturday morning, doing my New York Times Spelling Bee (don't judge me, it's a whole ritual), I decided to write down every piece of software my staging business runs on. I even had to dig through my bank statements to remember everything I was paying for. Nine or ten tools. Every one of them doing exactly what it was supposed to do. But staring at that list, I realized I hadn't built a system. I'd built a collection of tools that didn't know the others existed. That's the moment fragmentation clicked for me. None of those tools were wrong. They just weren't built for a staging business or designed to work together. Today, I'm sharing the story behind that realization, the decade of trial and error that led up to it, the conversations that nearly stopped me from pursuing the idea, and why I ultimately chose to build something from the ground up instead of settling for another workaround.   What You'll Learn: What I mean by "fragmentation" and how to recognize it The question I started asking about every tool in my business Why I chose not to build on someone else's platform How years of solving small problems led to one much bigger solution   RESOURCES:   Join the Harlowe Inner Circle Waitlist: https://waitlist.harloweco.com/  Apply for Private Coaching: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/privatecoachingapp Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome If you want to learn how to streamline your operations so you can grow with less stress and burnout in your staging business, enrollment is open for Staging Business School Accelerate Track. I'd love to see you in the classroom!   ENJOY THE SHOW? Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you. Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible.  

I Watched My Marriage Disappear One Saturday at Soccer PracticeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-cheating-wives-and-girlfriends-stories-2026-true-cheating-stories-podcast--5689182/support.

Jeremy Lee has become one of the most trusted voices in sports card media.But before Sports Cards Live became a Saturday night destination for collectors, Jeremy was balancing a career in finance while building relationships, studying the hobby, and creating content because he loved the cards.In this conversation, Jeremy shares the full story behind Sports Cards Live, the growth of his auction coverage content, and the mindset shift that helped him turn hobby passion into full-time work.We also discuss: Why relationships became the foundation of his business  The pressure and uncertainty of becoming a full-time creator  What consistency has taught him about community  The evolution of hobby media and trust  The creation of Hobby Spectrum  Why Pops and Comps became a 400-page passion project  The role psychology plays in collecting and market behavior This episode is for anyone thinking about building something in the hobby.Collectors. Creators. Operators.Jeremy opens up about all of it.Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for freeA special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast PatreonFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

One Saturday can change how you feel about your hometown. We're gearing up for Dublin, Ohio Community Service Day on Saturday, May 2, and we brought in two people who help make it happen: Jenny Amorose, COO of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, and Christine Nardecchia, Director of Outreach and Engagement for Dublin. Together, with Lindsay and Bruce, we unpack why this day has become a can't-miss tradition for families, students, and local businesses.We trace the origin story back 26 years to a Leadership Dublin class project and follow how it grew into a community-wide volunteer event with 70+ service sites. You'll hear how projects are selected through partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and city teams, plus a concrete example of impact at the Giving Garden.We get practical too: where to register (DublinChamber.org), how volunteers are matched with a site lead, what happens if the weather turns, and why you don't need special skills to help. Along the way, we share the small details that make volunteers want to return, from the social side of serving to a boost in wellness that comes from doing something real for someone else.If you've been looking for volunteer opportunities in Dublin or a simple way to meet good people fast, this is your sign. Subscribe for more local stories, share this with a friend who should come with you, and leave a review to help more neighbors find Link Ahead.

Six winners. Eight rides. One Saturday. James McDonald is two wins away from breaking Damien Oliver's all-time Australian Group 1 record — and BJ, Pat and Woodhead are all over it.This week's episode is an absolute must-listen heading into the Sydney Autumn Carnival. The boys break down J-Mac's historic six-winner haul, Caballus's stunning $19 Newmarket upset, and Sheza Alibi's Randwick Guineas demolition job — the first filly to do it in 13 years. Oh, and the ATC just won a Supreme Court battle against Racing NSW and Peter V'landys. Wild week.Then it's straight into your Coolmore Classic Day tips and Peter Young Stakes preview for Saturday 14 March. Is Lazzura really going to carry 58kg to a Coolmore Classic win? Can Warwoven nail the Pago Pago Stakes to lock in his Golden Slipper 2026 spot? And who wins the clash between Buckaroo and Light Infantry Man at Caulfield?If you're serious about Australian horse racing, this is the podcast you should already be following. Hit subscribe and never miss a winner.Australian horse racing podcast, Sydney Autumn Carnival 2026, Coolmore Classic 2026, Golden Slipper 2026, Pago Pago Stakes Warwoven, horse racing tips Australia, Australian Turf Club, Peter V'landys, Rosehill races March 2026, Buckaroo, Light Infantry Man, Australian racing podcast weekly preview, free tips, racing

One of the finest pastors I have known was Dr. Neville Gritt, originally from Bournemouth before moving to the United States, where he founded and led a large church in Sarasota, Florida. Though the church was impressive in size and grounds, he sensed that spiritual health might not match outward appearance. One Saturday night he disguised himself as a homeless man—old clothes smeared in grime, hair and face dirty—and early Sunday morning he sat on the church lawn as members arrived. No one recognised him. Many avoided him. The evangelism bus drove past. Only one elderly church leader knelt beside him and asked how he could help. Later that morning, freshly showered and dressed, he preached about showing God's love. The congregation fell silent when he asked who had helped the vagrant outside. Then he revealed: “It was me.” Conviction swept the church. Tears flowed. That day marked a turning point. The church became known not for its size, but for its love and compassion. Real caring Christianity is one of the greatest needs of our time. God has no time for fake religion that majors on outward appearance but neglects inward reality. Jesus warned: Matthew 16:6 “Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Isaiah was fierce in confronting false religion, especially in Isaiah 58, where people expected God to answer them simply because they fasted. Isaiah 58:2–3 They appeared eager for God, yet their lives told a different story.1. Real Christianity Is Totally Different From Hypocritical ReligionIsaiah 58:5 “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen… only a day for people to humble themselves?”Outward rituals cannot compensate for inward rebellion. Isaiah exposes the contradiction:● You can't do whatever you wantVerse 3: “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please.”● You can't exploit peopleVerse 3: “And exploit all your workers.”● You can't be angry and violentVerse 4: “Your fasting ends in quarrelling & strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.”● You can't be judgmental and criticalVerse 9: “Do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk.”Verse 4 concludes: “You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.”It is useless to appear holy while living selfishly, exploiting others, or harbouring bitterness.True faith must be consistent in private and public. Children and grandchildren must seeauthentic Christianity lived out daily.2. Real Christianity Means Caring For People In Great NeedIsaiah 58:6–7 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen…”True spirituality expresses itself in practical compassion.● Opposing injustice“To loose the chains of injustice… set the oppressed free.”Speak against exploitation, trafficking, racial hatred and antisemitism. Stand againstsystems that crush people.● Feeding the hungry; “Is it not to share your food with the hungry…” Support famine relief abroad and practical care at home.● Helping the homeless; “Provide the poor wanderer with shelter…” Care about those without stability or refuge.● Clothing the naked; “When you see the naked, to clothe them.” Give generously and thoughtfully.● Looking after your own family; “And not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.” Christianity begins at home—caring for young and old, not abandoning the weak.Jesus reaffirmed this in: Matthew 25:37–40 “Whatever you did for one of the least of thesebrothers of mine, you did for me.”Christianity is not an over-spiritualised faith detached from real needs. Jesus said: John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world.” And also declared: “You are the light of the world… You are the salt of the earth.”The gospel includes salvation, forgiveness, healing, deliverance, the power of the Holy Spirit—and compassionate action.History proves this. Evangelical believers transformed society:● John Wesley helped restore moral and social conscience in Britain.● William Wilberforce led the fight against slavery and championed reform.● William and Catherine Booth and the Salvation Army confronted child exploitation and human trafficking, helping bring legislative change.Real Christianity has always been both spiritual and practical—prophetic and compassionate.3. Real Christianity Brings Many BlessingsIsaiah 58:8–11 “Then your light will break forth like the dawn… The Lord will guide you always… You will belike a well-watered garden.”When faith is authentic and compassionate:● Light breaks forth in darkness● Healing comes● God answers prayer● Guidance is given● Strength is renewed● Satisfaction replaces emptiness● Flourishing follows“The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”Great blessing follows right living and right doing.Real Christian faith is not “bless me and mine,” but “Lord, bless me that I may bless the world”—beginning with family, church and community. It is not about merely attending meetings, but meeting needs.Not just turning up for church—but being the church.Not empty religion—but loving God and loving people in truth and action

Where can we retain the human touch, impactfully, in the age of AI? Thomas Scherer, cloud architect & computer scientist working for Google joins Lisa. One Saturday night, Thomas sat down with Gemini and asked, "What will make me the happiest person in the world?" Over the course of the next few hours, he got some fascinating results. All of this is part of the story of AI in our lives today, but there is so much more. This conversation is a small reflection of where we are with AI and why we should embrace its benefits, learning as much as we can with careful curiosity. From Horses to Cars “What do I do with my horse-riding skills now that the car has been invented?” With this statement, Thomas reminds us that mega shifts in our human experience is historically normal, and a reflection of the human mind's brilliance. The AI Shift is just another technological step change. AI is replacing ‘commodity tasks' - those which are repetitive, standardised processes, providing us with more time to lean into creativity. We become the navigator whilst the more mundane jobs could be taken over by AI. A new way to Search Traditional search engines try to match words whereas modern AI systems match meaning. When you search for trousers for instance, AI systems can use images and semantic understanding to infer style, intent, and context rather than just scanning for the keyword ‘pants or trousers.' Large language models (LLMs) such as Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and so on, predict the most likely next word, turning colossal amounts of data into fluent conversation, explanation, and even advice based solely on statistical probability of word patterns. We don't even need to invent the perfect query as they can also predict this. AI as Your Collaborative Partner Used well, AI is more like a creative collaborator: a brainstorming partner that proposes alternative angles, structures, and prompts. For small businesses, it can become an extra “virtual team,” generating draft podcasts, social posts, or marketing visuals that can then be curated and refined. But all the while, it remains the human who sets the objectives and the required tone. This also lends itself to the possibility of many people becoming autonomous, single-person businesses. Agents: When AIs Start Working Together When you give an AI tools and sub-tasks, it can orchestrate them toward a goal. One agent might create images; another might check whether those images match the brief (e.g. 'sunny landscape, not rain'); together, they negotiate improvements until the output fits what you asked for. Even non-technical people can use early agent-like products. NotebookLM, for instance, lets you upload documents, then: - Ask questions about them in natural language. - Generate personalised podcasts from your own material that you can listen to during a commute. - Work across multiple languages, both in sources and in the audio you generate. A recurring complaint in companies is: “Our data is too messy to do AI.” That is partly true for training bespoke models: bad data in, bad model out, but paradoxically, AI is also very good at cleaning data in the first place. You can literally give such a tool a messy folder of information and ask to make sense of it. Because it understands patterns in addresses, email formats, names, and categories, AI can, for example: - Standardise your contact lists so mailings no longer bounce. - Extract fields from scanned paperwork and fill out forms for you. - Help you perform a “data spring clean” on everything from CRM records to home admin. For an individual drowning in paperwork, this is transformative: scan, upload, and ask the AI to pre-fill or summarise, then you simply review and sign. Everyday Simplifications with AI You do not need to be a computer scientist to get real value from AI. A good starting sequence for a normal day could include: - Identify what you hate doing: repetitive emails, calendar logistics, summarising long documents, or form-filling. - Ask the AI directly: “Show me how to use you to spend less time on this task,” then iterate based on its suggestions. - Start with non-sensitive data and low‑risk tasks, and only move to personal or client material once you understand the provider's terms and privacy guarantees. People in Luxembourg working across languages can also benefit from live translation and dubbing: tools already exist that let you speak in German and be heard in French or English in your own voice, with a slight delay, in meetings or recorded content. Jobs, Risk, and the Human Edge AI is reshaping the job market. In the UK, one study found that companies using AI had eliminated 11% of previous roles and left another 12% unfilled, while creating 19% new roles, which is a net loss of 4% overall, with the UK faring worse than the US on the balance between jobs lost and created. That reality naturally fuels both excitement and anxiety. What AI targets first are commodity tasks: copy-pasting, routine classification, basic template writing, or standardised analysis. The more your work relies on unique human context, judgment, empathy, and rapport, from live concerts to therapy and even parenting, the harder it is to replace. The opportunity, and pressure, is to climb the value chain: stop being the engine that moves the data and become the navigator who decides where to go. Trust, Safety, and Owning Your Self Image and Voice As AI systems get better at imitating voices and faces, distinguishing fake from real becomes a societal survival skill. Voice scams already exploit cloned speech to convince parents their child is in danger, and manipulated images can travel faster than fact‑checks. Two layers of protection are emerging: - Technical safeguards such as watermarking in generated images or audio, which allow downstream tools to flag AI‑created content. - Legal and ethical frameworks like GDPR in Europe, which treat your appearance and voice as personal data requiring your consent for alteration and reuse. - Providers also increasingly commit to indemnifying users when material generated within the rules is later challenged on copyright grounds, shifting some of the risk back to the platforms that trained the models. Prompting: Talking to AI so It Really Helps You do not need to be a prompt engineer, but a few habits make a big difference. First, describe what you do want rather than only what you do not want: “Keep the face unchanged and brighten the background” works better than “Don't change the face.” Second, you can use AI to improve your own prompts: - Tell it your goal (“I want a video that shows X for Y audience”). - Ask: “Write a detailed prompt I can paste into a video/image generator.” - Edit the suggested prompt so it fits your tone, context, and constraints. Over time, this becomes a self-teaching loop: the AI drafts the prompt, you tweak and observe the output, and your intuitive sense of what to ask for gets sharper. AI, Emotions, and the Limits of the Machine Some people now confide in chatbots as if they were friends or therapists. In one late-night experiment, Thomas asked Gemini to interview him and figure out what would make him “the happiest person in the world”; the system eventually pointed out contradictions in his answers and nudged him toward deeper reflection. That shows how AI can mirror back patterns in your own thinking and ask probing questions. But it still lacks the embodied empathy, nuanced perception, and ethical responsibility of a trained human therapist, who reads not just words but tone, pauses, posture, and history. AI can supplement support; it should not replace serious care. Why You Should Start Now Paradoxically, Thomas's biggest fear is not that AI will take over, but that people will be left behind because they are too afraid to try it. Like refusing to learn to drive when everyone else has moved to cars, opting out of AI entirely risks shrinking your options just as the toolset explodes. The most practical stance is curious, critical use: test it, set boundaries, keep the human touch at the centre, and let the machines handle the drudgery.

Your spirit is organized, your calendar's full, and your kids are thriving — but where are you in all that? This week, we're done talking about scheduling self-care in silence. We're talking about bringing your people into it. Because joy hits different when you're off the clock, surrounded by folks who love you for you — even with dishes in the sink and mail on the counter. Whether it's a couch hang, a Costco run, or chicken wings and reruns, this is your reminder that your joy is not a luxury — it's a necessity.Stop waiting on “free time” — book the joy nowA couch, a playlist, and your people is plentyYou are allowed to be off. You are allowed to be loud.Your kids deserve to see all of you — not just the helper, the planner, the fixerReady to plan your own couch date? Send the text. Make the call. You are not too busy to belong to yourself again.Join the community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You Are Worth The Work⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can always connect with me and give any feedback or show ideas at Kimberley@KimberleySanders.com or on the following social media outlets:Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@KimSandFit31⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Live YOUR Passion Fitness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@KimberleySanders_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

College football doesn't really end anymore.The clock hits :00. The trophy gets handed out. And almost immediately, the sport gets loud again. Portal moves, litigation, coaching changes, CFP debates and more. Oh, and by the way, we've also got a Super Bowl coming up with Seattle vs. New England. (Hello Elite 11 finalists Sam Darnold and Drake Maye)With everything seemingly happening all at once in football, there's a race to be first instead of thoughtful.It's the same in the content world. Instant reaction shows. Social posts fired off before the dust settles. Takes delivered as fast as possible.That's not how we do it at Y-Option.Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.After the Hoosiers hoisted their hardware, we took a pause. And today, we took a detailed look back at the season that was in 2025.Today's episode of Y-Option, fueled by our founding sponsor 76® — keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat, is with Jim Thornby. For nearly two hours, we just talked. No timer. No rush. Multiple cups of coffee. Dozens of teams. Real perspective.One hundred and five minutes later, the result was less of a “podcast” and more of a conversation. And as we talked, one thing became clear:* The biggest change in college football isn't happening at the top. It's happening in the middle.The 12-team Playoff didn't just give more teams access, it changed the psychology of the sport. Suddenly, programs sitting fourth, fifth or sixth in their conference are making million-dollar decisions with almost no margin for error.Quarterbacks cost more. Mistakes cost more. One Saturday can swing an entire donor base's belief.We talk about why that reality is both exciting and dangerous and why the sport still hasn't figured out how to handle what comes after the final whistle.We went league by league—not to rank them, but to understand them.The Big Ten's rise isn't accidental, it's legit and not going anywhere but up. The SEC isn't broken, but it's no longer bulletproof. The ACC looked chaotic… until Miami made a run that forced everyone to re-think the narrative. And the Big 12? Still searching for the moment that changes how the country sees it.Context matters. And it's usually the first thing lost online.We also spent time on the Pac-12, a place that impacted both of us deeply, as it steps into a new reality.Looking back was a reminder that Oregon State and Washington State found ways to survive, even when the odds were stacked against them. And now, under the leadership of Commissioner Teresa Gould, they're building something with substance: proven head coaches, programs with real momentum, and a league that still has a path to the CFP.That's why we made this episode. To celebrate the game and coach the viewer.We know it's “too long” according to the experts and the algorithms. But Y-Option wasn't created to win an algorithm. It was built to serve the thoughtful college football fan, coach, and player.So before we sprint forward into the Super Bowl, Signing Day, and Spring Ball, let's take one last look back at where we've been as a sport.As always, thank you for being here. This doesn't happen without your support.Much love, and stay steady,YogiY-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.y-option.com/subscribe

The Breakfast Club (1985) was chosen by Patreon supporter Lucky LouLou Green, and it stands as one of the defining films of 1980s American cinema. Written, produced, and directed by John Hughes, the movie was made during an incredibly prolific period for the filmmaker, as he reshaped teen movies with a more honest, character-driven approach. Shot on a modest budget of around $1 million, the film was produced quickly, with Hughes deliberately stripping away flashy set pieces to focus on dialogue, performance, and atmosphere. Principal photography took place at Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois — a real, unused school that Hughes would return to multiple times throughout his career.The production schedule was famously short — just 28 days — and Hughes encouraged collaboration, allowing the young cast to contribute ideas and personal experiences to their roles. Several moments of dialogue were improvised or rewritten on set, helping give the film its natural, conversational feel that set it apart from other teen movies of the era. Composer Keith Forsey provided the now-iconic soundtrack, perfectly capturing the mood of mid-80s youth culture. Upon release, The Breakfast Club became both a commercial and cultural success, cementing Hughes' reputation and turning its cast into defining faces of a generation. Today, the film is widely regarded as a landmark of 1980s filmmaking — proof that a small budget, a single location, and strong creative confidence can produce something timeless.

A Slow Death Our first story comes from our Westwords and All the Best collaboration. Westwords in the centre for creative writing based in Parramatta, where a small group of writers were paired with producers and sound designers to bring their stories to life. Lee Mckerrecher was one of these writers. For our first Westwords episode, you can click here. A story that shows what happens when we ignore those who have protected the environment for thousands of years. Written and Performed by Lee McKerrecher Sound Design by Ramon Briant. Keep Moving We've all faced some form of impostor syndrome. Or maybe struggled to finish something because we felt it could just be a little better than it is. Catarina figures out how to just keep moving. Produced by Catarina Fraga Matos Teresa Sometimes there might be something that slows you down and makes it hard to keep moving. Teresa had a lung transplant, and Beth follows her journey to recovery. This story was created as part of an audio storytelling course for regional community radio producers. It was delivered in collaboration with the CMTO, with thanks to the generous support of Creative Australia. Produced by Beth Baillie Supervising Producer was Maddy Macquine. Mending More Than Things: The Heart of Ringwood Repair Café When was the last time you had something fixed? And have you ever heard of a repair cafe? One Saturday afternoon, Boya Yang takes a trip to the Ringwood Repair Cafe. Produced by Boya Yang. A special thanks to the University of Melbourne, Louisa Lim, Dan Semo and Thomas Phillips. If you want more of what's happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It's a roundup of all our activities with a little bit of BTS. All The Best Credits Host: Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to our volunteers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Philadelphia music has a rich and long history, spanning every style imaginable, from jazz and soul to art rock to opera to doo wop and everything else. And who better to helm a book about the city's extensive music offerings than Electric Factory founder, Live Aid/Live 8 co-creator and Cobb's Creek native Larry Magid. Dan gets back in the interviewer seat for the first time in a while to talk with Larry about the thing that drives them both: the ever expanding Philadelphia music story. Larry tells Dan about growing up in West Philly, dances, the Uptown, and early American Bandstand (before it went national). One Saturday night changed his life when he found himself in the DJ booth with Jimmy "Cannonball" Parsons, and his already rabid appetite for music became his path. Larry talks about the oft-overlooked Atlantic City Pop Festival in 1969 (just two months before Woodstock), early concerts at the Spectrum (and why bands loved that arena so much), and how he thinks Philadelphia audiences may be the most influential audiences of the rock and roll era. They also discuss the new book of Philadelphia music history that Larry organized, covering nearly every corner of Philadelphia music over the years. "The Philadelphia Music Book: Sounds Of A City" is out now via Camino Books, and is available wherever you buy your books. It features over a dozen contributors on a wide variety of Philadelphia music genres, and all the proceeds go to support the Philadelphia Music Alliance, an organization that creates, support and sponsor programs that enrich and strengthen Philadelphia's musical community.  

Secular - Pastor David loved two things almost as much as his congregation: catchy church signs and golf. One Saturday, he was out on the local course enjoying a beautiful day when he realized he was going to be slightly late getting back to church to change the weekly sign. He rushed over to the church…

When life feels like a jar half-empty, 1 Kings 17:12–16 reminds us that God’s provision isn’t limited by what we can see. The widow, facing her final meal, offered what little she had—and discovered a miracle that carried her household through famine. God often calls us to trust Him beyond our logic, timelines, or resources, not to take from us but to reveal how faithfully He provides when we surrender what feels scarce. Highlights The widow’s “last meal” became the doorway to God’s ongoing provision. Fear, scarcity, and uncertainty can make obedience feel impossible. Trusting God doesn’t always make sense in the moment—but it positions us to see His power. God often works behind the scenes long before we see results. Obedience in the small things can lead to unexpected opportunities and blessings. Personal stories—like finding a job, purpose, or direction—often echo the widow’s journey of radical trust. God’s plans unfold step-by-step, not all at once, and His timing rarely looks like ours. Gift Inspiration: Crosswalk's Holiday Gift Guide Looking for a meaningful way to celebrate the season? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide—from beautifully illustrated Bibles and devotionals to novels, greeting cards, and picture books, there’s something for everyone on your list. Wrap up stories for loved ones, tuck a book into your own nightstand, and join us in celebrating the wonder of giving this Christmas! Full Transcript Below: When All We See Is a Jar Half-Empty By Hannah Benson Bible Reading: And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. - 1 Kings 17:12-16 One Saturday afternoon, as I spent quiet time with God, the Lord impressed on my heart the story of the widow and Elijah. I froze. Where did that come from? In all honesty, I hadn’t thought of that story in a long time. Needless to say, I flipped open my Bible and found the story smack-dab in the middle of 1 Kings 17. As I reread the story, the Lord reminded me of a time in my life when God had called me, like the widow in the story, to trust His plans more than the “reality” I could see. Let’s rewind, refresh our memory of the passage, and step into ancient Israel for a moment. Have you ever wondered how the widow in 1 Kings 17 felt as she peered into her jar and jug? Perhaps she sighed. Perhaps, despite how empty both were, they’d never felt so heavy in her hand. One more meal. One more meal and then she and her son would have nothing left. Perhaps she gazed up into the heavens or perhaps she fell on her knees in the dirt. Perhaps a tear slipped down her cheek and hit the soil, the splash of liquid the first the dry earth had seen in so long. Had God forgotten her? Suddenly, in the distance, there appeared a man, no doubt dusty and worn from his travels. He asked her for a drink. That alone would’ve been difficult to procure in a drought and famine. But she turned to fetch it. And then. He requested a morsel of bread. Her heart, no doubt, sank. Why would God ask her to surrender one of the very things she and her son needed to live? Perhaps a million thoughts ran through her mind. As it was, she and her boy would die eventually because they had nothing left. And now? Was God asking her to give everything? Didn’t He know what it would cost her? Despite her fears in the midst of God’s promise, the widow chose to offer what she had. Even though she couldn’t see how God would provide. Even though the reality staring her in the face contradicted what God had reassured her. And you know what? “And she and he and her household ate for many days” (v. 15). This realization wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I believe God will not always show us the next step. Sometimes, all we can see is what sits directly in front of us, but we don’t see the whole picture. When God asks us to do something radical, it doesn’t matter if it looks like we may lose something we hold close. It doesn’t matter if it looks like we will lack what we think we need (As the widow knew she would run out of food. That, after all, made sense). But God doesn’t operate in our timelines. He provides miracles often when we least expect them. Sometimes, God asks us to move in a direction that appears contrary to what we think makes sense. Intersecting Faith & Life A couple of years ago, God told me He wanted me to focus on where He had me. Let me explain. After nearly 6 months off work due to an initial layoff and then helping to care for my mom, who’d been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and when it was possible for me to look for a job again, God impressed on my heart to wait. Wait? That didn’t make any sense. As a young adult two years out of high school, I needed to have a job. To make some money to save. Right? But despite what made sense, God challenged me to focus on where He called me. I’ll be honest. At the time, I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. A year-and-a-half before I graduated, I’d started working on a novel He’d placed on my heart years earlier. Now that I was a high school graduate and didn’t have homework, what was I supposed to do with all that “free” time during the day? Write novels? That seemed a bit unrealistic. Thankfully, that wasn’t what God had in mind. Not in the long run. After all, I wanted to be able to make some money to save. It would be even better if it were doing something I truly loved. One particular afternoon when the fear screamed louder, God’s voice was a gentle anchor to my heart. Trust. Trust. Trust. That evening? I’m not even kidding. A friend of mine emailed me to ask if I’d step in to work remotely as her marketing manager for her small business since her former manager was stepping down. A miracle and divinely orchestrated? Absolutely. Especially considering I had zero professional marketing experience and had desired to work in marketing for this exact company. And now? I work remotely for a digital marketing company halfway across the country whose client includes a film company. Which means I get to market films. I write fiction and nonfiction. I’m in a new film school that launched this past year. My family and I had the privilege of traveling to Nashville recently to work on a major proof-of-concept for a TV series. In addition, I’m now writing for Crosswalk and still marketing for my friend’s company when needed. All glory to God. The best part is? I never could’ve foreseen all of this when God asked me to trust His plan and to focus on where He had me. I still don’t know what God’s plan is for me tomorrow, next month, or next year. Yes, there are absolutely hard days, but life with God is an adventure, and I know He will lead each of us in accordance with His will and good plans and purposes. Where might God be asking you to trust Him? What are you afraid to say “yes” to because of what you lack? If God is calling you to do something, even if it’s radical, I want to encourage you to say “yes.” Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

One Saturday morning in 2018, the police showed up at Patience Frazier's door, and started asking her questions about something she'd posted on Facebook after she'd had a miscarriage. Caroline Kitchener's article for The Washington Post is “She said she had a miscarriage — then got arrested under an abortion law.” Say hello on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to rule the earth; He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 25:14-30) today's readings).Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–to each according to his ability. Then he went away."In the parable of the talents, a master gives his three servants varying amounts of money (talents) to manage while he is away. Two of them generate a return on their investment of the talents; one of them does not. Jesus is not sharing investment advice in this parable but instead teaches the disciples to use the gifts God gave them faithfully so that they come at the end of their earthly life to full participation in the kingdom. Just as the master is happy to see a return on the talents from two of the servants, God is pleased to see the unique gifts he bestows on us used to their fullness. As good stewards of God's gifts, we see cumulative growth of them over time, so that Jesus concludes the parable, saying, "For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."Father in heaven, you are the giver of all good gifts. Give me the grace to use the gifts and talents you give me to their fullest. Make clear to me today what those gifts are and how I can use them to serve you. For the sake of your glory, I want to hear and do your will with full confidence in this life and one day enter into eternal life, hearing you say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

A Sermon for St. Bartholomew's Day Acts 5:12-16 by William Klock St. Bartholomew the Apostle.  He's pretty much a mystery.  As far as the New Testament goes, Matthew, Mark, and Luke list him as one of the twelve.  Beyond that, we have nothing.  His name, Bar tholomais probably means “son of Tolomai”, but it may actually be his given name since when Matthew, Mark, and Luke want to refer to someone as “son of So-and-so” they use the Greek way of doing it not the Aramaic “bar So-and-so”.  Since John never mentions Bartholomew, but does mention Nathanael, some think that the two are the same.  I don't find the argument very convincing.  Various stories and legends describe him going off to evangelise India or Pontus or Armenia, amongst other places.  When I consider sources and dates, I think the story of him taking the gospel to India is probably the most likely.  Almost without a doubt he was martyred for proclaiming Jesus the Messiah—probably flayed and maybe then beheaded.  He was an apostle—one of Jesus' hand-picked messengers sent to herald the good news—so what we can confidently say is that that's exactly what he did and that he probably died, very painfully, for the sake of his Lord. But since there are no scripture passages that tell us about him, our Epistle and Gospel today are simply passages that tell us about the apostles in general.  So with that, I'd like to look at our Epistle —Acts 5:12-16.  Here's, again, what Luke writes: Many signs and wonders were done by the hands of the apostles amongst the people.  They were all together in Solomon's Porch.  None of the others dared to join them, though the people spoke highly of them.  But more people, a crowd of both men and women, believed the Lord and were added to their number.  They used to bring the sick into the streets and place them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on them as he went by.  Crowds gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing people who were sick or troubled by unclean spirits.  All of them were healed.   One Saturday morning back in my computer tech days I found a woman sitting in her car outside the door when I showed up to open the store.  She was from out of town and afraid that if she waited to call until we were open, there wouldn't be time to fix her computer the same day.  So she just showed up.  And she had a box of doughnuts by way of apology—or bribe—really a little of both.  So I got to work on the computer and the doughnuts while she watched and talked to me.  They were really good doughnuts and I told her and she told me she'd made them herself.  In fact, she owned a little doughnut shop in a tourist town an hour away.  And she told me how she got started.  There was only one place in town that sold doughnuts, but they didn't make them.  Their doughnuts were delivered from the city and were a day old—at least—by the time they were served.  She opened up a little place in a converted camping trailer selling doughnuts and coffee to the tourists, but the coffee shop that had been there forever had a corner on the coffee and doughnut market, plus a primo location to catch the tourists.  She was about to call it quits, when the owner of the garden shop across the street from the coffee shop came to see her.  The garden shop and the coffee shop were in some kind of spat and the owner of the garden shop decided to invite this woman to park her trailer in their parking lot.  See, the tourist industry there was all about tulips.  People would come to see the tulips and the reason that old coffee shop was in such a good location was because the place across the street—the garden shop—sold tulip bulbs from the local growers.  People came to see the tulips, then they went to the garden shop to buy bulbs, and finally ended up across the street for coffee and doughnuts.  But coffee and doughnuts in the parking lot of the garden shop was more convenient than coffee and doughnuts across the street.  It helped that her doughnuts were better and that they were fresh.  So pretty soon all the people were crowding around her trailer for doughnuts instead of going to the old mainstay across the street.  And, of course, the coffee shop owner wasn't happy.  He went to the town council and tried to have “mobile restaurants” banned from town—an early version of today's restauranteurs trying to ban competition from food trucks.  It didn't work and this woman who'd brought her computer in eventually won the doughnut war. That's a bit like what's going on in Acts 5.  Pay attention to the fact that this is Acts 5.  This is right at the beginning of the story.  These are the days and weeks just after Pentecost.  And if Peter and James and John had gone back home to Galilee and done these signs and wonders, they would have drawn crowds just like Jesus had done there, but being so far away from Jerusalem, they probably wouldn't have drawn the ire of the Jewish religious authorities.  The Pharisees, of course, were always there scowling and scolding, but the Pharisees weren't the gatekeepers.  They were just a popular interest group.  But Peter and the other apostles didn't go back to Galilee.  They stayed right in Jerusalem.  Not only that, but Luke writes that they were meeting together in Solomon's Porch.  Solomon's Porch was a great colonnade on the eastern side of the outer court of the temple.  So the apostles would go to the temple to worship, but they would also spend their days gathered together, preaching, and doing signs and wonders in the outer court.  This was where all the people were coming and going and it was probably near the house where the serving priests lived.  It was a busy place.  The temple wasn't a church, but what the apostles were doing would be a bit like coming to church and then hanging out afterward on the front porch or in the rectory garden.  And the crowds would gather.  Some of them stopped to listen or to be healed on their way to or from the temple proper, but many people were coming just to hear the teaching of the apostles.  Many people were coming, just like they'd come to Jesus, because they'd heard that Peter and the others were casting out demons, giving sight to the blind, and healing the lame.  And I fully expect that Peter was repeating several times a day the same thing he preached on Pentecost—about Jesus fulfilling the promises of the old covenant and making a new and better one. They'd set up a doughnut stand right in front of the established coffee shop that had been there forever.  And they were selling delicious, fresh doughnuts while the coffee shop was still trying to sell day-olds delivered yesterday.  So you can understand that this raised the ire of the Jewish authorities.  The apostles weren't just tweaking the noses of some Pharisees in backwater villages.  They were—you might say—stealing customers from the religious authorities and doing so right on their front porch. And let's talk about the healings that were happening, because I've noticed that we're very, very, very, very prone to taking passages like this out of context.  It's not just that the apostles were working a multitude of healing miracles.  It gets pretty weird.  Luke says that people would even lay out their sick loved ones just so Peter's shadow would fall on them and they'd be healed.  Every last one of them, Luke seems to be saying, was healed.  The part about Peter's shadow seems kind of over-the-top.  I can't help but think of various medieval stories of people being healed by the relics of saints or people stealing Baby Jesus' diapers off Mary's washline and being healed by them.  And yet Peter's shadow isn't the only weird thing like this in Acts that we might be tempted to doubt.  Luke also tells us later in Acts that people would take Paul's handkerchiefs and use them to heal the sick. And there are people today who think that stuff like this should be the norm always and everywhere.  There are scammers sending out vials of holy water or oil as a cure-all and televangelists who will wave their jackets at a line-up of people and claim they've been healed.  And if you don't experience miracles like this in your own life or in your own church, well, they'll shame you and tell you that you lack faith.  A few weeks ago someone sent me some commentary about a new “worship” song that came out of one of those sorts of places.  The song calls for revival and courage and strength and faith, which are all good things and all things the church today often lacks, but then the heart of the song is a prayer for a new Pentecost.  They don't see the sort of miraculous happenings today that we see in Acts 5 and they think that what we need is another Pentecost.  What they're saying is that the modern church—or at least mainstream churches that don't do the things they claim to do—lack the Holy Spirit.  And I cringed.  That's no different than saying that because some Christians still walk in sin, we need Jesus to die again.  No.  A thousand times, no!  Just like Jesus death and resurrection, Pentecost has already happened.  It was a one-time event.  We don't need another one.  What we need is to live as the people, as the community, as the church born that day when God poured out his Spirit.  And, in some cases, we need to read scripture better so that we don't set unrealistic expectations.  Remember, Brothers and Sisters, miracles are acts of God, not acts of men and women.  If God wants us to see miracles, nothing is going to stop him.  If he could act through a pagan prophet like Balaam, he can act through even the most lukewarm Christian.  Maybe the problem is that we've misunderstood what God was doing through the apostles in the book of Acts. Remember that context is everything, so let's look at this story about the apostles in context.  When Jesus had risen from the grave a few week earlier, he inaugurated God's new creation.  He was the firstborn of the resurrection.  God's new life went out like a shockwave from the empty tomb on Easter.  And that new life, that new creation met the disciples of Jesus on Pentecost.  And God wanted it be clear, he wanted the world to see that in Jesus and in this new covenant people who identified with Jesus, his kingdom, his new creation was being born.  And so, first with Jesus and then with the apostles and those first believers, God did amazing things so that no one would or could mistake what was happening.  Remember the people in the gospels, people like Nicodemus who said to Jesus, “No one can do the things you do unless he's from God.”  Jesus' signs and wonders validated his messiahship.  And now, as we get into Acts, we see that God wanted to make sure that when those first Christians started telling people the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead and that new creation had begun, they had his witness, they had these signs and wonders to go along with their preaching and their actions. But it's wouldn't be like that forever.  Miracles would stop being noteworthy if they happened all the time.  We really need to pay attention to the big biblical story here.  Miracles aren't a common thing in that story.  They cluster around the times when God does something new.  Think of the exodus from Egypt.  The biggest cluster of miracles in the Old Testament is found in the Exodus: from the burning bush, to the plagues sent on Egypt, to the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh's army, to the water from the rock and the manna in the wilderness.  But it doesn't stop there.  That generation knew miracles like no other.  They saw the Lord in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, leading them to the promised land.  They knew the bronze serpent Moses raised up.  They knew the miraculous battles won for them by the Lord.  And when they marched into Canaan, the Lord dried up the Jordan.  He won their battles and toppled cities like Jericho.  And it happened so that Israel would powerfully know his goodness and his glory and then pass that knowledge to future generations.  And, too, the Lord did these thing so that the nations would take note.  The God of Israel is powerful and glorious and cares for his people.  He's unlike any other god.  But then take note: those future generations were expected to know the goodness and the faithfulness and glory of God, not through ongoing daily miracles, but through the witness of their fathers and through the scriptures.  And, too, each new generation bore in its flesh the sign of circumcision, the sign of God's covenant with them and of his faithfulness.  And every year the families of Israel gathered together and ate the Passover and participated themselves in the glorious events of the Exodus.  The Lord took his people from the witness of miracles to the witness of what we might call the common means of grace.  Miracles convinced a people who didn't know the Lord to trust and obey him.  But the covenant people who then knew him, who lived with him in their midst, who had his word, who bore his covenant sign and ate his covenant meal—they didn't need miracles to know the Lord was worthy of their trust and obedience. And, Brothers and Sisters, the Lord followed exactly this pattern in the new exodus.  Jesus' ministry and then the ministry of the apostles were full of the miraculous.  Jesus himself and then the Spirit are the evidence of God's goodness and faithfulness and glory, but as Jesus led his people—not this time into Canaan, but into his new creation—he made that new creation manifestly real as he made all the sad things of this world become untrue, as he undid the real-world consequences of sin and death and as he showed how he had defeated the devils at the cross. In the book of Acts God shows the world very dramatically what the church is—that it is the beachhead of his kingdom, his new creation in the world.  His church is the new covenant community, the temple in which he now dwells, the steward of both his Spirit and his gospel who will spread his new creation wherever it—wherever they—wherever we—go.  Acts is about God's formation of his new people. Consider that the passage just before our Epistle today is the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  It's telling that people will think miraculous healings should be everyday occurrences, but I've never heard anyone suggest that God striking down people who lie to the church should be just as ordinary.  If it were, we'd have a lot of dead faith-healers.  But we shouldn't expect that to happen.  The Lord only needed to strike down a couple like Ananias and Sapphira once.  The point isn't that this is what happens to people who lie to the church.  The point is that this one frightening miracle should—and I think it has—reverberated down through the generations with the message that God expects holiness of his people.  Acts 5 begins with that call to holiness and it makes it very plain that a church that lacks holiness, even if it isn't literally struck dead, will die.  Jesus will take away its lampstand.  We've seen that through history and we see it today.  So, after establishing that holiness is an essential characteristic of the people of God (and not, that's what much of Exodus is about as well), Chapter 5 then continues with these signs and wonders done by the apostles to back up their proclamation that in Jesus new creation has begun.  Again, the church doesn't ordinarily need miracles to show God's new creation.  We show the world God's new creation as we live the fruit of the Spirit, as we bring the reconciling power of the gospel to broken people and broken relationships, and as we work to bring things like mercy and justice and life to a sin-broken world.  But in those early days, the Jewish authorities could say that's just what they were already doing.  So God gave better doughnuts to the apostles. And that's then followed by the arrest of the apostles by the temple authorities.  They were angry because they'd set up a doughnut shop on their front porch and were stealing their customers.  Just as they'd crucified Jesus to say, “He's not really the Messiah,” they have Peter and the others arrested to send the message, “Despite their miracles, these men are frauds.  Don't believe them when they claim to be a new temple.  That's blasphemy!”  But do you remember what happened?  That night as the apostles sat in their jail cells an angel appeared, set them free, and sent them back to the temple court to keep preaching the gospel.  The next day the priests met to decide what to do with the apostles.  They sent for them to be brought from the jail and that's when the guards reported they were gone.  And that's when someone came running into the council chamber saying, “Look!  The guys you arrested and put in prison are right now in the temple preaching.” It's God, again, backing up his newly established church with miracles.  When he raised Jesus from the dead, he overturned the false verdict of Pilate and the Jews and this time he overturned the false verdict of the priests and validates the good news Peter was preaching.  And the apostles took it to heart.  They kept preaching and preaching and preaching—in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and eventually to the world—and all but John were martyred.  They were killed for their faithful proclamation of Jesus.  But they knew the same God who had raised Jesus from the dead would one day raise them.  Death had no more power over them than the demons or sickness or prison doors.  And their story was told through the generations of Christians to come: to Christians in Rome, to Christians in pagan nations, to Christians living under Communism, to Christian missionaries who gave their lives to proclaim to the good news to hostile people.  They didn't need to experience miracles first hand.  Just as Isreal knew the stories of the first exodus from Egypt, these Christian brothers and sisters knew the stories of the second exodus from sin and death.  And as Israel bore God's covenant sign of circumcision and celebrated the Passover and remembered God's goodness and faithfulness and glory, so those Christians bore themselves the sign of baptism and celebrated the Lord's Supper and not only knew the goodness and faithfulness and glory of God, but they also knew—as we should too—that we are the embodiment of God's new creation, we are the stewards of his Spirit and his gospel, we are the beachhead of God's new creation.  Miracles or not, what we need to remember is that the power to defeat the enemies of God is the power of his gospel and the power of his Spirit.  It always has been and it always will be. Let's pray: O almighty and eternal God, who gave your apostle Saint Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach your Word: Grant that your Church may love that Word, and both preach and receive it; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Skip the banter: 00:05:49 Karen Buckley had just moved to Glasgow for graduate school, ready to explore her new city and meet new people. One Saturday night, she went out dancing with friends and stepped outside the club for what should have been a brief moment. Instead, she crossed paths with a stranger who would change everything. Within hours, police would find traces of her belongings miles away, and the last person seen with her would start shifting his story. Allison tells us the rest of this story that ends in a place no one who loved Karen could have imagined. Support us and become a Patron! Over 150 bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/crimeandcoffeecouple Our Amazon Shop (stuff we like that we share on the show): https://www.amazon.com/shop/crimeandcoffee2 All our links (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Merch, etc): https://linktr.ee/crimeandcoffee Facebook Group to discuss episodes: www.facebook.com/groups/crimeandcoffeecouplepodcast/ References available at https://www.crimeandcoffeecouple.com a few days after this podcast airs. Case Suggestions Form: https://forms.gle/RQbthyDvd98SGpVq8 Remember to subscribe to our podcast in your favorite podcast player. Do it before you forget! If you're listening on Spotify please leave us a 5-star review, and leave a comment on today's episode! If you're on an iPhone, review us on Apple Podcasts please! Scroll to the bottom of the page and hit the stars ;) Ma and Pa appreciate you more than you know. Reminder: Support us and become a Patron! Over 100 bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/crimeandcoffeecouple Podcast Intro and Outro music: Seductress Dubstep or TrippinCoffee by Audionautix http://audionautix.com Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

My grandmother had a routine on Saturday nights. Before she went to bed, she laid out all her clothing including the shoes she planned to wear to church the next morning. She always attended the early service and wanted to be ready to get up and go the next morning without any delay. One Saturday night she was suddenly hospitalized. Later, Jesus called her name and she died. When my grandfather returned home from the hospital, he found her clothes laid out. She’d been prepared to go to church as well as to meet her God. My grandmother’s ritual reminds me of the wisdom of the bridesmaids in the parable in Matthew 25. In the story, Christ tells His disciples to be ready for His coming: “Keep watch,” He said. No one knows “the day or the hour” He’ll return (v. 13), so it’s wise for us to be prepared. If we wait until the last minute to prepare, we could be like “the foolish ones” (v. 3). They ran out of oil because they hadn’t prepared well, and just after they left their posts to refill their lamps with oil, the bridegroom came. We may not need to lay out our clothes like my grandmother, but her ritual demonstrated her desire to be ready for church as well as for her Savior. May we use her wisdom to be ready for the most important things in life, serving Jesus as He leads us and being ready for His return.

Hi, I'm John Sorensen, President of Evangelism Explosion International, and you're listening to Share Life Today. Has fear ever held you back from sharing your faith—even when you knew God was prompting you? Elizabeth felt exactly the same. Before receiving evangelism training, Elizabeth had the desire to share the Gospel—but fear often held her back. Like many of us, she second-guessed approaching strangers, unsure how to begin. But then she went through our evangelism discipleship training—and everything changed. She learned a simple, effective way to share the Gospel, built around two key questions. It gave her confidence and clarity. One Saturday morning, she prayed for “ripe fruit” and followed the Holy Spirit's prompting to speak to a young man. He not only accepted Christ—he came to church that same day and brought his brother, who also gave his life to the Lord! Elizabeth's confidence grew because she was equipped. And that made an eternal difference in two lives. Want to be ready when God gives you opportunities to share your faith? For resources, visit our website at sharelife.today.

Wanda had been working at a local clinic for 6 years and loved her clients and practice. One Saturday when she picked up an extra shift, something out of the ordinary happened that made Wanda feel it was best to reschedule her clients for the day. The clinic owner did not feel the same. What happened after that had us all wondering why the clinic owner handled the situation in the way he did. Listen to hear Wanda's side of the story and how she felt about the management of the clinic.2rmtsandamic.com

Episode Summary:  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subtype of depression characterized by recurrent episodes that occur at specific times of the year, most commonly during the fall and winter months. It is officially classified as a type of major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). If you struggle with seasonal depression during the winter months, know that you aren't alone, and there is help. In this episode, Jessica and I discuss managing seasonal affective disorder: what it is, how to recognize it, and practical strategies to cope with it. Quotables from the episode: Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mental health concern that typically shows up in the colder, darker winter months, linked to seasonal changes. Up to 3% of the general population is prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder. But those who are prone to depression are 10-20 times more likely to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder. Some common symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include fatigue or exhaustion, feelings of sadness, increased loneliness, discouragement, lack of motivation, decreased interest in previously enjoyable activities, change in appetite, and/or change in sleep patterns. If you've experienced more than a couple of these for more than a few weeks, you might be struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder. There are many contributors to seasonal affective disorder: Biologically, studies have proven that the changes in the amount of sunlight significantly impacts our hormones and our mood. There are psychological contributors to seasonal affective disorder: we have just come off the holidays where there's so much to do that it's difficult to maintain a consistent schedule. Often we skimp on eating nutritionally, we skimp on sleep because we need more time to get everything done. Then come January 2nd, we wonder “what now? What do I have to look forward to now?” Seasonal affective disorder can impact our ability to hear God's voice. There are examples in the Bible that if we were to apply current clinical diagnostic criteria 2000 years ago, there are several who probably would have been diagnosed with depression: Jeremiah, Job, David. The winter months look so barren. Everything appears dead, but it's not. It's a season of wintering. If the land doesn't have winter rest, the soil gets depleted. If we can look at SAD as a time of wintering and hold on to the fact that God does a mighty work even in the winter, it can give us hope and it can build our faith even when we are struggling with SAD.” During the wintering months, God is doing something even our outside environment looks like it's dead. If we focus on the fact that life feels really dark when you struggle with seasonal affective disorder, but God is our light. John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” But when we're struggling with seasonal affective disorder, it can feel like darkness has overcome us. For many who struggle with seasonal affective disorder, a light therapy lamp can be helpful because it mimics the sunshine we don't get enough of during the winter months. You can sit in front of that light for 10-30 minutes a day while you're reading, while you're doing your quiet time in the morning, or have it next to you in the kitchen where you're fixing a meal. Because seasonal affective disorder can have an impact physiologically on our body, it's important during the winter months that we are still getting time outside, even when it's not sunny. Research has shown that just taking a walk for 10-15 minutes outside significantly elevates mood. When it's too cold to get outside, you can move with the sun through your house. Sit near a sunny window. During the winter months, it's important to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D. During winter months, consider taking up a new hobby that would bring you joy. When I have too much time alone, I find myself in this weird cycle of knowing that I need to do, which is to go be by people, but not having the energy or motivation to go be by people. During the darker winter months, my daughter and I plan Saturday fun days. We made a list of things that we could do each Saturday through January and February so we'd have something to look forward to. They don't have to cost any money. One Saturday it was “Let's stay in our pajamas and watch morning movies.” One Saturday we did painting. You may not feel like you have the energy to exercise, so start small. Set a small goal of just 5 minutes, and over time you will find that that will give you more energy to exercise longer two or three days later. If you are suffering, cling to the Lord. He will guide your steps. He will walk you through this darkness. In part 2, we will be offering more practical strategies to help you cope with seasonal affective disorder. Scripture References: John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” Isaiah 43:1-3 ““Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”   Recommended Resources:  Reframing Rejection: How Looking Through a Different Lens Changes Everything By Jessica Van Roekel Sacred Scars: Resting in God's Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson  The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out to God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms   Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the Christian Literary Awards Reader's Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion 7-Day Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day YouVersion 7-Day Devotional, Today is Going to be Another Good Day Breaking Anxiety's Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety's Grip Free Study Guide Free 7-Day YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety's Grip Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor's Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Trusting God Through Cancer 1 Trusting God Through Cancer 2 Revive & Thrive Women's Conference Subdue Stress and Anxiety: Fifteen Experts Offer Comprehensive Tools in Ten Minutes a Day. Use my link plus discount code BENG99 to save $90 on course (course will be $99.) Free Download: How To Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win   Social Media Links for Host and Co-Host: Connect with Jessica Van Roekel: Website / Instagram / Facebook For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Breaking Anxiety's Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails  /  Website  /  Blog  /  Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson)  /  LinkedIn  /  Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube Co-Host: Jessica Van Roekel is a worship leader, speaker, and writer who believes that through Jesus, personal histories don't need to define the present or determine the future. She inspires, encourages, and equips others to look at life through the lenses of hope, trust, and God's transforming grace. Jessica lives in rural Iowa surrounded by wide open spaces which remind her of God's expansive love. She loves fun earrings, good coffee, and connecting with others.   Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson  

This week's free story comes from the I Am Marvel (How I Became Super) collection. It's called "Part One: An Introduction."   One Saturday morning, a seemingly ordinary husband, father, and elementary school teacher learns that he has the “mark” of a superhero. The moment he decides to rediscover lost superpowers from his youth, his eyes are opened to community of curious local folk who teach him How to Be Super.   If you enjoyed that story, there are hundreds and hundreds more where that came from. Try a Sparkle subscription now - for free. Go to www.sparklestories.com and click the button at the top that says “Start Free Trial,” then you can listen to our giant library as much as you like, anytime you like.   Each week on the Sparkle Stories Podcast, we share a free story from one of our original story series! For many many many more stories like this one, visit the Sparkle website: www.sparklestories.com Questions?  Ideas?  Requests? Email us!  info@sparklestories.com Enjoy!

One Saturday night in the 90s, Patrick Makuakāne and about 15 other hula dancers showed up to a club in San Francisco they called Old Dreamland. "It didn't feel like taking risks. Because no one was there to tell me 'what the hell are you doing?'" Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2BmMZr5 Want to listen to This is Love ad-free? Sign up for Criminal Plus – you'll get This is Love, Criminal, and Phoebe Reads a Mystery ad-free. Plus, behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal and other exclusive benefits. Learn more and sign up here. We also make Criminal and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kurt Yue was born in Beijing, China and moved to the United States with his parents when he was four years old. He spent his formative years moving around the country from Iowa to Arizona to Ohio. Unlike many actors, Kurt never dreamed of acting when he was growing up. He never participated in drama club in high school nor did he take any theater classes in college. In fact, before the age of 27, his only acting experience was a fourth grade play (in which he played a horse). Four years after graduating college with a degree in computer science and engineering, Kurt was doing business consulting as a software developer in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the "typical young professional" working nine-to-five on weekdays and hitting the bars with friends on weekends. One Saturday night, after a night of celebrating a high school buddy's return from a tour of duty in the army, Kurt and his friends were walking back to their cars when he noticed an interesting storefront. It was the Houde School of Acting - the premier acting school in Cleveland, Ohio. Since he was looking for something to do after work at the time, this really piqued his interest. Kurt decided to jot down the contact info and, the following week, he walked into his first acting class ever. With speaking roles in Fox's The Gifted, Sony's Venom andMarvel's Black Widow, Yue has appeared in all 3 Marvel Universes. Kurt is also known for his roles in Cobra Kai, The Haunting of Hill House, Dynasty, Young Rock, Preacher, Will Trent, Man in Full, Wolf Pack and Ozark.   Want to watch: YouTube Meisterkhan Pod (Please Subscribe)

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast! I can't believe we're already on episode 13. I'm thrilled to have both new and returning listeners joining us today. Thank you for your continued support! Today, I want to delve into a topic that resonates with many of us: handling triggers and practicing self-compassion. During a discussion, my client expressed frustration over feeling stuck at a particular point in her progress. She asked, “How am I supposed to remember to ask myself all these questions because I get triggered A LOT every single day?” This is a common concern, and it leads us to the heart of today's topic. Let me set the stage with a personal story. One Saturday, my daughter and I were heading to our local farmer's market. It was busier than usual, and we were struggling to find a parking spot. I spotted someone leaving and positioned myself to take their spot, but another car, just entering the lot, also claimed it. Normally, I would have let it go, but this time, I lost my cool. I opened my window and yelled, “You are what's wrong with humanity!” My daughter's comment, “I think you were both kinda rude,” made me reflect deeply on my actions.  Here's what my reflection helped me understand:  Limited Resources Amplify Triggers When basic needs (like food, shelter, money, and yes, even, parking spots) are scarce, it often brings out the worst in us. The same applies to internal resources like energy and patience. The Need to Be Right My reaction stemmed from a strong sense of justice and the need to be right. This is a common trigger that can lead to overreactions. Teaching Moments Despite the embarrassing situation, I turned it into a teaching moment for my kids about courtesy, self-reflection, and the importance of moving on gracefully. Jonathan and I highlight a few ways to understand what's happening and what you can do if you've gotten angry or upset.  Recognize and Understand Triggers It's crucial to identify who or what your triggers remind you of. The Power of Self-Compassion Practicing self-compassion involves recognizing your triggers, understanding your responses, and forgiving yourself when you react strongly. Repairing Relationships and Moving Forward When you lose your cool, it's vital to unpack the situation and find the lessons within it. Losing our cool occasionally is part of being human. What's important is how we handle these situations afterward. By reflecting on our triggers, practicing self-compassion, and taking steps to repair any harm caused, we can grow stronger and more resilient. Remember, the goal is not to be perfect but to handle our imperfections with grace and kindness. Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, keep practicing self-compassion and stay curious about your behaviors. Let's navigate our triggers together and continue striving for personal growth and understanding.   Sending you love and be well!   Connect with Us: If you have ideas for topics you'd like us to cover, please email them to hello@consciousedge.com. Follow Alecia on Instagram for Bits of Joyful Inspiration Connect with Alecia on LinkedIn Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn Check out Jonathan Wellness Advocacy  Disclaimer You can learn more about The Exponential Entrepreneur: my personal development group coaching program for established women entrepreneurs who deeply desire to confidently lead their businesses to increased impact and financial growth without burnout.    Resources: Episode 6: Why You Self-Sabotage

I remember landing in the UK at the tender age of 15, feeling utterly alone. I couldn't speak English, and my pockets were empty. The foreign streets felt daunting, but I was determined to make a new life for myself. Social services became my guide, and a kind foster family opened their home to me. Growing up in a tough neighbourhood in London, I learned resilience and the power of determination. By 16, I was on my own, facing the world with a mix of fear and bravery. Post-university life hit hard. I found myself homeless, struggling financially, but I clung to hope like a lifeline. Just when things seemed bleakest, I secured a job as an accountant. In 2017, as a typical accountant, I was responsible for managing financial records, preparing and examining financial statements, and financial planning. This led to working long hours almost six days a week, barely having time to spend with my family. This commitment came at a cost. My family life suffered, and I became a stranger in my own home. My life began to be miserable. One Saturday morning, a terrifying thought struck me: What if... Listen to full episode! So tune in at 6:30 a.m. every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and listen to a brand new episode of the Property Investing Blueprint podcast from your favorite podcast platform. Be sure to hit the subscribe button and Book a Free Strategy Call With Rahim today: https://property-investments-blueprint.co.uk/strategysession/ Follow me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BahProperties Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rahimbahproperties/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahimbah/

Jayden, Charley and Theo love fishing with their mom. One Saturday they grab their fishing poles and head to the lake. Find out what they catch in today's story, “Let's Go Fishing.”This simple story is told in the present tense and focuses on the words “want”, “pull”, “bait”, and “excited”. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2024/05/21/simple-stories-in-english-lets-go-fishing/ I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher 

As the last episode ended, I had given a quick overview of my grandfather, who was a lifelong Orthodox Jew, but was also a mystic with his own set of metaphysical understandings, especially about what was happening in modern times. Among his teachings, he used to tell us was that there are always highly evolved people living on Earth, who are here to help bring about the Divine Plan for the evolution of humanity. In the ancient tradition, such a person was called a Kal-El, which means “vessel of God.” As a brief note about that term - when I first started reading Superman comics at about age eight, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Superman's real name on his home planet of Krypton was Kal-El. I never gave it much thought and figured it must have been some kind of coincidence until several years later, when I learned that Superman had been created by two Jewish guys, Jerry Seigle and Joe Shuster. I guess they thought of him as a vessel of God doing good, so naming him Kal-El was no coincidence. Also, when it comes to comic books, surprisingly, my first introduction to the idea that human beings could evolve into a higher level of consciousness came from reading about it in a comic book. I was around twelve and I still remember the moment when the concept first hit me.    After years of being devoted to Superman and Batman, I had gotten introduced to a new company called Marvel Comics and its highly innovative, new characters began to expand the horizons of my imagination. It still featured action stories, but they dropped in some extra tidbits. Like in one episode of the Fantastic Four, there was an alien named “The Watcher,” from an advanced race of beings, who had become friends with Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four. One day, Richards wanders into The Watcher's laboratory when he isn't there and picks up a baton-like device. Suddenly he's rooted to the ground, can't move and his head begins to morph into a much larger size. The Watcher suddenly bursts in, grabs the baton out of Richards's hands and brings him back to normal. Once Richards is fully restored, The Watcher explains that the device he was holding was a “consciousness enhancer.” In those few seconds, it had moved him forward a thousand years and he had actually become a highly evolved human being of the far distant future. As a fellow scientist, he asks Richards what the experience had been like. Richards says he couldn't retain the details, but he could remember that he had become fully merged with the creative power of the cosmos and the inherent joy of being in that heightened state of awareness was indescribable.  The only thing I can say about being exposed to that idea is that it completely blew my mind. It was several years before that expression became popular, but that cosmic comic book really did it to me. If it was possible for human consciousness to evolve to a significantly higher level, as an extrapolation, I began to wonder if it were possible for me to do it. And could I do it in this lifetime? A certain ideal seemed to take root deep inside my mind, almost like a trophy had been placed on some distant shelf in time to remind me to take up the quest to approach this noble goal at some later point in my life.   Anyway, let's get back to my grandfather and his belief that the modern technologies, including television, were being used by God to expand human awareness and that there are always Kal-El's or vessels of God on earth, helping to further his work. Remember that Zayde, my grandfather, was the absolute spiritual head of our extended family and one day, to my sheer delight, he decided that the TV character, the Lone Ranger, was in reality, a Kal-El. This basically changed the workings of our family because now, whenever the Lone Ranger was on TV, my grandfather had to stop everything and sit and watch the entire episode. Whatever was happening around him, lunch or dinner, party or celebration – it didn't matter. He had to stop and watch the show. Now, this was a terrific development for me because the Lone Ranger was my favorite TV program, and if it had something to do with God, it was all the better. Because in my book, watching the show was a million times better than sitting in Hebrew school for an hour and a half. Zayde would watch each episode with total focus, and after it ended, he would give a short teaching on the moral of the story. Here's one shining example that is still enshrined in my memory. An hourlong origin special about how it all began was being shown, and we watched it together. As it started, the Texas Rangers were ambushed and left for dead by the bad guys. Tonto, the Ranger's future Indian companion, comes upon the scene, realizes that one of the Rangers is still alive, and nurses him back to health. Since he's the sole survivor, Tonto calls him the Lone Ranger. A few weeks later, they find a big white stallion lying near a bush bleeding to death, apparently gored by a bull. The Ranger and Tonto spend weeks caring for it.  Once it fully recovers, they tie a rope around its neck and lead it into an open pasture. “Your horse was killed, and now Great Spirit has given you a new horse,” Tonto says, appreciating the synchronistic workings of the universe. “He's not my horse yet, Tonto,” the Ranger replies. As they stand in the field, the horse feels its strength returning, and with its nose twitching, senses the call of the wild. The Ranger pats it on the head and slowly removes the rope. Then suddenly, he gives it a sharp slap on the rear. The horse bolts forward and breaks into a mighty gallop, charging full speed to the top of a hill.  It rears back on its hind legs, neighing in triumph, standing tall against the sky. But when it comes back down on all four legs, a change comes over it. It tilts its head to one side, and then, as though sensing a call beyond the wild, it trots back over to the Lone Ranger and just stands there next to him.  “There, there, Big Fella,” the Ranger murmurs to him, gently stroking its muzzle. Then he turns to Tonto, and in a clam voice, filled with  absolute certainty says, “Now he's my horse.”   The show went to commercial and Zayde turned to me, his face glowing like he had been staring at a burning bush. “You see?” he asked me. “It's all about free will. God will never force you. He's just waiting for you to choose to be with him. You can do it whenever you want, but it's really up to you. God's in no rush. He has all the time in the world. And more.”  Then, as always, he quoted some Hebrew or Yiddish phrase that I didn't understand. “You know what that means?” he asked me. I never did. “It's simple. ‘In the dark, you're blind. But in the light, you can see. So, stand in the light and open your eyes.'” Then he touched the middle of my forehead with his index finger. “There's a lightbulb in there. But it's up to you to screw it in and turn it on. Understand, Davy?” So, that's a brief introduction to this deeply esoteric man. Now let me tell you what happened when I told him about the incident with my dream and the disappearance of the ring. As you may recall from the last episode, I had experienced a vivid dream with my father. At the end of it, I gave him back his ring and it dissolved into white light. Then, the following morning, after my first period gym class, I was shocked to find that the ring had mysteriously disappeared out of my wallet, which I had securely locked in my locker. A few days later, during my regular weekly visit to him, I told my grandfather what had happened and he was completely transfixed. Every detail seemed to tell him something special. The fact that it took place in the lobby of the synagogue, the fact my father seemed younger and had a healthy-looking tan, the fact that he chuckled when I told him that he died and said that it wasn't real, that it was just a trick…all these things amazed and delighted him. Then, when I got to the part where the ring had dissolved into a white light which filled the room and that I felt a happy presence in the light, he got quite still and didn't move for a few moments. I didn't quite know what to make of it, so I went right into telling him how the ring disappeared out of my locker the next morning. After I finished, he seemed deeply moved. “So, understand, Davy, that you were shown a lot here, especially at such a young age,” he said. “All that you need to grasp at this point is that this life is much more than it seems to be. Try to keep that idea in the back of your mind as you grow, because take it from me, it will always be true. Now matter how much you know, there will always more to learn. That's just the way it works. As a path to infinity, it's an infinite path, and it's always more wonderful than you can ever understand, especially at your age. So, just keep opening up to it.” He broke into a warm smile and said, “It gives you a lot to think about and there are a lot of maybes here for you to consider. The ring turned into light in the dream, then it disappeared the next day in real life. Maybe that means there's a deep connection between the two realms,” he said. “Much more than most people know.” “Also, Dad said there's no death, that its just a trick God does to get people to think about him. So maybe you should give this whole thing a lot more thought. I'm sure that you will, over the years.” “And you said that you both stood there, holding the ring and it felt like a bridge between you,” he continued. “Maybe he's telling you that the bridge is real, that it's still there and that you're still connected, even beyond death. Maybe you'll always be.” “And you know what else? The ring turned into light and you felt yourself get pulled into it. What was that like?” he asked me. “It was incredible,” I said. “It had a presence that was filled with comfort and joy and I don't think I've ever been that happy.” “Exactly,” he agreed. “Maybe, that light took you into Shamayim (heaven). And maybe he wants you to remember that feeling. Remember what that taste of heaven felt like. Don't forget, the reason we came here in the first place is to find our way back home, so maybe you should enshrine that feeling in your heart. and maybe it can help you get there somehow.” “Now look, this whole thing is just like a lot of other things you run into in life. Maybe some of it was real. Maybe none of it was real. Or maybe all of it was real. Who knows? I do know one thing, though - you have the rest of your life to figure it out. And that probably won't be long enough!” His eyes were twinkling, and he gave me one of his glowing, impish smiles. He did this kind of thing all the time. He'd use the word “maybe” in the tradition of the great Talmudic teachers he'd studied for years. They don't tell you things. They just plant seeds and inspire you to help them grow. So, that's the end of what he had to say about my seemingly metaphysical experience with the dream and the ring. But there is one other quick story I'd like to add, which took place about twenty years later.  One Saturday night, I was at a big party and out of nowhere, an old friend who I hadn't seen in quite some time came over to me. He said that he'd had a strange dream recently and he needed to tell me about it. In the dream, he was in a crowd of people and a platform rose up with a stranger standing on it. The stranger looked at my friend and said, “I am David Richman's father and I want you to give him a message for me.” Then he lifted up his hand and my friend could see he was wearing a ring. Suddenly, the ring started glowing with light and the man said, “Tell David that I said to remember the ring.” Then he repeated himself. “Give David Richman this message. Tell him I said to remember the ring.” My friend finished and looked at me quizzically for a moment. “I don't know if that means anything to you, but I just felt I had to tell you.” You can imagine what an intriguing shock that experience was for me! Well, there's nothing more to add to this part of the story, so let's let this be the end of this episode. As always, keep your eyes, mind, and heart open, and let's get together in the next one.

thoughts on a day plus blessed

TIMESTAMPS:00:00:01 - Intro00:00:31 - Thank the Lord for Spring00:06:20 - G-Day00:14:01 - Row Sixty Tailgate!00:16:16 - Spring Ball00:25:26 - UGA Offense in '2400:33:54 - Young Pups00:36:31 - EA Sports College Football 2500:53:09 - 2025 UGA Schedule01:01:28 - ESPN & CFP01:04:01 - ONE SATURDAY! CORRECTIONS & UPDATES: After the recording of this episode, UGA RB Trevor Etienne was arrested on DUI charges on 3/24/24. SUPPORT OUR PODCAST: For just $5/month, you can support our podcast & unlock exclusive perks. Visit https://www.patreon.com/rowsixty & join today! CONNECT WITH US:Patreon: patreon.com/rowsixtyFacebook: facebook.com/rowsixtyInstagram: instagram.com/rowsixty/TikTok: tiktok.com/@rowsixtyYouTube: youtube.com/rowsixtyWebsite: rowsixty.comStore: rowsixty.com/storeVisit: peachstatepride.com

Dive into Steve Wilson's life story, from a traumatic childhood event to his struggles with bipolar disorder. Learn about the challenges in obtaining a correct diagnosis and the transformative impact of appropriate medication. Gain insights into the mental health system's shortcomings and Steve's advocacy work.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Key differences between bipolar I and II, enhancing mental health understanding.How childhood trauma can shape mental health challenges.The system's shortcomings and Steven's advocacy efforts.The vital role of medication and therapy in mental health management.The complexities and rewards of providing support.Valuable advice on monitoring and supporting children's mental health effectively.Episode References/Links:Steven Wilson's InstagramSteven Wilson's FacebookSteven Wilson's WebsiteTeetering on a Tightrope by Steven WilsonNAMI (National Alliance for Mental IllnessGuest Bio:Steven Wilson, a retiree in Scottsdale, Arizona, reflects on over fifty years of marriage and a family with three daughters and two granddaughters. His mental health journey, marked by a bipolar disorder diagnosis in 1978 after years of misdiagnosis and ineffective treatments, includes a challenging post-college period with suicidal thoughts and a significant stay in a mental institution. His story chronicled in his 2022 memoir "Teetering On a Tightrope: My Bipolar Journey," began as a therapeutic endeavor during trauma therapy, offering insight into his struggles and serving as an inspiration to others.  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. DEALS! Check out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox Be in the know with all the workshops at OPCBe It Till You See It Podcast SurveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates MentorshipFREE Ditching Busy Webinar  Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable Pilates Follow Us on Social Media:InstagramFacebookLinkedIn  Episode Transcript:Steve Wilson 0:00  And it became apparent to me that it's not, it's not just because automatically you become bipolar or depressed. There's a lot of reasons to go through it. And I have experienced one of those reasons.Lesley Logan 0:16  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. All right, Be It babe, I've got a different kind of episode this week. And I want to just shout, well not shout, shout out, I just want to say at the beginning, we are going to talk about mental health issues we will, my guest today is going to share a story about being assaulted as a child, suicidal thoughts. And I say it at the top because if that is something that might affect you negatively in this moment, then please save this episode for a different day. But I would really love for you to listen. This guest reached out to me and shared their vulnerable story, I'm gonna cry. It's such a beautiful episode, this person's life and journey in their mental health and then helping others with theirs, I'm gonna get it together, is nothing short of amazing. And it is something that I think is really important. I think it's really easy. I know too many of you listeners have mental health problems that you're going through, and you suffer in silence and I bet it hurts my soul. Because it can be so difficult to get help. It can be so difficult to get the help that you need, there's gonna be so much bureaucracy and tape to go through and then you may not have the financial means, energy or support to get it. And so I wanted to do this episode because I don't, I don't want to brush off that we have a mental health problem in this world. And some of you might have someone in your life who's going through something and it's affecting you as well. And you might be struggling with how to support them and yourself and protect yourself and but support them and love them and have kindness and graces. So our guest today is Steve Wilson. He's the author of an amazing book with his life story. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder two, in the 50s. And he's 75 years old and dedicating his time to helping people who need help and access to support who are going through mental health stuff. And he has been doing this for many, many years in the 90s helping kids in high schools. And so it's it's an episode I hope you listen to and I hope it inspires you and helps it gives you resources if you need them for your own mental health or if you need them to help someone who's going through something. And so let me know how this episode feels for you and share it with a friend who might need to know the information on how to help someone who's going through something and I promise I don't cry the whole time I'm just crying in the intro. It's really cool. Nothing happens like, I don't really believe in coincidences. I really do believe that people come into our lives for a reason, season or lifetime and there's some there's a reason why this guy applied and you guys with the process we have, he may not have applied, actually. And when I got to hear Mr. Tara story, and I got to hear about his life and his health right now. I made it a priority to get his episode recorded before our tour because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on the opportunity to hear it, to share it with you. So Steve Wilson, thank you so much for being you. Thank you for your story. You all, again please take care of your mental health if it's not the right time to listen to episode, but if you know someone who who needs support or you know you'll need it in the future or need it in the past. This is a great episode and we can all make a change in this world when it comes to how wherever you live in this world supports mental health and those who need it. So here is the Be It Till You See It interview with Steve Wilson.All right Be It babe. I'm just so excited when I met this man, I had immediately tried to figure out a time we can meet because he is a very special human. I feel so blessed and touched to get to know him and his life and he's going to share an incredible story with you and also some things that we all can be considering. So Steve Wilson, thank you for being a guest of the Be It Till You See It podcast. Can you tell her who you are and what you do?Steve Wilson 5:22  Hi, my name is Steve Wilson. I'm retired. I've been married for 51 years. I have three daughters and two granddaughters and I'm living in Scottsdale, Arizona. I recently wrote a book called Teetering On a Tightrope: My Bipolar Journey that outlines my entire life of 75 years suffering from bipolar disorder.Lesley Logan 5:55  Wow. 51 years of marriage, 75 years of life, three kids and a book. What? You know, I don't think a lot of people, I feel like bipolar disorder is something that people have heard about, but maybe if they haven't met, if they don't have anyone in their life who has it, they might not know exactly what it is, can you kind of explain that and then also how you got diagnosed there?Steve Wilson 6:20  Well, bipolar disease, there's actually two types of bipolar one, which is really highlighted by mania, you have depression. And then it goes into, out and out mania, which the person will think they're superhuman, they'll spend all their money, they'll buy things, though, do things that ruin their family life, and it's just all out terribleness when they crash, which they will, eventually, they look around, and their life has been ruined. Bipolar two is which I am is deep, deep depression, suicidal ideation. Sometimes suicidal attempts and sometimes suicidal, outright. The highest I ever got was called hypomania, which is a higher than what you normally would go through life with, but not as high as out out mania. Those are the two types that most people deal with.Lesley Logan 7:36  So, you know, when were you diagnosed? Steve Wilson 7:40  Well, I gotta start earlier.Lesley Logan 7:42  Okay, let's start earlier. Let's start from the beginning. Steve Wilson 7:45  Okay. When I was nine years old, in 1958, I went to a movie theater in my local town, was waiting to get a coke. And a guy came up to me and said, I thought he was an employee. And he said, do you think he could help me here in the theater? And I said,sure, I'll be glad to that'd be cool. And, unfortunately, he took me back and put me in the restroom, and raped me. Now, at that time, there was very little help. I knew nothing about that anything like that could ever happen. I blame myself for some reason, although I didn't know why. So I decided to keep it quiet. I'd never tell anybody. And I didn't for 30 years. My parents had no idea and my siblings had no idea. My schoolmates, teachers, nobody knew what I had gone through. For a couple of months, it didn't bother me too much. And then, one day, I fell into a deep depression at eight, nine or 10. And I didn't want to socialize with anybody. I thought everybody hated me. I didn't have any feelings toward anybody. It was just awful. And my schoolwork dropped like a rock. And I just barely got out of fourth grade. That was my first episode with depression. And it lasted though for a couple months. Because you got to realize that when you have Bipolar doesn't mean you have it bad every day. It kind of like goes like a roller coaster. One day you're up you might be up for two months and then you go down for a month or two months or whatever. So it's very cyclical in its nature. Sure, I got out of that first depression and felt pretty good and I had some more and in Junior High in high school and college, but I was always able to fake it with everybody. Nobody knew what I was going through and I still had a lot of good times in college especially and only time things are really bad is when they were really bad and nobody there to help me. When I got out of college things changed. I fell into a deep suicidal ideation, depression that lasted quite a while. One evening I got in a fight with my father. And the next day I was in a mental institution in Columbus, Ohio, stayed there for three weeks. I would say that saved my life. Because after I was done with getting into psychiatrists, and going through all the group therapy and things, my suicidal ideations were gone, and never came back, really. The problem was, they diagnosed me as clinically depressed. And for six or seven years, they had me take medications designed for that diagnosis, and none of them helped. And I was bad, I couldn't keep a job. They fired me or I had to sleep and couldn't go to the job or I got mad and quit. All the things went wrong. And then in 1978, six years, seven years later, they said they made a mistake. My diagnosis should be bipolar. And they prescribed lithium for me, which was the wonder drug back then. Probably still is today. And it worked very well. Now it got me about 50% better. But that's 50% I was then able to reenter the human race, get jobs and do everything. I still had some terrible things going on. One of the worst is rumination, if you know what that means. It's when your mind is completely overwritten by thoughts that just keep whirling and twirling and whirling around. And sometimes you can't shut them off. And you just got to keep fighting it. Also, I was very impetuous, I would go out I bought a new car one time because my wife was buying one. I said, hey, I'll take one too. So that kind of impulsiveness goes along with this. The ability to make smart decisions, kind of stops, you make decisions based on gotta do it now. Got to do it now. So that went on until about the year 2000. So that's 22 years. My work was gone. But there was still a lot of Yes. And then in 2000, they put me on a medication called Paxil. And since that time, I've been 80-90% of the good.Lesley Logan 13:02  Wow, 51 years of marriage, that means your you and your wife went through all this together with a kid. That's a lot in life.Steve Wilson 13:11  Yes. The worst time for her were the same times that were the worst times for me that period from getting out of the hospital till I got lithium.Lesley Logan 13:23  Yeah, thank you for sharing your whole story. So I mean, like I'm sure, there's more. But it's one of the things that can be one of the things I want to talk about on this show is, you know, there's certain we all we have these obstacles in our life, there's things that happen to us, that are outside of our control. Your being raped, outside of your control, and your bipolar disorder out of all this. And you kept going, like you kept going in this world. And I since you were able to be on lithium and then have the Paxil, and like, start to feel more like yourself. What did that allow you to do? And and what it like? How has that been able to affect your life in the life you wanted to have? Do you feel do you feel bad for the years that you miss? Like, do you wish you had them back? I guess I just have so many questions about like, what it's like to kind of feel like you don't have control over how you're feeling?Steve Wilson 14:24  Well, it's a strange thing. It's, it's like if you have a heart attack or you break a leg, when I was going through the worst years, it was terrible. But now, and during the last 20 or so years, I can't remember how bad it was which is a blessing. Okay, because if I had to wake up every day going, oh, l I knew when I did that. I know it'd be terrible. So if a person who is bipolar or depressed, takes on the challenge of getting better, and it's a lifelong challenge, there is no cure for depression, there is no cure for bipolar. But if you stick with the regimen, if you can get into serious psychiatrists, which we'll talk about in a few minutes, and you follow what they say, and you get a therapist or psychiatrist who you can be in tune with, and are ready to work, and keep going, you can have a good life. You can be very productive. Lesley Logan 15:43  I love hearing that. That gives me hope for people. You know, there's a lot, there's a lot of mental health issues out there and it feels like it feels like an uphill battle. And especially for the people around the loved ones who love the person who's going through it, it can feel also helpless and hard. Since all of this has been going on What have you been wanting to do? Is it? Is it your do you have like a mission? Do you have something that you like, been, have you been using this diagnosis to to further what you're doing in your life now? Like, can we talk about what what you've been doing these? I mean, you should be retired and enjoying life in the sunset. But you're here on this podcast. So what what's been one of what is what has this whole life done for you?Steve Wilson 16:42  My mission, as you call it really started when I still had my clothing store in Ohio, in the late 90s or mid 90s. And every Christmas, we had a big store and very busy. And so we would hire young ladies, Junior High, High School to come in and run errands and wrap packages, get things for us. And this one year, I hired this one young lady, she was very bubbly, cute, vivacious, everything about her. She was a good student starter on the basketball team in high school, and had everything going for. I thought this girl was going to go somewhere. One Saturday morning, her best friend who also worked for us, came in the store sobbing and crying and came up to me and said, and she killed herself last night. And just before that, maybe a few months before that. I had a friend who lived 100 miles from me who we went to college together. And we talked quite frequently. And he told me his son had been having problems and his son was about 16. And one day they get a phone call from the local police saying that they caught their son breaking into a house. And would they come down to the police station and get him and so they did, the kid got out of the car. He said Mom, Dad, I love you, but I can't take it anymore. shot himself in the head. Those two incidents made me realize that teenagers and remember this was 25 years ago, so think about how bad it is today, that teenagers had a lot of emotional problems. And basically, for sure back then nobody was paying any attention to them. So I decided I would offer myself the high schools and give talks about teenage depression and suicide. And at the end of each talk, I would ask the any one of the kids to come down and talk to me about what they're going through. And this one girl came down and she was the top student the top athlete pretty had everything going for him. She says Mr. Wilson, I can't take it anymore. Everybody thinks I have to be the best. My parents just driving me nuts because they want me to get into the best schools and of course I gotta get a scholarship form and she's I can't take any more. Heartbreaking. So all I could do was give her information of where she could get help. And I hope she did. I never saw her again. The next little girl who came up was same age, just an ordinary student, you'd think she's fine. She says, Mr. Wilson, I've got no friends. Everybody hates me. They bully me, they make fun of me, my parents don't like me, I want to die. I told her the same things about getting help. And again, I never got to see him again. But that really opened a door and a window for me to realize that this is really some serious stuff. And I continue to talk to classes until my wife and I moved out to Arizona in 2008. And I wanted to pursue pursue those talks I was giving to people in school. And out here, they said, you're too old. I was 60 at the time. And they wouldn't let me do it. So I decided there's got to be something else I can do. So I got in touch with a group that has mental health support groups. And I went through their training program and got selected as a facilitator. And I've been facilitating to support groups for the last eight years. It's amazing what I have found out from those people, many of them, and I do the age 18 to 80, many of them that are still suffering today are suffering because their parents or a friend of a parent, sexually abused him. Somebody else beat him up. Somebody told them how worthless they were all the time, I had kids who were locked in closets with nothing but a bottle of water for hours on end. And it became apparent to me that it's not, it's not just because automatically you become bipolar or depressed, there's a lot of reasons to go through it. And I have experienced one of those reasons. We spend a lot of time in our groups learning about each other. And in these groups, they are able to tell their story. Now it may take a month, it may take six months, or they tell their story or don't and never come back because they're scared. But one of the big things now, most of my groups are made up of people who don't have a lot of money. They may be on disability.Lesley Logan 23:01  What are the ages? What are the ages? Obviously like you're not doing in schools anymore. So like, is it as the age is just range? Are you finding that peopleSteve Wilson 23:11  Yes, big range ages. Now, I gotta say that two thirds of my, my groups and I can do, I did 16 people last night. So I could do about 30 people a week. And I've seen well over a thousand people in these years. Most of them are middle income to lower income. Struck by the inflation for today. And you know, it's really tough. Well, what's happened to our system? Well, our system never did anything. And it does less today, because they set up these what you call group homes and clinics that these people can go to, but they're woefully inadequate. It might take you a long time to get an appointment, it might take you, you might take an appointment for one week, and then you have another appointment a month later. And it's a different guy. Lesley Logan 24:17  You know, when I, so sorry to cut you off, Steve, when I, I remember I was having some really, like I was going through something in 2013 I was quite depressed in my life and like I've just been flipped over. And I had insurance I had great insurance at the time. And I was trying to find, like a therapist, and I wanted to go by a referral. Because, you know, I wanted someone that like had some someone could say that they weren't good. And everyone had a waitlist months long, or they didn't take my insurance or are like, oh, they could take me but not what like all of a sudden, like, what if I was actually like, I'm depressed but I'm not willing to leave this planet right now. What if I was you know, like, and also I had the means to I had the means to pay for it or the means to, to go to it. And not everyone has that. So I, you know, when you bring up like this system, it's really, I feel it's awful because like the people who are in who are working in those places, it's not that they don't want to help people. It's just that the system is broken. And so even if they want to help people, they're not able to help as many people as it will help them the way they want to.Steve Wilson 25:30  It's a sad situation, the number of therapists and psychiatrists is dropping around the world. The reasons are clear to me, some of them drop out because they get burnout or whatever. But the real reasons are kind of like two-fold. The insurance companies have waged war on mental health by excluding many millions of people. I want to tell you something, there are 60 million people who suffer from mental illness in this country alone. So, and it's worldwide at about that percentage so there's, it is much more prevalent than people who get serious diseases and it's just as dramatic or worse. So the insurance companies have blocked everything. Oh, yeah, you can get insurance if you pay a premium of $300 or $400 a month, and then you pay $200. You might get covered all of it, but you might not. But that's still 300 bucks a month, you take people in my group, $300 a month is whether you eat or not. And then you throw in the government. Government has virtually no desire to get involved in much of a way with mental illness. They look at people and they go are you jarring? (inaudible) They're not broken, bud.Lesley Logan 27:17  That's the thing about mental illness, it's so hard it's like, or any sort of condition that's like, hidden, you know? It's really people, if they've never experienced it, they kind of go can't you just like, can just take a pill to feel better? And it's not the it's not how it works. Even, even if you're on the right medication, even the right medication for you. It's just that doesn't fix the problem doesn't solve the issue. And it doesn't at all help the people who who may not even have access to get the diagnosis to get the medication. Are you, like, so your groups, I have a question for you in case someone's listening going, oh, my gosh, I wish I had a group. Is this like something people can just Google or are there people like you everywhere who are holding groups like this? Or is there like a facility like what, where can they search for, what do they need to search for to find a group like yours? Steve Wilson 28:12  Well, they can search for mental health support groups, Phoenix or wherever they live. They can go to major mental health resource, which is called NAMI, National Alliance for Mental Illness, it's N-A-M-I is most commonly referred to. But everything you're going to need to find out is online. The problem is that doesn't change the situation these people face. And I, as we talked about the government again, they're not doing much. And these people can't afford us. So what happens to them? Oh, I want to say one other thing. You talked about medication a minute ago. Only 50% of mental ill mentally ill people respond to the medications. So if you've got 100 people, 50 of them don't get any help from medication. So they struggle on their own. And especially if they don't have a therapist or someone to tell them. They don't realize that there are things they can do in a therapies that often is covered by insurance, such as EMDR, which is an eye movement exercise, and behavioral therapy, and intensive outpatient therapy. All these things can help if if you need them, they're there. Problem is. Most people don't know anything about them. Lesley Logan 29:59  Yeah. That's one of the reasons I wanted to have you on because I feel like anyone listening to this podcast can hear that these things exist. And whether they're the person who is going through something right now, or they know someone who is, it doesn't have to feel like you don't have to help them. We, there, we have to just find, we have to be able to use the resources that are out there. So that's really promising, because I'll be really honest, Steve, I was like, is there? Is there any hope? Is there? Is there hope for people suffering with mental health issues that, you know, don't have the means, you know, but it sounds like there's some groups.Steve Wilson 30:40  Support that is most important is from your friends, family, teachers, and anybody you feel compelled to tell them what's going on that you think will they will understand. The support is what they're giving you not answers. Lesley Logan 30:59  Okay, I like that. Steve Wilson 31:01  You want them to want to know that they're there. And if you need them, they're always going to help you. Problem is most people don't know how to interact in a mental health situation. So you have got to let the people you're talking to know, what you would like them to do what you can what they can do most. And again, as I say, it's just love them and make sure that they got housing and all that kind of stuff.Lesley Logan 31:37  Yeah, that's a thing, right? Sometimes I'll be having, I have clients who like, though, you know, they'll just be talking like the complaint about something that's going on. And this is going on, and like, you know, the person that you're upset about, they are overwhelmed. You know, like, they're, they too are overwhelmed. And I feel like we're in this place where most people want to love, and they want to be generous with time and, and resources. And yet, you know, we're living in a time, that is exhausting. And there's something going on everywhere. And it can just feel, you know, overwhelming to help the people around you. But I do think that it's important to know that it can be enough just to be there for someone and listen, and it can also be enough to love them. And, and, and let them know that that that they have support, you know, it doesn't have to be that you're, you're, you know, I had someone on many, many years ago about being like a patient advocate. And she said, you can advocate for someone as much as you have the ability to so there's a Venn diagram. And if you were to advocate more than you have time for or the ability for and means for, you're actually doing a disservice to both people. So you have to be really conscious of that. And I think for some people that can feel like they're being selfish, but like, it's really being honorable, like I have this much time or this much money or this much this. And then to give that and then you know, doing their doing your own due diligence around what's around you to help support people beyond what you can do.Steve Wilson 33:26  Now, I want to tell you something that isn't going to be easy for someone to give support, because some of these people, if they're manic, especially, they can be out of control. They can say things to you that hurt. And you want to just say shut up but you can't. And it's a very tough job to be a supporter. Lesley Logan 33:51  How do you protect yourself, Steve? Because like you are taking on so many people's stories and these groups, how do you protect your energy? Steve Wilson 34:00  I get energized by it. Because I'm out there, helping people and seeing I have done this for so long. That I have seen people, many people come from the darkest depths to having their life back. And it is really cool. Now, out of the 30 people I see how many might that be? Three, 10%? But it is really cool when they respond. On the other thing before I forget we were talking about support. I would suggest that everybody who is in a position of supporting somebody go to NAMI N-A-M-I's website and look up where you can find a class devoted especially to those caring for mentally ill people. It will open your eyes. Not only one, what you're in for. Two, how to react. Lesley Logan 35:03  That's wonderful. Thank you for that. That thank you for that tip. Because it's kind of like, you know, there's when you are someone who's been with someone's an addict in your family, there's options for help. There's groups for people who are friends or families of addicts, because it you've mentioned it, like people can say some really harsh mean things. And it's, you know, you, it's hard not to take it personally, even though it's not, you know, because words hurt. So yeah. Steve Wilson 35:38  Yeah, it can be really tough. Lesley Logan 35:41  So you are doing these groups twice a week, you are being this resource for people who are going through this. What? You know, I know, I don't, I would love to say that we could somehow help people with mental health issues sometime in my lifetime, it would be really great. But I'm also not going to hold my breath. For, we have a lot of people who have children who listen to this show. I'm wondering if you have any advice for parents of kids, because as you mentioned, the 90s those things were happening. And now we've got social media, there's all these pressures to get into all the Ivy League schools, and you have to get into the best ones. And you know, there's just there's a lot of pressure to be, I don't know, I feel like I'm so grateful. I went through high school without social media, I'm so glad no one has pictures of what I looked like then. To be really honest, I didn't have but I used to, when I was a Pilates instructor in Los Angeles, I taught a lot of teenage girls, and the things that were coming into their phones, just bullying, bullying nonstop. And the suicidal thoughts that my 11-year-old girls that I was helping were having, I can only imagine what it's like to be a parent right now. So is NAMI the only resource for them? Or do you have any, any tips for them, because you used to do all these talks for young kids?Steve Wilson 37:08  The big thing, I think, is to watch your child. Try to notice, not probing and probing and all that stuff. But try to notice if there's been changes in his life, his mood, his actions, the first telltale signs that your child might be having problems, is his overall attitude. Is he now watching one home, now they're doing these games? Does he sit there and do the games all day, every day? Have his grades dropped? Have he, is he moping around the house? Didn't none of his friends ever come over anymore? Because he never go out. You got to be cognizant of what he's doing. That's the first step. Then you've got to somehow figure out how to get him help. You can't go to him and say, son, something's wrong with you. Let's go to a psychiatrist. That'd be a lot easier. A lot of being more gentle than that. But I would say I would. Nobody watched me back then. My parents didn't have a clue. My sister didn't have a clue. And even though I wasn't sleeping in the nights and all the other things I was going through, nobody had a clue. And that's the same today. But there are just as many children with mental illness as there are adults. And the pressures, as you say, are profound.Lesley Logan 38:54  Yeah, I liked that. You mentioned those signs, because I think it's true, like kids inherently want to hang out with their friends. They don't want to hang out with their parents and if they're hanging around your house all the time. And it's hard. I love that you also said like, don't go probing and like, tell them what you're gonna do. Because it's also that's just more pressure. You know? One of my, one of my client's mom, she was just like, I know, it was so hard for her, watching her daughter go through these things and have these thoughts and continue to be an open space of support. You know, she was definitely going through her own therapy to figure out like how to say what to say how to react to things so that she wasn't adding to all the things that were going on with her daughter and it was just it takes it's a lot and if you are if you also have a job. You also you might even have your own mental health stuff, it can be even more exhausting. I think we have to just continue to have kindness and space and grace for ourselves and also for others and and I think the more we recognize that mental health is a real, is a real thing we'd be paying attention to and it's actually like, very precious, you know, I think that can actually help, you know, the more we realize that like, because I think sometimes people just like they blame themselves. Why do I feel so tired? Why do I feel so down? Why am I so hard? But why am I so negative? And then they just pile on more stuff with themselves, when it might be, you know, an imbalance in their bodies that has nothing to do with with them. It's everything to do with them, but it's not their fault. Steve Wilson 40:32  Yeah, they're gonna people gonna realize that. It's kind of like, Why do I have diabetes? You didn't create the diabetes, your genetics created the diabetes, your diet, all these things created it. Well, with mental illness. It's a chemical imbalance in your brain. It is genetics. Definitely. It runs big time in my family. And you can't blame yourself. You just got to spend your time working on yourself and getting through this and enjoying life. If I had to live for 75 years the way I did in the 20 I mean when I was in my 20s, I wouldn't be here. It's no way. Show I got the help I needed. And I stuck with it.Lesley Logan 41:26  Yeah, Steve, I'm so glad you're here. Before we get close to the end. Is there anything else that you wanted to share with our listeners today?Steve Wilson 41:37  Well, of course, I want to talk about my book. Lesley Logan 41:38  Let's talk about your book.Where can people, can people buy it anywhere?Steve Wilson 41:44  Pardon me?Lesley Logan 41:44  Where can people buy it? Steve Wilson 41:46  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, it's available someplace I never even heard of. So I can't even know what they are. I don't know any of this stuff. Lesley Logan 41:55  Remind me the name of it again. Steve Wilson 41:58  Teetering On a Tight Rope: My Bipolar Journey. It actually came about because just about four years ago, I still had some lingering things that troubled me, even though I was feeling pretty good. So I went to a trauma therapist. Now they're different than just everyday therapy. And what she did for me, was took me back to my first memory. And then over several months, went through my life in chronological order, all the way up until the we were at four years ago, we got done. She said she's gonna write a book about it, look at all this stuff in there. And so I had been a sports writer for a little while. And so I knew something about writing. So I said, what the hell do it. Now it was easy, because I had everything in my mind. I didn't have to research anything or anything. Still, it took about a year and a half to write it, not working all day, every day. And then the publishing process is very long and tiresome. It finally came out in 2022. I have not heard how it's doing. Which means leads me to believe it's lingering. So why I wrote the book was for so many people to get an idea of how someone can suffer with mental illness.Lesley Logan 43:40  Yeah. I think it's something we need to know so that we can have grace for people who are suffering. It's really hard to help people whose stories you don't understand if you've never experienced it.Steve Wilson 43:55  Stigma against mental health in the world is terrible. They think it's mean somebody's got a lock up and put him in a straitjacket. And that's the only way he should live. But even though those thoughts were more prevalent, 50 years ago, they're still with us today.Lesley Logan 44:10  Yeah. They are. I'm glad you wrote your book. And I'm really grateful that we met. Because I think it's these are conversations they're not this is not and there's nothing sexy about this episode, guys. You know, like, it's but it to me, it was just so important to have this conversation because the longer we decide to ignore that mental health is an issue in our societies, no matter where you live on this planet, more people will suffer. And their suffering isn't only for the it's not just themselves it affects everyone around them. And sometimes people come into the crosshairs of someone who has mental health issues that didn't even know them, you know. So I just think it's really, really important. So we're gonna take a brief break, I'm going to then ask, make sure we get all the links for where your book is and how people can find you. And then I have one more question for you at the end. All right, Steve. So you have your book. And that is available on Amazon. Barnes and Noble, you just search for it. Is there anywhere else you want people to connect with you?Steve Wilson 45:25  On my website. I'm on Instagram. Lesley Logan 45:31  Check you out. Steve Wilson 45:35  On Facebook. Lesley Logan 45:36  Well, you you are older than my dad, and he's on none of those things.Steve Wilson 45:42  Tell you the reason I'm on it is because I had to hire somebody to tell me how to do all this.Lesley Logan 45:48  Okay, so Steve, your website. What's your website? And then is your Instagram account on there? We can put all this in the shownotes.Steve Wilson 45:56  Okay. My website. Do you have it? Did I send it? Oh, I did send it to you? Lesley Logan 46:02  Yeah, you probably did. We can put it on there. Steve Wilson 46:04  Yeah, I sent them all to you. Lesley Logan 46:05  Okay. Well, we'll put it all in the show notes. Okay, my last amazing question for you is this. You've given us so many action items already told us about NAMI and things like that. But if you have anything else, that's I like to leave people with an action step at the end, if they've been inspired by your story, a bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted step people can take to be it till they see it. Do you have any advice for us?Steve Wilson 46:30  Yes, it's a terribly long journey ahead to get mental health drawn out of the dark ages. But if we don't start now, it's never gonna happen. The government isn't going to do it without some beating on 'em. Insurance companies are gonna fight like hell not to do it. But you know, there's so many people in this country who are suffering, if they all just did something, wrote their congressman or fought with their insurance companies. And we'd learn how to do it as a group, we could start getting some things done, it will not conclude and get a lot better in my lifetime. I doubt if it gets really good in your lifetime. This is mainly for those kids coming back, back of us. The last thing I'd like to point out is that if you are suffering from mental illness, don't give up. There's always hope. There's always a chance, you're gonna have a better life. But you can't do it alone. And you can't give up at any time. Lesley Logan 47:52  Yeah. Steve, I'm blessed to know you. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for encouraging us to act. You guys. We'll put the U.S. phone number for Congress in the show notes because Brad and I actually know it by heart. But if you are outside the U.S., you know you do have representation, you should let them know what you would like them to be representing you on. Thank you so much, Steve. And everyone, please share this with someone who needs to hear it. The more people who hear this, the more people we can put pressure on them. The more ways they can get help where it's needed, mental health is not going to go away and we all need to be doing it together. And so let us know how this episode affected your life. And until next time, Be It Till You See It.That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day.Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @Be It Pod. Brad Crowell 49:28  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 49:33  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co. Brad Crowell 49:38  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music, and our branding by designer and artist Gianfranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan 49:45  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals. Brad Crowell 49:48  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time. Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

My roommate's boyfriend takes care of my needs.by Ginger_Sun. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.I had been on a single stint for a while. It had been over a year since having any sexual pleasure from a man. During that time, I watched my roommate have visits from her boyfriend on a weekly basis.One Saturday, my roommate and her boyfriend were out on a date. I was in the living room watching a movie when they got back in. They sat down and joined me. Seeing them on the couch flirting with each other, knowing they were going to get frisky later, in one sense made me jealous and in another turned me one a bit.My roommate excused herself to the bathroom. We kept watching the movie without talking. I glanced over to catch him staring at me chest. First, I was a bit annoyed, but then I looked down myself and saw my nipples poking through. I had not been wearing a bra sitting around and getting a bit turned on had made them hard. I blushed and looked back at him with a brief smile before turning away. My roommate then returned, taking him away to her room.On this evening, they were getting it on and got particularly loud. I turned down my TV volume so I could listen in as they each moaned in pleasure. This made me extraordinarily horny.After they finished, I turned the TV back up and eventually fell asleep on the couch. Later in the night I woke up, still horny with my pussy throbbing for attention. I went into my own room and pulled my bullet vibe out of my drawer and started rubbing it around on my lips. I could not help but start to moan a bit myself as juice started to run down my leg.I heard the hallway bathroom door open and quickly went quiet and rushed to turn off the vibrator, hoping my roommate had not heard me. The footsteps were gone and I thought she had made it back to bed. But then I heard my bedroom doorknob start to turn.Her boyfriend peaked in. I blushed even though he could not see me in the dark. But then he asked, “Can I help you with that?” He must have heard the vibrator!I was so horny, all I could do was nod my head yes. He quietly closed the door behind him and walked over to my bed. He picked up my vibrator, turn it on, and pushed it up inside me. “Yeah, you are wet. Let me take care of that.”With the vibrator up inside me, he stroked his fingers on the outside of my night shirt. My nipples became rock solid. Then he began to message my breasts. I started to moan a bit again, but he put his finger over my lip reminding me we needed to be quiet.The secrecy of getting it on with my roommates boyfriend along with the stimulation of the vibrator inside me was getting me very turned on. My pussy was begging for more.I put my hand on his crotch and could feel he was rock solid inside his pants. I began rubbing on the outside to tease him. He gave an approving smile and turned up the vibrator to show his appreciation. I unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his cock. It was much larger than I expected. My roommate had found a treasure toy for sure. I rubbed it in my hands imagining what it would feel like inside me.He then ran his hands down from my breasts along my stomach to my clit. It was very swollen. The vibrator inside me, my hand on his cock, and his fingers on my clit was almost more stimulation than I could take. I had to close my eyes and concentrate on breathing. My body started shivering.I did not even notice that he had removed the vibrator until I felt his tongue stroke my pussy. I had not been eaten out in a long time. My body quivered each time as he stroked up and down. I could feel the juices running down as he graciously licked them up.When I started to breath heavy, he let up and rolled me over onto my stomach. I felt my legs spread and then he slid inside me. “That's what I remember,” went through my mind.I felt him slowly thrust in and out. The angle had his penis pressing right on my g-spot. With each revolution, I could feel myself swelling slightly more. My body finally released with pleasure exploding in orgasm, screaming into my pillow to keep quiet.He then dismounted. I turned around, grabbed his cock again, and stuck it in my mouth. I wanted to taste his cum. I sucked until he gave it to me.When he was done, he quietly put his clothes on, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and left without either of us saying a word.Neither of us ever told my roommate. And we never did it together again. But I am thankful for him filling my time of need.by Ginger Sun for Literotica.

As Richard studied the Bible and attended a small church, he felt infused by the Holy Spirit. He was drawn to read the Bible, and returned to prayer. He says, after 10 years, his heart turned back to Jesus. That's where love was, that's where peace was. He felt home and prayed for God to show him what he wanted him to do. Please pound me on the head, he prayed, so I can make sure to hear it. Every week at church, his friend Danny said “Hey, I just saw this 17-minute video testimony of an LDS missionary that came to faith in the Jesus of the Bible. You might want to make a movie about this. Promise me you'll watch it.” Richard had no intention of watching it and avoided doing so for weeks. The last thing he wanted to do was make another movie about Mormonism! One Saturday night he knew Danny would ask him about it again at church in the morning, so he found the video on YouTube and watched it. He was powerfully moved, overcome with emotion. “Really [God]?! You want me to make a movie about a Mormon missionary who becomes a Christian?!” Soon after, Richard boarded a plane to Winter Garden, FL, to meet that young man with the 17-minute testimony. His first night there, sitting by the fountain in downtown Winter Garden, he just KNEW this was what he was supposed to do; the Lord had been preparing him his whole life. He moved to Florida, researched those involved in the story, and wrote a movie script titled Jesus is Enough. Richard is currently seeking funding to produce the movie. His heart is to help others know why Jesus is Enough.

While scouring the Sonoran Desert for objects left behind by migrants crossing into the United States, anthropologist Jason De León happened upon something he didn't expect to get left behind: a human arm, stripped of flesh. This macabre discovery sent him reeling, needing to know what exactly happened to the body, and how many migrants die that way in the wilderness.  In researching border-crosser deaths in the Arizona desert, he noticed something surprising. Sometime in the late-1990s, the number of migrant deaths shot up dramatically and have stayed high since. Jason traced this increase to a Border Patrol policy still in effect, called “Prevention Through Deterrence.” First aired in 2018 and over three episodes, Radiolab investigates this policy, its surprising origins, and the people whose lives were changed forever because of it. Part 2: Hold the Line After the showdown in court with Bowie High School, Border Patrol brings in a fresh face to head its dysfunctional El Paso Sector: Silvestre Reyes. The first Mexican-American to ever hold the position, Reyes knows something needs to change and has an idea how to do it. One Saturday night at midnight, with the element of surprise on his side, Reyes unveils ... Operation Blockade. It wins widespread support for the Border Patrol in El Paso, but sparks major protests across the Rio Grande. Soon after, he gets a phone call that catapults his little experiment onto the national stage, where it works so well that it diverts migrant crossing patterns along the entire U.S.-Mexico Border. Years later, in the Arizona desert, anthropologist Jason de León realizes that in order to accurately gauge how many migrants die crossing the desert, he must first understand how human bodies decompose in such an extreme environment. He sets up a macabre experiment, and what he finds is more drastic than anything he could have expected. Special thanks to Sherrie Kossoudji at the University of Michigan, Lynn M. Morgan, Cheryl Howard, Andrew Hansen, William Sabol, Donald B. White, Daniel Martinez, Michelle Mittelstadt at the Migration Policy Institute, Former Executive Assistant to the El Paso Mayor Mark Smith, Retired Assistant Border Patrol Sector Chief Clyde Benzenhoefer, Paul Anderson, Eric Robledo, Maggie Southard Gladstone and Kate Hall. EPISODE CREDITS:  Reported by - Latif Nasser with help from - Tracie Hunte Produced by - Matt Kielty with help from - Bethel Habte, Latif Nasser EPISODE CITATIONS: Art: Jason de Leon's latest work is a global participatory art project called Hostile Terrain 94 (https://zpr.io/dNEyVpAiNXjv), which will be exhibited at over 70 different locations around the world in 2020.  Read more about it here (https://zpr.io/uwDfu9bXFriv).     Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.Leadership support for Radiolab's science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Kirby Smart has made an announcement for the 2023 szn, and it's that Carson Beck will be the starting Quarterback for the University of Georgia. Most of us thought that this would be the case, but the work is just starting for Beck and he still has a lot to prove. The same can be said about positions on the offensive line and the cornerback position, so the work continues as we are only ONE Saturday away from kicking off between the hedges. Go Dawgs!

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English terms BINGE-WORTHY and PAGE-TURNERIn this rainy day English lesson I'd like to help you learn the English term binge-worthy. This is a term we use to describe a TV show that's so amazing, you watch episode after episode until you've watched a whole season, maybe in one night or one weekend, maybe there's eight episodes in a season and you watch them all on one night. One Saturday night you sit down and watch all of them. We would certainly say that that show is binge-worthy. It's worth binging. Binging is when you, when you binge on food you eat a whole bunch of food at once. When you binge on a TV show, you watch a whole bunch of it at the same time, or one after another. So if there is a TV show that you love and you have it on a streaming service where you can watch one episode after another, we would say it is binge-worthy. And you might even tell a friend, "Oh you should watch this show, it's binge-worthy."WANT FREE ENGLISH LESSONS? GO TO YOUTUBE AND SEARCH, "BOB THE CANADIAN"If you enjoy these lessons please consider supporting me at: http://www.patreon.com/bobthecanadianThe other term I wanted to teach you today is the term page-turner. We use this to refer to a book that's really, really good. If you are reading a book and it's so good, you're just turning pages one after the other as quickly as possible and reading as fast as you can, we say that it is a page-turner.So to review, if you're watching a TV show and when you're done watching one episode you click play to watch the next one right away, we would probably say that that show is binge-worthy. And if you're reading a book and you can't put it down, you are just reading it as fast as you can, we say that it is a page-turner.But hey, let's look at a comment from a previous video. Oh, it's stuck in my pocket. The papers are a little wet 'cause it is raining a bit right now. This comment is from Daniel. "I really like to shop online because oftentimes prices hit rock bottom and I'm able to buy many things I need. Thanks for the lesson teacher Bob." And my response, "I like getting an email alert when something is on sale."So yes, it is fun to shop online. You can often get really, really low prices, and sometimes I will sign up on a website, on a shopping website and say "Hey, send me an email when this particular item goes on sale." So thanks for the comment, Daniel.I want to show you that I've been sitting in the house waiting for the rain to stop. Once again, I have on my rubber boots. So you can see here that the driveway has a lot of puddles. You can probably also see maybe a little bit that it's wet out here. Probably better if we look over here. You can hear me splashing through the puddles but you can actually see the water running down the driveway a little bit here, it is awesome. We have had a few days of rain here. We've actually had enough at this point. If it was to stop raining, I would be fine with that, but we weren't expecting this little extra bonus rain. We had already received some rain yesterday. We received some rain this past Saturday. And so this is, I would just call this bonus rain, the soil still had the ability to absorb this rain so it's not like we've had too much.And if the sun wanted to come out now that would be awesome and fine with me. But once again, as a farmer, you can't really predict these. I think the sun's coming out right now. Oh, well look at that. I can't really shine my camera up there but there's just a small hole in the cloud and the sun came out. I guess maybe I can command the weather now. No, I'm just kidding, I can't do that. Anyways, nice big puddles. Everything is very, very happy. Flowers and crops are going to grow well over the next Support the show

This week's free story comes from the I Am Marvel (How I Became Super) collection. It's called "Part One: An Introduction."   One Saturday morning, a seemingly ordinary husband, father, and elementary school teacher learns that he has the “mark” of a superhero. The moment he decides to rediscover lost superpowers from his youth, his eyes are opened to community of curious local folk who teach him How to Be Super.   If you enjoyed that story, there are hundreds more where that came from. Try a Sparkle subscription now - for free. Go to sparklestories.com and click the button at the top that says “Start Free Trial,” then you can listen to our giant library as much as you like, anytime you like.   Each week on the Sparkle Stories Podcast, we share a free story from one of our original story series! For many many many more stories like this one, visit the Sparkle website: www.sparklestories.com Questions?  Ideas?  Requests? Email us!  info@sparklestories.com Enjoy!

Episode 426 – It Gets Easier   Today we have Jeffrey, he is 35, from Monument, CO and he took his last drink on July 23, 2022.   Registration is open for our flagship annual retreat held in Bozeman, Montana, this upcoming August 9th – 13th.  This event is all about having fun, connecting, and learning the tools needed to be successful on your Alcohol-Free journey. You can find more information here!   [02:16] Thoughts from Paul:   Paul shares that he recently attended an AA meeting where a member celebrated 40 years of sobriety. One thing he took away from this is that it will naturally get easier the more time away from alcohol you have and the more life experience you get. It is also helpful to focus not on the destination, but the journey itself.   There is a YouTube channel that Paul watches where the host, Michael, showcases some of the most scenic railways in the world. Michael also shares similar views about the destination vs. the journey. Here is the link to one of his videos documenting the scenic Amtrak train route from Denver to Winter Park Ski Resort.   When we realize that hard days are a part of life, and that hard days are a part of an alcohol-free life, things get easier. With each conscious breath we take, things get easier. If you are struggling, on day one or day zero, Paul's message to you is that this journey will get easier if we embrace it and we don't do it alone.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [09:38] Kris introduces Jeffrey:   Jeffrey is 35 from Monument, CO, he does apartment maintenance for a living, he is single and has one dog and two cats. For fun, he plays Magic the Gathering and is trying to get back into reading, specifically mental health and self-help type material.   Jeffrey was a loner growing up, but his sister's social network became his as well. In high school, they would invite him to parties where there was lots of heavy drinking. It was a weekly event for him and his friends to scrape up money to have an older friend purchase 40's for them to drink.   He went into the job corps program when he was 20. He wasn't allowed to drink, and he went nearly a year without alcohol and didn't really feel it was a loss. When he came back home from that he picked drinking back up and was drinking daily but didn't feel it was excessive. Jeffrey was questioning his drinking and was able to quit again for another year but realizes now he didn't have the recovery mindset, he was just doing it because he felt it was a spiritual issue.   At that point he felt he had had enough of a break and could allow himself to drink again. Aside from a few isolated negative events, Jeffrey was able to drink without much consequence for quite a while.   Jeffrey's drinking started to escalate and saw him shifting from social drinking to eventually needing it in order to feel normal. He says that drinking was part of the culture at the hotel job that he had. Once he started a new career, he knew he needed to stop the daytime drinking. That lasted some time, but eventually the anxiety became out of control to where Jeffrey had to use alcohol to help him feel normal and function. After his family left him, he was really spiraling out.   One Saturday morning he woke up to some family members coming into his home. They had organized an intervention and had everything set up for him to be able to go to rehab. He agreed to just go and says it changed everything for him.   He committed to 30 days but stayed longer. Jeffrey feels that he gained a lot of skills for recovery and life through DBT and CBT treatment. The focus on core beliefs really helped him.   Since getting in recovery, he is healing his relationships and making friends. Jeffrey feels that living is possible for him now.     Cafe RE  Use the promo code OPPORTUNITY to waive the set-up fee. Recovery Elevator YouTube Sobriety Tracker iTunes    Recovery Elevator The only way out is through I love you guys

BIO: Susan Frew is a renowned entertaining, and value-driven speaker and thought leader. She has coached hundreds of companies and non-profits to great success.STORY: Susan left an unsupervised employee in charge of her coaching practice. This employee left her with a million dollars in debt.LEARNING: Trust but verify every single employee. Get on-time and accurate monthly financial statements. Put in place metrics of accountability. “Get your own mail. If I had been getting my mail, this wouldn't happen.”Susan Frew Guest profileSusan Frew is a renowned entertaining, and value-driven speaker and thought leader. She has coached hundreds of companies and non-profits to great success. Susan and her husband, William, grew their trade business by 535% in just one year by creatively using seven deceptively simple tools coupled with some good old-fashioned elbow grease. As a result, Sunshine Home Services now boasts a coveted spot on the INC 5000 List as one of the INC Best Places to work.Worst investment everSusan's husband started a plumbing business while she was running a coaching practice. Her husband's business grew so much that she decided to leave her practice and join him.But with time, Susan started speaking again and got busier and busier. She was traveling a lot for her speaking engagements. So she had to leave the practice to an employee to manage it while she was away. The mistake she made was to advocate and dump all the work she didn't want to do on the employee instead of delegating strategically. She also didn't have the proper supervision in place. This employee was allowed to get Susan's mail, use her credit card, and access her bank accounts and other accounts.One Saturday, Susan got a knock on her door, and it was the postman with a letter saying that she owed the IRS $498,000 in taxes and fees. She also had a $209,000 fine for not supervising her employee.Susan had put her employee on a Pay Plan, which she thought was genius at the time. The employee would get a bonus every month if she stayed on budget. Her way of staying on budget was to short the bills. So if, for instance, the practice owed the IRS $5,000, she'd pay $4,000. What she didn't realize was that the IRS would eventually match up the W2s with all the 941 deposits and signature sheets Susan would submit.Peeling back the onion even further, Susan found out that the employee had used her tire account to buy tires for the cars of everyone in her family. She'd use one of Susan's gas cards to fill her car. She even bought tools at the local parts store on Susan's account. On adding up all these purchases, Susan was a million dollars in debt.Lessons learnedTrust but verify every single employee and put in place metrics of accountability.Don't dump your work on someone else; instead, delegate strategically.Don't take yourself too seriously.Have an outside bookkeeper who has no emotional attachment to your office manager and is a very strong taskmaster.Exit before it tanks.Andrew's takeawaysGet on-time and accurate monthly financial statements.When you make a mistake, be vulnerable with a small group of people you trust and then move on.Ultimately, profit solves so many problems. So focus on building profit for your business.Actionable adviceHave a proper understanding of your financials and watch that money.Susan's recommendationsIf

It is no accident that Vinny Baratta's career has been in the medical field. Vinny's dad was a physician as were his dad's 4 brothers. The five MDs practiced medicine together in the Baratta Medical Center, becoming quite prominent in NY and a local business success. Vinny is the oldest child of 4 and the oldest grandchild of 18, many whom are in the medical profession.  He attended La Salle Military Academy and graduated from the University of Tampa with a BS in business. Torn between becoming a doctor or going into business, he went to work in the Baratta Medical Center to find his way. One day in 1982, a patient came in with a broken wheelchair and Vinny fixed it. Shortly thereafter, Vinny decided that his calling in life would be to help disabled persons in need of products and services. In 1983 Vinny opened a home medical equipment (HME) company. This sales company quickly became a success - the first of several which he built sequentially. Yet Vinny recognized something was missing from the HME sales business model.After 34 years, Vinny conceived of a new model HME. He chose to construct a medical equipment repair, rental and sales business, focused on helping people increase their quality of life and independence. He recognized that the best way to reach people across America was to franchise business locations across the country. That is the Mobility City's “Win-Win” philosophy.In 2018, Vinny and Diane awarded their first Mobility City franchise, and within 3 years they reached 51 franchises awarded across America. Today, Mobility City franchises concentrate on courteous service, repairs, rentals, and sales of mobility equipment. Vinny and Diane are not done as their reach now covers 100 million Americans; and there are another 240 million in America to finish this journey. And an incredible part of this story is how Diane and Vinny crossed paths well before they were building this franchise business together.In 2015, Vinny's store was always open on Saturdays. One Saturday at around 3 pm, a woman called and asked for help; her husband's scooter was broken, and he was dependent on it. “I told her that repairing mobility products is what we do. My technician went to her home the same day, and we changed the batteries in her husband's scooter. He was mobile and independent again and she was a satisfied customer. Later, in 2016, on a dating website I met Diane. During dinner conversation, we discovered that our paths had already crossed! Yes, it was my company that went to her home, and gave back mobility to her late husband. As we spoke, we learned that we had many things in common. We fell in love and got married! Later, in 2017, we both recognized that Mobility City was for franchising” Said Vinny. Have you heard the news?  We are officially on YouTube.  Come check out a few videos have have and give me a follow!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoAdrkPZmveJt5AQRDk8WA---Lance GraulichFranchise Consulting Services from ION FranchisingEye On Franchising

One Saturday night back in 2016, a post was made on Orlando's Pulse nightclub Facebook page at 2:09 AM, which read: "Everyone get out of pulse and keep running." The urgent message gave no context of what was happening, but within the next few hours, it was learned the nightclub had become a scene of one of the deadliest mass shootings in the history of the US. Subscribe and share 10 Minute Murder with your true crime loving friends. Connect on social media to know when new episodes are released and to see visuals that go along with the episodes. https://linktr.ee/10minutemurder Click Here for Merch : https://www.teepublic.com/user/minute-murder Facebook: https://facebook.com/10MMpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10minutemurder/ Tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRBEFtUg/ Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCkJLUCEZlkn9In3AA46RVxw Twitter: https://twitter.com/10minutemurder Submit future episode story ideas: 10minutemurder@gmail.com