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7 takeaways from this study Take sin's consequences seriously, but not hopelessly. The study shows that sin always carries real liability before God. Yet God also provides a concrete, legal way for that liability to be transferred and paid, ultimately in Messiah's sacrifice. See forgiveness as removing penalty, not erasing history. Forgiveness does not make the past unhappen. It removes the ongoing penalty and relational barrier. That frees you to walk in restored fellowship without denying what actually occurred. Let the cross shape how you forgive others. When you forgive someone, you are choosing to absorb or release the consequence instead of demanding repayment. That mirrors how God transfers and resolves guilt through sacrifice, rather than pretending there was no offense. Treat holiness as contagious in both directions. In Torah, impurity can contaminate, but consecrated blood can also sanctify what it touches. Your choices and habits either defile or “set apart” spaces, relationships, and communities. Live as someone whose presence should make things cleaner, not dirtier. Recognize there are sins with lasting vocational impact. Ezekiel 44 shows that some betrayals of trust permanently limit a person's role, even if God spares their life. Practically, guard positions of spiritual influence and leadership with extra caution; some lines, once crossed, cannot be fully “undone.” Rely on a living Mediator, not a past event alone. Messiah's death was once-for-all, but His ongoing intercession is present-tense. In prayer and repentance, think of coming to a living High Priest who actively applies His already-finished work to you now. Connect atonement with real-life change. If Messiah carried your penalty, then persisting in the same sin ignores the cost paid. Let gratitude for that legal-cleansing drive concrete changes in behavior — how you use your time, your body, your money, your words. The Torah does not hide the failures of its central human figures. Moses killed an Egyptian. Aaron participated in the sin of the Golden Calf. Israel repeatedly defiled itself through rebellion and idolatry. Yet Scripture consistently presents HaShem1Hebrew for “The Name,” a circumlocution for the ineffable name of the Holy One of Israel as the One who provides the means by which imperfect people may draw near to Him. From the consecration of Aaron in Leviticus, to Ezekiel's vision of purified worship, to the priesthood of Messiah in Hebrews, the same pattern emerges repeatedly: judgment, atonement, sanctification, covenant relationship, and ongoing mediation through God's appointed means. We’ll focus especially on how guilt transfers in sacrificial law, why blood is central to atonement, how priestly authority functions, and why resurrection becomes essential to the eternal priesthood of Yeshua. Moses as surrogate priest in Aaron's inauguration Leviticus 8 records the actual inauguration of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. Exodus 29 had already outlined the ceremony in advance. In Leviticus 8:1–3, HaShem commands Moses: “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread, and assemble all the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting.” Leviticus 8:1–3 NASB95 Something unusual immediately appears in the text: Moses functions as the officiant for the consecration ceremony. He washes Aaron and his sons, clothes them, anoints the tabernacle and altar, offers sacrifices, applies blood, and even receives portions normally associated with priestly service. Yet Moses himself is not formally part of the Aaronic priesthood. Scripture identifies him primarily as a prophet and covenant mediator (Deuteronomy 18:15). He belongs to Levi, but God did not appoint him to serve as an ongoing priest within the normal Levitical structure. This creates an important theological tension. Exodus 2:11–12 records that Moses killed an Egyptian and hid the body. Later Torah legislation prescribes death for murder (Numbers 35:16–21). Moses never undergoes a formal legal execution for that act. From a strict covenantal standpoint, he carries unresolved death liability. Aaron likewise carries severe covenant guilt. In Exodus 32, he fashions the Golden Calf, builds an altar before it, and participates in Israel's idolatrous worship (Exodus 32:1–6). Torah law later prescribes death for idolatry (Deuteronomy 13:6–10; 17:2–5). Deuteronomy 9:20 notes that Moses interceded specifically for Aaron so that HaShem would not destroy him. Thus, the two central human figures involved in inaugurating Israel's priesthood are themselves compromised sinners. From a human perspective, this seems paradoxical. Ordinarily, the greater consecrates the lesser. Yet Moses—the younger brother, a man with bloodguilt in his past—is appointed to consecrate Aaron, who himself had led Israel into idolatry. The Torah intentionally forces the reader to ask a deeper question: how can flawed mediators stand before the Holy One at all? The answer is not human worthiness. The answer is divine appointment, covenant mercy, and sacrificial atonement. The bull, the laying on of hands and the transfer of guilt The consecration ceremony begins with a חַטָּאת khatat — a sin offering. Before priestly ministry could begin, there first had to be cleansing and atonement. Leviticus 8 describes three primary sacrificial animals: A bull for the sin offering A ram for the burnt offering A second ram for ordination The bull receives particular emphasis. Aaron and his sons lay their hands upon the bull's head: Then he presented the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. Leviticus 8:14 NASB95 This act reflects a broader Torah pattern found throughout Leviticus (Leviticus 4:4, 15, 24, 29; 16:21). The Hebrew verb used is סָמַךְ sāmakh, meaning “to lean upon,” “support,” or “lay upon.” The gesture symbolizes identification and transfer. Importantly, the Torah does not present this as a transfer of the historical act itself. The sin remains a real event in the past. Murder still occurred. Idolatry still occurred. The act cannot be undone. Rather, what transfers is the liability, consequence, or judicial penalty associated with the offense. The sinner does not cease to have committed the sin. Instead, the sacrificial victim symbolically bears the consequence that justice demands. This pattern resembles interpersonal forgiveness. When one person forgives another, the offense remains historically real, but the offended party relinquishes the ongoing claim of vengeance, estrangement, or penalty. In the sacrificial system, the animal becomes the substitute bearer of covenant liability. The Torah therefore demonstrates that reconciliation with God requires more than sentiment. Sin carries objective consequences, and those consequences must be addressed through God's appointed means. Aaron could not simply enter the priesthood while ignoring the guilt associated with the Golden Calf. Moses could not sanctify the altar apart from atonement. Before sacred service could begin, sacrifice had to intervene. Perfected blood and the purification of the altar After the laying on of hands, Moses slaughters the bull and applies its blood to the altar: Next Moses slaughtered it and took the blood and with his finger put some of it around on the horns of the altar, and purified the altar. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it. Leviticus 8:15 NASB95 The Torah uses terms such as: כִּפֶּר kipper — “to make atonement,” “to cover” טָהֵר ṭāhēr — “to cleanse,” “to purify” קֹדֶשׁ qōdesh — “holiness,” “set-apartness” At first glance, the logic appears paradoxical. The animal becomes associated with guilt through the laying on of hands. Yet after death, its blood becomes the means by which the altar is purified and sanctified. The key lies in the completion of penalty. Before death, the bull bears covenant liability. But once the animal dies, the penalty has been executed. Justice has been carried out against the substitute. The liability cannot be demanded a second time. In that sense, the blood now stands in a “perfected” or “guiltless” relation to the offense. The claim of judgment has been exhausted. Because the penalty has been fully discharged, the blood becomes the cleansing agent within the ceremonial system. The altar — which beforehand was merely common material — becomes sanctified through contact with blood associated with completed atonement. Exodus 29:36–37 explains that the altar itself required consecration before it could function as the meeting place between Israel and the Holy One. The sacrificial system therefore teaches a profound covenant principle: death terminates liability. Yet the Torah simultaneously reveals the limitation of the earthly system. The animal dies once. Its blood is applied once. The effects remain temporary within history. Israel sins again. Priests continue to fail. New impurity accumulates. The process repeats continually. Hebrews later reflects upon this limitation: For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never… make perfect those who draw near. Hebrews 10:1 NASB95 The problem is not that Torah's sacrificial system fails on its own terms. Rather, the problem is mortality, repetition, and the ongoing weakness of human mediators. The burnt offering and the ram of ordination Following the bull comes the עֹלָה ‘olah, the burnt offering. Unlike other sacrifices in which portions are retained for priestly use, the burnt offering ascends wholly upon the altar as a symbol of complete surrender and devotion to God. Then comes the second ram, the ram of ordination: Moses then had Aaron and his sons come near and lay their hands on the head of the ram. Leviticus 8:22 NASB95 Moses applies the ram's blood to Aaron's right ear, right thumb, and right big toe, and then to those of Aaron's sons (Leviticus 8:23–24). These actions symbolize total consecration: The ear sanctified for hearing and obeying The hand sanctified for service and work The foot sanctified for walking in covenant faithfulness Leviticus then describes the wave offering and heave offering. The Hebrew term for wave offering is תְּנוּפָה tenūfāh, referring to a side-to-side motion. For heave offering, it’s תְּרוּמָה terūmāh, referring to lifting upward. The wave offering symbolizes transfer or presentation before HaShem. The heave offering symbolizes something lifted upward and dedicated to God. Normally, in peace offerings, both the breast and right thigh become priestly portions (Leviticus 7:30–34). Yet in this ordination ceremony, the arrangement differs. Moses receives the breast as his portion: Moses also took the breast and presented it for a wave offering before the Lord; it was Moses' portion of the ram of ordination. Leviticus 8:29 NASB95 Other portions ordinarily associated with priestly consumption instead ascend upon the altar. This unusual distribution further emphasizes Moses' temporary and derivative priestly role. He functions as HaShem's appointed mediator for the inauguration, but he does not become the enduring high priest of Israel. Ezekiel 44: Idolatry, priesthood and restricted service The themes of priesthood and covenant faithfulness continue in Ezekiel 44. Here the prophet addresses Levites who previously participated in idolatrous worship: “Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel… they shall not come near to Me to serve as a priest to Me.” Ezekiel 44:12–13 NASB95 These Levites are not executed or entirely cut off from temple service. They continue serving in subordinate functions such as gatekeeping and slaughtering sacrifices for the people (Ezekiel 44:10–14). Yet they may not approach the inner sanctuary or handle the most sacred priestly duties. In contrast, the sons of Zadok — who remained faithful when others went astray — retain the privilege of drawing near to minister directly before HaShem: “But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok… shall come near to Me to minister to Me.” Ezekiel 44:15 NASB95 Ezekiel therefore introduces an important covenant principle. Some sins carry lasting vocational consequences. Forgiveness and covenant mercy do not always erase every earthly effect of prior unfaithfulness. Certain breaches of sacred trust permanently alter one's role and authority. The corrupt Levites could not simply offer sacrifices on their own behalf to erase the consequences of their priestly corruption. This reveals that the sacrificial system does not function mechanically. Sacrifice is not a ritual loophole that nullifies every covenant consequence. Sacred office requires faithfulness, trustworthiness, and holiness. The prince in Ezekiel and partial priestly authority Ezekiel 44–46 also introduces a mysterious figure called “the prince” (הַנָּשִׂיא hannāśī'). The prince occupies a unique middle ground. He is not identical with the Zadokite priests, yet he possesses privileges beyond those of an ordinary Israelite. He offers sacrifices on Sabbaths and appointed feasts (Ezekiel 46:2–8), receives a designated inheritance in the land (Ezekiel 45:7), and possesses authority involving worship and temple administration. Yet the prince also appears fully human, with sons and inheritance concerns (Ezekiel 46:16–18). Interpreters have long debated the prince's identity. Rather than forcing a single interpretation, the broader biblical pattern may be more important: Scripture occasionally presents figures who exercise limited or derivative priestly authority without fully occupying the high-priestly office. Moses in Leviticus 8 and the prince in Ezekiel both function in this intermediate category. These patterns prepare the reader for the Apostolic Writings' presentation of a priesthood fundamentally different from the Aaronic order. The Melchizedek pattern and a different order of priesthood Hebrews 7 turns to the figure of Melchizedek (מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק Malkî-ṣeḏeq), first introduced in Genesis 14:18–20. Melchizedek appears suddenly as both king of Salem and “priest of God Most High.” Scripture records no genealogy, no ordination ritual, and no priestly succession. Psalm 110:4 declares: “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.'” Hebrews identifies this as a messianic prophecy fulfilled in Yeshua. The Greek word translated “order” is τάξις taxis, meaning arrangement, order or succession. Yeshua does not belong to the tribe of Levi. Hebrews explicitly states: For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah. Hebrews 7:14 NASB95 Yet God appoints Him priest according to a different priestly order. This does not abolish Torah. Rather, it introduces a parallel and superior priesthood grounded in divine oath and eternal life rather than hereditary descent. Hebrews explains the weakness of the earthly priesthood: The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing. Hebrews 7:23 NASB95 But Messiah: holds His priesthood permanently. Hebrews 7:24 NASB95 The Greek term translated “permanently” is ἀπαράβατος aparabatos, meaning untransferable or unchangeable. The central issue is not that Torah itself was defective. The problem lies with mortal, sinful priests who continually die and require replacement. Yeshua as both priest and sacrificial victim The sacrificial patterns established in Leviticus reach their fullest expression in Yeshua. Throughout His earthly ministry, Yeshua forgives sins: “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 NASB95 His opponents immediately recognize the theological implication: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:7 NASB95 The Apostolic Writings present Yeshua as acting under divine authority to remove the penalty associated with sin. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2Corinthians 5:21 NASB95 The Greek term ἁμαρτία hamartia can refer both to sin itself and to a sin offering. Yeshua does not become morally sinful. Rather, He bears covenant liability on behalf of others. Here the pattern from Leviticus intensifies.In the earthly system, the priest transfers guilt to the sacrificial victim. The victim dies, and its blood becomes the means of atonement. Yet the priest himself remains mortal and imperfect. In Messiah, priest and victim become united in one person. Yeshua bears the penalty associated with human sin and then offers His own blood before the heavenly sanctuary: Not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12 NASB95 The Greek term λύτρωσις lutrōsis refers to ransom, release or redemption through payment. Unlike the blood of bulls and goats, Messiah's offering is not external to the priest offering it. He presents Himself. Resurrection and the eternal application of atonement The resurrection becomes the decisive difference between Messiah and every previous priest. If Yeshua merely died, His sacrifice would resemble the earthly sacrifices in Leviticus — powerful, meaningful, but historically limited. The resurrection transforms the priesthood into a perpetual ministry. Romans 1:3–4 declares that Yeshua was publicly identified as the Son of God in power through resurrection from the dead. Hebrews 7:25 explains the practical consequence: Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. NASB95 The Greek verb ἐντυγχάνω entynchano means “to intercede,” “to petition,” or “to mediate on behalf of another.” This is the critical distinction. Levitical priests died. Their ministry ended. Their sacrifices required continual repetition. Messiah lives permanently. Therefore His once-offered sacrifice can be continually applied across generations and throughout history. His blood does not “run out.” His priesthood does not terminate. The sacrifice occurred once in history, but its efficacy remains continually active through the living High Priest. Hebrews 9:24 describes Messiah entering the heavenly sanctuary itself: For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands … but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. NASB1995 Without resurrection, Yeshua would be remembered only as a righteous martyr. With resurrection, He becomes the eternal mediator who continually applies the benefits of His completed atonement. Sanctification, obedience, and continuing sacrifices The removal of covenant penalty does not eliminate moral responsibility. Throughout Scripture, forgiveness is linked with transformed behavior. Yeshua repeatedly instructs healed or forgiven individuals to turn away from sin: “Do not sin anymore.” John 5:14 NASB95 Apostle Ya’akov likewise insists: Faith without works is dead. James 2:17 NASB95 Hebrews 10:14 states: For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. NASB95 The Greek verb ἁγιάζω hagiazō means “to sanctify,” “to make holy,” or “to set apart.” Believers are perfected covenantally through Messiah's sacrifice, yet sanctification continues progressively in daily life. The Apostolic Writings also maintain the broader biblical concept of sacrifice. The Torah included not only sin offerings, but also peace offerings, thanksgiving offerings, and offerings of worship and fellowship. Hebrews 13:15–16 therefore exhorts believers: Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God … and do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. NASB95 The Greek term θυσία thysia continues to describe offerings presented before God. Messiah's once-for-all atonement fulfills and surpasses the sin-offering system, but worship, thanksgiving, obedience, generosity, and praise remain covenant sacrifices offered through Him. The Holy One uses broken men The Holy One uses flawed human beings while simultaneously providing the means by which they may approach Him. Moses was a man with blood on his hands. Aaron participated in idolatry. Israel repeatedly failed. Even the priests themselves required sacrifice and cleansing. Yet HaShem established priesthood, altar, sacrifice and covenant mediation anyway. The Torah does not minimize sin. Instead, it magnifies the holiness, justice, and mercy of God. Leviticus demonstrates that sacred service requires atonement. Ezekiel demonstrates that covenant unfaithfulness carries real consequences. Hebrews demonstrates that Yeshua fulfills and surpasses the sacrificial patterns established in Torah. He is the priest of a different order — the order of Melchizedek. He is both sacrificial victim and eternal High Priest. He bears covenant liability on behalf of others. He offers His own blood before the heavenly sanctuary. And because He lives forever through resurrection, He continually intercedes for those who draw near to God through Him. The result is a priesthood that fulfills Torah's patterns while surpassing the limitations of mortal mediators. Through Messiah, flawed human beings may receive forgiveness of penalty, ongoing cleansing, covenant access to the Holy One, and a calling into lives increasingly marked by holiness, obedience, faithfulness and grateful worship before the God of Israel. 1 Hebrew for “The Name,” a circumlocution for the ineffable name of the Holy One of IsraelThe post Shadows of Messiah in the consecration of Aaron and his sons (Leviticus 8; Ezekiel 44; Hebrews 7) appeared first on Hallel Fellowship.

Darrell Castle returns to the discussion of war by talking about a war not spoken of so much since it has been driven from the headlines by the war against Iran. Transcription / Notes VLADIMIR PUTIN, DONALD TRUMP, AND THE DECLINE OF EMPIRES Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 15th day of May in the year of our Lord 2026. My beat today is once again war but we visit a war not spoken of so much since it has been driven from the headlines by the war against Iran. Yes, we don't hear much about Ukraine these days but it continues to cost lives, and resources and it continues to threaten the global geopolitical order. I'm sure you remember, if you are a long-term sufferer of these Reports, that back in 2014 in the eastern provinces of Ukraine the people voted overwhelmingly to become or remain part of the Russian Federation but that decision didn't sit well with Victoria Nuland who was the U.S. State Department representative there. She helped instigate a revolution that replaced the pro-Russian government with one more pro Europe and that led to a Russian invasion and the current war. Mr. Putin, like President Trump, has found that sometimes wars are easier to get into than they are to get out of. I remember from the war archives reading the discussions from the Japanese general staff when they were planning the battle of Midway. The admiral who was to command their carriers said this will work if the Americans do exactly what we expect and want them to. Well, the Americans didn't do what the Japanese expected and the Ukrainians haven't done what the Russians expected. When a Nation which seems to have overwhelming power goes to war against a much weaker opponent the powerful nation expects a quick and decisive, not to mention cheap, victory. Some examples would be the Soviet Union in World War ll, the Iranians of today, and the Ukrainians that are the subject for today. I mention World War ll a lot because last week the 9th of May was the annual celebration in Moscow of the Russian victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. This year the celebration was different because for the first time in 18 years, Russia's Victory Day parade had no tanks, no missile carriers, and no armored columns going through Red Square. Smaller regions in Russia have their own smaller parades and celebrations and many of those have been canceled altogether. The people of Moscow were told to expect to have no internet service on May 9th. The reason for all the caution and the stepped down celebration was fear of Ukrainian drone and missile attacks. Yes, that's right folks, the Russian Federation, successor to the Soviet Union, cannot traditionally celebrate its victory over Nazi Germany because once again it is at war inside its own borders. The ironic thing is that once again the war is being fueled, at least partially by German arms. The two wars being fought right now, Ukraine and Iran, in which larger more powerful nations attacked smaller weaker ones are changing the dynamics of global politics and showing us once again that the unexpected results of war can totally change the geopolitics of the world. Ukraine, supplied to the tune of hundreds of billions in arms and treasure, primarily by the United States but also by the European nations has apparently perfected drone and missile warfare and has become one of the world leaders in that technology. Ukraine is now a world leader as we will see but recently Great Britain, desperate to prolong the fight I guess, gave the Ukrainians 120,000 drones from their own inventory. Ukraine, just an agricultural region on the border of Russia and only of any significance because of its proximity to Russia has become one of the world's most proficient practitioners of the new art of unmanned warfare. They are so proficient that they attack deep inside Russia seemingly at will to the point that the Russian people are afraid to conduct a parade in their community. Thousands of armed drones roam the skies looking for targets and although they are relatively easy to shoot down they are unstoppable in those numbers. Reports are that Iranian missiles and drones reach their targets about 10% of the time but that is against sophisticated air defense systems dedicated to stopping them. Against thousands, 10% is still a lot of destruction and in Ukraine/Russia I understand that they are virtually impossible to defend against. People will tolerate what they are told will be a short and decisive war but only for so long. The propaganda sent to them daily and now through Social Media minute by minute grows tiring when the people realize that it is all just lies. Reports coming from Russia indicate that Putin is feeling the heat of public dissatisfaction with the war. Nobody will tell us exact casualty figures but they obviously number in the hundreds of thousands. War you never have to feel and never see unless you look for it is one thing but when the numbers of dead reach that high and especially when the economy is crumbling as is Russia's people notice. To that end, last week, President Putin made a phone call to President Trump and proposed a new economic relationship with the United States. The internal pressure on President Putin seems to be working because he is now saying the war is coming to a settlement when there is no battlefield evidence that is the case. He says now that he wants a negotiated settlement and he wants the Europeans to be a part of it. Ironically, he seems to have singled out Germany as the leader in the settlement negotiations. He has maintained all along that he will not recognize Zelensky as the legitimate leader of Ukraine and would therefore not meet with him. That attitude has changed and now he wants to meet with him and he wants the Europeans to help the two of them broker a deal. I admit I am guessing here, but I think it's an educated guess. Putin always wanted to make Russia a part of the European community but the EU bureaucrats would not have him at their parties. These recent inquiries indicate to me that he wants to renew the efforts to make Russia part of Europe. Ordinarily, I don't think the Europeans would give him the time of day but the world is far from ordinary right now and they just might listen this time. Why, because of Iran and behind that Israel. Putin might be trying to take advantage of anti-US sentiment in Europe due to the war in Iran. The Europeans obviously want no part of that adventure that Mr. Trump started so perhaps a Europe-Russia détente is now possible. European politicians have made some astonishingly anti-US statements lately. Spain has doubled down on its refusal to let the US use its own bases in Spain for attacks on Iran. One of the leading candidates for Prime Minister of Spain is running on a campaign to take Spain out of NATO as a way to prevent that country from becoming involved in fighting Israel's wars. So, Putin seeks to turn the clock back to when relations between Russia and Europe were better, but that was when Russia was weaker than now. Just as in the U.S. regarding Iran there is massive and growing opposition in Russia to the war in Ukraine. The Russian economy is reeling and rumors are that the power brokers in Russia have turned against him. He has reportedly increased security at his private residences. It will be interesting to see how the U.S. will react to all this. President Trump left for China on Tuesday for a three-day summit with Mr. Xi. That summit has been in the planning process for months and has continued discussions despite the Iran war. The summit will obviously be primarily about the economic relationship between the U.S. and China but I'm sure Iran will be an important topic. China had Iranian officials in China just prior to Trump's visit. The question being asked By American media is, will Trump trade Taiwan for Iran, but we will see. Meanwhile back here in America the empire appears to be in decline and is always looking for someone to accelerate the process and Donald Trump appears to be the right man for the job. The empire killers of debt and war are now out of control. The debt has passed 39 trillion and interest payments have passed one trillion per year. Cutting taxes is a good idea if the cuts are matched with spending cuts but the President is removing the fuel tax to bring prices down with no corresponding spending cuts. The wars continue to cost more each day with no end in sight. So much of the world's economy depends on the price of oil so Trump starts a stupid war that closes the most important oil spigot in the world. It appears now that the U.S. cannot force Iran to do anything without risking major retaliation and resulting damage to the world economy with much higher oil prices. So, we are told the ceasefire is still in effect when it clearly isn't. According to U.S. intelligence Iran has 75% of its missile capacity intact and almost all of its underground facilities have been reopened. Iran is now a superpower in control of the most important waterway in the world. Russia's and other adversaries which depend on selling oil have had their incomes increase. So that all adds up to quite an achievement with no visible upside at all. Finally, folks, if the American Empire is in decline under the weight of debt and war what better man could we have to manage it. At least that's the way I see it. Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.

Episode 88 – From Reconstruction to DEI: The Long Arc of Race Relations in Texas Hello folks, I'm Hank Wilson and welcome to Episode 88 of the Hidden History of Texas. This is Episode 88 - From Reconstruction to DEI: The Long Arc of Race Relations in Texas In this episode I'm going to talk about a subject that a lot of folks like to avoid. That is the subject of race and race relations in Texas History. The story of the struggle that both African Americans and Mexican Americans faced in achieving their civil rights might be something you were unaware of.  While our image travels from reconstruction to today, and that is the title of this episode, the reality is also that our Mexican American citizens have fought to improve their political circumstances ever since the Anglos began showing up in the 1820s and especially after the revolution of 1836.  The struggle African Americans faced started after their emancipation from slavery in 1865. For the most part though organized campaigns for both groups really weren't launched until the early twentieth century. In the years following the Texas Revolution Tejanos were often the focal point of Anglo hatred and mistrust.  In the 1850s, Anglos accused Tejanos in Central Texas of helping slaves escape to Mexico and many of the Tejano families were forced to leave their homes. During the Cart War of 1857 (which I covered in a previous episode) Tejanos around Goliad and San Antonio were attacked by Anglos. Two years later in 1859, Tejano's in South Texas were attacked after Juan N. Cortina's captured Brownsville. And he issued a proclamation demanding the protection of Mexican-American land rights. Needless to say, this caused panic among Anglo residents who thought of him a nothing more than a bandit. This instigated the "First Cortina War" which grew in intensity and eventually required the U.S. Army, including troops under Robert E. Lee and local Texas Rangers, to eventually force him to retreat into Mexico by December 1859.  It was called the First Cortina War because Cortina returned during the Civil War (hence, the Second Cortina War), initially assisting the Union army this time, (after all he recognized that the Confederacy wanted to maintain slavery and continue to take the land held by Tejanos) and he succeed in taking control of steamboats, before being defeated in 1861 by Confederate forces under Santos Benavides. After the Civil War, both the newly freed slaves and Tejanos faced further atrocities. In the 1880s, White men in East Texas used lynching as their preferred method of maintaining political control. It became very common as a method of retaliation for alleged rapes of White women or for other insults or injuries that white people felt had been perpetrated. Mexican Americans of South Texas faced the same problems. The Ku Klux Klan, the White Caps, law officials, and the Texas Rangers, all served as official and unofficial enforcers of White authority, and they regularly terrorized both Mexican and Black Texans. For blacks emancipation eventually proved to be more of a symbolic action than anything else, because while slaves were freed from official bondage, they were still mostly blocked from fully participating in society.  Freedmen often found themselves barred from most public places and schools and often were  forced to live only in certain residential areas of towns. As the calendar changed to the twentieth century and reconstruction was abandoned, white politicians insured that such practices were written into the law. Even though Tejanos were not specifically targeted by these statutes they were still often subjected to them through unwritten social customs.  Through the 1880s and 1890s, both African Americans and Mexican Americans faced organized legal efforts to disfranchise them and if those didn't work, Anglos turned to a variety of informal means to weaken their political strength. The most common method they faced were terrorist tactics, literacy tests, the stuffing of ballot boxes, and accusations of incompetence when they won office. White political bosses in South Texas and other areas with large Mexican-American population such as the El Paso or Rio Grande valley, meantime, dominated their areas by controlling the votes of the poor. Two of the more odorous methods used by the white politicians was the poll-tax law and the other was the white primary passed by Texas Democrats. The poll tax law  was passed in 1902 the legislature passed the poll-tax law which required every person who wanted to vote to “pay from $1.50 to $1.75' for that privilege, which effectively disenfranchised those who were poor. (Poll Taxes for federal elections weren't eliminated until 1964 when the 24th amendment was passed and then in 1966 for state election.) These mechanisms disfranchised Blacks, and Mexican Americans for that matter, for White society did not regard Tejanos as belonging to the "White" race. Progressive reformers of the age viewed both minority groups as having a corrupting influence on politics. By the late 1920s, Texas politicians had effectively immobilized African-Texan voters through court cases that defined political parties as private organizations that could exclude members. Some scholars have estimated that no more than 40,000 of the estimated 160,000 eligible Black voters retained their franchise in the 1920s.  Racial animosity in Texas (and indeed throughout the south) was rampant. White controlled legislatures passed what are known as Jim Crow laws.  These laws greatly increased the segregation of the races, and in the cities, Black migrants from the rural areas were shunted into ghettoes where black citizens were already relegated. Ordinarily the Jim Crow laws did not target Mexicans but, there was an understanding among white people that the laws were to be enforced on the premise that Mexicans were an inferior people.   This meant that Tejanos were, much like black Texans, relegated to separate residential areas or designated public facilities. While the Tejano population was primarily Catholic, remember Texas was originally settled through the use of Missions, they were often made to worship at segregated churches. When it came to education both Blacks and Hispanics attended segregated and inferior "colored" and "Mexican" schools. In the mid-1950s, the state legislature passed segregationist laws directed at Blacks (and by implication to Tejanos), some dealing with education, others with residential areas and public accommodations. Texas governor R. Allan Shivers, who was opposed to integration especially in education and vehemently opposed the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, went so far as to call out the Texas Rangers at Mansfield in 1956 to prevent Black students from entering the public school His successor Marion Price Daniel, Sr., was a little more tolerant, the integration process in Texas was slow and painful. Supreme Court decisions in 1969 and 1971 ordered school districts to increase the number of Black students in White schools through the extremely controversial practice of busing.  As the 1960s started African Americans and Mexican Americans began to participate in both State and national movements that were designed to help bring down racial barriers. Black Texans held demonstrations within the state to protest the long lasting and well entrenched conditions created by segregation. Understanding the power of the dollar individuals began to boycott racist merchants. When the National March on Washington took place  in 1963, approximately 900 protesters marched on the state Capitol in Austin. This was a very diverse group and included Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites, and they directly called out the slow pace of desegregation in the state and Governor John Connally's opposition to the pending civil-rights bill in Washington.  After the passing of the contentious Civil Rights act of 1964, more and more people, especially those people of color began to demand the equality promised in the Constitution. By the latter half of the sixties, some segments of the Black community began to embrace the concept of "Black power" and a minority of them believed violence was the best avenue to achieve social redress. While throughout America riots did take place in major urban areas, the destruction of property and life in Texas in no way compared to that in other states. Likewise,  Tejanos took part in the Chicano movement of the era, and some, especially youths, supported militancy, and denounced "gringos," and spoke of voluntary separatism from American society. The Raza Unida party spearheaded the movement during the 1970s. A political party, Raza Unida offered solutions to inequalities previously addressed by reformist groups such as LULAC and the G.I. Forum. Members used demonstrations and boycotts and confrontational approaches, but violence of significant magnitude seldom materialized. The movement declined by the mid-1970s. During the same period, the federal government tried to implement an agenda designed to achieve racial equality, and Texas Mexicans and Black Texans both profited from this initiative. The Twenty-fourth Amendment, ratified in 1964, barred the poll tax in federal elections. In 1969 Texas repealed its own separatist statutes. The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated local restrictions to voting and required that federal marshals monitor election proceedings. Ten years later, another voting-rights act demanded modification or elimination of at-large elections. Much of the activity in civil rights during the last quarter of the twentieth century and the opening decade of the new millennium focused on consolidating the gains of previous decades. For example, African Americans and Mexican Americans registered to vote in unprecedented numbers, and members of both ethnic groups won election to major local, state, and federal offices....

The head of DC's Hirshhorn Museum is leaving to take over the Guggenheim in New York. Ordinarily, that's something that might be looked at as a normal career move. But at a moment when the Smithsonian museums are in the MAGA crosshairs, everything's a bit complicated. Journalist Kriston Capps is here to take us inside the departure of Melissa Chiu and talk through what it means for arts in our city.   Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.  Learn more about the sponsors of this April 22nd episode: Window Nation National Museum of the American Indian Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

Ordinarily, you'd expect an oil shock to lead to not only higher inflation, but also weaker equities and a lower growth outlook. However, markets aren't pricing in a stagflationary outcome. Chris Holdsworth, Chief Investment Strategist, at Investec Wealth & Investment International, examines this apparent anomaly. Investec Focus Radio SA

Message 5 of 6 in the series "More Than You Know" by Christian Williams.

Ralph W got sober in 1986, he is from California and is sharing at the Fellowship of the Spirit Step 11 speaker series meeting held in Toronto Canada. The topic is: All those who have persisted have found strength not ordinarily their own from page 104 of the 12x12, this meeting is from August of 2022. Zoom Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Email: sobercast@gmail.com Sober Cast has 3200+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Ordinarily, I share encouragement to singles on Valentine's Day. But this year, my focus is on a different demographic: engaged couples and young married couples. Here's this year's special Valentine's Day podcast for those groups.    Find me on    Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or visit http://chewmadenew.com

Sneaking in on the penultimate day of January is the first At the Foot of the Cross podcast of 2026. Ordinarily we’d have Abbot Hugh Allan, our Director of Mission, in the studio to discuss the latest from the secretariat of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, but unfortunately he’s on the road […]

Sneaking in on the penultimate day of January is the first At the Foot of the Cross podcast of 2026. Ordinarily we’d have Abbot Hugh Allan, our Director of Mission, in the studio to discuss the latest from the secretariat of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, but unfortunately he’s on the road […]

Sneaking in on the penultimate day of January is the first At the Foot of the Cross podcast of 2026. Ordinarily we’d have Abbot Hugh Allan, our Director of Mission, in the studio to discuss the latest from the secretariat of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, but unfortunately he’s on the road […]

Ordinarily here on the program, we're talking to runners about THEIR unique journey, and how running has impacted, influenced, or otherwise shaped their lives. And that's great!  On this episode, we've got some big news that's going to not only impact runners… but RUNNING around Charlotte itself. (See what I did there?) I'm not even overselling when I say this may be one of the biggest stories in running – or at least for the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon – in 20 years.  And we've got Miller Yoho, director of communications and marketing for the Charlotte Sports Foundation here in the studio on this episode of The Running Around Charlotte Podcast.  Charlotte Sports Foundation: https://charlottesports.org  Miller Yoho: miller@charlottesports.org 

Great sangha friend Beth Kaiserman brings us the story of what she's doing and why she's here; a story about spirituality for the irreligious and making a practice out of expressing yourself from the cushion to the page to the stage, even when deep down we might get the sneaking suspicion there's nothing to explain. Who did we learn our resistance to authority from? Is it ever possible to truly do nothing? Can we, or should we even try to, make ourselves legible?? Find out here!

What if you could take out a loan with 0% interest and invest that money for as long as you own your investment property? This is something that cost segregation can help real estate investors do. In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, property management growth expert Jason Hull sits down with Daniel Boyd from CSSI Services to talk about cost segregation, one of the most powerful ways to uncover hidden tax savings for property owners and managers. You'll Learn [03:10] How Cost Segregation Works [08:54] Recent Changes to Depreciation Rules [11:59] Why Real Estate Investors Should Care About Cost Segregation [18:33] The Importance of Working with Tax Experts Quotables "The big idea here is there's things in the property that wear out fast and there's things that that wear out slow." "We love deductions because we want to pay as little tax as possible." "Wouldn't it be great to take a $100,000 loan with 0 % interest, invest it for as long as you own the property?" Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Dan Boyd (00:00) Wouldn't it be great to take a $100,000 loan with 0 % interest, invest it for as long as you own the property? And then when you sell the property, you give the loan amount back and you keep whatever you made on that investment. Jason Hull (00:06) I'm Jason Hull, CEO and founder of DoorGrow, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. We have been helping people for over a decade and a half. At DoorGrow, our mission statement is to transform property management business owners and their businesses. We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now, let's get into the show. My guest today is Dan Boyd. We're going to talk about cost segregation, one of the most powerful ways to uncover hidden tax savings for property owners and managers. you'll learn how to accelerate depreciation, apply repair regulations, and know when expenses can be written off immediately. These strategies can help you improve client cashflow, strengthen relationships, and stand out in the market. All right, Dan, welcome to the DoorGrow Show. Thanks so much for being here with you. So Dan, before we get into cost segregation, which is an interesting subject, that's... Dan Boyd (01:10) Thanks so much. Great to be here with you. Jason Hull (01:19) They had some changes recently, right? There's been some changes in depreciation thanks to Mr. Trump and all this stuff going on, right? The president, I think. So I'm curious what you have to say about that. But tell us, how did you get connected to this business? Give us some backstory on Dan. Dan Boyd (01:36) Sure, yeah, it's a little funny. I meet, you   bet, I meet people from time to time and they say, how on earth did you get into this line of work? Because it's not like anybody goes to school to work in cost segregation or at least cost segregation sales. know, tale as old as time, I knew somebody. And so I was working in the nonprofit sector. My goal was to become a superintendent. So I had gotten a doctorate in education and I was headed in the right direction. But I found out that the average superintendent lasts for about two years. Dan Boyd (02:05) and then they get run out of town for one reason or the other. And it's typically a very stressful two years. And so while it's a rewarding ⁓ position and the compensation is usually pretty good, I thought, why don't I just skip those two years and go into sales and consulting? And so somebody had told me, I think you'd be pretty good at this. And so I started selling cost segregation for our company. And then, There was an opportunity, they said, you know what, we needed to improve our training and our education, and you've got the perfect background. You understand what we do, but you also come from a world of education, so why don't you join us in that capacity? And so it's been a very good fit since then. Jason Hull (02:28) Got it. So you didn't wake up as like a kid in elementary school saying you wanted to do cost segregation. Dan Boyd (02:48) Believe it or not, no, I can't even say it was on the radar, right? There was like baseball player and then commando and maybe basketball player and football player. So like cost segregation wasn't anywhere near the top of that list. Jason Hull (02:53) Property management business coach was not on my radar back then either, so I get it. All right, cool. So let's get into the topic. So cost segregation, how do we uncover some hidden tax savings?  Dan Boyd (03:14) So the big idea here is there's things in a property that wear out fast and there's things in a property that wear out slow. But how do you know? And that's where we come in. So our job is to tell you with our knowledge of the IRS code and buildings, that's what makes us unique. We're very good at both of those things. ⁓ What's the value of everything in your property that wears out quickly? Once you know that, you get to write it off quickly. So let's say you buy an apartment building for a million dollars, Ordinarily, you're going to depreciate that whole building over 27 and a half years. Well, there's components in that property that are going to last three years, five years, seven years. So shouldn't you be able to write it off sooner? The answer is yes. And that was actually there's a landmark court case that led to this. And that was the big argument is, hey, we replace some of these components every five years. You're making us wait 39 years because it's a commercial property to depreciate it. And the court ruled in their favor and said, you're right. And so our job is to come in and really give somebody a huge deduction in the first year. Sometimes 25, 30, 40 % of the building value can be deducted as quickly as the first year. Jason Hull (04:28) Okay, got it. That's significant. Okay. And we love deductions because we want to pay as little tax as possible. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love asking business owners. I say, what's the biggest expense in your business? Dan Boyd (04:34) We do. Absolutely. Yeah. If I have yet to meet somebody who's happy with the amount they have to pay and wouldn't reduce it if they had the chance. Jason Hull (04:49) And then they usually say payroll or staffing. And I say, no taxes, but then payroll. Yeah. they forget about it they don't think of it. It's like grabbing, right? Like you just assume it's there and you have to obey the laws. OK, you just move past it. It's like, well, my biggest expense is payroll because people are expensive. Well, yes, that's true. But if there's if you have deductions, right, if it's part of the tax code, you can legitimately I joke. Dan Boyd (04:55) Yep. And they forget about it because they don't think of it. It's like gravity, right? Like you just assume it's there and you have to obey the laws. And so you just move past it. Right. It's like, well, my biggest expense is payroll because people are expensive. Well, yes, that's true. But if there's if you have deductions, right, if it's part of the tax code, you can legitimately I joke like anybody cannot pay taxes. We help people not owe taxes. Jason Hull (05:17) Okay, yeah. So I was flying actually this weekend with my wife for the first time because she's working on her pilot's license. she wanted me to be in the plane with her and wanted me to experience flying with her. And so she doesn't have her license yet. So I got to sit in the back and she had her instructor next to her and they're flying. And her instructor, I was like this, you know, I was making jokes about how flying isn't. You know, it's pretty relaxing, pretty calm most of the time. And he said, well, I said, I thought it would feel like a roller coaster. He's like, do you want it to feel like a roller coaster? I'm like, sure. And so he does some fancy eight maneuvers or whatever. But what was interesting is when gravity disappeared, when I did not feel gravity anymore, I was like, I'm missing something that I'm so used to. I don't even know that it's there, but you notice it when it's gone quite a bit. Right? It was very noticeable to not have gravity and just be kind of sitting above my seat a little bit as we kind of dropped. And I was like, okay. So yeah, so taxes can be a little bit like gravity, I guess. Constant pressure. Dan Boyd (06:26) Yeah, and if all of sudden, you you were, yeah, if you were used to paying $100,000 in taxes and then all of sudden you didn't have to, you would notice that. That'd be a big deal. Jason Hull (06:33) Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that would be great. All right. So what are the steps to making that happen?  Dan Boyd (06:42) So first thing is, ⁓ assuming that this makes sense, you've got to owe taxes and you need to hold your building for at least a couple of years. And I can get into why. But ⁓ if you wanted to see, does this make sense for me, just get an estimate. So find a reputable firm to work with that does engineering-based cost segregation.   And they'll send you an estimate. And they'll say, hey, we think you're going to get somewhere between these two numbers. And that's a high and a low end. And so in general, that's 25 % of what we call the building value. So subtract land out, right? Now you're just left with the building on that lot. That's what you get to depreciate. So if you've got an $800,000 building, maybe you paid a million, land is worth $200,000, subtract that out. So you got $800,000. And again, you'll get a range saying maybe you'll get somewhere between $180,000 up to $300,000 in depreciation. If you like the way that looks, the fee makes sense, and you owe taxes, and you can use it this year, then you proceed with that cost segregation study. And usually, I would say with our firm within two to four weeks, we give somebody a report. So we make it very simple. That report justifies the big deduction. So if somebody ever got audited, which is a pretty rare occurrence anyway, they would be able to explain, here's why we did this. This is legitimate. We worked with a firm that has real engineers that did this. And it gives the CPA what they need. know, CPA is not just going to say, okay, yeah, I'm going to give you a $200,000 deduction for fun. They have to feel comfortable because their signature is going on it. So it's our report that demonstrates to the CPA and to the IRS, this is a legitimate deduction within the tax code and this will stand up to an audit. Jason Hull (08:25) Cool, because we got to make sure that IRS is okay with this. I don't really care if the IRS is happy, but I don't want to be on their bad side either. I just want them to leave me alone. That's really, I think, the goal, right? Got it. Okay. So your company helps with this, right? CSSI. Yes. Okay, got it. Dan Boyd (08:28) Absolutely. If they're not happy, nobody's happy. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, as long as they're well, I just want them to be happy with you. We're not unhappy with you. Yes. Jason Hull (08:53) Okay, so, are there different rules? I had mentioned at the beginning, maybe, I don't know, but I thought some rules that kind of change with depreciation and how it works, just recently.  Dan Boyd (09:05) They did. Yeah. So in ⁓ this most recent one big beautiful bill, there was a change that brought back what's called 100 percent bonus depreciation. So what does that mean? There's some misunderstandings and sometimes people assume that means you can deduct 100 percent of the building value. That's not the case. So I said there's stuff in a property that wears out fast and there's stuff that wears out slow. So the IRS has categories for that that they call useful lives. So there's a probably the most common categories that ⁓ Property managers are gonna need to be aware of are the five-year useful life and that's roughly the stuff inside the units and then there's the 15-year useful life That's the site improvement. So that's a parking lot. That's landscaping that signage. That's a fence. That's a pool Those kind of things the things on the common ground, right? so what that means is if something has a five-year useful life, you depreciate it over five years. So automatically, that's faster than 27 and a half. So that's accelerated depreciation, because we accelerated it from 27 and a half years to five years, and from 27 and a half to 15 years. Bonus depreciation lights a fire underneath those two categories. And so rather than waiting five years or 15 years, you get some percent of that value right now. So if we're in 100 % bonus year, it means you get 100 % of the five-year value and 100 % of the 15-year value right away. And so ⁓ if we just say, you know what, cabinets, countertops, crown molding, that kind of thing, swimming pools, parking lots, that's all gonna be accelerated. So if you had $500,000 in those two categories, rather than waiting five years or 15 years to get that money, you bonus depreciate it and get all of it this year. ⁓ We just came out of what's called a sun setting bonus period. so from 2022 to 20, I'm sorry, from 2017 to 2022, people got 100 % bonus depreciation. So if your property was placed in service as a rental in those years, it gets 100 % bonus period. Doesn't matter when you do the cost segregation. But in 2023, it started to go down 20%. So 2023 was an 80 % bonus year. 2024 was a 60 % bonus year. And the first 19 days of 2025 are a 40 % bonus year. So 100 % bonus depreciation kicks in on inauguration day. So they made it retroactive to the inauguration day. So if you bought Dan Boyd (11:27) 2023 was an 80 % bonus year, 2024 was a 60 % bonus year, and the first 19 days of 2025 are a 40 % bonus year. So 100 % bonus depreciation kicks in on Inauguration Day. So they made it retroactive to the Inauguration Day. So if you bought a property and placed it in service on January 20th or later, you get 100 % bonus depreciation.   Jason Hull (11:54) Cool. Okay. Right. So thank you, Donald. All right. So why should investors that are wanting to invest more care about cost segregation? Why should they be paying attention to this? Because I think this plays into their strategy, but some may not get it. Dan Boyd (11:56) Yeah. Great question. So the time value of money, if I could give you $100 today or $1 a day for the next 100 years, it's worth way more to you to get that money today because you can invest it, right? There's no inflation, yada, yada, yada. So the more tax deductions or reductions you can get early on, the more you're able to free up your capital and deploy it to grow your portfolio, right? to repair your property, to increase rent, to pay down debt. And that money is worth a lot more to you today. So if you can get 25 % of your building value back now, rather than in a quarter century, why wouldn't you do that? Jason Hull (12:56) Got it, okay. Let's do a quick word from our sponsor, Cover Pest. And then we'll continue. Cover Pest is the easy and seamless way to add on demand pest control to your resident benefits package for your property management company. Residents love the simplicity of submitting a service request and how affordable it is compared to traditional pest control options. Investors love knowing that their property is kept pest free and property managers love getting their time back and making more revenue per door. Simply put, Cover Pest is the easiest way to handle pest control issues at all your properties to learn more and to get special DoorGrow pricing, visit coverpest.com/doorgrow All right, cool. Check out Cover Pest. All right, so back to this idea of investors leveraging cost segregation. So this is going to allow them basically more money now means you can take that money, deploy it in more effective ways now   to grow it so you can have more of it later, right? Is kind of the idea.  Dan Boyd (13:59) Yeah, absolutely. ⁓ If you owe taxes right now and you own rental property, as long as you're going to hold that property for even just two or three years, you are going to make more money by taking more depreciation, reducing your tax burden, freeing up capital to reinvest and make some rate of return. And so as long as you can invest that money and earn a return, then you're going to benefit from doing this. Jason Hull (14:06) Yeah, same reason I file an extension every year. I wanna delay the IRS having access to any of the funds so that I can do more stuff with it before they get their hands on it, right? So more money faster and... Dan Boyd (14:38) There you go. Jason Hull (14:42) IRS later. Yeah, that's the ideal goal. Cool. So how do they make sure that they're making good decisions around all of this? This is where a company like CSSI comes in, I would imagine.  Dan Boyd (14:54) Yes, so we see ourselves as consultants. so in fact, just probably an hour ago, I was on the phone with somebody who couldn't benefit from a cost segregation. And it was really because he didn't owe enough in taxes. And I said, you just don't need this deduction right now because you don't owe anything. And so you'll be paying for the service to get a huge deduction. And that's great. But it only makes sense to have a big deduction if you have a lot of income. And so our job is to look at somebody's scenario and say, here's what we think your deduction will be, let's match that up with what's your tax liability? Do you owe a lot this year? Or maybe are you going to owe next year? Should you wait? And then how long are you going to own this property? Let's do the math and figure out, does this investment make sense? And so that's kind of the big one. My two litmus tests are, do you owe taxes? And are you going to own this property long enough to invest this? And the reason for that is when you take depreciation on a property, That's kind of the big one. My two litmus tests are, you owe taxes? And are you going to own this property long enough to invest this? And the reason for that is when you take depreciation on a property, whatever you take out, you owe back when you sell the property. That's called recapture. And so oftentimes people are afraid of that. But I think the best way to think of that is like a loan, right? The IRS loans you that depreciation. And then when you sell the property, you owe the depreciation back. But they don't charge you interest on that. And so Wouldn't it be great to take a $100,000 loan with 0 % interest, invest it for as long as you own the property? And then when you sell the property, you give the loan amount back and you keep whatever you made on that investment. Jason Hull (16:15) Okay, so how long is long enough to own the property then? Dan Boyd (16:25) It depends on your rate of return. And so if I give somebody, let's say, $100,000, and they can make 7.5%, as long as they pay less than $7,500 to get the cost segregation study, they're going to make money. And so that's usually how I do that math. And it's different for everybody. And sometimes they're not sure. And so I'll kind of walk them through. my tendency is to be a little cautious with it and say, if you're not sure, I don't want you to get into a situation where you're going end up owing more than you got in terms of your reduction in taxes and any benefit out of this. But I'd say a very comfortable break-even period is three years. Jason Hull (17:07) Okay, got it. Okay, so if they own it for at least three years, then it may make sense. They should probably be considering it. Especially if they owe taxes and they haven't figured out how to zero those out.  Dan Boyd (17:12) Yeah, absolutely. And if they plan to. Yeah, exactly. Because once you pay taxes, money's gone forever. You can't get it back. No, not at all. And if you, you know, if people are worried like, I don't want the depreciation, I don't want the depreciation recapture in the future. It's like, okay, well really what you're saying is you'd rather have that money in three years when you sell the property than have it now. And if that's true, that's fine. But then you're missing out three years of the time value of money of money. Right.  And if you're a decent investor, you could probably do something with that money, like grow it over the next three years.  Dan Boyd (17:55) Yeah, absolutely. In that example I used, you know, getting $100,000 in tax savings back for 7,500, it may cost less than 7,500. Jason Hull (18:05) So it could be a no-brainer, but you'll help them see that, which makes it probably a very easy product to sell to the right person.  Dan Boyd (18:08) Yeah, I try not to make it too complicated. We are in the tax world, right? It's tax and real estate, so it's kind of funky. But I just try to keep it high level and let people know, hey, here's what you're to deduct. So in other words, here's how much income you won't owe taxes on. And mathematically, does that make sense for you? And if so, let's talk about the next steps. Jason Hull (18:33) So what are the other big questions that people ask you when you are selling these services?  Dan Boyd (18:40) Great question. So the big one is, I going to get in trouble with the IRS? The answer there is no. So this is no more risky than even just, let's say, cost segregation. So our company's done in the ballpark of 55,000 studies. And we have not seen that this triggers an audit. And when the IRS asks to take a second look, they're usually just as part of due diligence. And so they don't reject the results. They don't have penalties or anything like that. They're usually just, you that's part of due diligence. And so they don't reject the results. They don't have penalties or anything like that. So it's pretty rare that somebody would even get an audit when they have a cost segregation done. The other, I would say like a typical safety concern, right?  Is people say, well, that's my CPA's job, right? They do that. a CPA, kind of depending on who your CPA is and how they operate. You might say it's not really their job to look for business strategies for you, right? Ways that you can deploy capital and invest it. Dan Boyd (19:39) They're preparing your taxes, right? That's really what they're allowed to do. So I think people often make that mistake of thinking that their CPA is their business coach. And plain and simple, they are not, unless you're paying them a lot of money to do that. And so we work with a lot of CPAs who do that type of consulting and work, and they refer their clients to us, because this is not something a CPA can do, because you've got to have an engineering background. And so unless your CPA went to school first to be an engineer and then a CPA. This is not in their wheelhouse. if their firm offers it, they're probably just working with a firm like ours and saying, OK, we'll pay for the study, and then we'll give it or sell it to our client. Jason Hull (20:29) They are not trying to do anything related to lowering your tax dollars. yeah. so we've been, and I have been able to wipe out our taxes just by getting really good tax advice, but it's never from our CPA or from our accountant. Yeah. So I would recommend anybody listening get. Dan Boyd (20:47) Yeah, as you would expect it to be. Jason Hull (20:50) If you have a CPA, awesome. And I highly recommend you go, if you're a business owner, get a profit first certified professional. I think that's a good early stage step to making sure you have financial health in your business. They're going to take things a little bit beyond just standard accounting, but go find a tax expert that's going to help you with tax stuff. And then you're going to need probably experts like CSSI. We used a special company that assessed our own property so we could rent it to ourselves using the Augustus rule and stuff like this. So there's niche companies that you can use that will help find more money for you.  Dan Boyd (21:29) It's, know, in ⁓ any line of work, there's specialties. And so, you know, in medicine, there's specialists, right? You've got your general practitioner, and they see you for normal things, right? You go there when you have a cold or for an annual checkup. But when something serious is going on, you always go to a specialist. And taxes are the same way. And so I'd say, you somebody's CPA is like their family doctor, and they should see that family doctor on a regular basis.   But we're the specialists. I would say we're probably most like a radiologist, right? Because we see things that other people don't see in terms of tax savings. And so that's our role. We don't prepare taxes. We prepare reports that help people not owe a lot of taxes. Jason Hull (22:10) Right. And there's a lot of different specialists out there and we've leveraged several financially and I'm sure there's more we're not even aware of that, you know, as Sarah and I grow and learn in our financial health, you know, that we will utilize. these are these are things that I would love everybody listening to be aware of. So I'm glad to have you here today. So did we miss anything that you think would be important for the audience to know about cost segregation? So, Dan Boyd (22:36) So, you know, why would like to your audience, why does this matter? And I'd say, if your clients don't hear about it from you, they're going to wonder why they're going to think my like, I trust this person with real estate, I would have expected them to know about this. And so Jason Hull (22:39) Yeah. Ooh, yeah. them to know about this. Yeah, they are expecting you to be the investment specialist. That's where you set yourself head and shoulders above just being a property manager where you're like, you know, a commoditized service. Then you're at that next rung on the ladder where you're an advisor, you're a consultant, they appreciate you. so, yeah, property managers could be leveraging CSSI. How can they leverage you guys? So a really easy way to get in touch with us is Dan Boyd (22:56) Yes. Yep. So a really easy way to get in touch with us is you   can just go to our website and there's a calculator there. And I think actually this is what would be even better. I think we have a landing page, especially for DoorGrow listeners. So people can go there and you can get information about a property. if you want information for a client, you could go there and you could submit a request and we will send you an estimate for that client, that property. With a discount for DoorGrow listeners. so, ⁓ yeah, there we go. So that's cssiservices.com slash DoorGrow. And ⁓ that's probably the best way, right? There's some basic information you can put in about the property and that will go to me and to one of our other reps, George Taylor. And we'll make sure to walk you through it, help you understand how you can talk to your clients about this so that you come across as the expert, right? We wanna, we don't need to take center stage. We wanna help you. And we'll make sure to walk you through it, help you understand how you can talk to your clients about this so that you come across as the expert, right? We don't need to take center stage. We want to help you be the be the expert and really deliver the great news to your clients. And again, if they hear this from you, they're going to say, that's why I work with this person. I work with them because they're looking out for me. They have my best interest in mind. And if they don't hear from you, then they'll say, wow, I wonder why, you know, why didn't they know about this? Or if they did know about it, why didn't they tell me? Jason Hull (24:33) Yeah, they're expecting you to be the investment specialist and it's a painful realization for them when they get advice outside on their property. That's a good idea and you didn't give it to them. So you want to be the one that delivers this good news. So ⁓ yeah, so that website address is C as in Charlie, S-S-I-S-E-R-V-I-C-E-S. So CSSI services dot com slash DoorGrow. Dan Boyd (24:48) Absolutely. Dan Boyd (25:08) And is that DoorGrow just ⁓ all one word? OK, gotcha. Yeah. So and I'd say, you know, doesn't there's no cost to getting the estimate to determine, hey, how much is how much could this save somebody in taxes? And so really no harm to getting that estimate and presenting it to somebody. And that way, even if they don't need it this year, they have that for decision making purposes in the future. That's part of tax planning to say, OK, this year, my taxes are taken care of. But next year might be a really big tax.   Jason Hull (25:18) Yes. Got it. And so the property manager could initiate this process for each of their properties. They could. Okay, got it. Very cool. Well, Dan, I appreciate you coming on the show. Glad we have this cool DoorGrow page. That was a nice surprise set up. Jason Hull (25:58) Anything else you want to Dan Boyd (26:00) I don't think so, other than I hope we can help all of your audience save their clients tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes this year, next year and beyond so that they've got more money to buy more properties and just continue to grow their portfolios. Jason Hull (26:14) Yeah, that would be some nice surprises. I don't think anybody's clients would complain about that. So, all right. Appreciate you being here on the DoorGrow show, Dan. All right. So if you've ever felt stuck or stagnant in your property management business and you want to take it to the next level, reach out to us at DoorGrow dot com. Also join our free Facebook community. It is just for property management business owners at DoorGrow club dot com. And if you would like to get the best ideas in property management, join our newsletter. Dan Boyd (26:19) I don't think so. You bet. Thank you, Jason. Jason Hull (26:43) by going to doorgrow.com slash subscribe. And if you found this episode even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review or a positive comment on whatever channel that you saw or heard this on, we'd really appreciate it. And until next time, remember the slowest path to growth is to do it alone. So let's grow together. Bye everyone.  

SLOW HORSES SEASON 5 REVIEW Slow Horses Season 5 wastes no time setting up the stakes, starting with a brutal mass shooting in the heart of London. This kicks off a series of terrorist attacks in a politically divided city during the midst of a fraught mayoral campaign. Ordinarily, this would be a job for […]

SLOW HORSES SEASON 5 REVIEW Slow Horses Season 5 wastes no time setting up the stakes, starting with a brutal mass shooting in the heart of London. This kicks off a series of terrorist attacks in a politically divided city during the midst of a fraught mayoral campaign. Ordinarily, this would be a job for […]

Talking Sports Books" here is the video edition of the new show with Manchester journalist Dom Farrell talking about his new book release "Glory Days For The Waifs And Strays" On 12 May 2019, Manchester City became the first team to retain the Premier League title for a decade. Twenty years earlier, the same club was slogging its way out of Division Two, having sunk ignominiously to the third tier, its glory days well behind it.Ordinarily, the tale of a sleeping giant awaking to stomp over the competition would be celebrated far beyond the core fan base. But City's success is tied inextricably to its takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, an event that altered the club's horizons beyond any plausible recognition. The injection of billions of pounds into the club amid accusations that Abu Dhabi is ‘sportswashing' its reputation tarnished City's treble-winning season in 2022/23, as have serious charges of financial impropriety from the Premier League.Glory Days for the Waifs and Strays charts this route from noble rags to uncomfortable riches and unpacks what it means when a team's lowest lows and highest highs occur improbably within a generation. It amounts to a story like no other in modern football: the distance travelled from there to here, the greats on either side of the white line and the uniquely divisive means by which this has been achieved.Manchester City have defined an era in English football. This is the tale of how that happened and why it matters.ORDER HERE https://amzn.to/3LGbclL

We learn from Saint Alphonsus Liguori's sermon for the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost.Please support the Our Lady of Fatima Podcast:http://buymeacoffee.com/TerenceMStantonSubscribe to our Substack:https://terencemstanton.substack.comLike and subscribe on YouTube:https://m.youtube.com/@OurLadyOfFatimaPodcastFollow us on X:@FatimaPodcastThank you!

Ordinarily there are certain previous and preparatory works, or workings in and upon the souls of men, that are antecedent and dispositive unto it. But yet regeneration doth not consist in them, nor can it be educed out of them. A material disposition is that which disposeth and some way maketh a subject fit for the reception of that which shall be communicated, added, or infused into it as its form. So wood by dryness and a due composure is made fit and ready to admit of firing, or continual fire.

Before the fascists came, America was finally on the right track. As the saying goes, when you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow. That's what happened with our violent but mostly peaceful revolution in the Summer of 2020. When Joe Biden took office, we had complete control over the message and could fire anyone at will if they used the wrong pronoun, doubted the election results, or dared to defy mask mandates or lockdowns. Or even wore a red hat. We erected a high fence around the Capitol. We shunned, destroyed, de-banked, fired, bullied, harassed, and abused anyone who ever supported Trump. The hearts and minds did follow, they had to. We'd laid the groundwork for our revolution decades before. Most Americans were unaware of it. So were most parents until lockdowns. Then, unfortunately, they saw, but by then it was too late. A whole army had come of age and now, had taken to the streets. Conform or else.That's how culture changed, and it changed dramatically, almost overnight — all were in compliance. Movies, fashion, books, the arts, comedy, and yes, museums finally did what they were supposed to do - tell us how to think, what to think, and whose side to be on. America wasn't ready for that back in the 1950s when Communist hunters in government and Hollywood punished those seeking to use culture as a conduit for dogma. It's the Conservatives once again attempting to purge American culture of an infectious mind virus. When Trump gave a speech at Mount Rushmore, it was a warning, like Mein Kampf. America knew where we were headed, but they put him in power anyway four years later. Then again, how do we really know he was elected? Like they say on TikTok, “he wasn't shot, he didn't win, he is on the list.”We know how close the election was. Just as when Hitler won in Germany, Trump's win was close enough to rob him of his mandate to decide America wants change. America doesn't. America is “woke” and likes it that way, and if they don't, too bad.Now, the fascists want the Old America back. They want people to feel proud of their country and be inspired to make the most of themselves, regardless of skin color or class. As if that's even possible in a White Supremacist empire founded by colonizers on stolen land on the backs of oppressed and enslaved people. But we're going to fight them, just like we will fight them, trying to close the border or clean up crime or end the crisis of unhoused persons. Fortunately, we have complete control of the BBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. They will project our message - they have to. They know that and have since 2020. And that message will have to be that Trump wants to eradicate all mentions of slavery, pretend it never existed at all. When Jillian Michaels tried to explain to the Good People at CNN that purging the “woke” from the Smithsonian wasn't about erasing slavery, it didn't go so well:But she's a fascist-apologist, which means we must do what we can to exclude her, purge her, and silence her. There is only one point of view allowed in our America. Anyone who tries to criticize us or dismantle what we built over the past 20 years must be destroyed. That is anti-fascism.So that meant she had to go on News Nation to try to further explain what she really meant.It doesn't really matter what Jillian Michaels thinks. What matters is what we tell her to think, and if she doesn't go along with it, she must be punished. We want every child or teenager forced to visit the Smithsonian with their school or their parents to know they should be ashamed of not just the color of their skin (if they are white) but of their country, its history, and its so-called heroes. We want every Black child or teenager who is forced to visit the museum to also know that they are forever and eternal victims; we need them to be. We need an endless supply of oppressed people to continue demonizing the oppressors and preserve our power. Not to mention, raise money from wealthy, guilty white people who need absolution for their sins of wealth and privilege. Otherwise, what's the point?Yes, it's to make everyone feel welcome, but they must know their place as symbols of oppression and never be allowed to rise beyond the menial jobs white people won't take. That keeps them in their lane. It's better than life in the third world. And it helps justify our movement. One exhibit depicts what looks like the Baby Jesus and family caught by border agents while trying to cross over the wall. Art must tell us what to think. This image conveys the migrants as martyrs under an oppressive system. It's a message that we project across all facets of culture under our control. We guide viewers on how to interpret this image and draw a conclusion about America. The message must be that all people who cross the border do so seeking democracy and a decent life. They are good. If you see them as terrorists or rapists or gang members, you are bad. You are a racist. If there is a Sydney Sweeney ad that celebrates “good genes,” well, the Gap will answer it with how we're all supposed to reflect female beauty as every color of the rainbow, because the Sydney Sweeney ad was racist. Here is another exhibit which reflects how we see our protected groups — it's never about achievement. It's only about identity. Identity is achievement. From the White House: I mean, of course, we know that Irish and Italian immigrants were attacked and prevented from voting and working in the US. They were white. But we can't tell that story because it muddies the message. All children need to know is that Benjamin Franklin was a racist. Art should depict any person who is marginalized as saintly and god-like. Here is an example of one of our children who is probably the last generation to know the truth before the fascists came.All school children should learn, as early as possible, about the various identity groups in case they might belong to one — surely they are aware of this even as toddlers. What we used to call a fetish is also now identity:The American History Museum's “LGBTQ+ History” exhibit seeks to “understand evolving and overlapping identities such as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, transsexual, transvestite, mahu, homosexual, fluid, invert, urning, third sex, two sex, gender-bender, sapphist, hijra, friend of Dorothy, drag queen/king, and many other experiences.” If this were actual art, there would be an exhibit labeled “The Woke Eye view” and offer some critical thinking of Critical Theory. But that would be blasphemy. Artists have always spoken truth to power, and we have all of the cultural power, so we decide the message. Because identity matters, the transgender fight is on par with Jim Crow in our ideology, so if you remove any of it, it is like you are erasing Black history, too.Illegal immigration is identity. Crime is identity. Theft, carjacking, murder, and rape are identity, unless you're white. Then you drive the news cycle for several weeks as we lament the harms of “white supremacy” on our society.If you try to stop any of it, then you will be screamed at, “F— you! You f—ing fascists! Why are you here? I don't want you in my city!” So said one brave resistance fighter who then, in a fit of pure rage, hurled a footlong sub at the Gestapo then fled the scene. We turned that into art, too. Ordinarily, we might care that the sandwich would make for a pretty good meal for an unhoused person, or that it costs carbon emissions to grow the animal, slaughter it, then drive the meat to Subway, and finally put the sandwich together, probably all labor by people of color or other marginalized groups. We might protest him or cancel him on social media for his carbon footprint. But that would be in ordinary times. These are not ordinary times. Anti-fascism is preventing crime in the cities because policing crime is another form of oppression. Anyone who supports making the streets safer is a fascist. All of the Good White Liberals agree: Fascism is here. Even Bill Maher says so. Sure, he kind of has to because if he doesn't, he might not get invited to the parties anymore. Or his show might be canceled outright. Or maybe he believes it. We get to say what kind of lawfare amounts to fascism. Terry Moran gets to say. Sure, we raided Trump's home and indicted him, took his mug shot. Threw Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro in jail for Contempt of Congress, tried to throw Trump in jail, tried to throw him off the ballot, probably tried to shoot him; we might have de-banked a few and kicked people off social media. Fired them for offensive words, ideas, or headlines. But you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.It all works together. Keep teaching that America is an empire of “white supremacy” and Black and Brown people must turn to crime and drug addiction just to survive it, well, then, we don't want the National Guard in our cities, because what would happen if they cleaned up crime? No crime, no democracy. We need the museum to explain why we need DEI, why we have crime, and why we need to accept crime and homelessness as a part of normal life in a sick and broken country like ours. As long as our country is sick and broken, then our movement is justified. We must eradicate fascism and restore democracy. 2020 was only the beginning. We just need to ensure we have complete control over the young. We want them as early as infancy. We want them in preschool. We want everything they see and everything they learn to be our message. Our America. Was it Orwell who said, “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.” That is our fight now. Who controls the present? We need to protect our message that not all are created equal. Our history must remind us every day that we should feel shame about our past, because how else to justify our survival? // This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sashastone.com/subscribe

Edition No223 | 15-08-2025 - The reaction of Russia's nationalists, the so-called turbo patriots and war bloggers to Putin's Alaska Summit with Trump is perhaps not what you might have expected. It's far from positive, and strikes a tone of caution, fear even, of humiliation, failure and treachery. What on earth is going on? Ordinarily, we would not spend much time reviewing what Z-Patriots think, because it is vile and inconsequential. But on this occasion, the negative murmurings around the summit are perhaps a little revealing – not of Russia's strengths, but a recognition of its weakness and vulnerability. They fear that the capacity for Russia to wage war may be dwindling and ending. What Z-Patriots really think and what Putin Wants. “No greater humiliation”: Why the Alaska summit rattles the Z-sphere. On the eve of the Alaska summit, the Kremlin's online chorus of hate and loathing, The Z-Patriot milieu sounds a little off-key. Russia's hardline pro-war influencers can't decide whether Alaska is a stage set for triumph or a set-up for humiliation. Exiled dissident Russian journalist and YouTuber Майкл Наки stitched together their reactions in a scathing roundup titled «БОЛЬШЕГО УНИЖЕНИЯ ПРИДУМАТЬ НЕВОЗМОЖНО» — “You couldn't invent a greater humiliation.” (YouTube, channel “Майкл Наки,” uploaded mid-Aug 2025.)----------DESCRIPTION: Alaska Summit Dilemma: Z-Patriots, Putin, and Trump's Tactical DanceIn this episode of Silicon Bites, we delve into the controversial Alaska Summit involving Putin, Trump, and their key ministers. We explore the reactions of Russia's nationalists, the so-called turbo patriots, and war bloggers who perceive the summit not as a triumph, but as a potential humiliation for Russia. As we analyze the symbolism, fears, and strategic implications, we also look into what the summit means for Russia, Ukraine, and global geopolitics. With perspectives from various commentators, observers, and official statements, we dissect the underlying motives and anticipated outcomes of this high-stakes meeting.----------CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to the Alaska Summit01:01 Z-Patriots' Reactions and Fears03:27 The Kremlin's Official Stance06:29 The Summit's Symbolism and Optics10:10 Ukraine's Strategic Pressure10:44 The Human Cost of War11:39 Myths and Misconceptions15:40 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VohB4cXnfe8&t=967s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOHk3mHwMWY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOHk3mHwMWY Kyiv Independent — Russia unveils delegation, agenda, schedule; no agreement expected; live news feed, summit framing.Reuters — Zelenskyy in London; security guarantees debate; Trump/Putin deal talk; Putin's demands incl. NATO renunciation; Volgograd refinery fire.Euronews — What we know about the upcoming Alaska meeting. CSIS / ISW — Alaska stakes and Russian objectives unchanged; propaganda aims around summit.Meduza — Summit format and symbolism; travel/return schedule. Times of Israel / Independent — “West Bank-style” model reporting and denial by White House.OHCHR — July 2025 civilian casualty spike (1,674). (UN Human Rights Ukraine)ICC — Arrest warrants (Putin; Lvova-Belova) over unlawful deportation/transfer of children; EU statement. (International Criminal Court, European External Action Service)AP / Reuters — Deportations to Belarus; Yale-backed research on transfers by Kremlin aircraft. Kyiv Independent — Oil-infrastructure strikes; “historical materials” warning. ----------

July 21, 2025Today's Reading: Genesis 18:1-10a (10b-14)Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 4:1-22; Acts 17:1-34; Acts 16:23-40“[Abraham] ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.' … The LORD said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.'” (Genesis 18:2b-3, 13-14) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Who is serving whom? Genesis 18:1-14 is a beautiful example of the relationship between faith and works. It shows the fruits of faith in God's promise sprouting forth and bearing fruit in the works of Abraham.Ordinarily, upon seeing the approach of sojourners, one as wealthy as Abraham would have given instructions to his servants and let them do the work involved with hospitality. But Abraham himself runs to them, begging them to be his guests, insisting that their presence would be to his benefit (“if I have found favor in your sight …”). He invites them to rest in a place of comfort, shaded by trees, and provides for them. He himself chose the calf (among his best!) and has it served lavishly with milk and curds. He requests Sarah to make bread from fine flour in amounts (3 seahs = 42lbs), allowing for such an abundance of bread that it will not run out. Abraham's hospitality toward his visitors is extravagant.What motivates Abraham to be of such high service to these sojourners? Whether or not he knows them to be God from the outset, it is God who motivates his generous service. Even before God's promise to him of a son is given a second time (thus emphasizing its certainty and importance) Abraham's faith has blossomed from its first pronouncement (Genesis 17:16), and his faith bears fruit in this lavish service which calls to mind Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats, “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'” (Matthew 25:40)Who is serving whom? As lavish as Abraham's hospitality is, that of his visitor (God Himself) is greater. In the context of this extraordinary meal, God reiterates His promise to Abraham of a son, which foreshadows the Son who will be the fulfillment of the promised offspring of the woman, promised since Genesis 3. We are sojourners in this fallen world. It is God (incarnate) Himself who runs to us, begging us to be His guests, insisting that our presence among Him would be to our eternal benefit, and serving us – inviting us to rest in a place of comfort shaded by His countenance. He Himself prepares the meal by His crucified body and shed blood, a lavish meal with such an abundance of His mercy, it will never run out.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There dwells the Lord our king, the Lord our righteousness, triumphant o'er the world and sin, the Prince of Peace. On Zion's sacred height His kingdom He maintains, and glorious with His saints in light forever reigns. (LSB 798:7)Rev. Jeffrey Ries is the pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tacoma, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

Evelyn's Task: 100 shags in 2 days.In 13 parts, By BradentonLarry - Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Evelyn remembered that there were four or five high stools arranged around her table and looking down she saw that there were three faces smiling up at her, watching her move in the light. There were two men and a woman. One of the men looked Latino and the other was black with a slightly light complexion. Both men seemed naked from Evelyn's viewpoint. The woman seemed Chinese or Vietnamese, or possibly Thai, but had curly blonde hair brushing her lovely neck, she seemed younger than the two guys by maybe a decade. She was wrapped in a white towel for some reason, but it had slipped down to expose her left breast.Evelyn casually looked around to see how her fellow dancers were doing. Though one of the guys was still dancing much as she was, the other girl and guy had moved into much more suggestive styles. The guy was reclining on his haunches, bending back so his rather impressive erection was standing straight up as several members of his audience reached out to run their hands over his muscular thighs. The girl was on her hands and knees wiggling her ass and exposing her vulva for the people on that side of her table. Evelyn decided she should be having more fun with this situation.Spreading her feet wide apart on the table, with her back to the two men, she slowly bent at the waist until she had placed her hands flat on the table. Her long red-brown hair cascaded around her head and brushed the tabletop. She felt a hand moving up over her right ankle and then a moment later one caressing her left. Smiling, Evelyn, took her right hand and lifted her hair from her face and had a closer look at the pretty Asian woman who was smiling back at her.Letting the Latino and black guys, she assumed, continue to caress her feet, ankles, and strong calves, as well as admire her exposed cunt, Evelyn crooked her left index finger at the woman, beckoning her closer. Letting her towel fall away, the woman leaned forward over the illuminated tabletop. Evelyn caught her face in a light grasp and gave her a lingering kiss.Releasing the woman's face, Evelyn slowly stood and went back to her dancing for a moment, slowly turning until she was facing the Latino guy, and then repeated her slow bending, including giving a kiss, which was a bit less lingering than the first one. She went through the same routine for the black guy.She was planning to change things up but by then a third man had joined her audience. This was a guy who seemed Indian or Pakistani, and who was admiring Evelyn with quite obvious lust, over and above the admiration the others were exhibiting. Ordinarily, she would have thought 'This one's trouble,' but under the circumstances the way the new guy was looking at her just turned her on more and emboldened her further.This time, while facing the new guy, Evelyn backed up toward the edge of the table, nearest the Latino gentleman, then lowered herself to her hands and knees, and then crawled the short distance to the new guy who met her with a passionate kiss. Evelyn let herself enjoy the feeling of his tongue against hers for a long moment, but then backed up, rolling back until she was sitting closer to the Asian woman. With her hands and feet planted firmly beneath her, Evelyn lifted herself up into a table-position, her thighs spread so the woman could see her cunt clearly.Very slowly, Evelyn lowered herself, sinking toward the woman who was watching her with a smile. Watching the woman's expressions, Evelyn slid her hand down over her taut belly until her fingers were moving over her labia. Then she found herself slowly fingering herself, pressing her palm tightly against her clit. She might have just laid back there on the table and brought herself off, but just then the pretty Asian woman crooked her finger at her, copying the gesture Evelyn had used on her just minutes ago.With a broad smile, Evelyn crab-walked herself to the edge of the table right in front of the woman, who ran her hands along the inside of Evelyn's thighs before leaning in to kiss her very ready cunt. The woman's tongue slipped between Evelyn's lips and flickered over her clit, sending shivers all through her body. Momentarily forgetting the three men and the rest of the situation, Evelyn lay back and enjoyed what the woman's tongue and lips were doing to her. Evelyn slipped her legs around the woman's shoulders to hold her close and clasped her own tits tightly, pinching her nipples a bit.She was content to stay there and let the lovely woman lick her to an orgasm, at least, but then she felt a warm hand on her left thigh, which was the one on the side toward the newer guy. Looking down, she saw that that man was saying something to the woman, who stopped what she was doing to Evelyn to smile and nod to him. Then, reluctantly, Evelyn relaxed her legs' grasp on the woman so she could pull away and be replaced by the gentleman with lust in his eyes.Fortunately, he picked up right where the pretty Asian had left off, which earned him a happy smile from Evelyn. Then she watched as the Latino guy helped the Asian woman climb up onto the table with Evelyn. Her pale, slender body was beautiful in the bright light as she crawled over to kiss Evelyn, who relaxed and enjoyed being pleasured by two affectionate mouths. Too quickly, though, the woman broke the kiss and moved to straddle Evelyn's face. Smiling up at the woman, Evelyn grasped her tight ass and helped her get into just the right position so Evelyn could run her tongue between her lips, tasting her sweet nectar and licking at her hard little clit.The guy between her legs wasn't exactly the best, but he wasn't bad, and he was clearly intent on making Evelyn come. Evelyn felt her legs resting on his shoulders and her heels pressing against his back, holding him there, as she tried to concentrate on licking and sucking at the cunt and clit on her face. She felt her orgasm approaching as she saw the Latino guy moving up in front of the Asian woman. Evelyn wondered a bit how many people this table could hold, but went on with what she was doing, trying to make this pretty woman come for her.By now the man between Evelyn's legs was fucking at least two fingers in and out of her cunt rather violently as his tongue lashed at her clit, and she could see the Asian woman on her face was sucking the Latino guy's cock. She thought what a nice spectacle this must be for the people watching, and then she was coming. Her body clenched and spasmed as Evelyn rode a wave of tumbling ecstasy. She stopped licking at the woman on her face's clit and just moaned into her cunt as she shook. Only when she came back down did she manage to get back to work, squeezing the woman's ass in her hands as she continued licking and sucking.Evelyn was barely aware of the fact that the man between her legs was shifting around. Then, she felt the unmistakable sensations that came with having a cock moving between her lips and then pushing into her cunt. Evelyn wondered how the man, who she was assuming was the same guy who'd just been licking her, managed to get up high enough to fuck her, but put that concern out of her head and let herself enjoy being fucked. She felt her legs being lifted up, held in a V, as the man shoved into her with increasing force.Soon, it was all Evelyn could do to keep the woman's clit in place enough for her to keep licking at it, as she was driven into again and again. She found herself wishing she could get a hold of something to encourage her fucker to ram into her even harder, or that he had a bigger cock. Even so, she thought she was likely to come again before she was able to make the woman on top of her come. She was wrong.The woman had been pressing down on Evelyn's mouth and tongue more insistently, when suddenly she was shaking and rubbing herself on Evelyn's face as her juices flowed freely. Evelyn found herself bathed in sweet wetness as the woman shuddered and gasped on her face. Then she felt the man fucking her filling her cunt with his cum.As the woman carefully moved away and Evelyn felt the cock being pulled away from her cunt, she remembered where she was and thought it was extremely hot that she had been putting on such a display for everyone in the club. She also thought that she needed more cock. Rather than just lay there sprawled out at the edge of her table and wait for someone to put his cock in her, which was sure to happen soon enough, Evelyn thought she should do something more proactive about the situation.Wiping her face a bit with the back of her hand, Evelyn sat up and looked around. She saw that the table had actually lowered quite a bit while she'd been distracted. It was now at a level where it would be quite easy for the average man to fuck her as she was. While that was convenient, Evelyn wanted to go on with her performance. Knowing that she must look pretty wild with her mane of hair all messed up and wet, she twisted around and cast her eye to the people around her table-stage.The lusty guy who had licked her and then, she presumed, fucked her was still there, and had a contented smile on his face. The black guy was there too, but the Latino and Asian woman were gone. A new guy caught her eye. He was a young man, maybe early twenties, white, with short black hair. After crawling to the center of her table, Evelyn beckoned to this new guy and the black guy who'd been waiting so patiently. She knelt there in the middle of her brightly lit little stage as they came up to stand in front of her, presenting their cocks.The black cock was nice and long, and very thick, while the white one was even longer, but not so thick. Before she even began to kiss and lick at these beautiful phalluses before her, Evelyn had a plan. She took her time, really trying to make a show of things, licking and sucking on both cocks. After a bit, she gestured for the black guy to lie down on his back for her. Holding on to the long white cock for support and to keep him from wandering off, Evelyn straddled the muscular black man and sank slowly down on his wonderfully fat cock.Groaning a bit as she impaled herself, feeling herself so blissfully filled, Evelyn reached down with her free hand to stroke her clit. There on the illuminated platform, on top of a muscular man with his big thick cock in her cunt, another man standing next to her, his long cock tightly in her hand, Evelyn brought herself off in a brief but sweet orgasm.Then she was riding slowly up and down on that thick column of hard flesh, fingers stroking her clit furiously, while her other hand twisted and stroked at the other cock, until she threw her head back and her muscles tensed all over as she came loudly for everyone to see. She really let herself go with it, squeezing herself on that cock and arching her back and crying out incoherently, gasping and shuddering.When Evelyn was able to think again, she smiled down at the man underneath her and began to rock herself against him, working his thick cock in and out of herself again. She pulled the waiting guy over to her mouth, quickly going back to sucking hungrily at his long cock. She tried to get as much as she could of that length down her throat, but there was quite a bit left over. When she had that cock nice and slippery with her saliva, she looked up at its owner and tossed her head over her shoulder, hoping he would take the hint. He did.In another moment, Evelyn braced herself with both hands on the black guy's firm chest as the guy behind her began to push his long cock slowly up her ass. She loved the feeling of being so completely filled, a sensation she hadn't appreciated so well before that orgy on the Riverboat. For the first time since climbing onto her little stage, Evelyn said something. She groaned and said, "God yes! That feels so good! Fuck me boys, fuck me!"It took a moment for them to get the right rhythm, but soon the two men were working well together, pistoning in and out of Evelyn's body as they succumbed to their carnal desire to fuck her until they came inside her. She came and came again, shuddering and crying out between them, before someone else joined their party.An Asian guy with a long cock, but not as long as the guy who was vigorously fucking her ass, came up and offered himself to Evelyn's mouth. Without hesitating, she opened her mouth and let him slide past her lips, over her tongue and into her throat.Evelyn was now merely hanging on, letting the three men move in and out of her. She let herself go, merely riding along as the sensations and pleasure had their way with her. Oddly enough, it was the man fucking her face who came first, pumping what seemed like a lot of cum down her throat and then splashing across her face. Before Evelyn could wipe any of the jizz off her forehead, she felt the big cock under her pumping hot cum up into her cunt, and then, before the first was finished, the guy behind her was coming deep inside her bowels, hot cum rushing up inside her.This was all too much for Evelyn's body to resist and she came again, this time in an explosive wrack of clenching muscles, shaking limbs, and wordless crying out."I came so, fucking, hard," Evelyn breathed. She had worked the end of her staff up into her ass and was fucking the fingers of her left hand in and out of her cunt, as she strummed at her clit with the fingers of her right. "Fuck! I'm going to come again, Don! Come with me!"Don had stripped out of his Batman costume and was stroking his very hard cock as he listened to her story and watched her. Although she had brought herself off earlier during the story, he had held off, but now, at her urging, he gave in."Yes," he nodded, arching his back, pushing his cock upward, "yes! I'm going to, oh fuck, yes!""Yes, baby!" she cried out. "YES!"Across the room, in her chair, Evelyn was shaking and moaning, while Don's cock swelled and erupted spraying a flood of hot, white cum all over his belly and chest. He clenched and shuddered as the orgasm went on and on."Wait," Toshia said. "She used the end of the staff as a dildo?"Don nodded, "It was a good size for it, and smooth, no splinters.""Damn," she grinned. "I kind of wish I'd thought of that.""Hum," Evelyn purred, laying in her chair, legs splayed widely, staff sticking out of her ass, fingers idly stroking her labia. "I do wish we could play.""Believe me, me too!" Don grinned as he used his discarded costume to wipe cum off himself. "Was that the end of your story?""Well," she said as she slowly drew the staff out of her ass. "Hey, note that I have now taken the stick out of my ass."Don laughed and said, "Duly noted.""Well, the rest of that session just became an orgy, which was a lot of fun, but for me that was the best part.""Excellent!""The rest of the week passed with more of the same, basically, nothing more intense and very little of it was boring.""What about the rest of the Resort? You said you had time off every day.""Yeah, I think I've been into every one of the clubs," she nodded. "I didn't stay long in all of them, but I made a point to check out every one I found.""Any favorites? Or particularly hot events?""I had a good time in Ladies Night," she winked. "And I bring the hot event with me, you know."Don laughed, "I do know!""Nothing really stands out as particularly noteworthy, I'm sure I'll think of more stories to tell you, but I should tell you about my next mission. Did you want to take a break and get properly cleaned up, though? I could use a drink and a bite to eat.""Sounds good!" Don smiled, grabbing a vest to hang his sheriff's star on."Hey, where's that deputy girl?""Hell if I know," shrugged Don. "She seems to have gone with the previous sheriff.""'Seems like you should have someone to watch over things when you're sleeping.""Want the job?""Sorry, lover," she chuckled. "I can't stay that long.""Well, that sucks.""Don't you think it would be even more frustrating for us to spend this year here together but not getting to have sex?""Good point," Don agreed.They had come to the Jungle Room, and Evelyn suggested they pop in to see if India was about. She wasn't, and neither was Jaden, but they took the opportunity to clean up in the pool before deciding to walk and talk."I can call this doing my rounds," Don smiled. "Now, that was your first mission, right?""Yes," she nodded. "The next one was very straightforward: fuck one hundred men in two days.""Ah, what? Seriously?"Evelyn grinned at his reaction and said, "Well, not exactly. The exact phrasing was more like 'Have one hundred men come in or on you within 48 hours.'"Thinking back to her own escapades in Eros, which she had considered impressive, Toshia laughed and exclaimed, "There goes my slut of the year title!""I don't remember that being official," Don laughed. "But, hey, you left early, and you've got Sarah.""That's true," she smiled. "Still, I'm a bit jealous, and I was fond of that title.""Maybe you can find a way to win it back later," Don grinned."Oh, you can count on it!" Toshia laughed."A hundred?!" Don gaped."Yep," Evelyn nodded. "I didn't think it would even be difficult. I just planned to head down to the huge-ass orgy downstairs. It would be easy to get twenty-five guys in the morning, twenty-five in the afternoon, twenty-five in the evening, Hell, I'd be done early.""Well, yeah, when you put it that way. But I take it things didn't go quite so easily."She laughed, "Yeah, that woman, Pamela, added something; I couldn't do it either in the Pleasure Dome or at the on-going orgy here in the Temple.""That would make things a bit trickier," nodded Don."Yeah, but 'the timer' started with the first guy to come, and they picked where they would send me.""Hum, they could be real cocks and put you in the middle of nowhere.""Yeah, but they didn't," she smiled. "They sent me to a place you're familiar with, the Manor.""Oh! Fun!" Don grinned."I turned up outside the front door, but I could tell where I was from your description. I wanted to get my task done as quickly as possible, but I remembered our system, so I went in and found the library as quickly as possible. Thanks to what you told me about getting around in there it was pretty easy. Sure enough, Robert was there and had a lot of questions. I tried to fill him in as best as I could, and then I let him fill me in, if you follow my meaning," she winked at him.Don grinned, "I'm sure he appreciated both things.""I think he did," she smiled. "I rode him right there on his chair.""Nice. That's one.""You're going to give up on that pretty quickly," laughed Evelyn. "Once I got that first dose of cum, I was on the hunt. There was a slender young guy wandering around in the stacks just outside the Scholar's office, over to the right of those tables, remember?""The place, but not the guy," nodded Don."Yeah, smart ass. Well, I just went up to him, dropped to my knees and blew him right there."

Introduction A. Preliminaries Good morning. Well, as I'm sure most of you know, last Sunday, we tied up our sermon series on Ezra. And right now I am planning to proceed to Nehemiah. That is not my practice ordinarily. Ordinarily, I try to switch back and forth between an Old Testament Book and a New…

Once upon a time—aka the 90s, when I bravely decided to be born—gay marriage was the only thing we queers could talk about. But why? Why were we so hell-bent on getting married? And how did the fight for marriage equality impact real people on the ground?In this episode, Bash is joined by writer and memoirist Jeremy Atherton Lin, author of Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told, to explore the long, messy, and horny history of gay marriage in America—from deportation threats in the 1950s to a rainbow-lit White House under Obama.Along the way, we ask:

Ordinarily you only hear me on these episodes. But periodically I like to drop into the mix longer conversations with men and women who have insight into pastoral well-being or practice. Rainy Day People are, as suggested by Gordon Lightfoot's song of that name, those who know what to say, and do so with care […]

The title Revelation comes from the Greek word apokálypsi, or ‘apocalypse', which in Greek means literally, the lifting of the veil. Ordinarily, a veil conceals or obscures that which lies beyond it, and when the veil is lifted, one sees clearly. But in this book the reverse is the case. John, the exiled poet of Patmos lifts a veil, and what we see beyond it is exceedingly less clear than what we expected to see…Sermon begins at minute marker 4:32Scripture: ​​​Revelation 13.1–18Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano on pexels

Greetings strangers, queer and pleasant. Come hear another episode of our podcast. Starring Laura Kate Magnet-Dale & Jane Aerith Magnet-Dale. A couple of queer, trans ladies who enjoy being very very silly. In this episode: Switch 2 Mario Kart World Summer Games Fest How To Train Your Dragon and more. You can get early access to episodes of Q&PS over on patreon.com/stonedmonkeyradio Q&PS t-shirts available here: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/79965780 www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/79965063 Also, if you'd like to pick up our book - based on the awful nonsense of Supremacy Software, it's available here: unbound.com/books/whale?utm_cam…urce=AuthorActivity

"The After Party" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on the book of Acts. Follow along as we explore what happened to the church after Jesus ascended to heaven. In this sermon, Pastor Zac teaches why we need to have right motives.Ananias and SapphiraIn Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira sell property and donate a portion of the money to the church. Ordinarily, this would be an honorable thing to do, but the couple lied about their contribution. They had every right to donate only some of the money, but they told the church that they gave the entire amount. Their motivation was to appear more generous than they really were. God is not fooled by this display, and he strikes both husband and wife dead on the spot.Let God be your motive, not the recognition.By lying to the church, Ananias and Sapphira were essentially lying to God. They did this because they desired the praise and approval of men more than the approval of God. If they desired to please God, they would have been honest about the amount donated. When you do good deeds, is it to be seen by men or by God? If you seek the praise of other people, Jesus said that will be your only reward. If you seek to please God, not caring about human attention, your reward will be in heaven.Let truth be your motive, not lies.Some people struggle greatly with telling the truth. The bible emphasizes the importance of truth and honesty all over the place. For the Christian, therefore, honesty should be a life goal. To walk in the truth is God's desire for us, because God is truth. How can you become a more honest person in your daily life? What would it look like to live in the truth? 

Feeling too ordinary to make a difference? This episode reminds you that you're exactly who God wants to use. Discover how Jesus meets us in our weakness to lead us into purpose. Be encouraged by real talk, honest faith, and a Savior who sees you. Listen now, and remember: you're never too broken to be used by God.

Thanks to Trech for suggesting this week's topic, the red-eyed tree frog! Further reading: Tadpoles hatch in seconds to escape predator The colorful red-eyed tree frog [photo by Geoff Gallice]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. This week we're going to have a short little episode about a little frog, suggested by Trech. The frog in question is the red-eyed tree frog, which is native to Central America, including parts of Mexico, and northwestern South America. It lives in forests, always around water. You might be thinking, “of course, frogs live in water,” but remember that this is a tree frog. It lives in trees. But it still needs water for its babies, just not quite in the way most frogs do. Before we learn about that, let's learn about the frog itself. A big female can grow about 3 inches long, or 7.5 cm, while males are smaller. It's a cute frog, of course, because frogs are always cute, but it's also brightly colored. It's bright green with red eyes, blue and yellow stripes on its sides, and orange feet. Ordinarily, a frog with such bright colors would warn potential predators that it's toxic, but the red-eyed tree frog isn't toxic at all. Its bright colors have a different purpose. When it's sitting on a leaf, the bright colors are hidden and only the frog's smooth green back is showing, which makes it look like just another leaf. Only its eyes are bright, but it closes its eyes when it's resting. But if a predator approaches, the frog opens its eyes suddenly and jumps up, revealing all those bright colors. The predator is startled, and maybe even hesitates because it thinks the frog might be toxic, and by the time the predator decides it should try eating the frog after all, the frog is long gone. Oh, and if you're wondering, the red-eyed tree frog can see through its eyelids. They're actually not eyelids like we have, but a membrane that it can move over its eyes. The frog is nocturnal and eats insects like mosquitoes, crickets, and moths. It has a good sense of smell, which helps it find insects in the dark. The tree frog also has suction cups on its toes that help it stay put on smooth leaves. During the day it sticks itself to the underside of a leaf to sleep where it's more hidden. The female also lays her eggs on the underside of a leaf. This protects them from heavy rain, since the frogs breed during the rainy season, and it also helps hide them from predators. The female chooses a leaf that's growing above water, and if the leaf isn't very big she'll lay eggs on both sides of it and fold the leaf to help hide all the eggs. The eggs stick to the leaf with a type of jelly that also helps keep them from drying out. The eggs hatch in about a week, but they can hatch a few days early if a predator approaches. The embryonic tadpoles in their eggs can sense vibrations, and if a predator like a snake shakes the leaf as it approaches the eggs, the tadpoles can hatch within seconds. They drop straight down into the water below the leaf. Hatching early when in danger is called phenotypic plasticity, and it's really rare. It's especially unusual because the embryonic tadpoles can actually tell the difference between a typical predator of frog eggs and vibrations caused by other animals or the wind. They can hatch so quickly because the stress reaction causes the pre-tadpoles to secrete an enzyme from their little noses, which weakens the egg wall and allows them to push and wiggle their way out. Tadpoles stay in the water for several weeks, or sometimes several months depending on conditions, during which time they eat algae and other tiny food in the water. As they grow bigger, the tadpoles can eat bigger food, including other tadpoles. They switch to tiny insects after they metamorphose into froglets. At some point during its development, a red-eyed tree frog needs to eat enough food containing carotenoids in order to develop...

Profligator Daniel presents this epic-length Profile in Cinemania on the mother of science-fiction, Mary Wolstonecraft Shelley. Mary Shelley is best known for her novel "Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus," as well as her feminism and her relationships with Regency-era English poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. Ordinarily a PIC on an author would not be our bailiwick, but her best-known novel has been adapted for the screen numerous times and will doubtless be adapted numerous more...   Written and performed by Daniel Scribner Editing by Andy Slack and Ethan Ireland Sound design by Ethan Ireland Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Tracks used: "Agreya," "Iridium," "Luminous," "Papaya Island" Caricature art by Andy Slack Comics

Sunday May 25, 2025 at the Hub City Church On Guard Against Gospel Drift | Galatians 2:11-14 World Upside Down Sermon by Tadd Anderson | Lead Teaching Pastor Sermon Notes: ACCOUNTABILITY is ESSENTIAL in the church because EVERY CHRISTIAN is SUSCEPTIBLE to gospel DRIFT. “We need accountability. Left to our own devices, we will soon devise or succumb to all kinds of evil. As Christians we know that we need other believers to hold us to the standards of Scripture. Life is far too difficult and we are far too sinful to live in solitude. We need community. We need accountability. And God has anticipated our need by giving us the local church as the primary means of this accountability.” — Tim Challies - No matter how MATURE in faith, we ALL continue to have indwelling SIN that must be DEALT with. Romans 7:15,18-19 // 1 John 1:8 - Biblical COMMUNITY affords relational PROXIMITY which affords healthy OPPORTUNITY for others to see our sinful PROCLIVITIES. Proverbs 18:1 // Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 // Proverbs 27:17 - The Bible presents CORRECTION by those who love CHRIST and love US, not as something we should FEAR but something we should DESIRE. Proverbs 9:8, 27:6 // Psalm 141:5 // Hebrews 3:13 - While strong, PUBLIC REBUKE is sometimes necessary, ORDINARILY correction should take the form of a GENTLE and relatively PRIVATE APPEAL to BELIEVE the gospel AFRESH. Matthew 18:15 // Galatians 6:1 // 2 Timothy 2:24-25 The Hub City Church is a local expression of the church in Crestview, Florida, making disciples Who Believe the Gospel, Abide in Christ and Obey the Word to the glory of God. Join us next Sunday at 10am. 837 W James Lee Blvd, Crestview, FL 32536.

During a back and forth with reporters inside the Oval Office, Donald Trump said that he is going to levy more tariffs on Canadian goods on April 2nd, and then he openly admitted that it is going to cause some "disruptions" for American consumers. He then added "sorry", and immediately moved on to explain that we don't need goods from Canada and that they need us, in spite of our $63 BILLION trade deficit with them. A federal judge this week absolutely demolished the legal team from Donald Trump's Department of Justice, accusing them of lying in court and providing "sham" documents. Ordinarily, this level of contempt would get lawyers sanctioned and possibly even disbarred, so these lawyers had better watch themselves. But that is secondary to the ruling, in which the judge ordered the federal government to immediately "rehire" tens of thousands of workers that they had laid off. A former megachurch pastor and former spiritual adviser to Donald Trump has been indicted in the state of Texas and charged with 5 different counts related to sex crimes involving children. Robert Morris, the former pastor, allegedly carried out most of the abuse a few decades ago, before he rose to national prominence as a major political player in both Texas and in the federal government.Text and and let us know your thoughts on today's stories!Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date on all of Farron's content: https://www.youtube.com/FarronBalancedFollow Farron on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarronBalanced Twitter: https://twitter.com/farronbalanced Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farronbalanced TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farronbalanced?lang=en

As more and more Americans have begun questioning whether or not Donald Trump was going to do anything to address inflation, the President released a statement this week (via Truth Social, of course) of how he plans to bring down consumer prices. The only problem is that there is nothing in the plan that would actually lower prices, and most of his proposals would actually cause MORE harm to consumers.The Trump administration's freeze on federal loans and grants was put on hold by a judge this week and then immediately rescinded by the Office of Management and Budget that issued the freeze. Ordinarily, this would put an end to the lawsuit before the judge, but thanks to Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, the lawsuit is still alive with fresh ammo against the administration. Leavitt had fired off a social media post explaining the "secret" plan of the administration, and lawyers immediately added that to the lawsuit.Donald Trump has taken the GOP's assault on transgendered people and teachers to a new level this week by signing an executive order that allows the Department of Justice to begin prosecuting teachers who support transgender and nonbinary students. But the order is much darker than it would seem - if a teacher uses pronouns for a student that do not correspond with the gender assigned to them at birth, they will be prosecuted. This is about to lead to all sorts of chaos in the education system.The Trump administration has said multiple times in the last two weeks that they are currently only rounding up immigrants who pose "security risks" to the United States and that their raids were focused on removing violent criminals from the country. That was never true, and now we have confirmation of it. According to officials in Colombia, the flights that they are now accepting from the US have not contained A SINGLE CRIMINAL, but there have been plenty of children and pregnant women aboard that have been deported.Text and and let us know your thoughts on today's stories!Subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date on all of Farron's content: https://www.youtube.com/FarronBalancedFollow Farron on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarronBalanced Twitter: https://twitter.com/farronbalanced Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farronbalanced TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@farronbalanced?lang=en

Lisa botched the subway ride to the studio, Atlantic Avenue, DeKalb Avenue, NYC Subway is extraordinary and safe, though there have been recent publicized incidents, Not Dot Dot was a refrain Max and Milo used to repeat, Our family loves racket sports, Tennis, Ping pong, Kadima, Makeshift ping pong table, We ultimately bought an outdoor ping pong table, We hired someone to build the ping pong table, Wouldn't it be great to have lights so we could play ping pong into the night,  Bike ride to Lowes or Home Depot, Purchase flood lights and the wrong bulbs, So distraught, Ordinarily the boys would have worked me over for this mistake, The boys took mercy on me and began the cheer Not Dot Dot, It was a refrain that the boys revived many times over the years, Daryl reveals some strategy, The Idea of Machines' Sweet Lefty

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found Click On Picture To See Larger PictureTrump's Hud nominee lets everyone know that the government cannot fix the homelessness problem, the government is the cause. Bitcoin is going to skyrocket. Elon is showing the people the way, he is teaching people why we have inflation and what is the cause. Soon the [CB] will be restructured. The [DS] has lost the people, they have used almost all their ammunition, they are weak. They will try one more time but Trump will counter it all. Trump and Scavino send a message, its time to wake the rest of the people up, its time to unleash the lion to show the world who is really in charge, it was always the patriots.   (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Economy https://twitter.com/gatewaypundit/status/1880983137175429558 https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1881127168631353788   https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1880854417366491452 TAKE A LISTEN   Political/Rights https://twitter.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/1880708707253936306 Fifth Circuit Rules DACA Unconstitutional Setting Up Another Supreme Court Challenge  A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, was illegal but stopped short of allowing a nationwide injunction issued by a federal judge in Texas to go into effect. The three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit ruling on the case restricted the scope of the injunction to Texas to allow further appeals. DACA is, in my opinion, the toughest part of the illegal immigration catastrophe facing the United States to solve. DACA enrollees arrived in the United States as very young children when their parents or guardians illegally immigrated. They are culturally American and frequently can't speak the language of their home country and have no family or social ties to it. There are an estimated 580,000 DACA enrollees.   DACA, as the Texas judge ruled  has no basis in law. It does not even rise to the level of a regulation. DACA started out as a 2012 memorandum signed by Obama DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. It was never an executive order. It never went through the rule-making process required by the Administrative Procedure Act. It has never been enacted into law by Congress. Ordinarily, any memo by a cabinet secretary ceases to have validity when they leave office, not so with DACA. When President Trump's DHS secretary rescinded the DACA memo based on the advice of the Attorney General of the United States, the Supreme Court held, in a 5-4 vote (guess how the Chief Justice voted), that the Trump administration was required to follow the Administrative Procedure Act to withdraw a memo that was never subjected to that act, see The Supreme Court Rules Trump Can't End the Illegal DACA Program Because Nothing Matters Anymore. This is the second time this particular case has been heard by the Fifth Circuit and the second time the Fifth Circuit has ruled DACA unconstitutional; see Fifth Circuit Rules DACA Is Illegal but Somehow It Keeps on Moving – RedState, The case is headed back to the Supreme Court, minus the rather stupid issue of whether a single memo by a cabinet secretary can masquerade as the law of the land. Source: redstate.com Border Czar Tom Homan Says Raids on Sanctuary Cities to Deport Illegals May be Paused After Plan Was Leaked President Donald Trump's Border Czar, Tom Homan, has said the immigration raids on “Sanctuary Cities,” including Chicago and New York, may be placed on pause after details about the plan were leaked to the media. On Friday,

It's being called Santa Street USA - a neighborhood outside San Diego where almost every home has a giant blow up Santa Claus. But now it's been targeted by a real-life Grinch. And, the drone mystery remains unsolved - and as we've reported, no matter how unnerved you might be about the sightings, it's illegal to shoot a drone. Now the FBI is chiming in to stress in no uncertain terms - if you see a drone, don't shoot it. Plus, it's an indicator of the impact of the United Healthcare killing. Ordinarily, an annual business gathering in New York City would be a non-event, but in the wake of the killing and a hit list that's been circulated, corporate leaders meeting across the street from the murder scene are taking no chances. And the shooting at a Wisconsin school that left three people dead is the 83rd school shooting so far this year. It's a sad sign of the times - but would your child know how to call for help in an emergency? It's estimated more than 26 million children in the U.S. don't know how to call 911.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, countless children face the harsh reality of hunger and a lack of clean water. Many are forced to scavenge through dumps just to find a scrap of food, and the journey to find water often involves walking miles through dangerous conditions. But you have the power to change that. With your generous gift, you can provide a hungry child with two meals a day for an entire year.Ordinarily, a gift of $100 would feed ONE CHILD and help a community get access to water.Thanks to a special meal for meal matching opportunity, your donation will have double the impact in meals! Your gift could be the miracle a mother is praying for right now.Will you help us rush life-saving food and water to children in desperate need? Thank you for your compassion and support! https://foodforthepoor.donorsupport.co/page/FUNYGLSBBSGSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ordinarily, taking time off from the gym may leave you feeling guilty. You might…

Ah, the dawn of a bright new beautiful Monday! Well, somewhere, I guess. How about we take David Waldman and Greg Dworkin and check out some other countries for a while, for a breather? Ordinarily, we would not be looking to the Middle East for inspiration, but suddenly Syria is standing for freedom. You'd hardly know about it from the American mainstream media… you'd hardly know anything from them… but there's plenty of other sources to discover at Blue Sky, Threads, and you know… others. At exTwitter, there's Tammam Aloudat's positive assessment. There's Alex Simon's appraisal of the Syrian prison “system”. Threads has Charles Lister with the international repercussions emanating from Syria's takeover by rebel forces. Blue Sky has more than just savvy individuals as well, it has an excellent news search. Then there's Romania. Romania, Romania, rhymes with Albania, which makes it easy to remember their tasty food, bawdy cooks, NOT chrome, and now election integrity, following a presidential vote recount after discovering Russian interference. Ok, that's the good news. Here are the takeaways from D's Meet the Press interview, which unfortunately did not conclude with him being taken away. The kakistocracy has already filled the bowl up to the seat but isn't close to stopping. The world's most powerful traffic court lawyer, Alina Habba raises the number of blond leggy presidential advisors to “Austin Powers” levels. Journalist David Corn moves up a dozen slots on the administration shitlist with his history of Kash Patel, future director of the US Staatssicherheit.

Dean traveled to D.C. and Virginia. Phil traveled to New Orleans, Mississippi and Memphis. Therefore, this seemed like the perfect week for a pre-recorded Top Ten show! As this is the 10th year of Netflix original movies, your friends in podcasting spend the entire hour discussing their all-time favorite Netflix films. Ordinarily, Dean and Phil […]

Today's podcast features Seth Lintz. Seth (“Pitching Doctor”) is a pitching and athletic performance coach.  He was a second-round pick in the 2008 MLB draft, carrying a maximal fastball speed of 104mph.  Seth has trained over a dozen individuals to break the 100mph barrier, using a progressive training system that prioritizes neuro-muscular efficiency, human psychology/brain-science, and intuitive motor learning concepts. To understand the fullness of our potential in any athletic discipline, we need to know not only our primary skill but also similar movements that can teach us more about that skill (outward) and the inner layers of our body and mind that dictate our movement quality and potential (inward). Seth fuses both of these in his approach. On today's podcast, Seth covers his recent work with sprinting, locomotion, and postural balance, and how it fits in with training pitching velocity. We also get into a variety of special strength-oriented movements for sprinting and related throwing aspects, and cover layers of both environmental and internal factors that drive athletic movement to its highest potential. Today's episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr's Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “justfly25” for 25% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 5:37- Links Between Sprint Speed and Throwing Velocity 8:34- Efficient Movement Patterns in Athletic Development 14:07- The Role of Intramuscular Coordination in Movement 21:27- Explosive Sprint Training with Squat March Lunge 31:23- Optimizing Sprint Mechanics Through a 45-Degree Start 41:50- Emotional and Physical Integration for Optimal Performance 44:35- Brain Coherence Through Meditative Breathing Technique 54:03- Work Capacity Development for Enhanced Performance Quotes (6:26) “I noticed that as individuals, gait improved, and really, first through myself, as gait improved, and I learned how with a sedentary posture, really, and one where individuals lack the ability to integrate their non dominant side fully, those postural tendencies that result are the same things that I started to see individuals really struggling with when it came to correcting things mechanically within the throw” (8:45) “It's really the intramuscular coordination aspect of it all, that the right parts of the body are working and communicating with other parts of the body in an efficient manner, and that you're not getting a bunch of interference whenever you're trying to throw the ball or walk or sprint or whatever” (14:50) “We can reconstruct that just simply by giving the athletes taking something away and then adding it back in and allowing them to feel the sensation of more power. Because when we experience less resistance and we experience less friction or interference or inefficiency within a movement, we immediately are going to gravitate toward it, because it does feel better for things to be more powerful and for us to put more intent into that movement” (19:20) "If you're doing altitude, drops, and lunge from any kind of height, the amount of force that you're absorbing upon landing far exceeds the amount of force that you're absorbing whenever you're taking a stride”- Seth Lintz (34:17) "It's all rhythms. It's just increasingly complex rhythms, the same way you would experience in music or anything else and dance." - Joel Smith (37:25) “And a five minute isometric lunge. Yeah. You got all your motor units turned on, trust me” (41:55) “Ordinarily the stimulus should create an emotion that recruits an adrenal response and the neurotransmitters necessary wit...

When we mention Zen practice these days, we usually mean sitting in Zen meditation, or zazen. It was not always so. In Bodhidharma's time, “practice” meant observing the Precepts in daily life, discerning to what degree our behavior is comporting to their admonitions. If memory serves, this is found in “The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma” by Bill Porter, AKA Red Pine. Similarly, when we speak of studying the Dharma, we typically mean reading the written record. It was not always so. When Buddha was alive, the teachings were spoken. You literally had to go listen to live lectures and, later, memorized recitation, to hear the Dharma. This was apparently true of all teachings of all sects at that time; the oral tradition prevailed. It was some four centuries after the Buddha's death, when his utterances were first committed to written form. With the advent of the Internet we have many more opportunities to “hear the true dharma” — a Dogen coinage with a deeper meaning — as expounded by others in the form of podcasts such as UnMind, audiobooks and other modern marvels. But we have to call into question whether we are hearing the Dharma truly. Whether the meaning we extract from listening to the efforts of others to express this subtle and inconceivable teaching is anywhere near to the original meaning that the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, intended, or for that matter that of any of his many successors in India, China, Korea and Japan, and the other countries of origin. I am not suggesting that we engage in a scholarly examination of the provenance and evolution of the Three Baskets — or Tripitaka in Sanskrit. I propose that we are challenged to attempt to render the meaning in the modern idiom, which involves extracting them from their original cultural context, and embedding them in ours, as well as expressing them in the vernacular, including the language of modern science and philosophy. For one thing, this means divesting the ancient liturgical passages of jargon — primarily the obscure and seemingly mystical terms, mostly from Sanskrit — such as “samadhi” for example — that some contemporary writers seem prone to sprinkle liberally throughout their publications. The downside to this tendency is that it creates an impression that the author actually knows what these terms mean, whether you, dear listener,understand them or not. Another consideration is what is called the “theory-laden” aspect of the semantics of language, as well as our interpretation of direct perception. This conditions the impact that Zen masters' behavior, as well as that of their “turning words” — in Japanese, wato — can have on their students. This concept was introduced to me by George Wrisley georgewrisley.com, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Georgia, author of texts on Dogen and Zen, who generously made several technical contributions to my books, “The Original Frontier” and “The Razorblade of Zen.” Professor Wrisley pointed out that, in the now-famous records of Zen students' exchanges with their masters, including extreme gestures they resorted to, in trying to help the student wake up to the reality of Zen — shock tactics such as shouting, and sometimes striking with a fist or staff — each student's reaction to the abuse was entirely dependent upon their belief, or innate “theory,” that the teacher was enlightened, and so could “do no wrong,” to oversimplify the point. Ordinarily, if someone hits you with a stick, your reaction would not be one of profound insight, and undying gratitude for the “grandmotherly kindness” of your abuser. Today it would likely trigger a lawsuit. The ancient ancestors of Zen seem to have an intuitive grasp of the importance of language and its effect on our perception of reality, as indicated in lines from the early Ch'an poems, such as: Darkness merges refined and common wordsBrightness distinguishes clear and murky phrases And: Hearing the words understand the meaningDo not establish standards of your own In Zen, of course, experience comes first, expression a distant second. The interim state, and where we can get it wrong, consists in our interpretation of direct experience, both on the cushion and off. As another ancient Ch'an poem has it: The meaning does not reside in the wordsbut a pivotal moment brings it forth And yet another: Although it is not constructedit is not beyond words Hopefully we have, or will have in future, experienced this pivotal moment. Meanwhile, we are dependent upon words to parse this teaching, and to express it, both to ourselves as well as to others. We can use words to encourage all to go beyond language, and even ordinary perception, in direct experience in zazen. In the face of this design intent of the Dharma, the past efforts to translate it into various languages, and the present effort to paraphrase it into the modern idiom, seem worth the time and trouble. In this spirit, let me share with you my paraphrase of the Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra, or Great Heart of Wisdom Teaching, with which, hopefully, you are familiar. This is a work in progress, subject to revision. The typographical layout available on the UnMind podcast page is designed to facilitate scanning and reading the text while chanting it aloud, usually accompanied by drum and gongs. You might follow it with your eyes, while you follow my words with your ears. In this way, you will absorb a multi-sensory experience, which may be more revealing than hearing or reading alone. I will simply recite it here, a capella: ESSENTIAL TEACHING OF PERFECTING WISDOM When any and all Awakening Beingsdeeply and directly experience the process of perfecting wisdom,they clearly see that all five traditional components of sentienceare fundamentally free of permanence and separate self-existence;this insight relieves all unnecessary suffering. Respected seekers of the truth, know that:the apparent form of our world is not separate from its impermanence;impermanence is not separable from appearances;“form,” or particles of matter, is innately “emptiness,” or waves of energy;conversely, emptiness is innately form.All sensations, perceptions, and underlying mental formations,as well as consciousness itself, also manifest as complementary.All existent beings manifest elemental impermanence,imperfection, and insubstantiality:they neither arise nor cease, as they appear to do;they are neither defiled nor pure, but nondual in their nature;they neither increase nor decrease in value or merit.Therefore know that, given the relativity of the material and immaterial,there can be no fixity of form; no tangibility of sensation;no persistence of perception; no infallibility of mental formations;finally, there can be no absolute entity of consciousness.More immediately, the principle of complementarity entails that there can beno eyes, ears, nose, or tongue, as such; and thus, no body;likewise there can be no “mind,” as a separate substance;it follows that, in spite of appearances,there can be no independent functions ofseeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching;nor can there be unconstructed objects of the mind;no independent realm of sight, nor that of any other sense organ;nor any realm of mind-consciousness as a whole. This means that there can be neither ignorance in the absolute sense,nor any extinction of ignorance in the relative sense.Neither can there be sickness, old age and death as absolute states;Nor any extinction of sickness, old age and death as relative states.In light of the implications of this insight,suffering intentionally inflicted upon oneself and / or others can come to an end,stemming as it does from confusion as to root causes;while natural suffering such as aging, sickness, and death cannot end. Thus there can be no isolated “path” leading to cessation of suffering;there can be no essential “knowledge” to gain, in any conclusive sense;and no “attainment,” of any consequential kind. Since there is nothing to attain,all Awakening Beings rely totally on simply perfecting their wisdom;their body-mind drops away, functioning fully with no further hindrances; with no dualistic hindrances, no root of fear is to be found;far beyond confused worldviews,they abide in nondual spiritual liberation. All Awakening Ones of past, present, and futurerely on the perfecting of this deepest wisdom,thereby attaining unsurpassed, complete, insightand letting go of the attainment. Rest assured that perfecting wisdomis the most excellent method;the serene and illuminating discipline; the unsurpassable teaching;the incomparable means of mitigating all suffering;and that this claim is true, not false. We proclaim the transformational perfecting of wisdom: Gone, gone to the other shore; attained the other shore; altogether beyond the other shore, having never left; the other shore comes to us; wisdom perfected! I do not claim to have captured the essence of the original chant. The afore-mentioned Buddhist scholar and Ch'an translator Red Pine, in his modern translation “The Heart Sutra,” tells us that this condensed version of the larger sutra extolling the emptiness of all existence, including the Dharma, was published in China around 900 CE. This was done in order to counter a prevailing trend toward erudition as the indicator of enlightenment, a distortion of the true Dharma that has occurred more than once in history. Another famous example is that of Master Huineng, sixth ancestor in China, who publicly tore up copies of the sutras to make a similar point. Buddha-dharma is manifest in nondual reality as lived, not contained in writing as doctrine. In a future segment of UnMind, we will take up another of my hopeful efforts at paraphrasing the Dharma. Meanwhile I encourage you to try your own hand — or more precisely, your mouth and mind — at putting one of the historical teachings into your own words. You might want to compose your own version of the Precepts, for example. When and if you do so, it may force you to consider the true meaning of these teachings which — through the sheer repetition of chanting them repeatedly over time — begin to sink into our stubborn monkey minds. But the downside of repetition is that they may become rote recitation, in which their deeper meaning and direct relevance to our contemporary lives may be lost. Not to worry, however — combined with the nonverbal silence and deep stillness of zazen, where we can begin to experience the meaning of the expression — we cannot go far wrong.

You can support this work at https://patreon.com/kindmind and access bonus content.'At the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit. And that center is really everywhere. It is within each of us.' -Black ElkWe all have an often underused and therefore latent power of concentration. It is like the aperture of a camera which controls how much light comes through the lens. When it is smaller, it yields marvelous depth of field but a blurring of the periphery.Similarly, the light of conscious attention can be directed like a laser to penetrate the phenomenal world to reveal deeper insights and master an aspect of life.Ordinarily, our understanding and attentional interests are coming from the environment and outer conditioning with the illusion of one's willful direction, just as the tides appear to be the work of the ocean and not the invisible gravity of the moon.Concentration also represents the sixth limb in the philosophy of yoga. Dharana is the Sanskrit word with its root "dhar" meaning "to hold." But this is not the same as meditation, which in some ways is the opposite, like the large aperture full of light due to having no specific focus.This episode explores various creative and contemplative paths to concentration, it's material and spiritual benefits as well as it's relationship to meditation and other limbs of yoga.(original artwork on episode website and music "Eight Hours" by Bing Satellites)

Support Breaking Walls at https://www.patreon.com/thewallbreakers That brings our look at the early years of Suspense to a close. Suspense would remain a hollywood production until the waning days of radio drama in 1959 when Bill Robson was directing it and this happened. Ordinarily here's where you'd get a sneak peek at next month's episode of Breaking Walls. Next month's episode, however, is significant. Sometimes you've got to go back to the beginning in order to know where you've been. Next month on Breaking Walls we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the show with what? Well, I can't reveal everything, you'll just have to stay tuned.

Jesse shares a fun way to handle "fun money" from long-time YNAB software engineer Kyle. Kyle suggests creating separate bank accounts for fun money with separate budgets as well. His method evolved from the desire to keep the visibility of fun money separate from his spouse, so they could 1.) take any judgment or guilt away from spending fun money, and 2.) spend on fun things for each other without ruining the surprise!   Ordinarily, Jesse advocates for simplifying your bank accounts as much as possible, but Kyle is a veteran YNAB'er and his method may be a fun experiment for you to try in your own family!   Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: askjesse@ynab.com   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com   Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: @iYNAB Instagram: @youneedabudget Twitter: @ynab Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

This latest episode is my quarterly conversation with Like the Wind magazine co-founder and editor Simon Freeman. We recorded the episode back in April and I put it out yesterday. Ordinarily it coincides with the release of a new issue of LtW, in which an excerpt of the conversation usually appears, but the latest edition of the magazine is “by women, about women, for everyone,” so Simon and I sat this one out. (You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) We still had a great chat, however, about a few topics that both of us have spent quite a bit of time thinking about: how we handle change, shifting priorities over time, defining our values, and emphasizing quality in our work. We quite enjoyed it, and hope you do too, so tune in wherever you listen to podcasts.This episode is brought to you by: — Tracksmith, New Balance, Precision Fuel & Hydration, and Final Surge. All of these brands have missions I believe in and products that I trust and use myself on a regular basis. One of the best ways to support the morning shakeout is by patronizing the partners that help keep them going week in and week out. Check out this page some of the discount codes and special offers available exclusively to readers and listeners of the morning shakeout.Click here for complete show notes and sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday.Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India controls numerous islands in the Indian Ocean, and they have a strange set of rules for North Sentinel Islands -- a tiny, remote place most people wouldn't visit anyway. You see, the Indian government maintains a 'zone of exclusion' surrounding the island, with no ships, helicopters or people allowed within miles of the shore. Ordinarily one might assume this is a secret military base or the site of an environmental disaster -- but the real answer is even stranger. Tune into to learn more about the mystery of North Sentinel Island.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.