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This guide covers the readings appointed in the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 8), Year A, falling on June 28, 2026.This Sunday closes the four-week arc of Jesus' sending discourse in Matthew 10. The shape of that arc is worth holding in view as you prepare. Four weeks ago, Jesus called Matthew the tax collector from his table. Three weeks ago, he sent the twelve out with empty hands. Two weeks ago, he warned them about the cost of being sent. This week, the discourse closes with three short verses about welcome — a cup of cold water, a household opening its door, a small kindness that Jesus says is received as if it were given to him. After the heaviness of last week, the gentleness of this closing is itself part of the message: found, sent, warned, now received.The Old Testament tracks pull in very different directions. Track One brings us Genesis 22 — the binding of Isaac — paired with Psalm 13's repeated cry of “how long.” This is one of the hardest texts in all of Scripture, and the guide says so plainly. Some preachers will choose to preach it, and the guide tries to help them do so with care. Some will choose not to, and that is a legitimate decision; the cautions section makes the case that the choice should be made with information rather than avoidance. Track Two brings us Jeremiah's confrontation with the false prophet Hananiah, paired with Psalm 89's exuberant praise. The Epistle continues in Romans 6, where Paul presses the practical implications of having been freed in baptism.The ReadingsGenesis 22:1–14First Reading (Track One) — The Binding of IsaacSummaryThis is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture. Without warning, the narrator tells us that God is going to test Abraham, and then God asks him to do something unspeakable — to take his beloved son Isaac, the long-awaited child of the promise, and offer him as a burnt offering. Abraham rises early the next morning, says nothing to anyone, and sets out with two servants and the boy. On the third day, he leaves the servants behind. He places the wood on Isaac's back. Isaac, walking beside him, finally speaks the question that shatters the silence of the scene: “Father, the fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham answers, “God himself will provide.” At the place of sacrifice, Abraham builds an altar, binds his son, places him on the wood, and reaches out his hand for the knife. At the last possible moment, an angel calls his name. Do not lay a hand on the boy. Abraham looks up and sees a ram caught in a thicket. He calls the place “The Lord will provide.”Key Ideas for Preaching* Three times in this chapter, Abraham answers with the same word — “Here I am.” Once to God, once to Isaac, once to the angel who stops him. The same single-hearted availability that gets Abraham into this terrible scene is also what lets him hear the voice that stops him. What might it mean for your congregation that the posture of being fully present to God includes the readiness to be interrupted?* The line “God will provide” is spoken by Abraham before the ram appears. He does not say it after the rescue, looking back; he says it on the way up the mountain, before he knows how. What might it look like for your people to speak the provision before they can see it — not as denial of the situation, but as honest trust in the character of God?* The ram was caught in the thicket the whole time. The provision was already there. Abraham had to keep climbing to find it. Where in your congregation has the help they are pleading for actually been present all along, waiting to be seen rather than waiting to be made?* The story ends with a name: “The Lord will provide.” Generations of pilgrims will later climb that mountain remembering not the test but the providing. What might it mean for your congregation to name the places in their own lives the same way — not by what almost happened, but by what God did?* Some preachers will choose not to preach this text, and that is a legitimate decision. The text is genuinely painful, and the work of holding it carefully is real. If you do preach it, what would it look like to let your people feel the horror of the scene rather than rushing past it toward a moral?Significant Cautions* This text has been used to argue that faith requires the suspension of ordinary ethics — that whatever God commands, however terrible, must be obeyed without question. That is a dangerous reading, especially in a world where people have committed real violence claiming divine instruction. The story actually ends the practice of child sacrifice in its ancient context; it does not bless it.* The text has often been read as a kind of preview of God's giving up his own Son on the cross. There are echoes worth noticing, but pressed too hard, this reading turns God into someone who almost kills children. That has done real damage in a hospital room or beside a grave. Handle the connection gently if you make it at all.* “God tested Abraham” can land cruelly on people whose suffering has been described to them as a test. The text does not offer a general theology of suffering as divine examination. Be careful not to extend the scene into a blanket explanation for any congregation member's grief.* Sarah is entirely absent from this chapter. Some Jewish tradition has heard her cry in the silence, and her death in the very next chapter has been linked to this scene. Be honest about her absence rather than papering over it.* The story has been used to bless the harm of family members in the name of religious obedience. Be especially careful that nothing in your sermon could be heard that way — particularly in light of the kinds of misuses we noted last week in Matthew 10.Psalm 13The Psalm (Track One) — How Long?SummaryThis is one of the shortest psalms in the Bible — six verses — and one of the most concentrated. It opens with the question “how long” asked four times in two verses: how long will God forget? how long will God hide? how long must the psalmist bear pain? how long will the enemy be exalted? Then a brief, urgent prayer for God to look and answer. And then, unexpectedly, a turn. “But I trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” The lament does not erase itself, but it ends in trust.Key Ideas for Preaching* “How long” appears four times in two verses. There is no embarrassment about the repetition. Where in your congregation are people quietly afraid that their “how long” prayer has gone on too long, and what would it free in them to hear that the Bible knows that prayer by heart?* The turn at the end of the psalm is not a resolution. The problem has not gone away. What has shifted is who the psalmist is remembering. How might this teach your people what to do when their situation has not changed but their grip on God needs steadying?* Read alongside Genesis 22, the psalm gives voice to what Abraham, and perhaps Isaac, and perhaps Sarah could not say out loud. How might pairing the two texts honor the unspoken cry inside the more famous story?Significant Cautions* “I will rejoice in your salvation” can be turned into a command to feel better. The psalmist arrives at that line; he does not start there. Be careful not to use this psalm to shame those who are still living in the “how long” verses.Jeremiah 28:5–9First Reading (Track Two) — The Test of a ProphetSummaryThis is part of a longer scene. Jeremiah has been prophesying that the Babylonian exile will be long — a generation or more. Hananiah, another prophet, has been promising the opposite: that the exile will be brief and that God is about to break the yoke of Babylon quickly. The selected verses give Jeremiah's reply. He says, in effect: I would love for your prophecy to be true. May God do what you say. But the prophets who came before us prophesied war and disaster and pestilence; the prophet who promises peace is recognized as a true prophet only when the peace actually arrives. The test of a true word from God is whether it bears out in time.Key Ideas for Preaching* Jeremiah does not dismiss Hananiah out of hand. He says, in effect, “amen — may the Lord do as you have prophesied.” Then he names the harder truth. What does it look like for your congregation to take seriously the appeal of every comforting message, including the ones that turn out to be false?* Jeremiah's test of a true prophet is whether the word comes to pass. That is a slow test. It does not yield quick certainty. Where in your congregation has the desire for fast answers led people toward voices that sound encouraging but do not bear out?* The bigger backdrop is that the people of God are being asked to live faithfully through a long, hard time — not to expect a quick rescue. What might it mean for your congregation to hear that some of the most pressing questions of faith are about how to live well inside a hard season, not how to escape it?Significant Cautions* This text has been used to demand that anyone with a hopeful word be dismissed as a false prophet. Jeremiah does not say that. He says that some hopeful words turn out to be false. He does not say all of them are.* Be careful with the implication that suffering and hardship are always the more spiritually credible message. That framing has its own pastoral dangers, especially in contexts where genuine deliverance is in fact what God is bringing.Psalm 89:1–4, 15–18The Psalm (Track Two) — Of Your Steadfast Love I Will SingSummaryA hymn celebrating God's steadfast love and faithfulness. The opening verses promise to sing God's praise forever, and remember God's covenant with David — the promise to establish his line. The second set of verses turns to the people: happy are those who know the festal shout, who walk in the light of God's face. Their strength is from God; their joy is in God's name. The lectionary selects only the praise sections of a longer psalm that, by its end, becomes a sustained complaint about whether God has kept the very promises being celebrated here.Key Ideas for Preaching* “I will sing of your steadfast love forever.” The opening commitment is to a long song, not a passing feeling. What does it look like for your congregation's praise to be the kind of thing they intend to keep singing for a long time, regardless of how a given week has gone?* “Happy are the people who know the festal shout.” That suggests there is a kind of joy that has to be learned — practiced, taught, shouted out loud. Where might your people need permission to practice praise rather than wait for it to arrive on its own?* Paired with Jeremiah's hard-eyed realism, this psalm reminds us that honest realism about difficulty and unembarrassed praise are not opposites. Both belong. How might your sermon hold these two together?Significant Cautions* The lectionary's selection omits the long complaint that closes Psalm 89. If you preach the praise alone, be honest with your congregation that this is one voice within a longer, more complicated prayer — not the whole of the psalm.Romans 6:12–23The Epistle — Wages and GiftSummaryPaul picks up where last week left off. The argument has been that baptism unites us with Christ in his death and frees us from the rule of sin. Now Paul presses the practical implications. Do not let sin reign in your bodies. Do not present yourselves to sin as instruments of wrongdoing; present yourselves to God as people alive from the dead. Then he reaches for a metaphor that lands uncomfortably on modern ears: you were once slaves of sin, now you are slaves of righteousness. Paul acknowledges that the metaphor is limited — “I am speaking in human terms,” he says, “because of your natural limitations.” The passage closes with one of his most famous lines: the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Key Ideas for Preaching* Paul assumes that we are always under some kind of authority — and that the question is not whether we will serve something, but what we will serve. Where in your congregation might it be freeing to hear that the choice is not between independence and submission, but between two very different kinds of belonging?* The “wages of sin is death” line has often been preached as a scare tactic. But Paul sets it next to a contrast: the free gift of God is eternal life. Wages are earned. Gifts are not. What might it shift in your people to hear that what God offers is fundamentally not a paycheck?* Paul says he is speaking in human terms “because of your natural limitations.” He admits openly that the metaphor he is using is imperfect. What does it look like to preach with the same kind of humility — using the words available while admitting that they cannot quite contain what is being said?Significant Cautions* Paul's slavery language is rough. It was uncomfortable in its own century, and it is much more so now, in a world where actual chattel slavery has shaped enormous suffering. Be honest that the metaphor has its limits and has been misused.* “The wages of sin is death” has been wielded as a threat. The structure of the verse actually points the other way — the news, the good news, is the free gift on the other side of the comma.* “Slaves to righteousness” should not be flattened into a demand for moralism. Paul's freedom is freedom from a set of destructive authorities, not freedom into a list of rules.Matthew 10:40–42The Gospel — A Cup of Cold WaterSummaryThis is the close of the long sending discourse, and after the difficult sayings of last week, the tone here is unexpectedly gentle. Jesus speaks of welcome — how those who welcome the disciples welcome him, and how those who welcome him welcome the One who sent him. Then he names the smallest possible kindness: even a cup of cold water given to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple will not lose its reward. The whole sending speech, which began with sober instructions and warnings, closes here on what almost sounds like a warm afterthought — but an afterthought that turns out to carry real weight.Key Ideas for Preaching* The discourse closes not with grandeur but with the smallest possible act of hospitality — a cup of cold water. Where in your congregation has the imagination for “real” ministry crowded out the small kindnesses that Jesus actually names here?* Jesus says that welcoming a disciple is welcoming him. That goes both directions. It promises something to your people when they are welcomed — they carry Christ with them. And it asks something of your people when they are the welcomers. How might this two-way welcome shape your congregation's sense of both being received and receiving?* This is the fourth and final Sunday of the Matthew 10 arc. Three weeks ago, the disciples were sent with empty hands. Two weeks ago, they were warned that the road would be hard. Today, the discourse closes with the promise that the smallest welcome is not lost. How might your sermon let your people feel the shape of the whole arc — and the unexpected tenderness of its close?Significant Cautions* “These little ones” is a tender phrase, but it has sometimes been preached condescendingly, as if the speaker were the welcomer and someone else were the recipient. In this passage, the disciples are the little ones. Be careful which direction your sermon casts the metaphor.* The “reward” language is easy to flatten into transactional thinking — do this small thing and earn that big thing. Jesus is not running a points system. He is saying that nothing offered in his name goes unnoticed.* The cup of cold water has sometimes been used to bless the substitution of small charity for real engagement with the systems that produce thirst in the first place. Both the small act and the larger work matter. Do not let one be used to excuse the absence of the other.Thematic ConnectionsAfter three Sundays of increasingly difficult Gospel readings, the lectionary closes the Matthew 10 arc with three short, gentle verses about welcome. The four-week shape is worth holding together: found, sent, warned, received. The disciples who were called from their tables, then sent out with empty hands, then warned about the cost, are now placed inside a network of hospitality — disciples who carry Christ with them, and households who welcome them as Christ.The Old Testament tracks pull in very different directions, and the preacher's choice matters. Track One brings Genesis 22 alongside the brief Gospel — the agonizing test of Abraham paired with the small kindness of a cup of cold water. The contrast is severe, and the preacher has real work to do to make that pairing serve a congregation rather than overwhelm it. Psalm 13's repeated “how long” gives voice to the silence inside Abraham's obedience.Track Two brings Jeremiah's confrontation with false prophecy — the hard-eyed test of whether a word from God actually bears out — and pairs it with Psalm 89's exuberant praise. The combination invites a congregation to hold honest realism and unembarrassed worship together.Romans is on both tracks and continues to develop the question of what kind of life baptism actually launches. The wages-and-gift contrast at the close of the reading offers a clean line for a sermon on either track.The Gospel itself is short enough that it may not seem to carry an entire sermon, but its closing image — a cup of cold water — is worth a sermon in its own right. After the heaviness of last week, the smallness of this week's instruction is itself the good news. The disciples Jesus has been preparing are not asked to do impossible things; they are asked to receive and to give the smallest kindnesses faithfully — and to trust that those kindnesses are received as if they were given to him. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of Standup Comedy “Your Host & MC”, we feature the multi-talented Ed Solomon—writer of many hit movies, and Jerry Seinfeld from the  iconic TV show Seinfeld—alongside comedian Chris Hobbs for a fun and engaging comedy showcase.Ed Solomon brings a unique perspective from both the writing room and the stage, sharing his creative journey through television, music, and comedy. Paired with the sharp and entertaining Chris Hobbs, this episode delivers a great mix of humor, storytelling, and behind-the-scenes insight into the world of stand-up and television comedy.The comedy material from a young Jerry Seinfeld really shows how even in the beginning he had great relatable material.If you enjoy comedy with depth, creativity, and a touch of TV history, this is an episode you won't want to miss!Hosted by: R. Scott EdwardsSupport the show  www.StandupComedyPodcastNetwork.comWebsite....check it out, podcast, jokes, blogs, and More!"NEW" Video Podcast: Tag Team Talent Podcast on Spotify & YouTubeInterested in Standup Comedy? Check out my books on Amazon and the "BookBaby" Book Store for Discounted copies!"20 Questions Answered about Being a Standup Comic""Be a Standup Comic...or just look like one"

This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George race through a very AI-heavy fortnight — from antibiotics and the menstrual cycle to whether "medical AI" is even a category worth defending.AI and Science. A Nature feature on AI accelerating antibiotic discovery (millions of molecules screened in silico, though only a tiny fraction can actually be synthesised), paired with a UK Biobank study mapping 198 proteins that fluctuate across the menstrual cycle — reframing it as a whole-body biological rhythm, not just a reproductive one.Do We Even Need Medical AI? A NYU study finds frontier general models outperforming purpose-built clinical tools like OpenEvidence and UpToDate — with an important caveat that no patient outcomes were measured. Paired with Apollo, Harvard's foundation model trained on 25 billion clinical events to forecast individual patient trajectories.What If AI Makes Healthcare More Expensive? David Brailer argues in Health Affairs that AI won't lower US health costs because it amplifies the incentives already baked into the payment system — accelerating both better care and billing extraction.The AI Equity Divide. A WHO-led initiative (GI-AI4H) and its RISE framework tackle the risk that AI widens global health inequities when governance lags behind deployment.Governing AI — Local and Professional. Victoria's Department of Health sets top-down standards for AI across public health services, while the American Medical Association champions "augmented intelligence" with clinicians at the centre — two very different models of governance.Plus: the robots now account for 57% of internet traffic, and a shout-out to Daniel McCabe's impact on Australian digital health.Resources:AI is taking on antibiotic resistance Link Plasma proteomic signature of the menstrual cycle LinkGeneralist vs clinical LLMs (OpenEvidence, UpToDate) — NYU study (Vishwanath, Oermann et al.) Link APOLLO healthcare foundation model LinkWhy AI Will Accelerate Health Care Inflation — David Brailer, Health Affairs LinkGlobal Initiative on AI for Health (GI-AI4H) and the RISE framework — npj Health Systems LinkAI guidance for Victorian Public Health Services — Pulse+IT LinkAugmented Intelligence in Medicine — American Medical Association LinkIda Tin — global challenge on continuous hormone monitoring LinkVisit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material.  People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news.Follow us on LinkedIn  Louise  |  George  |  Pulse+ITFollow us on BlueSky   Louise  |  George  |  Pulse+ITSend us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.newsProduction by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

Tait Duryea is the founder of Turbine Capital, a private equity firm specializing in commercial real estate and oil and gas investments, and a commercial airline captain with over 15,000 flight hours on the Airbus A321.    In this second episode of a two-part series, Tait breaks down why oil and gas has become a powerful portfolio complement to real estate, especially for high-income W-2 earners looking for active tax write-offs.From the mechanics of horizontal drilling and 98–99% commercial success rates, to writing off 80–90% of your investment against W-2 income in year one, this episode is a masterclass in smart portfolio diversification for accredited investors ready to look beyond traditional real estate.    If you're a surgeon, business owner, or high-income professional sitting on passive losses you can't use, this episode was made for you.   5 Key Takeaways   Oil and Gas Isn't What It Used to Be — Horizontal drilling technology has pushed commercial success rates to 98–99%, but the tax incentives created during the risky era of vertical drilling have never gone away. That gap is the opportunity. The W-2 Deduction No One Talks About — Unlike passive real estate losses, non-operating working interest in oil and gas wells is treated as active income under IRS code 263 Alpha. High-income earners can write off 80–90% of their investment against W-2 income in year one. Diversify Through a Fund, Not a Single Well — Buying into one or two wells exposes you to catastrophic concentration risk. Turbine Capital's Waypoint Energy fund offers exposure to 40–60 wells alongside major operators like ExxonMobil and Devon — a very different proposition. Front-Loaded Cash Flow Is a Feature, Not a Bug — Oil and gas wells produce the bulk of their returns in the first 24 months. Paired with the year-one tax refund, this creates rapid capital velocity — funds that can then be redeployed into longer-duration real estate deals. Know Where You Are in the Real Estate Cycle — With cap rates expanding into the 6s and values still suppressed, Tait sees this as a prime entry point for commercial real estate. Senior housing and small-bay industrial are his two highest-conviction plays for the next cycle.   Key Talking Points of the Episode 00:00 Introduction 00:22 Meet Tait Duryea: Airline pilot turned Private Equity founder of Turbine Capital 01:50 The 3-Paydays Book 02:13 Why high-income investors are adding oil and gas to their portfolios 04:05 Mineral rights vs. new drilling opportunities 05:45 The oil and gas tax advantage that's been in the tax code since the 1950's 07:54 How to invest in oil & gas: Fund minimums, structure, and entry points 10:48 Understanding the returns from oil & gas investments 12:13 The 3-Paydays System 14:42 How to balance oil & gas and real estate for faster portfolio growth 15:32 Get connected with Tait Duryea and the Turbine Capital Investor Relations team 16:04 Is now a good time to buy commercial real estate? 17:44 Why Tait is bullish on senior housing and small-bay industrial real estate 20:53 The opportunities in self-storage and manufactured housing 22:35 Final thoughts and how to connect with Turbine Capital 23:35 How Propsperity.io helps real estate investors manage and scale their portfolio   Links   Turbine Capital https://www.turbinecap.com/   Turbine Capital Investor Email investors@turbinecap.com   Tait Duryea tait@turbinecap.com   Oil and Gas Fund Through Turbine Capital https://www.waypoint-energy.com/   3 Paydays® Live https://3paydayslive.com/podcast   Free Discovery Call https://smartrealestatecoachpodcast.com/discovery   3 Paydays® System Mastery Course - Use coupon code for 50% off https://smartrealestatecoach.com/qls Coupon code: pod   Apprentice Program 3PaydaysApprentice.com/Podcast    Masterclass https://smartrealestatecoach.com/masterspodcast   3 Paydays Books https://3paydaysbooks.com/podcast   Partners https://smartrealestatecoach.com/podcastresources

The 7.62x39 is one of the most recognizable and widely used rifle cartridges ever created. Paired with AK-pattern rifles, it has earned a reputation for reliability, effectiveness, and global popularity. But what turned this intermediate cartridge into a worldwide phenomenon? In this episode, AK enthusiast Scott Hollfelder emerges from his bunker to break down the history, performance, military legacy, and enduring appeal of the 7.62x39. From its battlefield origins to its continued popularity among shooters today, discover why this cartridge remains one of the most influential rifle rounds ever designed. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

Buckle up for this listener request! We're discussing 2023's The Boogeyman, a fresh take on Stephen King's short story. Don't let this PG-13 rating fool you, this movie is creepy AF. This movie thrives on sneak peaks and what might be lurking in the dark. When you finally get to see the creature, it's an imaginative take on the unknown. Listen up as we talk about awful friends, worse parents, HIPAA violations, and how the paranormal affects house insurance! Paired with a Boogeyman cocktail. Rate! Review! Follow! Follow us on Instagram and Letterboxd @toastyhorror Check out our website toasttoromcoms.com Email us at toasttoromcoms@gmail.com

This guide covers the readings appointed in the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7), Year A, falling on June 21, 2026. We are well into the green season now — the long, ordinary stretch of Sundays during which the church listens, week by week, to the long witness of Scripture.This Sunday's readings are not gentle. The Gospel continues last week's account of Jesus sending out the Twelve, but where last week was the calling, this week names the cost. Jesus tells the disciples three times not to be afraid, then warns them that the message will divide families, that they will be hated, and that those who try to hold on to their lives will lose them. The Old Testament tracks each offer their own difficult companion. Track One follows Hagar and her son into the wilderness after they are cast out at Sarah's demand — one of the most painful scenes in Genesis. Track Two gives us Jeremiah's famous lament, in which the prophet accuses God of having tricked him into a vocation that has cost him everything. The Epistle, from Romans 6, sets the baptized at the heart of this difficulty: we have died with Christ, and so what could ordinarily destroy us no longer has the final word.This is a Sunday that asks the preacher for both courage and tenderness. The Gospel in particular has been used in some of the most damaging ways in the church's history — to justify family estrangement, to coerce loyalty, to bless suffering that people did not choose. The guide names those misuses plainly in the cautions, because the texts will preach better when their misuses are named than when those misuses are left to lurk.The ReadingsGenesis 21:8–21First Reading (Track One) — Hagar and Ishmael in the WildernessSummaryThe day Isaac is weaned, Abraham throws a great feast. Sarah looks across the celebration and sees Ishmael — the son Hagar bore to Abraham years earlier — and something hardens in her. She tells Abraham to send Hagar and the boy away, so that Ishmael will not inherit alongside Isaac. The text says the matter is very distressing to Abraham, but God tells him to do as Sarah says, with the promise that God will also make a nation of Ishmael. The next morning Abraham sends Hagar out with bread, a skin of water, and the boy. The water runs out in the wilderness. Hagar puts the child under a bush so she will not have to watch him die, and she lifts up her voice and weeps. God hears the boy's voice. An angel speaks to Hagar — do not be afraid, God has heard him where he is. God opens her eyes, and she sees a well that was there all along. The boy grows up in the wilderness and becomes the ancestor of a great nation.Key Ideas for Preaching* The text says God heard the voice of the boy — and the name Ishmael means “God hears.” The story is its own argument: there is no one whose voice God does not hear, including the ones the official story has cast out. Where does your congregation tend to assume that some voices reach God and others do not, and how might Ishmael's name interrupt that assumption?* Hagar does not see the well until God opens her eyes. The water was already there. What might it mean for your people that the help they have been pleading for may already be present, waiting to be seen rather than waiting to be made?* God's promise expands rather than narrows. Isaac receives the promise, and Ishmael will also become a great nation. The text refuses to make this an either/or. Where in your congregation has the assumption taken hold that God's blessing is a finite resource — that someone else's portion must come out of ours?* The story sits uncomfortably with us, and it should. There is real cruelty here, and real grief. What might it look like to preach this scene without rushing toward a moral, letting your people sit with the painful complexity of a family text that does not resolve neatly?Significant Cautions* Hagar's story has been used in the church to claim that one religious people has displaced another — most painfully in claims that Christianity has replaced Judaism, or that the Arab descendants of Ishmael are outside God's care. The text itself refuses this reading. God's blessing extends to both lines.* Sarah's demand and Abraham's quick compliance are easy to moralize — to make Sarah a villain or Abraham a coward. The text is more honest than that. They are real, flawed people inside a real, flawed family system, and the story does not ask us to pick sides among them.* The line that God told Abraham to listen to Sarah has sometimes been used in troubling ways. Read in context, it is God's particular guidance about this particular moment — not a general endorsement of any voice that arrives within a family.* This is a Genesis story that Muslims also hold as sacred — Ishmael is the ancestor of the Arab peoples, and the well in this text is foundational to Islam. Be particularly careful with any language that would imply Christians have an exclusive claim on the material.Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert by Christoffer Wilhelm EckersbergPsalm 86:1–10, 16–17The Psalm (Track One) — Incline Your Ear, O LordSummaryThis is a psalm of supplication from someone in deep need. “Incline your ear, O Lord,” it begins; “I am poor and needy.” The psalmist names God's character — good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love — and pleads for an answer. The middle of the psalm widens the view: God is unique among all the gods of the nations, the maker of all peoples, the one to whom every people will one day come. The selected verses close with another plea: turn to me, give me strength, save me, show me a sign of your favor.Key Ideas for Preaching* The psalmist names himself “poor and needy” — and names it to God, not hides it. What does it look like for your congregation to bring their actual need to God without first trying to dress it up?* The psalm holds together a private cry and a cosmic vision. In the same breath the psalmist asks God to listen to him and reminds himself that all the nations will one day come and bow down. How might your sermon hold those two together — the intimate and the vast — without flattening either?* The plea is grounded in who God is, not in who the psalmist is. God is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love. Where in your congregation has prayer started to feel like throwing words into a void, and how might naming who God is steady that?Significant Cautions* The psalmist asks God to act so that “those who hate me may be put to shame.” That is honest prayer, but it can also become a weapon. Be careful about preaching this verse in a way that licenses contempt for those we disagree with.* “I am devoted to you” can be heard as the psalmist claiming exceptional faithfulness. Read in the context of the whole psalm, it is relationship language, not a boast about merit.Jeremiah 20:7–13First Reading (Track Two) — A Fire Shut Up in My BonesSummaryJeremiah turns to God in something close to anger. You have tricked me, he accuses; you have overpowered me. He has become a laughingstock. Everyone mocks him; his message of judgment has cost him friends and reputation. He has tried to keep silent — but the word of God, he says, is like a fire shut up in his bones, and he cannot hold it in. Even his closest acquaintances are watching for him to stumble. And then, in the middle of the lament, the tone turns. He remembers that God is on his side, that the Lord is with him like a dread warrior. He calls on the assembly to sing to the Lord. The lament does not erase itself, but it ends — for now — in praise.Key Ideas for Preaching* Jeremiah accuses God of trickery and gets away with it. The text does not punish him for the accusation; it preserves it as Scripture. What might it mean for your congregation to hear that even rage toward God can be a faithful prayer?* The word inside Jeremiah is “like a fire shut up in my bones.” He cannot keep it in even when keeping it in would be easier. Where in your congregation is there a truth that needs to come out, and what is it costing your people to hold it in?* The lament ends in praise — not because the problem has been solved, but because Jeremiah remembers who is with him. What does it look like for your people to praise from inside a difficulty that has not yet resolved?Significant Cautions* Jeremiah's lament can be used to suggest that faithful people quickly arrive at peace and praise after suffering. The turn is real in this passage, but it is not automatic, and the rest of Jeremiah's life is not exactly peaceful. Do not rush a lament toward resolution.* “There is something like a burning fire in my bones” has sometimes been used to pressure people into evangelism, as if a faithful Christian must always feel compelled to proclaim. Jeremiah's compulsion is the experience of a particular prophet under particular circumstances, not a universal test of faithfulness.Psalm 69:7–10, (11–15), 16–18The Psalm (Track Two) — A Stranger to My KindredSummaryA lament from someone who has been alienated by their devotion to God. It is for your sake, the psalmist says, that I have borne reproach — I have become a stranger to my kindred. Zeal for God's house has consumed him. He is mocked in the streets; even drunkards make him the subject of their songs. The psalm pleads with God to draw near, to answer, to redeem him from the muck. The selected verses close with an urgent appeal: do not hide your face from me; come near and redeem me.Key Ideas for Preaching* The psalmist's faithfulness has cost him relationships — even with his own family. This pairs powerfully with the Gospel's hard language about division. What does your congregation know about the real cost of taking faith seriously, and how might this psalm give them words for it?* The image of being stuck in the mire, where there is no foothold, is one of the most physical pictures in the psalms. It is not abstract theology; it is what real trouble feels like in the body. How might your sermon let the body of the psalm meet the bodies of your people?* The psalmist does not pretend to be patient. “Do not hide your face from me” is urgent, almost demanding. What might it free in your people to hear that urgent prayer is faithful prayer?Significant Cautions* The psalm has been used to claim a kind of spiritual martyrdom for ordinary discomfort — to dramatize mild inconvenience as suffering for the gospel. The cost the psalmist describes is real. Be careful applying his words to a much smaller scale.* Some verses near these (not included in the reading) contain sharp curses against the psalmist's enemies. The lectionary leaves them out for a reason. If you reach for them, handle them with care.Romans 6:1b–11The Epistle — Buried with Him by BaptismSummaryPaul has just argued in Romans 5 that grace abounds where sin abounds. He hears the objection coming: shall we then sin all the more, so that grace can abound all the more? Absolutely not, he says. And the picture he gives in answer is baptism. To be baptized into Christ is to be baptized into his death — buried with him so that we might also walk into a new kind of life. The old self has been crucified with him. The pull of the old life no longer has the final word. Christ, having been raised, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. And so, Paul says, we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.Key Ideas for Preaching* Paul defines baptism not as a religious rite added on top of a person's life but as a death and a resurrection. The old self has been crucified. The new life is something already begun. How might it shift your congregation's sense of baptism — their own, and any they are about to celebrate — to hear it described in these terms?* “Death no longer has dominion over him” — and so, by extension, over us. This is the same Romans 6 that ties directly to today's Gospel, where Jesus tells the disciples not to fear those who can kill the body. The two readings are saying the same thing in different keys. What changes in your people when the deepest threats lose their final authority?* Paul tells us to “consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God.” That is not a description of how it feels; it is a posture, a reckoning, a choosing to remember what is true even when experience suggests otherwise. Where in your congregation might this practice of remembering provide more steadiness than trying to feel a particular way?Significant Cautions* “Dead to sin” has sometimes been read as the claim that Christians no longer struggle. Paul is not saying that — he goes on in chapter 7 to describe at length the ongoing struggle. He is describing an orientation, not a finished condition. Say so plainly.* The language of being “crucified with Christ” can be used to romanticize suffering, or to suggest that hardship is the proof of faith. Paul's image is about baptismal identity, not a measuring stick for who is suffering enough.* “Walking in newness of life” can be flattened into self-improvement language. Paul's vision is much larger — a whole new sphere of life in which the powers that used to determine us no longer have the final say.Matthew 10:24–39The Gospel — Do Not Be AfraidSummaryThe sending discourse continues, and Jesus turns to the cost. He warns the disciples that they will be treated as he is treated — if people call the master of the house Beelzebul, his household should expect worse. Three times he tells them not to be afraid. Do not fear those who can kill only the body; fear instead the one who has authority over both body and soul. Do not be afraid: even the sparrows are not forgotten, and you are worth more than many sparrows. Acknowledge me before others, Jesus says, and I will acknowledge you before my Father. And then the hardest verses: do not think I came to bring peace; I came to bring a sword. Loyalty to me will cause division — even within families. Whoever loves family more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up the cross is not worthy of me. Those who try to hold on to their life will lose it. Those who lose their life for my sake will find it.Key Ideas for Preaching* The phrase “do not be afraid” appears three times in this passage. It is the constant beneath everything else. The hard language about division and loss is held inside that frame. What would it look like for your sermon to make the “do not fear” as loud as the difficult verses around it?* Jesus uses sparrows — the cheapest birds at the market — to make a point about God's attention. Not one of them falls without God noticing; and you are worth more. How might this small, almost throwaway image be exactly the picture your congregation needs of a God whose attention reaches the least-counted parts of their lives?* The “sword” Jesus brings is not his intention but his effect. He is naming a social reality: following him will not be welcome everywhere, even in some families. He is preparing his disciples for that, not endorsing the division. How might your sermon help your people tell the difference between division that follows costly faithfulness and division that follows from cruelty or stubbornness?* “Take up the cross” was, in the first century, the specific image of a condemned prisoner carrying the crossbeam of their execution. It was a death-march image, not a metaphor for ordinary hardship. What is your congregation actually being asked to die to for the sake of Jesus, and how can you name it without trivializing the image?* “Those who lose their life for my sake will find it” is one of the central paradoxes of the Gospels. It is not a license for self-destruction; it is the strange truth that the life that tries to protect itself shrinks, and the life that is given for something larger grows. Where in your people's lives is a small, protected life keeping them from a larger, given one?Significant Cautions* “Do not fear those who kill the body” has sometimes been used to pressure people toward martyrdom or to invalidate ordinary fear. Jesus is not condemning fear; he is steadying people facing genuine threat. Don't use this verse to shame the afraid.* The verse about fearing the one who can destroy both body and soul is genuinely difficult, and many faithful readers have understood the subject of that verse differently. Be cautious about turning it into a casual threat. The weight of the passage is not on the warning; it is on the comfort that immediately follows.* “I came not to bring peace but a sword” has been used in some of the most damaging ways imaginable — to justify religious violence, to bless the cutting off of LGBTQ+ family members, and to license abusive religious leaders demanding total loyalty. Be especially clear: Jesus is naming a social effect, not endorsing harm to anyone.* “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” has been weaponized by spiritually abusive systems to demand that members cut off family. The wider witness of Scripture — including Jesus' own care for his mother from the cross, and the command to honor parents — flatly contradicts that use.* “Take up the cross” should not be applied to suffering that people did not freely choose — illness, abuse, poverty, grief. Such suffering is not their cross to bear, and calling it that has been used to silence people who needed to be heard.* “Lose your life to find it” should never be used to validate self-harm, the staying in dangerous situations, or the spending of oneself in service of leaders or institutions that demand it. Jesus is talking about the freedom of the gospel, not about self-destruction.Thematic ConnectionsBoth tracks open onto the same difficult Gospel, and both offer it different company.Track One brings Hagar's wilderness story. A woman and her son have been cast out — by the official story, by the family that should have held them. The water runs out. The mother cannot bear to watch the child die. And God hears. The story does not solve what Sarah has done; it does not undo the cruelty. But it insists that no voice is unheard, no person is forgotten, and that the help God provides may already be present, waiting to be seen. Paired with the Gospel's “do not fear” and the sparrow image, the message is the same in two keys: God's attention reaches the ones the world has overlooked.Track Two brings Jeremiah's lament and Psalm 69's cry of alienation. Both texts give voice to the cost of faithfulness — the rejection, the social isolation, the impossibility of keeping silent. Read alongside the Gospel, they put words in the mouths of disciples for whom following has cost something. The whole day, on this track, gives a congregation permission to be honest about how hard faithfulness has been, and a promise that the honesty is itself a form of prayer.Romans 6 anchors both tracks in baptismal identity. Whatever the world's hostility can do, the worst of it has already lost its dominion. Christ has gone down into death and come back out the other side, and the baptized have gone with him.The Gospel is the natural preaching center either way, and it asks particular courage from the preacher. These texts have been weaponized; the cautions in this guide are not theoretical. But the heart of the passage is the threefold “do not be afraid” and the small, almost tossed-off promise about the sparrows. A sermon that lets those quieter verses set the temperature, while taking the harder verses seriously and naming their misuses plainly, will land more honestly than one that either avoids the difficulty or leans into it as something to admire.For preachers following the recent series: this is the third Sunday in the Matthew 10 arc. Two weeks ago, Jesus called Matthew from his table. Last week, he sent the twelve out with empty hands and the compassion of the Lord of the harvest. This week, he is honest with them about what the sending will cost. The shape is now complete: found, sent, warned. Next week, the lectionary begins to move into the parables of the kingdom. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

Gaze out of your cabin window and watch the gorgeous mountainside pass by as you listen to train sounds and white noise for sleeping! The deep rumble of a train traveling along the tracks creates a calming atmosphere that will make you feel sleepy. Paired with relaxing white noise to sleep and you have a recipe for the best slumber ever! If you often struggle with insomnia, tinnitus, or just want a soothing sleep sound to fill your room as you go to bed, this sleep white noise has you covered! Finally, you can get the rest you have been wanting by falling asleep with white noise and train sounds!At Relaxing White Noise, our goal is to help you sleep well. This episode is eight hours long with no advertisements in the middle, so you can use it as a sleeping sound throughout the night. Listening to our white noise sounds via the podcast gives you the freedom to lock your phone at night, keeping your bedroom dark as you fall asleep. It also allows you to switch between apps while studying or working with no interruption in the ambient sound.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact Us for Partnership Inquiries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relaxing White Noise is the number one destination on YouTube for white noise and nature sounds to help you sleep, study or soothe a baby. With more than a billion views across YouTube and other platforms, we are excited to now share our popular ambient tracks on the Relaxing White Noise podcast. People use white noise for sleeping, focus, sound masking or relaxation. We couldn't be happier to help folks live better lives. This podcast has the sound for you whether you use white noise for studying, to soothe a colicky baby, to fall asleep or for simply enjoying a peaceful moment. No need to buy a white noise machine when you can listen to these sounds for free. Cheers to living your best life!DISCLAIMER: Remember that loud sounds can potentially damage your hearing. When playing one of our ambiences, if you cannot have a conversation over the sound without raising your voice, the sound may be too loud for your ears. Please do not place speakers right next to a baby's ears. If you have difficulty hearing or hear ringing in your ears, please immediately discontinue listening to the white noise sounds and consult an audiologist or your physician. The sounds provided by Relaxing White Noise are for entertainment purposes only and are not a treatment for sleep disorders or tinnitus. If you have significant difficulty sleeping on a regular basis, experience fitful/restless sleep, or feel tired during the day, please consult your physician.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Relaxing White Noise Privacy Policy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠© Relaxing White Noise LLC, 2026. All rights reserved. Any reproduction or republication of all or part of this text/visual/audio is prohibited.

Welcome back to BollottaFide. This week its all about the lost art of a first impression.Your hosts, Anthony and Alex, also pick their Word of the Week! Then, this week at the Tipsy Cart, your mixologist Alex serves up her twist on a strawberry cucumber Margarita.Thanks to Michael on the Rocks Bolmey for bringing us our sponsor this week Pasion Tequila bollotta.com

Send us Fan Mail Financial Matters with Richard OringRichard Oring, from New Century Financial Group in Princeton, New Jersey, discusses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts

Left-behind dog poop is annoying. But it's also a sign of anti-sociality.Spotting unidentified poop outside is an unfortunate and unavoidable part of being alive, but in some cities, there's a scourge being left behind by some people's four-legged friends. Manuela López-Restrepo, writer and producer at All Things Considered, couldn't stop noticing it – and she wondered if it might be a sign of something deeper going on. Paired with dogs popping up in places they maybe shouldn't be – she wondered: can dogs be a vector for anti-social behavior? And what would it look like for people – and their pets – to share space more harmoniously? Manuela shares her reporting with Brittany and they get deeper into the story of the dookie. For more episodes about culture and how we share public space, check out:The Coldplay kiss cam & moral surveillanceCrime is down. Why don't people feel safe?In search of a safe place to cry...Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR's Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Calling all Jeff Goldblum fans! This one is for you! Except, we are talking about 1986's The Fly, and even Pittsburgh natives can agree, Jeff Goldblum's character is the worst in this movie. Don't get us wrong, we love a man who wants to change the world, but not through dangerous experiments that kills innocent animals in an unlocked apartment. Way to go Brundlefly. This movie's practical effects are fantastic, and now we know more about a fly life cycle than we ever wanted to. Watch this movie on an empty stomach! Paired with a Transfusion cocktail. Rate! Review! Follow! Follow us on Instagram @toastyhorror for pics and drink recipes! Email us at toasttoromcoms@gmail.com Check out our website toasttoromcoms.com

Send us Fan Mail Financial Matters with Richard OringRichard Oring, from New Century Financial Group in Princeton, New Jersey, discusses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts

What if the biggest mistake companies make with AI transformation is treating it as a technology problem? Laurent Aufils, Chief People Officer at Orange Business, knows that it's all about people. In this episode, Kathi Enderes sits down with Laurent to explore how one of the world's leading digital services companies transformed its entire 30,000-people workforce through a people-first approach to generative AI. The results are concrete and striking. Orange Business's AI-powered contract management tool slashed what previously took teams weeks of painstaking analysis to under three hours — fundamentally disrupting not just how people work, but how they understand the value they bring.  Rather than letting 30,000 people go and rehiring AI specialists, Laurent and his team made a bold choice: there will always be a human in the loop. That principle became the foundation of everything — the cultural compass that kept employees from fearing the future and turned anxiety into engagement. The numbers tell the story. Among employees who went through Orange Business's reskilling and upskilling programs, employee Net Promoter Scores shot from a modest +8 to a remarkable +41. Over 90% of the company's workforce is now trained in generative AI, and more than 60% use it as a regular part of their daily work.  AI certifications became a business objective on par with financial targets, and the company won contracts specifically because clients knew their teams had the credentials to back up their pitch. But perhaps the most powerful insight Laurent shares is about learning. In the AI era, learning is no longer a one-time investment or a classroom event; it is a continuous business capability, and it must be embedded into the rhythm of everyday work. Orange Business's YouTime initiative — dedicating three hours per month per employee to learning — changed the entire mindset of the organization. Paired with an 11,000-member internal generative AI community, it created the kind of grassroots momentum that no top-down mandate ever could. Laurent's advice to CHROs and HR leaders: stay humble, keep experimenting, and never let technology outpace your people. Related resources Podcast: Why AI Is A Massive Job Creation Technology. Automated Integration. Findem. And Thank You.  The Superworker Organization: AI Goes Enterprise AI Pacesetters: Six Secrets Of The Superworker Company  The Age of the Superworker (and Supermanager) Get Galileo: The AI Superagent for HR   Chapters (00:00:03) - What Works: Changing the Way People Work(00:00:44) - Orange Business's AI Transformation(00:05:40) - How GE Prepared for the Generative AI Transformation(00:12:16) - How did the learning function change with the introduction of generative AI(00:15:09) - How Has Cognizant is evolving its culture(00:18:49) - Culture and the AI journey(00:22:02) - Top Executives: The AI Transformation(00:24:39) - What Works: Chief People Officer at Orange Business

Welcome back to BollottaFide. This week, it's all about saying yes to something you may think you won't like.Your hosts, Anthony and Alex, also pick their Word of the Week! Then, this week at the Tipsy Cart, your mixologist Alex serves up the drink of Greece: Ouzo.https://www.bollotta.com/

There are two series airing during this season of the JESUSgirlENT podcast:1) Teaching Series: GOD-Results2) Interview Series: I OvercameThe ‘I Overcame' interview series, will highlight the lives of men and women of GOD that overcame while trailblazing businesses, birthing ministries, breaking away from old habits and ultimately deciding to complete their goals in-spite of.Tonight's episode will begin with Malvina De Salvo, Founder and CEO of Plateful. Malvina De Salvo is the Founder and CEO of Plateful, an AI-driven pediatric nutrition platform designed to shape healthy eating behaviors in early childhood. Plateful combines smart hardware, mobile learning, and behavioral science to address one of the most persistent challenges in family health: picky eating and poor nutrition habits among young children.At the center of Plateful is a multi-zone “smart plate” that uses sensors, lights, and audio to guide children through a structured eating journey—encouraging engagement with nutrient-dense foods first and reinforcing positive behaviors in real time. Paired with a companion app that delivers short-form nutrition learning modules, Plateful creates a closed-loop system that connects education, behavior, and habit formation at the moment it matters most: mealtime.Malvina's work sits at the intersection of Food as Medicine, early childhood development, and digital health. She is building Plateful not only as a consumer product, but as a scalable behavior-change platform with applications across healthcare, public health, and food systems. By capturing real-time interaction data around how children engage with food, Plateful is generating a first-of-its-kind dataset that has the potential to inform clinical interventions, nutrition research, and population health strategies.In parallel, Malvina serves as a Project Manager and consultant for Feeding Illinois, where she is helping design and implement statewide Food as Medicine programs. Her work focuses on building scalable, financially sustainable models that connect food banks, healthcare systems, and payers to deliver medically tailored groceries and meals to high-need populations.Her approach emphasizes operational feasibility at scale—balancing clinical outcomes, cost constraints, and real-world food system capabilities, particularly across diverse and capacity-constrained environments.Plateful has demonstrated early traction through pilot testing, with strong engagement outcomes and high willingness among children to try new foods upon first use. The company is advancing toward broader pilot deployments, research collaborations, and commercialization, while actively raising capital to scale its platform.Malvina's broader vision is to build a foundational layer for pediatric nutrition behavior—transforming how children learn about, interact with, and ultimately choose food. By intervening early, she aims to shift lifelong health trajectories and reduce the burden of diet-related disease at a population level.Link to Plateful website found here: www.pl8ful.com(We pray that this helps. Yes you can. Keep going! #GoForth #Romans828)Link to article covering Sis. Malvina found here: https://jesusgirlent.org/2026/05/21/pl8ful-owner-shares-journey-to-entrepreneurship-on-jesusgirl-ent-podcast/Q

Andy Isaacson is a writer and photographer. His work for The Times has taken him to every corner of the world, and he has transmitted what he's experienced through his images. But recently, Isaacson took a trip unlike any he'd taken before. Not because of where he traveled, but because of how he traveled. Paired with a set of unlikely travel companions, he put down his camera and experienced the word through touch, smell and sound. On today's episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Isaacson talks with Host Michael Barbaro about a trip that forever changed the way he travels.   On today's episode: Andy Isaacson, a contributing writer and photographer for The New York Times.   Background Reading Sites Unseen: What Travel Is Like for Those Who Can't See   Photo credit: Andy Isaacson Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan Mail Financial Matters with Richard OringRichard Oring, from New Century Financial Group in Princeton, New Jersey, discusses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts

Recorded on May 9, 2026, at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY This dharma offering by guest teacher Kaira Jewel Lingo addresses how grieving abides in the body and how taking refuge in ourselves offers healing and stability. Her offering includes a brief period of paired sharing, a guided meditation practice, a writing practice, a ceremony for holding grief together, and a dharma talk. The audio includes periods of unclear sound and silence. Time stamps are provided below. Kaira Jewel read the poem, “After I Fell in the Canyon of Grief,” by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. The poem can be found here, on the the poet's poetry blog: The poet's website: https://www.wordwoman.com/ Time stamps 5:20 – 9:30: Paired sharing about “something tender or unfinished in your heart” 11:15 – 13:20: “After I Fell in the Canyon of Grief” by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer 14:15 – 21:25: Guided meditation practice on finding places of support and grief in the body 21:25 – 25:00: Writing exercise, a sentence or phrase conveying a present grief 25:00 – 32:07: Holding the Grief Together ceremony, with choral harmonic humming and reading of phrases 32:07 – 54:32: Dharma Talk Kaira Jewel Lingo is a senior Dharma teacher in the Plum Village Zen lineage and a Vipassana teacher, and a member of the Plum Village North American Dharma Teachers Council of Elders. Her work continues the Engaged Buddhism developed by Thich Nhat Hanh, drawing inspiration from her parents' lives of service and her father's work with Martin Luther King, Jr. After living as an ordained nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh's monastic community, Kaira Jewel now teaches internationally in the Zen and Vipassana traditions, as well as in secular mindfulness contexts. Her teaching focuses on the intersection of racial, climate, and social justice, with particular care for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, as well as activists, artists, educators, families, and youth. Based in New York, she offers spiritual mentoring and is faculty in a Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy training, and one of the guiding teachers of One Earth Sangha. She is the author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons in Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption, and co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation. More information about her teachings and events can be found at www.kairajewel.com The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Rabbi Josh turns to an unlikely teacher, the 19th-century composer Franz Schubert, to close out the five-part series on uncertainty and anxiety. Paired with Rabbi Tarfon's ancient insight , it is not your job to finish the work , the episode invites listeners to release their grip on perfection. Listen for a guided mindfulness practice helps listeners sit with what's unfinished. Be in touch at josh@unpacked.media. This episode is sponsored by Jonathan and Kori Kalafer and the Somerset Patriots: The Bridgewater, NJ-based AA Affiliate of the New York Yankees. --------------- This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media Brand.For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewish History Nerds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unpacking Israeli History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews⁠⁠

Join us in our Elizabethan Era! This week we have a guest, Elizabeth, discuss a recent addition to the zombie Zeitgeist, Train to Busan! This movie is so much more than a horror movie. It has great character development, a great message, and wonderful cinematic elements that make it a great movie regardless of genre. Listen up as we laugh (and cry) through a discussion of zombie survival and maybe, just maybe, one of the worst villains of all time. Paired with a Locomotive cocktail. Rate! Review! Follow! Follow us on Instagram @toastyhorror Email us at toasttoromcoms@gmail.com Check out our website toasttoromcoms.com

Send us Fan Mail Financial Matters with Richard OringRichard Oring, from New Century Financial Group in Princeton, New Jersey, discusses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts

These are quantum command codes. Specifically architected affirmation sequences designed to lock in the merging between you and your future self. Every spiritual tradition has used a version of this — the Vedic tradition called them mantras, the Sufis called them dhikr, the Christian mystics called them prayers of the heart. The names change. The mechanism is identical. A specific arrangement of words, repeated with intention and feeling, restructures the consciousness of the person speaking them.     But most affirmations circulating online operate at the surface layer. What you are about to hear operates at the command layer — the level where identity, reality, energy, and timeline converge simultaneously. I built this activation around my four-category quantum command phrases framework: Identity-Transformation codes that install at the level of who you are using phrases like "I AM" and "I have become." Reality-Restructuring codes that reorganize the external world using "I now command" and "It is done." Energetic Alignment codes that synchronize your field using "I am aligned with" and "I am now in harmony with." And Timeline-Acceleration codes that collapse the distance between present and future using "I have already received" and "I am magnetizing." Twelve waves. Every wave targets a different dimension of your reality. Paired with quantum erasers — pattern-disrupting verbs that delete old subconscious code before the new installation begins. By the end, every layer of your consciousness has been addressed. Listen daily for maximum impact.  

Arizona travel writer Roger Naylor joins us to share 5 unforgettable Arizona hikes paired with the perfect local meal afterward. From Monument Valley and the Chiricahuas to Flagstaff and Tucson, we're talking hidden gems, scenic trails, Sonoran hot dogs, Navajo tacos, and some of the best burgers in the state. If you're looking for unique Arizona road trip ideas and outdoor adventures, this episode is packed with inspiration.

It's another round of buffoonery, shenanigans, and chaos...Paired with Scotland, Germany, the lower tiers in England, and Curacao...All in one place PLUS PICKS OF THE WEEK!

Welcome back to BollottaFide. On today's episode, it's all about giving people what they want. Sometimes, something familiar can bring comfort — and a little fun.Your hosts, Anthony and Alex, also pick their Word of the Week! Then, this week at the Tipsy Cart, your mixologist Alex serves up something comforting and familiar: a classic Manhattan.https://www.bollotta.com/

True love comes in many forms. But they all have violence in common. You'll see what I mean. — Support and sponsor this show! Venmo Tip Jar: @wellthatsinteresting Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wellthatsinterestingpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: @wtipod Threads: @wellthatsinterestingpod Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wti_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on YouTube!! Oh, BTW. You're interesting. Email YOUR facts, stories, experiences... Nothing is too big or too small. I'll read it on the show: wellthatsinterestingpod@gmail.com WTI is a part of the Airwave Media podcast network! Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to other incredible shows. Want to advertise your glorious product on WTI? Email me: wellthatsinterestingpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this bonus episode of Next Level: Good Vibes Only, Darren Salquist guides you through a reflective meditation centered around gratitude, growth, and honoring the journey of becoming. In a world that constantly pushes us toward the next goal, this meditation invites you to pause and recognize how far you've already come. Through intentional breathwork, visualization, and reflection, Darren walks you through reconnecting with your past self, grounding into who you are today, and envisioning the person you are becoming.This calming practice encourages you to celebrate not only the big wins, but also the quiet resilience, consistency, and inner work that often go unnoticed. Paired with thoughtful journal prompts, this meditation is designed to help you reconnect with gratitude, self-awareness, and the steady progress unfolding in your life every day.Take a breath. Slow down. And honor the version of you that kept going.Follow Darren Salquist, Life Changer, Self-Mastery + Heroic Performance Coach, PTA, and Personal TrainerIG: @salquid ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/salquid/⁠⁠Linkedin ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-salquist-3836b770/⁠⁠FB: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/darren.salquist?mibextid=LQQJ4d⁠⁠Follow Jessica Salquist, Life Changer, Nationally Board Certified Reflexologist, Heroic Performance Coach, and Executive LeaderIG: @reflexologyjedi ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/reflexologyjedi/⁠⁠Linkedin: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-salquist-46b07772/⁠⁠FB: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/salquistjessica?mibextid=LQQJ4d⁠⁠Find us both on IG @nextlevelreflexologycoaching ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nextlevelreflexologycoaching⁠⁠Wellness + Coaching — Next Level Coaching and ReflexologyWebsite: ⁠⁠www.nextleveltransformationalcoaching.com⁠⁠ Check out Heroic.us to enroll in a coaching program and be part of an amazing community.Buy the book Arete here: ⁠⁠https://a.co/d/ctXhK7A⁠⁠ (on Amazon)

This week we have early 2000's nostalgia as we talk about 2005's House of Wax. This movie brought back some memories for us as we yapped and sipped some cocktails. This movie had good gore, but the foolish decisions were so numerous, it made it almost impossible to feel bad for anyone who died. The end of this movie had such a high temperature in the wax house down in Louisiana, that it certainly had Paris Hilton saying, "that's hot." Paired with a Wax On, Wax Off cocktail. Rate! Review! Follow! Check out our website toasttoromcoms.com Email us at toasttoromcoms@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @toastyhorror

In this episode, I discuss a specific method for capturing process improvements using surveys, and how you can isolate the improvements so that the difference between survey participants doesn't hide the results. I also referenced a similar survey I conducted (Episode 77), where I shared the survey results at a company after implementing a daily huddle.You can check out episode #77 from June 2023 at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e77-client-survey-shows-daily-huddles-improve-communication/id1529478357?i=1000615545292Learn more about BPIVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.leansixsigmaecosystem.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to access free courses and templates, or upgrade for premium content and coaching programsVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.biz-pi.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about me and my consulting firmVisit ⁠⁠⁠https://greenbeltcertification.com⁠⁠⁠ to learn how to get Lean, Green Belt or Black Belt training and certification for you or your organization

Jim and John find common ground after their Paradise Towers divide, both celebrating the three-part structure as potentially perfect for Doctor Who storytelling. The story features 1950s nostalgia, holiday camp hijinks, and Stubby Kaye from Guys and Dolls. The Relief Factor: After Paradise Towers' evisceration, John feared the worst. Jim's verdict: "It's no Paradise Towers" (thankfully). Discussion of whether you can go lower than a 1 rating and what "having a nice time" means for Doctor Who evaluation. Three Parts: The Perfect Length?: Extended discussion of whether three episodes might be the ideal Doctor Who story format. They've said it before but only really had one three-parter to judge by (Planet of Giants). Jim credits the economy of three parts for helping this story—nothing wasted, though some backstory needed filling in. Question raised: why not make the entire 14-episode season consistent lengths instead of mixing two four-parters with two three-parters? Production Context: Written by Malcolm Kohll (first Doctor Who story). Directed by Chris Clough (Terror of the Vervoids, Ultimate Foe, upcoming Dragonfire, Happiness Patrol, Silver Nemesis). Original title: "The Flight of the Chimeron." Shot almost entirely on location at Butlin's Barry Island holiday camp in Wales (rats forced crew to abandon staying there after two nights). Interior shots done first for once because next story (Dragonfire) is entirely in studio. Ken Dodd (intergalactic tollmaster) took role to dig at tax revenue service investigating him—they discovered over £300,000 unclaimed in his home but he was acquitted. The Stubby Kaye Question: Jim's jaw-dropping moment: recognizing Stubby Kaye from Guys and Dolls (Nicely Nicely Johnson, "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat"). He was 69 in 1987, 32 when the Broadway show opened in 1950, 37 in the 1955 film. Extended discussion of how an American actor wound up in Doctor Who—was he living in England? Did he do multiple British productions? Also appeared in Who Framed Roger Rabbit the following year as voice of editor. Paired with Morgan Deare (American actor) whose "terrible" accent made Jim think he was British doing bad American Southern/Western accent. Both actors somewhat superfluous to story. Weissmuller and Hawk characters had larger role in uncut version involving the satellite subplot. The Ray Factor: Sarah Griffiths as Ray was being tested as potential new companion because Bonnie Langford was thinking of leaving. Sophie Aldred auditioned for this role but didn't get it—instead cast as Ace for next story, which worked in her favor. Jim didn't identify Ray as potential companion (first time in long time he missed that cue). Malcolm Kohll created character but signed waiver making her BBC property since JNT/Cartmel came up with basic idea of girl who could fix anything with right tool. Lynn Gardner was original actress but injured herself practicing motorcycle riding, so Sarah Griffiths got role. McCoy Development Moments: John identifies key character growth: McCoy showing appreciation for simple things like Burton the camp director's life. Monologue to Gavrok about life defeating those who deal in death—Jim thought this might be quotable Doctor speech. Jim still waiting for something to quantify McCoy as distinct from previous six Doctors: The Interspecies Romance: Billy drinks Chimeron nutrient solution to become one of Delta's people so he can leave with her and the princess to restart the race. The Villain Problem: Gavrok (Don Henderson, who was General Tagge in original Star Wars) and Bannermen lack clear motivation. Backstory existed but cut for time: Bannermen invaded Chimeron homeworld because they'd made ecological mess of their own worlds. Mel Forgotten: By final action sequence, Mel almost completely absent. Stands holding Bannerman weapon in macho pose at end "as if she had a big part in rounding up those guys" but didn't. Bonnie's decision to leave not story-based but timing: "never intended to be long-term player, felt it was right time to go." Only 20 episodes across six stories makes her one of briefest companions. Didn't do convention circuit until last 15-20 years; now enthusiastic about return in New Who. Production Details: Chimeron baby played by 3-4 different children (teenage princess not interviewed for Blu-ray despite being old enough) Green makeup question: females outgrow green skin? Delta has "very slight greenish cast" only visible at end Baby in green onesie looks ridiculous Effects with bus and TARDIS "pretty bad" but Bannermen ship landing "nicely done" Loved the vintage bus itself (appropriate for 1959) Beekeeper character adds to already massive cast Final shot: beekeeper's impish grin as TARDIS disappears (Chris Clough will repeat this in Dragonfire) Cast and Crew Favorite: Despite acknowledging it's not a great story, cast and crew enjoyed nostalgia of 50s holiday camps and had fun making it. Ratings consistent: 5.3, 5.1, 5.4. The Cartmel Philosophy: Andrew Cartmel doesn't like interior TARDIS scenes so "we're not gonna see the console room much moving forward." Jim outraged: "inane... good writing doesn't drag a scene down." Discussion of lost opportunities for insightful TARDIS interactions. The New Who Question: Public call-out asking if listeners want them to continue past TV Movie into New Who (Eccleston era). Multiple positive responses received. Shag's thoughtful response: only continue if you find joy in it, not worth 20 years of episodes without happiness. John notes RTD1 was "glorious time for Doctor Who" with fandom mostly united (unlike RTD2 era). Discussion of callbacks, slow beginning like Star Trek TNG's moratorium on mentioning Vulcans. Both agree putting themselves in companion's shoes helps—did they feel sad leaving this world? Yes for Delta, unlike Paradise Towers. Coming Up Next: Monday on Patreon Feed - Music, Memory TARDIS and a look at the first Sylvester McCoy appearance in the comics with "A Cold Day in Hell". Friday on Patreon Feed (Monday for the main feed) - Season 24 finale, "Dragonfire" - the introduction of Ace, which John will narrate. Hashtags: #DoctorWho #DeltaAndTheBannermen #SylvesterMcCoy #SeventhDoctor #Mel #BonnieLangford #StubblyKaye #GuysAndDolls #1950sNostalgia #HolidayCamp #ThreePartStory #KenDodd #ChrisClaw #Season24 #Chimeron #Bannermen #RayNotAce #SophieAldred #InterspeciesRomance #WagnerianOpera #ChuckJones #ClassicWho #NewWhoQuestion #DoctorWhoPodcast

Bruce Anderson, CEO of 247 Solar, details his company's concentrated solar technology that delivers round-the-clock clean electricity without combustion or emissions. The system uses heliostats to heat air to 1,800°F, stores that thermal energy in ceramic pellets, and converts it to electricity via a modified turbine. Paired with solar PV during daylight hours, the solution addresses intermittency at a commercial scale, with the first deployment underway in India.   Topics Covered 247 Solar www.247solar.com 24 Hours Solar Energy 1,800°F / 1000°C Air Solar Thermal Air Pressure Compressed Air ESS = Energy Storage System Natural Gas Fossil Fuel Molten Sault   Reach out to Bruce Anderson here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bruceanderson Website: www.247solar.com   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean's classes at www.heatspring.com/sean solarsean.com/esipexam

Send us Fan Mail Financial Matters with Richard OringRichard Oring, from New Century Financial Group in Princeton, New Jersey, discusses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts

Check-ins are where management actually happens—and in this episode checkins are given the status they deserve - at the center of performance, trust, and retention.  Drawing on research, including insights from Harvard Business Review, our Crina and Kirsten unpack a core truth: employees expect a lot from their managers—and rightly so. In a hybrid world, managers are responsible for clarity, feedback, support, and connection, often without much face-to-face time. And the single best tool to meet that moment is a regular check-in. But not all check-ins work. The good ones are not status updates in disguise. They are focused on the employee—their priorities, their obstacles, and what they need today to move forward. Done right, the employee leads. They come prepared with what's working, what's not, and the one or two things that actually matter next. This is real-time career development, not a box-checking exercise. We also talk about structure: agreeing on expectations, who owns the meeting, what gets discussed, and how often it happens. And yes—frequency matters. Cancelling sends a message, and it's not a good one. Then there's feedback. Clear, direct, and specific—the “rifle, not shotgun” approach. Avoiding honesty doesn't build kindness; it builds confusion. Paired with active listening, though, feedback becomes a trust accelerator. When employees feel heard and supported, they're more engaged, less stressed, and far more likely to stay. The takeaway is simple but not easy: check-ins don't need to be perfect. But they do need to happen—and they need to mean something.

Strong leaders don't just appear, they're developed. In this episode, Joshua Allen, leadership training Director for the South Carolina Department of Public Health's Bureau of Organizational Development, talks about how targeted supervisor training and mentorship programs are reshaping workforce culture in public health. Born out of a clear need to better prepare new supervisors, Allen's team built a hands-on training program focused on real-world skills, like communication and conflict resolution, and strategic planning and burnout prevention. Paired with a structured mentorship initiative for new hires, the approach is already delivering results.Home | Public Health Careers.orgPublic Health Leadership Starts in the Classroom | ASTHODemonstrating the Impact of School-Based Health Centers | Key Measures That Highlight ROI | ASTHO

The Pittsburgh Steelers became one of the most successful and enduring franchises in sports history. But their dynasty wasn’t built the way most people think. Chuck Todd and J.A. Adande tell the Steelers history like it has never been told. It starts with a moment everyone knows—the Immaculate Reception—but the real story begins long before that. For decades, the Steelers were one of the worst-run teams in football. They ignored the draft, missed on generational talent, and lacked any clear identity. Then everything changed. At the center of it all was Chuck Noll, a coach who completely reset the organization’s philosophy. Paired with cornerstone players like Mean Joe Greene and a front office that found talent in places other teams ignored, the Steelers quietly assembled one of the greatest draft runs in sports history. This episode dives into the hidden advantages that fueled their rise—from overlooked talent pipelines to cultural cohesion inside the locker room—and why their success wasn’t just about stars, but about structure, discipline, and long-term thinking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill and Darrell discuss the new drones that neutralize the Iran Shahed drones, the power Ukraine weilds now, and what they think will happen next. All the while, enjoying a Nub Connecticut and sipping the Whistle Pig Snout to Tail. https://youtu.be/feru-qU35gU?si=TPtkaW7DMY2ju5c1 https://youtu.be/YvzmazMemvk?si=bdX-Fx3mI0rUOWqX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmVjto2UeoI

This guide covers the four Revised Common Lectionary readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A (May 3, 2026). The week's texts circle around two related questions: * what does it look like to trust God when everything is falling apart, and * what is the community of faith being built into? Stephen dies praying for his killers. The psalmist says their times are in God's hands. First Peter calls the church a living temple still under construction. And Jesus, the night before his own death, tells his frightened friends not to let their hearts be troubled.The ReadingsActs 7:55–60The First Lesson — The Stoning of StephenSummaryStephen has just finished a long speech before the Jewish council in Jerusalem — a retelling of Israel's history that ends with a sharp accusation: the council has done what their ancestors did and resisted the Holy Spirit. The crowd is furious. But Stephen, filled with the Spirit, looks up and says he can see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. That is the final straw. They rush at him, drag him out of the city, and stone him. As they do, Stephen prays two prayers: one asking Jesus to receive his spirit, and one asking God not to hold this sin against his attackers. He says the second one kneeling down, and then he dies. The text notes in passing that a young man named Saul is standing there, approving of the execution.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Stephen's final prayers are direct echoes of Jesus on the cross — committing his spirit to God and asking forgiveness for those killing him. This is not coincidence in the telling of the story. We can explore what it means to die the way Jesus died, and how that kind of dying becomes a form of witness.2. The vision of the Son of Man standing — not seated — at the right hand of God is worth pausing on. In most other texts the image is of Jesus seated. Here he is standing, as if rising to receive Stephen. That small detail carries significant pastoral warmth. God is not indifferent to what is happening.3. Saul is introduced with chilling brevity: he was there and he approved. This one sentence sets up one of the most important turning points in the whole book of Acts. We may want to use this moment to reflect on how proximity to events — even terrible ones — plants seeds whose growth we cannot predict.4. Stephen's prayer for his killers puts forgiveness in the most extreme possible context. This is not forgiving a minor slight. It's an honest struggle to ask how hard this is, without making it sound like a simple requirement. What enables someone to pray this way? The text points to what Stephen was seeing.Significant Cautions⚠ Stephen's speech leading up to this passage includes pointed criticism of the Jerusalem leadership, and it has historically been used to fuel anti-Jewish sentiment. Preachers should be careful to locate the conflict within an internal first-century Jewish debate, not as a universal verdict on Jewish people or Judaism as a whole.⚠ Martyrdom accounts can be preached in ways that romanticize or even encourage suffering and death. Be careful not to hold Stephen up as someone to imitate in a way that suggests his death was straightforwardly good or desirable. The text mourns his death even as it honors his faithfulness.⚠ The mention of Saul's approval is easy to treat as mere scene-setting. But it deserves to be named honestly: the same person who would later write much of the New Testament participated in this killing. That is uncomfortable, and it should be. There's something here (or coming) about what it means to be truly converted.Psalm 31:1–5, 15–16The Psalm — Refuge in CrisisSummaryThis psalm is a cry for help from someone in serious trouble — pursued by enemies, trapped, and frightened. The speaker turns to God as a place to hide, a strong fortress, and the one who can pull them out of the net that has been set for them. Verses 15 and 16 reach the heart of the psalm's trust: ‘My times are in your hand.' Whatever is happening, and however little control the speaker has over it, God holds the clock. The psalm ends with a plea for God's face to shine and for deliverance to come.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The phrase ‘my times are in your hand' is one of the most quietly powerful statements of trust in the Psalter. It does not claim that everything will turn out fine. It claims that the one who holds time is trustworthy. We can open up the difference between those two things for a congregation.2. Paired with the death of Stephen, this psalm gives language for what it might feel like to face mortal danger with faith intact. Stephen's vision and his prayers suggest someone who had already internalized something like this psalm — not that death is easy, but that God holds what we cannot hold ourselves.3. The image of God as a rock, a fortress, and a hiding place is physical and concrete. God is not an abstraction here but a place to go. We may well ask: what does it look like in practice to run to God rather than away from difficulty?Significant Cautions⚠ The psalm's language about enemies is vivid and personal. In the context of worship, be thoughtful about how ‘enemies' is interpreted. The text is not an invitation to name specific people as targets of divine punishment — it is the prayer of someone overwhelmed, using the language available to them.⚠ Verse 5 — ‘Into your hand I commit my spirit' — is the verse Jesus quotes from the cross in Luke's Gospel. It is also traditionally used at the time of death. If preached alongside the Stephen text, be aware that this verse may carry deep weight for people in the congregation who are grieving or facing serious illness.1 Peter 2:2–10The Epistle — Living StonesSummaryThe letter calls its readers to crave the word the way newborn babies crave milk — purely, instinctively, urgently. They have already tasted that the Lord is good, and that taste should create appetite, not satisfaction. The passage then builds a picture of the church as a living temple, not made of cut stone, but of people — each a living stone being built into something together. Christ is the cornerstone, the one the builders rejected but whom God placed at the foundation. Those who trust in him will not be put to shame. And those who belong to this community are named in layered, rich terms: a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people — called out of darkness into remarkable light.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The image of spiritual milk and growing appetite is unusual and worth dwelling on. Many people in a congregation have lost the hunger they once had for Scripture, prayer, or worship. The text does not scold them for this — it invites them to taste again and see what happens. We could use this image to reopen a conversation about spiritual hunger without making people feel guilty for being dry.2. The ‘living stones' image is a genuinely striking way to describe the church. Each person is a stone — not decorative, but structural. The building does not hold together without each one. This gives a theological grounding to the practical reality that every person in the congregation matters.3. The string of titles in verses 9–10 — chosen, royal, holy, God's own — were originally applied to Israel in the Hebrew scriptures and are here applied to the church, a community that includes Gentiles. We may need to help the congregation hear these not as credentials they earned but as a description of who God has made them. The emphasis falls on what they were called to do: proclaim the mighty acts of the one who called them.4. The cornerstone that the builders rejected is a direct reference to Psalm 118, which Jesus applied to himself. The image connects back to Stephen's death and forward to what the church is being built into. Rejection is not the end of the story.Significant Cautions⚠ The titles in verses 9–10 — ‘chosen race,' ‘holy nation,' and so on — have been used to justify religious exclusivism or even nationalism. We want to be clear that these are descriptions of a community defined by calling and trust, not by ethnicity, culture, or any human marker of identity.⚠ The use of Israel's titles for the church has a complicated history in relation to Jewish-Christian relations. This text has sometimes been read as suggesting the church has replaced Israel. We want to avoid that reading and instead note that the letter is drawing on a shared inheritance, not canceling it.⚠ The ‘newborn infants' image for spiritual hunger can be misread as a call for people to remain permanently childlike in their faith — dependent, unquestioning, always needing to be fed. The context makes clear this is about appetite and receptivity, not permanent immaturity.John 14:1–14The Gospel — The Way, the Truth, and the LifeSummaryJesus is at the table with his disciples on the night before he dies, and he is trying to prepare them for what is coming. He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled — he is going to prepare a place for them, and he will come back and take them to be with him. Thomas pushes back honestly: they do not know where he is going, so how can they know the way? Jesus answers with one of the most famous lines in John's Gospel: he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. Philip then asks to be shown the Father, and Jesus responds with some surprise: after all this time, Philip still does not recognize that seeing Jesus is seeing the Father. The passage ends with a promise: whoever trusts in Jesus will do the works he has done, and even greater ones, because he is going to the Father.Key Ideas for Preaching1. This passage opens with a pastoral word: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.' Jesus says this to people who are about to go through the worst night of their lives. It is not a command to suppress grief or pretend things are fine — it is an invitation to locate their trust somewhere steady. We can help people sit with that distinction carefully.2. Thomas's question is one of the most honest moments in the Gospels. (Why we called him “Honest Thomas” a few weeks ago!) He does not pretend to understand. He says plainly: we do not know where you are going. Jesus does not scold him. He answers. We can use Thomas here to give the congregation permission to ask the questions they are actually carrying.3. The claim ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life' is one of the most contested verses in John's Gospel. We want to address it directly rather than skipping past its difficulty. It is worth exploring what Jesus means by ‘way' — not a set of rules, but a person to follow — before moving to what is claimed about the Father. I still like what Eugene Peterson had to say (at length) on this matter:We can't suppress the Jesus way in order to sell the Jesus truth. The Jesus way and the Jesus truth must be congruent. Only when the Jesus way is organically joined with the Jesus truth do we get the Jesus life.”― Eugene H. Peterson, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way4. Philip's request — ‘show us the Father and that will be enough for us' — is deeply human. Most people in the congregation have, at some point, wanted exactly that: a clear, unambiguous sight of God. Jesus' answer is that they have already been given it. 5. The promise that believers will do ‘greater works' than Jesus is genuinely puzzling and often glossed over. It is worth addressing honestly. The clue is in the reason Jesus gives: he is going to the Father. The resurrection and the Spirit's coming make possible a wider reach than Jesus' own earthly ministry had. This is not about individual superpowers — it is about a community continuing a movement.Significant Cautions⚠ The verse ‘no one comes to the Father except through me' has been used as a blunt instrument in conversations about salvation and who is included or excluded. We should engage it honestly rather than either avoiding it or using it to draw sharp lines around other religious traditions. The context is pastoral — Jesus is comforting grieving disciples, not issuing a theological boundary statement.⚠ The ‘many dwelling places' in the Father's house has been heavily freighted with speculation about heaven and the afterlife. The text does not describe what those dwelling places look like. Be careful to resist the temptation to fill in what the text leaves open, and instead focus on the promise itself: there is room, and Jesus is preparing it.⚠ The claim that seeing Jesus is seeing the Father is one of John's deepest theological commitments. It is also easily misread as making Jesus and the Father identical in every way. The Gospel itself maintains distinction alongside unity. We do not need to resolve this fully, but we should not flatten it either.Thematic ConnectionsThe thread running through all four readings this week is trust in the face of things we cannot control. Stephen cannot stop what is happening to him, but he can choose what he does with his final moments — and he chooses prayer. The psalmist cannot see how their situation will resolve, but they name their trust in the one who holds their times. First Peter tells a scattered, vulnerable community that they are being built into something that will last. And John 14 begins with Jesus telling his closest friends not to let fear run the show.John 14 is the natural center for preaching this week — it is rich and wide enough for a full sermon on its own. But Acts 7 offers a powerful alternative angle: what does trust look like not in a quiet moment of reflection but in the worst moment of a life? A preacher willing to sit in that question without resolving it too quickly will find a great deal to work with. The psalm and First Peter can serve as supporting voices in either direction.Narrative LectionaryThis guide covers the Narrative Lectionary reading for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year 4 (May 3, 2026). The primary text is Paul's sermon in Athens — one of the most unusual moments in Acts, where Paul finds himself in the middle of a philosophically sophisticated city full of altars to gods he does not recognize. Rather than leading with condemnation, he starts with what he finds and builds from there. The supplemental verses from John 1 name what Paul is ultimately pointing toward: the God whom no one has seen has been made known in Jesus Christ, from whose fullness we have all received grace upon grace.The ReadingActs 17:16–31The Primary Text — Paul's Sermon at AthensSummaryPaul arrives in Athens while waiting for his companions and finds himself deeply unsettled by how many idols fill the city. He begins debating in the synagogue with Jews and God-fearers, and then in the public square with anyone who will listen. Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encounter him and bring him to the Areopagus — Athens' formal court of intellectual and civic life — to explain this new teaching they keep hearing about. They note, somewhat dismissively, that he seems to be talking about foreign gods. Paul stands up and starts not with an attack but with an observation: he can see that the Athenians are very religious people. He even found an altar inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.' That, he says, is exactly what he has come to tell them about.Paul then speaks in terms his audience can follow. The God who made the world does not live in temples made by human hands and does not need anything from us — God is the one who gives life and breath to everything. God made every nation from one source and set the boundaries of where they live, so that people everywhere might search for God and perhaps find him, though God is not actually far from any of us. Paul even quotes their own poets: ‘In him we live and move and have our being,' and ‘We are his offspring.' If we are God's offspring, then God cannot be made of gold or silver or stone shaped by human imagination. God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now calls everyone everywhere to turn around, because a day of judgment is coming. The judge has been appointed — and God raised him from the dead as proof. At the mention of resurrection, some laugh, some want to hear more, and a few believe.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Paul does not open by telling the Athenians they are wrong. He opens by telling them he has been looking at what they have built and finds them genuinely religious. The altar to an unknown god is his starting point, not an object of ridicule. This is a remarkable model of how to enter a conversation with people outside the faith — starting with what is already there rather than what is missing.2. The God Paul describes is not contained in any building, does not need anything, and is already close to every human being. This is a picture of God that cuts against every form of religious gatekeeping. Preachers can ask: how does a congregation hold this truth — that God is not far from anyone — alongside a commitment to proclaiming Jesus specifically?3. Paul quotes the Athenians' own poets back to them. He finds truth about God already present in their tradition and uses it as a bridge. This is a rare moment in Acts, and it raises a genuinely important question for preachers: where do we see true things about God showing up outside the walls of the church? How do we engage those places?4. The audience splits at the mention of resurrection. Some laugh, some want to hear more, some believe. Paul does not chase the laughers or try to convince the skeptical. He states what he came to say and lets people respond as they will. (He has spoken his piece and counted to three, so to speak.) 5. The sermon ends with a call to turn around — the same basic movement as every other proclamation in Acts, just dressed in different clothes. The framework is cultural and philosophical rather than scriptural, but the destination is the same. Preachers can explore what it looks like to say the same essential thing to very different audiences without simply giving the same sermon.Significant Cautions⚠ It is tempting to use this passage as a simple endorsement of cultural engagement or interfaith dialogue. The passage is more complicated than that — Paul is genuinely troubled by the idols around him, and his sermon ends with a clear call to leave them behind. A sermon that only celebrates Paul's openness without noting where he still draws a line will miss the tension the text holds.⚠ The phrase ‘times of ignorance God overlooked' has sometimes been read as dismissive of all non-Christian religious practice before the gospel arrived. That reading oversimplifies. The text is pointing toward a shift in how God is acting in the world, not making a sweeping judgment about the sincerity or value of other people's religious lives.⚠ Be careful about using this passage to suggest that all religions are ultimately saying the same thing and pointing to the same God. Paul does not say that. He finds a point of contact, and then he redirects. The altar to the unknown god is a starting point, not an ending point. Those two moves need to be kept together.⚠ The mixed response at the end — laughter, curiosity, belief — can be used to prepare congregations for the reality that not everyone will respond to the gospel. That is legitimate and worth naming. But be careful not to use the laughers as a way of dismissing skeptical people in the congregation or culture as simply closed-minded. Intellectual doubt is not the same thing as hardness of heart.John 1:16–18The Supplemental Text — Grace upon GraceSummaryThese three verses come from the prologue of John's Gospel — the opening hymn that sets up everything the Gospel will say about who Jesus is. From his fullness, the writer says, we have all received grace upon grace. The law came through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, has made God known. It is a compressed statement about what the incarnation actually accomplished: a full, overflowing gift, and a revelation of God that no one could have accessed any other way.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Placed alongside Paul's sermon at Athens, these verses clarify what Paul is ultimately pointing toward. He finds the unknown God in the Athenians' own altar and works outward from there. John 1 names what has now been made known: the God whom no one has seen has been revealed in the person of Jesus. The supplemental text gives Paul's proclamation its destination.2. The phrase ‘grace upon grace' — sometimes translated ‘grace in place of grace' — suggests not just a one-time gift but a continuing, layered generosity. There is always more. Preachers can use this image to speak to people who feel they have used up their portion of God's patience or kindness, or who are afraid that what they have received is all there will be.3. The contrast between Moses and Jesus in verse 17 is not a dismissal of the law — it is a statement about what has now been added. Grace and truth have arrived in a person, not just a set of instructions. Preachers can explore what it means that the fullest revelation of God is not a document or a system but a life.Significant Cautions⚠ The contrast between Moses and Jesus has a long and painful history of being used to set Christianity against Judaism — as if the law was a failed experiment that grace replaced. That reading distorts both testaments. The law was itself a gift of grace; what John describes is addition and fulfillment, not replacement and rejection.⚠ The claim that Jesus has made God known in a way no one else has can sound like a dismissal of all other religious experience or understanding of God. Preachers should present it as a statement about the particularity and depth of what God has done in Christ, not as a verdict that nothing true about God has ever been known anywhere else.Thematic ConnectionsBoth texts this week move in the same direction: from searching toward finding, from not knowing toward being shown. Paul stands in a city full of altars to gods that no one can quite name, and he points toward the one who has now been made known. John 1 names what that making-known actually looks like: the fullness of God, given in a person, producing grace upon grace. Paul's sermon at Athens is the proclamation; John's prologue is its theological ground. Together they describe a gospel that meets people in their reaching and brings them to something specific.The Acts passage is rich enough for a full sermon. A preacher could focus on Paul's method — starting with what is already there — or on what he says about the nature of God, or on the mixed response at the end. The John verses work best as a brief anchor, either opening the sermon with a statement of what Paul is ultimately pointing toward, or closing with it as a final word about what ‘making God known' actually means. Either placement gives the sermon a theological center that the Athens scene alone does not quite provide. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

Send us Fan Mail Financial Matters with Richard OringRichard Oring, from New Century Financial Group in Princeton, New Jersey, discusses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts

Julie and Eliana Rutherford, mother and daugher, were not a match for a kidney donation. However, with the paired organ donation program at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Julie was able to accept an organ donation from a stranger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 19th, 1997, news of a double homicide sent shockwaves through the small New Jersey community of Franklin Borough. 25-year-old pizzeria owner Giorgio Gallara and his 22-year-old employee Jeremy Giordano were gunned down during a pizza delivery. Paired with paranoia was an overwhelming sense of fear among residents. People wondered, would police be able to track down the gunman? Or would someone close to them be targeted next?  Subscribe to Jami's YouTube channel @JamiOnAir: https://www.youtube.com/@jamionair Follow Jami @JamiOnAir on Instagram and TikTok. Sponsors Kikoff: Visit getkikoff.com/murderish to get your first month for as little as $1. Factor: Visit factormeals.com/murderish50off and use code murderish50off for 50% + free daily greens per box. Laundry Sauce: Visit laundrysauce.com and use code murderish to get 20% off your entire order. Shopify: Visit shopify.com/murderish to sign up for a $1/month trial. Dirty Money Moves: Women in White Collar Crime - Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-money-moves-women-in-white-collar-crime/id1619521092. Research and writing by: Alison Schwartz. Miguel Oilveras (missing person): Anyone with information regarding Miguel Oilveras's disappearance should contact your local FBI Office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to Miguel's recovery.    Want to advertise on this show? We've partnered with Cloud10 Media to handle our advertising requests. If you're interested in advertising on MURDERISH, please send an email to Sahiba Krieger sahiba@cloud10.fm and copy jami@murderish.com.  Visit Murderish.com to learn more about the podcast and Creator/Host, Jami, and to view a list of sources for this episode.  Listening to this podcast doesn't make you a murderer, it just means you're murder..ish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hush is FINALLY available on a streaming service, and we went for it! The question is was it worth it? The premise of the movie is terrifying, and it brings up the question of how you'd survive in this situation. Our first recommendation (even though we don't think this would have solved the entire situation): lock your doors and windows, especially when you're in an isolated area. But you know what might have solved the entire situation? Keep your alarm systems activated! Paired with a Cabin in the Woods cocktail. Rate! Review! Follow! Email us at toasttohorror@gmail.com Check out our website toasttoromcoms.com Follow us on Instagram @toastyhorror

Send us Fan Mail Financial Matters with Richard OringRichard Oring, from New Century Financial Group in Princeton, New Jersey, discusses...Listen on: Apple Podcasts

The Emmaus Road courtesy of The Missional Network (April 15, 2020)Welcome, friends, as we continue the Easter season. I have meticulously checked my sources for this week, but if I'm off again — you'll let me know!RCL ReadingsActs 2:14a, 36-41The First Lesson — Peter's Pentecost ProclamationSummaryPicking up from Peter's Pentecost address — which has already happened at this point in the text, but not yet in our observance of the season — this passage reaches its climax: Peter declares that God has made the crucified Jesus both Lord and Messiah. The crowd, cut to the heart, asks what they should do. Peter calls them to repent and be baptized in Jesus' name for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, promising that the gift is for them, their children, and all who are far away. About three thousand respond and are baptized that day.Key Ideas for Preaching 11. The scandal of the cross transformed: Peter boldly declares that the one whom ‘you crucified' God has made Lord. The resurrection is not a recovery from defeat but the vindication of Jesus. Preach the audacity of Easter proclamation in the face of complicity and failure.2. Conversion begins with being ‘cut to the heart.' The question ‘What should we do?' is the right response to genuine conviction. Preachers can explore what it means to be moved before being moved to act.3. Baptism as both boundary-crossing and gift-receiving: the promise extends to those ‘far away.' This phrase resonates with Gentile inclusion (including us!) and has ongoing implications for who belongs in the community of faith.4. The communal shape of salvation: three thousand are added. Repentance in Acts is never merely private; it is the beginning of participation in a new community.Significant Cautions⚠ The phrase ‘you crucified him' has been historically weaponized as anti-Jewish polemic. Preachers must be careful to contextualize this as Peter speaking to a Jewish crowd about a shared moment of failure — not as a timeless indictment of Jewish people. Scapegoating must be actively resisted.⚠ Avoid presenting ‘repent and be baptized' as a simple transactional formula. The broader narrative of Acts shows that response to the gospel is a lifelong reorientation, not a one-time transaction.⚠ The ‘three thousand' figure can tempt triumphalism. Balance the celebration of growth with the call to depth of discipleship that follows in Acts 2:42-47.Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19The Psalm — A Song of Deliverance and VowsSummaryThis psalm of thanksgiving opens with a declaration of love for God rooted in personal experience: the psalmist called out in distress and God heard. Death, Sheol, and anguish had surrounded the speaker, but God delivered. The appointed portion then jumps to verses 12-19, where the psalmist asks what can be offered in return, and answers: lifting the cup of salvation, calling on the Lord's name, and fulfilling vows before the assembly. The Lord is praised for holding precious the death of his faithful ones.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The psalm models an honest spirituality that begins not in abstract doctrine but in lived distress. Preachers can invite congregations to name their own ‘cords of death' as the starting point for genuine praise.2. The rhetorical question — ‘What shall I return to the Lord?' — is a profound invitation to examine gratitude. Rather than a transactional mindset, the psalmist's answer centers on public, communal acknowledgment.3. ‘The cup of salvation' offers natural connections to Eucharistic theology and to the Easter season. This is a rich image to develop in preaching or liturgy.4. Verse 15 — that the death of God's faithful ones is ‘precious' — is surprising and worth exploring. It resists cheap comfort and affirms that God takes suffering and mortality with the utmost seriousness.Significant Cautions⚠ The phrase ‘precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones' can be misread as glorifying martyrdom or suffering for its own sake. Careful exegesis shows it means the opposite: God does not take the loss of beloved ones lightly.⚠ The psalm's confident, first-person voice can feel alienating to worshippers in the middle of suffering who cannot yet say ‘the Lord has dealt bountifully with me.' Acknowledge that some are still in the distress described in verse 3.⚠ Avoid truncating the psalm's communal dimension. The vows are made ‘in the presence of all his people' — the act of testimony is public, not merely private.1 Peter 1:17-23The Epistle — Ransomed to LoveSummaryThe epistle calls its audience — communities living in exile and social marginalization — to live in reverent fear during their time of exile, grounded in the knowledge of what has ransomed them. They were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, the unblemished lamb, foreknown before the foundation of the world and revealed in the last times for their sake. This knowledge should lead to sincere, unhypocritical love for one another, because they have been born anew through the living and enduring word of God.Key Ideas for Preaching1. The language of exile and sojourning is powerful for contemporary congregations who feel like cultural minorities or displaced persons. ‘Exile' is both a literal reality for some and a metaphor for the church's relationship to the surrounding culture.2. The contrast between ‘perishable' and ‘imperishable' runs through this passage and the wider letter. Preachers can explore what it means to be founded on something that neither corrodes nor fades.3. The image of Christ as the unblemished lamb connects Passover, Isaiah 53, and Easter. This Paschal resonance is especially powerful in the Easter season.4. The passage ends with a call to genuine (literally ‘non-hypocritical') love. The indicative — you have been ransomed — grounds the imperative — now love one another. This is a clean example of grace preceding ethical demand.Significant Cautions⚠ The language of ‘reverent fear' needs careful handling. It should not be used to cultivate anxiety or an image of God as threatening. The context makes clear it is the fear that reorients priorities, not the fear that paralyzes.⚠ The sacrificial language of ‘precious blood' can be heard through frameworks of penal substitution in ways that distort the text. The emphasis here is on the costliness and preciousness of redemption, not on appeasing an angry God.⚠ The phrase ‘futile ways inherited from your ancestors' could be used to disparage Jewish tradition or the religious heritage of non-Western communities. Preachers should contextualize this as a reference to specific pagan practices of the letter's Gentile audience, not a broad dismissal of religious inheritance.Luke 24:13-35The Gospel — The Road to EmmausSummaryOn the afternoon of the resurrection, two disciples walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, discussing the catastrophic events of the past days. A stranger joins them, and they are unable to recognize him. They explain their shattered hopes: they had trusted Jesus would redeem Israel, but he was crucified, and reports of an empty tomb have only confused them further. The stranger — Jesus — calls them foolish and slow of heart, then interprets for them all that Moses and the prophets said concerning himself. When they arrive, they urge the stranger to stay; at the table, he takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them. At that moment, their eyes are opened, and he vanishes. They return to Jerusalem to report that their hearts were burning as he opened the scriptures, and that they recognized him in the breaking of the bread.Key Ideas for Preaching1. This story is a paradigm of Christian formation: scripture interpreted, community gathered, bread broken, and witness sent. It traces the basic shape of Sunday worship itself.2. The disciples' grief and confusion at the outset is a realistic portrait of faith struggling with loss. Preachers can honor the congregation's own ‘we had hoped' moments as legitimate stages in the life of faith, not failures.3. Recognition in the breaking of the bread: Jesus becomes known not through argument or vision but through a domestic, eucharistic gesture. This is a rich opportunity to explore how Christ is encountered in ordinary acts.4. The burning heart: the disciples report that something was happening in them during the Scripture interpretation, even before they recognized Jesus. Preachers can reflect on the ways God is already present and at work that remain unrealized.5. The movement from dejection to witness is rapid. They immediately return to Jerusalem. The encounter with the risen Christ is not an end in itself but sends people back into community.Significant Cautions⚠ Jesus' rebuke — ‘foolish and slow of heart' — can be preached dismissively toward people who struggle with faith. Preach it with tenderness; these are grieving disciples, not obstinate opponents.⚠ The eucharistic interpretation of the bread-breaking, while theologically rich, should be handled with ecumenical sensitivity. In contexts where the Lord's Supper is not celebrated weekly, avoid implying that the only valid meeting place with Christ is formal Communion.⚠ This text has been used in supersessionist ways, suggesting that Jewish reading of the scriptures is incomplete or ‘blind.' Resist this. Jesus opens the scriptures from within Jewish tradition, not against it. The text is about revelatory interpretation, not invalidation.⚠ The disappearance of Jesus can prompt speculative preaching about the nature of resurrection bodies. Stay close to Luke's focus: the point is not how he vanished but that his presence was real and is now internalized by the disciples.Thematic ConnectionsThe four readings share a deep coherence. Acts and the Psalms both describe a movement from distress or confusion toward praise and testimony — paralleling the Emmaus disciples who return to Jerusalem to proclaim what they have seen. First Peter grounds ethical life in the costliness of redemption, just as the Emmaus story grounds recognition in the physical, eucharistic act of bread-breaking. All four texts resist easy triumphalism: faith is depicted as tested, hearts are slow and confused before they burn, and the call to love is placed within the context of exile and sojourning.Preachers may choose to anchor the week's message (“drive the train” in Delmer's parlance) in the Emmaus narrative while drawing on Acts for the pattern of proclamation, the Psalm for the vocabulary of deliverance and gratitude, and First Peter for the ethical implications of Easter faith.Narrative Lectionary TextsThe ReadingActs 9:1–19aThe Primary Text — Paul's ConversionSummarySaul is on his way to Damascus, armed with official letters and a mission: find followers of Jesus, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. He is not a passive bystander to the persecution of the early church — he is running it. Then, on the road, a blinding light stops him cold, and a voice asks, ‘Saul, why are you persecuting me?' Saul asks who is speaking. The answer: Jesus, the one Saul has been hunting. Saul is left blind, led by the hand into the city, and does not eat or drink for three days.Meanwhile, God speaks to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias and tells him to find Saul and restore his sight. Ananias pushes back — he knows exactly who Saul is and what he has been doing. God tells him to go anyway: Saul has been chosen to carry the name of Jesus to nations, kings, and the people of Israel, and he will suffer for it. Ananias goes. He calls Saul ‘brother,' lays hands on him, and Saul's sight is restored. He gets up, is baptized, and eats. The man who came to Damascus to destroy the church is now inside it.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Saul is stopped in the middle of doing something he was fully convinced was right. This is worth sitting with. He was not lazy or indifferent — he was zealous, organized, and certain. The road to Damascus is a story about what happens when certainty meets the living God. Preachers can ask: What would it look like for us to be stopped on our own road?2. The risen Jesus identifies himself with those Saul has been persecuting: ‘Why are you persecuting me?' This is one of the most striking lines in Acts. What is done to Christ's people is done to Christ. This has implications for how the church talks about suffering, solidarity, and who Jesus stands with.3. Ananias is the quiet hero of this story. He receives a frightening assignment and says so honestly — then goes anyway. He is asked to trust that God is already at work in the most dangerous person he knows. This is a powerful text for preaching on obedience, fear, and what it means to be sent to someone you would rather avoid.4. The first word Ananias speaks to Saul is ‘brother.' Before Saul had done anything to earn it, before any proof of change, Ananias named his family. That word is doing a lot of work. Preachers might linger here when talking about welcome, reconciliation, or what it costs to extend trust.5. Saul's conversion involves three days of blindness — a clear echo of the three days of the tomb. He enters Damascus unable to see or eat, and comes out restored and fed. The baptismal pattern here is not subtle. This text can open up rich reflection on what dying and rising actually look like in a human life.Significant Cautions⚠ It is easy to preach this story as a dramatic turnaround and leave it at that — the bad guy became the good guy. But the text is more unsettling than that. God chose Saul before Saul chose God, and the community that was supposed to benefit had every reason not to trust him. Do not smooth over the strangeness of how this conversion unfolds.⚠ Saul's pre-conversion zeal came from deep religious conviction. Be careful not to use this text to suggest that sincere religious belief is inherently dangerous, or to paint Judaism as the villain. Saul was acting in accordance with what he understood faithfulness to require. The story is about transformation, not about condemning the tradition he came from.⚠ This passage mentions that Saul will suffer greatly for the name of Jesus. Resist the temptation to rush past this. Suffering is named as part of Saul's calling from the beginning, not as a surprise or setback. A sermon that only celebrates the dramatic conversion without accounting for what it cost him will miss something important.⚠ Dramatic conversion stories can leave people in the congregation feeling like their own quieter, slower journey of faith does not measure up. It is worth explicitly noting that most people do not get knocked off a horse—and that is fine. The point of the story is not the method but the mercy.Matthew 6:24The Supplemental Text — Serving Two MastersSummaryThis single verse from the Sermon on the Mount states a simple but demanding truth: no one can serve two masters. You will end up devoted to one and dismissive of the other. Jesus applies this directly to the choice between God and money, but the logic extends further — the verse is about the impossibility of divided ultimate loyalty.Key Ideas for Preaching1. Paired with Acts 9, this verse sharpens what Saul's conversion actually meant. He had been a man of single-minded devotion — but devoted to the wrong thing. After Damascus, that same intensity is redirected. The supplemental text invites reflection on what we are actually devoted to, and whether it is possible to hold two ultimate allegiances at once.2. The word translated ‘devoted' or ‘loyal' in this verse carries the sense of deep attachment — not just preference. This is not a text about disliking something slightly. It is about what holds the center of a person's life. That is worth naming plainly for a congregation.Significant Cautions⚠ Matthew 6:24 specifically names money, and preachers sometimes skip over that in favor of a more general application. Do not avoid the economic edge of the verse. Jesus said what he said. That does not mean a sermon has to be only about money, but the specific example should be acknowledged.⚠ This verse can come across as all-or-nothing in a way that discourages honest struggle. Most people in the congregation are not certain what they serve — they are trying to figure it out. Preach the verse as an invitation to clarity, not a verdict on those who are still sorting through competing loyalties.Thematic ConnectionsBoth texts this week circle around the same question: what does it look like when something — or someone — has the full weight of your loyalty? Saul had given everything to a cause, only to be stopped. Ananias had every reason to protect himself, and was sent anyway. The supplemental verse from Matthew names the underlying issue plainly: you cannot split your ultimate devotion. These texts together make a strong case for examining what is actually at the center of a life, and what it looks like when that center shifts.Preachers will likely want to build the sermon around the Acts passage, using the Matthew verse either as an opening lens or a closing challenge. The story of Ananias offers a second angle that is easy to overlook — a sermon focused entirely on his call and courage could be just as powerful as one centered on Saul's dramatic turnaround. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lectionarypro.substack.com/subscribe

MEN IN BLACK A smart-mouthed New York cop discovers that aliens are secretly living on Earth and gets recruited into a hidden agency that keeps them under control. Paired with a stone-faced veteran, he must stop a deadly alien invader searching for a powerful object that could spark an intergalactic crisis. As he adjusts to a bizarre new world of disguises, weapons, and cosmic secrets, his first day on the job turns into a fight to save the planet. Craig, Elisabeth and guest Tami Anderson talk about immigration, galactic pugs, neurolyser damage and the movie “Men in Black” on this week's Matinee Heroes! Show Notes 0:58 Craig, Elisabeth and Tami Anderson talk alien encounters but with human beings. 7:28 Craig, Elisabeth and Tami discuss "Men in Black." 52:12 Recasting 1:12:59 Double Feature 1:19:14 Final Thoughts 1:24:19 A preview of next week's episode "Starman." Next week, Alien April continues with the low-key adventure "Starman."

PREVIEW FOR LATER. GUEST: Lorenzo Fiori Lorenzo Fiori shares a seasonal recipe from Padua, Italy, featuring wild asparagus. He suggests boiling the asparagus and dipping it into a sauce made of Parmesan cheese and fried egg yolk, paired perfectly with Prosecco. (1)

Today we talk about The Others, an early '00s movie that we haven't thought about...since the early '00s. We haven't discussed terrible parents for awhile, but Nicole Kidman's character is definitely a candidate for Worst Mom of the Year. This movie excels at building suspense, but we found the follow through lacking. Listen up as we discuss characters, bring back Iconic Moment (throwback from rom com days!) and discover sound effects. Paired with A Ghost Story cocktail. Rate! Review! Follow! Follow us on Instagram @toastyhorror Email us at toasttoromcoms@gmail.com Check out our website toasttoromcoms.com

Andrew grew up in the shadow of his older brothers and disconnected from his father. Paired with early pornography exposure, he developed an incomplete and insecure understanding of his masculinity, which manifested in same-sex attractions. However, several key events, including some important risks, helped him better understand his God-given masculinity and sexuality -- to the point where he's now happily married with children and helping others with their sexual brokenness. Desert Stream website: https://www.desertstream.org/NEW: Check out our Merch store! https://shop.lilaroseshow.com/Join our new Patreon community! https://patreon.com/lilaroseshow - We'll have BTS footage, ad-free episodes, and early access to our upcoming guests.A big thanks to our partner, EWTN, the world's leading Catholic network! Discover news, entertainment and more at https://www.ewtn.com/ Check out our Sponsors:-Seven Weeks Coffee: https://www.sevenweekscoffee.com Buy your pro-life coffee and Save up to 25% with promo code 'LILA' & get a free gift: http://www.sevenweekscoffee.com-Hallow: https://www.hallow.com/lila Enter into prayer more deeply this Lenten season with the Hallow App, get 3 months free by using this link to sign up! -We Heart Nutrition: https://www.weheartnutrition.com/ Get high quality vitamin supplements for 20% off using the code LILA. -EveryLife Women: https://www.everylife.com/lila Buy diapers and women's health products from an amazing company and use code LILA to get 10% off!00:00:00 - The path toward same-sex attractions00:05:00 - Early exposure to porn00:07:16 - First identification as 'gay'?00:11:20 - First memory of SSA?00:21:05 - "Unsafe" Masculinity Is a Good Thing00:27:16 - Advice for parents:00:41:06 - The importance of consistency00:48:00 - Coming to faith00:51:43 - Best thing I ever did:00:56:46 - What happened in therapy?01:07:38 - Once gay always gay?01:14:47 - Starting Desert Stream ministry

"We might think that security is everything. But to secure something is to bind it. To keep it still. In contrast, in embracing uncertainty, we discover an ever-changing freedom and flow." —Andy Puddicombe   An unexpected event. From startling good news that seems to come out of the blue or devastating loss, these events and anything in between that occur outside of what we imagine or have forgotten could happen or believed wouldn't happen for some time, provide a powerful medicine to bring out a deeply fulfilling life. These events that shake us awake to the reality that we cannot know how life will unfold from day to day are what American psychiatrist Irvin Yalom describes as 'awakening experiences'. And this awakening is an awesome opportunity, should we choose to see it as such. "Uncertainty has so much to teach us." —Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World  As a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and now author, Anne-Laure Le Cunff shares how embracing uncertainty is ironically the "antidote to burnout and boredom alike—a counterforce to the fear, overwhelm, confusion, and loneliness", many people she knows and observes "try to apply old notions of success to the world we're living in today." Paired with befriending our curiosity, practicing mindfulness in our work around our approach to productivity, and keeping an open mind, when we welcome all four into our daily approach to live, that is when our life begins to sing – in the daily rhythm that deepens our contentment and in the outcome of wherever we have set our intentions to extend towards. "When you lean into your curiosity, uncertainty can be a state of expanded possibility, a space for metamorphosis. It's a way to turn challenges into triggers for self-discovery and doubt into a source of opportunity." —Anne-Laure Le Cunff Tune in to the episode to listen to the full episode and find the Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast422 

PRVIEW FOR LATER: Guide Lorenzo Fiorirecommends visiting Tropea, Italy, during the off-season to avoid over-tourism. He suggests a traditional meal with local onions, paired with a sweet Sicilian Marsala dessert wine. (3)1572 MILAN