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KALEIDOSCOPE OF THE CROSS The Cross as Reconciliation 3.30.25 The cross reconciles humanity to God (vertical), people to one another (horizontal), and all of creation to its Creator. Colossians 1:19-23 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. Ephesians 2:11-22 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. The cross not only reconciles us to God, but creates a new humanity reconciled to one another. To cling to our divisions or our differences is to resist the very work Christ accomplished on the cross. The cross is not just a symbol of personal salvation; it is a pattern for social reconciliation. It dismantles the walls we build and invites us to a table we did not deserve to sit at—alongside people we never imagined calling family. - Paraphrased from Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf The cross doesn't make light of our pain or pretend the past didn't happen. It acknowledges the depth of our sin and the cost of justice—and then pays that price in full.

Whenever the world gets me down, I remember that I've survived every single day of my life up to now, and I plan to do that for many days, weeks, months, and years to come. Working as I have for the past 22 years on personal self-awareness has given me so much awareness and confidence, and it has also tested and validated my faith and hope in humankind.  Once in a while it's good for me to take stock of where my life is so that I can make an informed choice to move in the direction I feel called, even if that move is a coddywomple (moving purposefully toward a vague destination). Is there order underneath the perceived chaos of the world today, March 12, 2025? In this episode I refer to: S piral Dynamics (https://spiraldynamicsintegral.nl/en/) Chloe Valdary's program "Theory of Enchantment" (https://www.theoryofenchantment.com/)  Deepak Chopra's quote: "Great changes are preceded by great chaos" Paraphrased quote by Ram Dass: "Whether this is the first day of the Apocalypse or the first day of the Golden Age, the work remains the same ... to love each other and ease as much suffering as possible." Hafiz quote: “Even After all this time The Sun never says to the Earth, "You owe me." Look What happens With a love like that, It lights the whole sky.”

Miley Cyrus is being sued. Her song “Flowers” and “When I was your man” by Bruno Mars sound similar. What do The Evening Runway crew think? Press play because Roshan Gidwani, Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian shall spill the tea!  Get in touch with our anchors at rgidwani@sph.com.sg, chuatt@sph.com.sg,  hongbin@sph.com.sg.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew 15:1-39; Isaiah 29:13; Exodus 20:12; John 4:22 In this chapter, Jesus was critices by the In this chapter, Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees and scribes because his disciples were eating bread without washing their hands. Jesus pointed them back to what the laws say about honoring your father and mother, implying that they were putting all of their time into the temple and would later have no energy to help their parents. Jesus could see deep into their thoughts and hearts. They wanted to test him, but as God in the flesh, he knew how to respond and referred them back to the law that they knew. Jesus healed a Canaanite woman's daughter because he saw her great faith. After Jesus made a comment about giving to his children before or instead of the dogs first, she responded with great faith, saying that even the dogs can be satisfied with just a little bit of the crumbs that fall from the masters table. [Paraphrased verses 26 & 27] At this point, she was willing to accept even the smallest thing Jesus could give her for her daughter to be healed. This shows us that as Gentiles, our faith is recognized in heaven and does not go unnoticed. So today, I encourage you to exercise your faith. We are put in situations that only God can fix so that our faith can be tested, and in doing so, we grow spiritually.

About the Guest(s): Mike Abendroth is the seasoned pastor of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boytston, Massachusetts, where he has served since 1997. He brings a wealth of pastoral experience and theological insight to his ministry. Mike is also the voice behind No Compromise Radio, a platform dedicated to discussing theological truths and contemporary church issues, which can be found at nocompromiseradio.com or on popular podcast-catching apps. Episode Summary: In the latest episode of Renewal Cast, listeners are treated to a thought-provoking conversation with Mike Abendroth, who brings nuanced discussions on antinomianism and neonomianism to the table. The episode promises more than theological jargon; it delves into concepts critical to understanding gospel proclamation and the Christian life. The conversation begins by examining the historical and theological underpinnings of neonomianism and antinomianism—terms that discuss adherence to and the addition of laws in Christian doctrine, respectively. Abendroth eloquently navigates through the implications of these ideologies on salvation and Christian living, striking a balance that eschews legalism and licentiousness. The discussion seamlessly incorporates practical pastoral advice, affirming the priority of faith in Christ alone for salvation, while clarifying the roles of repentance and obedience as fruits of genuine faith. Key Takeaways:Neonomianism involves adding prerequisites to the gospel, suggesting that actions such as forsaking sin are required to come to Christ, which complicates the free offer of the gospel.Antinomianism challenges how Christians should live after salvation, questioning if obedience to God's law is necessary since they are not justified by it.True repentance and faith are closely linked, almost simultaneous in experience, yet distinct in order, with faith logically preceding repentance.Assurance of salvation should primarily rest on the person and work of Christ, not on the level of one's sanctification or good works.Legalistic preaching can obscure the generous grace of God, substituting the joy of the gospel with a burden of performance.Notable Quotes:"Jesus justifies the ungodly; His grace preceeds repentance and faith.""You're saved by faith alone, but that faith's not alone." (Paraphrased from Martin Luther)"Christians do sin…we don't have to pray enough or evangelize enough to be acceptable in God's eyes…Jesus did all that enough and we can just rest in him."Resources:Bethlehem Bible Church: Bethlehem Bible Church WebsiteNo Compromise Radio: No Compromise Radio WebsiteLet this episode be not just an academic venture but a heartwarming reminder of the profound grace that defines the Christian life. For those eager to deepen their understanding of these critical issues, make sure to listen to the entire conversation. Stay tuned for more enriching episodes that promise to edify, enlighten, and encourage.

Our top priority is to decide what is true and what is a lie. Here are the skills you need to calm down and throw psyops out of your mind.Support the Show.

The stoics nailed control, there is but one binary choice, you are wither in control of something, or you are not. Paraphrased, it means you are in control of very little and that is precisely enough. Political ideology has much of the world fired up, creating breaks in the fabric of society, causing many people to lose connections and generally has many groups fighting consistently online.Why do you allow the words and expressions of others, especially in political affairs, cause you emotional distress? An important question upon which to reflect.There are exogenous shocks in political, governments react certain ways, assume positions which you disagree with, enact new regulations you deem inappropriate and in some extreme cases, become rogue activist administrations - especially in the final months of tenure.Your insulation against this is to assume neutrality online, understand your personal and corporate exposure to threat and use that data to construct a preparedness plan for you and your business. Limiting your exposure to the downstream effects of political decisions is the single greatest step you can take.Support the showwww.insidemycanoehead.ca

*Not really EVERYTHING but it sure made you look! Disclaimer: Any views or opinions presented in this podcast are personal and belong to the content creator. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual. Disclaimer: The passage of Scripture read out loud in the beginning of each podcast episode will be in Hebrew followed by the direct translation in English from the Complete Jewish Study Bible. Come listen to something different. Welcome Honduras!

When Cecilly Routman discovered that most of her Jewish kinswomen supported abortion, she was shocked...and became an advocate for the unborn. She quotes Moses ben Maimon...“It is important to not believe everything you think. People idolize their intellect. Especially intelligent people…educated people, people who spent a lot of time in higher education. Or come out of families where that is important…look at how we think and question what our views are...we are very wedded to them…unfortunately we are human, and the mind can be bent, distorted and warped.” Paraphrased from The Guide For The Perplexed. This is an extraordinary episode as one women questions why her people could think such a thing, and fights to save every Jewish child. About Cecily Routman: Cecily Routman is the President of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation, an educational non-profit public charity, that she founded in 2006. The Jewish Pro-Life Foundation provides much needed Torah based pro-life education to the Jewish community, Jewish friendly pregnancy care and adoption referrals, and healing after abortion to Jewish women and men who suffer after abortion. Cecily obtained her MSW from the University of Pittsburgh. She lives with the memory of her late husband, Tom, in the Pittsburgh area. About Awakened Nation: A Deep Dive Into The Extraordinary. With guests like Dog The Bounty Hunter, NY Times Bestsellers Panache Desai, Stephen M.R. Covey, and Dan Millman, Chester Bennington's original band mates from Grey Daze, Star Wars artist Matt Busch, Grammy® nominated recording artist David Young, BNI founder Ivan Meisner, David Bowie promoter Tony Michaelides, MLB player Shea Hillenbrand, and many more...host Brad Szollose sets out to ignite game-changing conversations with today's outliers and cutting edge entrepreneurs, idea makers and disruptors—conversations that take a deep dive into the extraordinary. This podcast will shift your thinking. Think Art Bell meets Joe Rogan. Conversational. Warm. Unexpected. Controversial. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/awakenednation/support

Wouldn't it be nice if we were all poor in the wealth of this Earth and rich toward God. Then Jesus could just come back today take us all home. But to accomplish that we'd all need to be reborn without sin and how can you do that in a sinful world? God thought it was possible as he gave us a way to do it but because salvation is a choice thing, just like sin is a choice thing, as we can't seem to decide, so we remain.Jesus asked us to repent and be saved, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, He said to Smyrna: He who overcomes (the cares of this life and see the world through His eyes of love and believing that He/Jesus is the Son of God), will not be hurt by the second death, that lake of fire. (Revelation 2:11) Paraphrased read it.Contact: heavensprayerlink.com, we love to pray with you, God bless you  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heavensprayerlink/support

Today, we are talking about your episodes down to a proverb. Proverbs are crafted phrases that have successfully passed wisdom from generation to generation. Proverbs are the ultimate "long story short" that draw their power from the simplicity of their presentation. Are there things you repeat in your show often? Maybe you should embrace your proverb and turn it into swag. Boiling your content down to a proverb that is easy to remember and easy to recite helps you provide marketing materials for your audience to help them promote your show. Join the School of Podcasting Community Risk-Free Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll be creating high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting. Use the coupon code schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save on a monthly or yearly subscription. DAVEISMS Where your WHY and your WHO overlap, you will find your WHAT to talk about. If the goal is monetization, get ready to do your show for FREE for a few years. Less than 10% of podcasters get enough downloads to get a BIG sponsor Starring at your stats will not make your downloads grow; starring at your audience will. Monthly stats are crap ( the stat that people use downloads per episode after 30 days) Spend $100 on a microphone and 100 hours getting to know your audience. Creating a podcast is easy. Creating a GOOD podcast is hard but fun. Podcasting is a marathon, not a sprint. (again, it can take three years to build an audience ) Thinking a GIANT podcast launch will lead to an undeniable podcast success is like saying having a BIG wedding ensures marital bliss. In both cases, the real work is just beginning. You must have someone NOT named Mom to listen to your show and give honest feedback. There is no sense in paying to promote a show if it is not resonating with the audience. Downloads are great, but not as cool as consumption rate (seeing how far people listen can let you know how engaged your audience is) Having an obvious name can make it easy to be found. Choose the one you want to click more when you have multiple titles for an episode. It is NOT the media host that grows the audience. It is the content Treat directories like a child looking for Halloween candy. BE EVERYWHERE. Make sure your content does one (or more) of the following: Laugh, cry, think. Grown, Educate, or Entertain. If not you're boring. Listennotes stats (saying you're in the top X percent) are crap. See video For those who have money, there is therapy. For the rest of us, there is podcasting. If you want to grow your network, do an interview show. If you want to grow your influence, do a solo show. Even better do BOTH. You don't benefit until your audience benefits. While being consistent in schedule is very important (as you become part of your listener's routine) I'd rather have a "Late" show that was good than an "on time" episode that was Meh. Record without fear and edit without mercy. Podcasting is like sex in high school. Everybody says they are doing it. A few are doing it. Nobody is doing it right. Then, your podcast career is over quickly. Just like sex in high school. Don't try to be the most downloaded show. Try to be te most talked about show.  There is no such thing as too long, only too boring - Valerie Geller from the book Beyond Powerful Radio. (aff) Podcast Networks don't make small shows big. They make big shows bigger - Eric Nuzum from the book Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling (aff) Don't try to be the most downloaded podcast; strive to be the most talked-about podcast. - Darrel Evans. Paraphrased from The YouTube Formula: How Anyone Can Unlock the Algorithm to Drive Views, Build an Audience, and Grow Revenue "Remember, customers don't care about you; they care about themselves and their problems." - Joe Pullizi. Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less: How to Tell a Different Story, ... and Win More Customers by Marketing Less (p. 73). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition. This episode is based on the book The Proverb Effect: Secrets to creating tiny phrases that change the world, making it easy for your audience to share your content without memorizing your episode.   Mentioned In This Episode Join the School of Podcasting Community Profit From Your Podcast Book Power of Podcasting Network Dave's YouTube Channel Dave's Podcasting Newsletter Buy Dave a Coffee Put Dave In Your Pocket Where Will Dave Be? Question of the Month  The Pharmacists Voice Follow the Show and Never Miss an Episode on: Apple - Google - Spotify - Amazon Check out New Podcast Apps for apps to stream bitcoin to podcasters. Additional Shows About Podcasting From Dave In addition to this show, I have additional shows about podcasting: Your Podcast Consultant: One tip per episode - 9 Minutes or Less Podcast Rodeo Show: I Grab a Random Podcast and See How Long I Can Hang On Ask the Podcast Coach: A live "call in" show every Saturday at 10:30 AM ET Podcast Review Show: Myself and radio veteran Erik K Johnson go over your episode and website.  

Today we look at the fourth chapter: The road from text to sermon  Point to consider At this point we have achieved something significant. We have clarified what we believe the text is saying. We can state it in one sentence. We are confident we have the big idea of the passage. However, this a good sermon does not make. There are further steps to take before the text can become a sermon. Before ideas can live.  First we ask what it means today, in our culture, in our world. Then we ask what it means in our local world — the world of our congregation, our listeners. Part of the job of a preacher is to bring all these worlds together. The biblical world, the world at large today, and the world of our faith community.  The key to doing this well is asking questions, and asking the right questions. As usual, chapter 4 of the book has far more information than we can cover today. I will restrict myself to asking three questions: What does it mean? Is it true? What difference does it make? Taking the parable of the two sons in Luke 15 as an example (see episode, TTT330), we can ask those three questions based on this one sentence summary of the point of the parable:  “Father God wants the ‘sinner' and the ‘righteous' at his heavenly banquet.” By the way, I'm only going to sketch out some ideas here. This would make a great exercise to do for this passage or the next passage you choose to preach. What does it mean? This question is all about explanation. In order to answer this, I need to also ask myself what my congregation will assume when I state the summary sentence. Will they be thinking the same thing as me when I say ‘sinner', and ‘righteous'? What does the heavenly banquet mean to them? If this sentence and the parable are to be helpful to those listening, they will need at least some explanation of these terms. It is all too easy to get stuck in technical terms and jargon. Explain who father God is, who the sen is and who the righteous are and what the heavenly banquet is, and you will be partway to creating a clear and compelling message. Is it true? With a gospel passage, one of the best ways to answer this question is to look at how Jesus lived. He sat and ate with both sinners and the righteous. The sinners were excited about it — if a little embarrassed at times — while the righteous tended to be sceptical of him and downright annoyed when he mixed them together with sinners. However, it cannot be denied that the way Jesus treated people was inclusive of both those regarded as soon as, and those who were regarded, or regarded themselves as righteous. Therefore, this statement is true. Connected to this question is whether our listeners believe it. Is it true and their minds is just as important as whether it is true and yours. In fact, the truth in the Bible is no use to anyone unless people believe it. Part of your job is a Preacher is to so illuminate this truth that they will see that it is true and trust it.  What difference does it make? This is the answer to the person who may well question you with, “so what?“. Now that I understand it, and I trust it is true, what next? Applying God's truth should be straightforward, also we tend to think. But it is not as simple as it sometimes appears to be. For example, now you need to help your audience to make some decisions. Imagine someone sitting there. What might they be asking themselves? Am I a ‘sinner'? Am I one of the so-called righteous? What would it look like for me to return from the pigpen? What would motivate me to come into the party even though I am an aggrieved son? What barriers exist preventing me from taking healthy action, and what will help me overcome them? How might I imitate father God (and Jesus) by welcoming the sinner and the righteous? What vision do I have of the heavenly banquet and how does that motivate my behaviour and my desire to bring out the sinners and righteous people into that banquet? I am sure you can imagine many further questions. Your job as a preacher is to pick two or three of the big ones that you believe apply to your congregation, and find potential application for them.  Summary of chapter 4 contents Submit your exegetical idea to 3 developmental questions We explain it: "What does this mean"  We prove it: "Is it true?"  We apply it: "What difference does it make?" Further questions to help us discover the authors theological purpose Further questions to help us apply God's word to our contemporary audience Questions to help us test the accuracy of the application  Conclusion: Four questions to ask of a passage What is the vision of God in this particular text?  Where precisely do I find that in the passage?  What is the function of this vision of God?  What is the significance of that picture of God for me and for others? By the way, the questions I have explored today somewhat parallel Andy Stanley's helpful questions to shape a sermon conclusion (you can find them in his book, Communicating for a Change.) Paraphrased they are, 1. What difference will it make to my life if I put this into practice?; 2. What difference will it make to our church if we put this into practice?; 3. What difference will it make to the world if we put this into practice? Consider joining AIM UK&Ireland to develop your understanding of Scripture: https://aimukandireland.com/. Our current module is Homiletics (the preparation and delivery of lessons). Contact us here with enquiries: courses@aimukandireland.com   The website can be found here: https://aimukandireland.com   Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, or practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, "How God grows His people", sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, and leave a review.  Remember to keep calm, and carry on teaching. God bless, Malcolm

What is your vision? Do you see the glass half empty or half full? Fumi shares what she has journaled this week. The vision you imagine for your life is what your life is going to be/follow. You cannot be what /who you have not seen or imagined. Paraphrased from The book Your Best Life Now by Joel Olsteen. Tune in to find the secret to asking yourself the right questions like from the quote from the book " Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon and looking at life from a God-kind viewpoint. How did David go from God let me build a house for you to God saying Let me build your house instead? 1 Chronicles 17:27. It is a short but loaded episode with action steps to encourage you, encourage yourself . Pull out your journal or your phone and finish this sentence The Best Thing That Happened Today was ........Welcome to the lounge. The place where we hang out and laugh about what we will otherwise cry about if not discussed. An open space for men and women to talk about daily struggles, find inspiration, and learn from each other.  Follow us on Instagram:@sistas_letstalk Facebook:@sistasletstalk Check us out on our website: www.SLTpodcast.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistasletstalk/message

Is it easier to encourage yourself or encourage others? Do you see the glass half empty or half full? Fumi shares what she learned today that would be a well of blessing to your week. The vision you imagine for your life is what your life is going to be/follow. You cannot be what /who you have not seen or imagined. Paraphrased from The book Your Best Life Now by Joel Olsteen. Tune in to find the secret to asking yourself the right questions like from the quote from the book " Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon and looking at life from a God-kind viewpoint. How did David go from God let me build a house for you to God saying Let me build your house instead? 1 Chronicles 17:27. It is a short but loaded episode with action steps to encourage you, encourage yourself . Pull out your journal or your phone and finish this sentence The Best Thing That Happened Today was ........Welcome to the lounge. The place where we hang out and laugh about what we will otherwise cry about if not discussed. An open space for men and women to talk about daily struggles, find inspiration, and learn from each other.  Follow us on Instagram:@sistas_letstalk Facebook:@sistasletstalk Check us out on our website: www.SLTpodcast.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistasletstalk/message

Recently, one of our listeners found himself in a place of frustration. His question, "How do you keep everything going, how do You get it all right"(Paraphrased).I am sure my answer to him wasn't exactly what he was looking for. The fact of the matter is we aren't robots. The beauty of being a human being is simply this: we aren't perfect. That should be refreshingly frustrating... Truth be told its our imperfections, our proclivities to failure and resiliency, our desire to grow and better ourselves that allow us to appreciate this human experience. Free will and choice, without those there is certainly no real righteousness, no real truth, no real.. Real. I rely greatly on the idea we can build a routine and a process in order that we can re-define ourselves and our direction, I however, no longer believe perfection is the only acceptable outcome. I have done away with the false idea that we can be perfect at something. perfection demands perfection each and every time we act, I set the standard at excellence. It recognizes our humanity and releases us from unrealistic expectations. It recognizes that we are on a journey growing towards the highest standard in order that we may honor our one true gift, Life. I build a process and live it intentionally, some of these steps become a part of my "OS" or my new nature, some I leave behind and I fail. These failures present opportunities for growth and areas where love covers the gaps in moments drowned by busy or chaos. It's there we are allowed to exercise the ability to choose and offer forgiveness and reconcile or punish and be punished by those we love in this life. Now it's time to check this episode out! email: quincy@mvsmpodcast.comCheckout www.quincymoran.com

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: PSA: The community is in Berkeley/Oakland, not "the Bay Area", published by maia on September 11, 2023 on LessWrong. Posting this because I recently had a conversation that went like this: Friend: Hey, you used to live in SF. Is there any rationalist stuff actually happening in San Francisco? There don't seem to be many events, or even that many aspiring rationalists living here. What's up with that? [Paraphrased. I've had similar versions of this conversation more than once.] Me: Something we realized living there is that SF actually suffers the same brain drain as most other cities, because everyone just goes to Berkeley/Oakland. The same way people move from the East Coast or elsewhere to Berkeley, they move from the rest of the Bay Area to Berkeley. Actually, they do it even more, because moving to Berkeley is easier when you already live pretty close by. And you don't figure this out until you move there, because people who live outside the Bay Area think of it as being all the same place. But the 45 minute train ride really matters when it comes to events and socializing, as it turns out. Friend: That sounds so inconvenient for people who have jobs in the city or South Bay! Me: Sure is! I don't have a super-solid answer for this, except that 1) Lots of people actually just do awful, awful commutes, because having a real, in-person community is that valuable to them, as bad as commuting is. 2) A surprising fraction of the community works at rationalist/rationalist-adjacent nonprofits, most of which are actually located in the East Bay. Plus, 3) in a post-COVID world, more people can work remote or partly remote. So you can choose to live where your community is... which is Berkeley... even though it is crazy expensive. I don't actually live in the Bay Area anymore, so I don't have the most up-to-date information on where events are happening and things. But it seems from what I hear from folks still there that it's still broadly true that East Bay is where things are happening, and other parts of the area have much less of the community. If you're thinking about moving to the Bay in part for the rationality community, take this into account! Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org

Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: PSA: The community is in Berkeley/Oakland, not "the Bay Area", published by maia on September 11, 2023 on LessWrong.Posting this because I recently had a conversation that went like this:Friend: Hey, you used to live in SF. Is there any rationalist stuff actually happening in San Francisco? There don't seem to be many events, or even that many aspiring rationalists living here. What's up with that? [Paraphrased. I've had similar versions of this conversation more than once.]Me: Something we realized living there is that SF actually suffers the same brain drain as most other cities, because everyone just goes to Berkeley/Oakland.The same way people move from the East Coast or elsewhere to Berkeley, they move from the rest of the Bay Area to Berkeley. Actually, they do it even more, because moving to Berkeley is easier when you already live pretty close by.And you don't figure this out until you move there, because people who live outside the Bay Area think of it as being all the same place. But the 45 minute train ride really matters when it comes to events and socializing, as it turns out.Friend: That sounds so inconvenient for people who have jobs in the city or South Bay!Me: Sure is! I don't have a super-solid answer for this, except that 1) Lots of people actually just do awful, awful commutes, because having a real, in-person community is that valuable to them, as bad as commuting is. 2) A surprising fraction of the community works at rationalist/rationalist-adjacent nonprofits, most of which are actually located in the East Bay. Plus, 3) in a post-COVID world, more people can work remote or partly remote. So you can choose to live where your community is... which is Berkeley... even though it is crazy expensive.I don't actually live in the Bay Area anymore, so I don't have the most up-to-date information on where events are happening and things. But it seems from what I hear from folks still there that it's still broadly true that East Bay is where things are happening, and other parts of the area have much less of the community.If you're thinking about moving to the Bay in part for the rationality community, take this into account!Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org

Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: PSA: The community is in Berkeley/Oakland, not "the Bay Area", published by maia on September 11, 2023 on LessWrong. Posting this because I recently had a conversation that went like this: Friend: Hey, you used to live in SF. Is there any rationalist stuff actually happening in San Francisco? There don't seem to be many events, or even that many aspiring rationalists living here. What's up with that? [Paraphrased. I've had similar versions of this conversation more than once.] Me: Something we realized living there is that SF actually suffers the same brain drain as most other cities, because everyone just goes to Berkeley/Oakland. The same way people move from the East Coast or elsewhere to Berkeley, they move from the rest of the Bay Area to Berkeley. Actually, they do it even more, because moving to Berkeley is easier when you already live pretty close by. And you don't figure this out until you move there, because people who live outside the Bay Area think of it as being all the same place. But the 45 minute train ride really matters when it comes to events and socializing, as it turns out. Friend: That sounds so inconvenient for people who have jobs in the city or South Bay! Me: Sure is! I don't have a super-solid answer for this, except that 1) Lots of people actually just do awful, awful commutes, because having a real, in-person community is that valuable to them, as bad as commuting is. 2) A surprising fraction of the community works at rationalist/rationalist-adjacent nonprofits, most of which are actually located in the East Bay. Plus, 3) in a post-COVID world, more people can work remote or partly remote. So you can choose to live where your community is... which is Berkeley... even though it is crazy expensive. I don't actually live in the Bay Area anymore, so I don't have the most up-to-date information on where events are happening and things. But it seems from what I hear from folks still there that it's still broadly true that East Bay is where things are happening, and other parts of the area have much less of the community. If you're thinking about moving to the Bay in part for the rationality community, take this into account! Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org

Faction Cannot Prevail (11)  (audio)  David Eells – 9/3/23  Don't Let Them Bite You  Missy Pollock 7/3/23 (David's notes in red)    There was a brother in the woods and there was a copperhead snake at his feet. (Copperheads are known for their reddish colored head.) He was demonstrating and telling how to get a hold of the snake by snatching it behind its head, so it doesn't bite you. As he demonstrated this, he did grab it just behind its head and it didn't bite him.  (There are a lot of copperheads here. In the natural, If you must pick one up hold its head down with something and then grab it or you might be sorry.) Then the scene changed to me, and I knew there was a copperhead snake behind me, and I didn't know if it bit me or not. I asked my brother a couple of times to look and see if it had bitten me on my lower back, but he didn't look.  I reached behind me without looking behind me and got a hold of it just behind the head like the brother demonstrated. (We act in faith.) It really was trying to bite me, but it couldn't because I kept a good hold on it. End of dream.  (The copperhead snake represents the factious who are full of poison and desire to infect others with their evil words of slander and speaking against the righteous, always “behind their backs.” We cannot let them bite us by receiving their attempts to backbite us or our brethren through words or thoughts.)   Missy gave these verses:    Luk 10:19 Lo, I have given you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. Ecc 10:11 If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.   Psa 58:3-5 The wicked are estranged from the womb: They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. 4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, 5 Which hearkeneth not to the voice of charmers, Charming never so wisely.   Psa 140:1-3 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man; Preserve me from the violent man: 2 Who devise mischiefs in their heart; Continually do they gather themselves together for war. 3 They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.   Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah.   (Rom 1:28-32 And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful: 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them.)   (Rom 3:13-14 Their throat is an open sepulchre; With their tongues they have used deceit: The poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:)  (Mar 16:18 they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.)     Reversal of Authority From God David Eells – 9/2/23 I asked what about the satanist faction and their evil works?  My finger was on Est 8: 4 The Bride sought the King to reverse the crucifixion on her people and put the judgment on Haman and his people. This is coming now. Est 8:1-17 On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' enemy unto Esther the queen. (Clearly a reversal of Authority.) And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.  2  And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. (This is the ring of authority from the King taken from Haman the hater of God's people and given to Mordecai, the Man-child type.) And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.  (Look out people of the faction) 3  And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.  4  Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. So Esther arose, and stood before the king.  5  And she said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king's provinces:  6  for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?  7  Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the (his own) gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. (Like Judas, the son of perdition and Absalom hung themselves.)  8  Write ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring; for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.  9  Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors and princes of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, a hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.  10  And he wrote in the name of king Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by post on horseback, riding on swift steeds that were used in the king's service, bred of the stud:  11  wherein the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, (Notice they were given authority to stand for their own lives as were we. And to remove the power from the people who would assault their women as the satanist faction has.) 12  upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.  13  A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. (On that coming day all authority is reversed.) 14  So the posts that rode upon swift steeds that were used in the king's service went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace.  15  And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. (The Man-child ruled as with Joseph and David) 16  The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor.  17  And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good day. And many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen upon them. 9:1-5 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have rule over them (whereas it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them,)  2  the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them was fallen upon all the peoples.  3  And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and the governors, and they that did the king's business, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai was fallen upon them.  4  For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.  5  And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword (The Word of God), and with slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that hated them. 6-10  And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.  7  And *Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,  8  and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,  9  and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaizatha,  10  the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jew's enemy, slew they; but on the spoil they laid not their hand.* (Note: These names in Hebrew had 3 letters were scribed smaller than the rest – T-Sh-Z . This is the numbers 1946 on the Hebrew Callendar when 10 satanist Nazi Jew killers were hanged at Nuremburg on Purim. There were 11 to be hanged but 1 – Goering, committed suicide the night before bringing the number to 10 who were hanged like Haman's sons. They hung themselves buy their own works like, Judas, Absalom, Haman, and our factious satanist leaders sitting in the vision behind Kevin.) 13-14 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.  14  And the king commanded it so to be done: and a decree was given out in Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. Est 9:25  but when the matter came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. What about Eve? Eve was sent on ahead like Joseph the Egyptian to save many alive. She has to experience it all to be an advocate for the women and others taken advantage of by the satanists. We tried to save her from this but God said No.  :0)  Now I know why?   Prophecy And Trump Dream  Dr. Patricia Green 8/8/23  https://youtu.be/5lVudZVAB9c?si=xcKTlFUklGQZEEpq  This video that I'm putting out today is a message that I received from the Lord on August 8, and also a dream of President Donald Trump in the early morning of August 10.   So, on August 8, the Holy Spirit instructed me to pray in my prayer language for 30 minutes and then returned to him for a message. I was outside and it was a beautiful, breezy day, and I was just pacing back and forth in front of my outside altar, praying in tongues.  And then I sat down with my journal, and this is what the Holy Spirit said to me. He said, “Let me speak to you through the wind. My spirit is like the wind. It blows, and you know not from where it comes, but you feel the breeze.” And we see that in John 3:8; it says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  And then the Lord continued. He said, “O My child, there is much that I want to say, and do listen to the wind, for it is I, the Lord your God, speaking. This is what I say, as My breath is stirring the atmosphere.” He said, “Behold, I Am coming quickly with a visitation to My footstool, the earth. Isaiah 66:1 says, “Thus says the Lord, heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool.”  Then the Lord continued. He said, “Things are stirring, stirring, stirring, swirling, swirling, swirling. These are unusual times, unusual days, says the Lord. They are unusual because thrones are being established and thrones are being torn down. (Another reversal of fortunes) These ancient thrones have had control over the airways, over territories, over regions, over countries and nations. This is a great showdown, says the Lord.”   The Lord said, “I have let them roll until their fullness of time has come. And now that that time has come, I Am putting a stop to it, says the Lord.” And when He said that, that particular sentence, there was, like, this huge great gust of wind that just, like, went whirling by.   Then the Lord said this, “I Am visiting my earth with My great power to destroy these strongholds.” And when He said that, again, another gust of wind just swirled. I mean, it was just really a mighty gust of wind.   The Lord said, “I have set My armies of angelic hosts before Me to round up the enemy and destroy those who are marked for death. People may think that this is not biblical but go to Ezekiel and you will see that I marked people to be saved and to be killed by My angels.” So, I want to read that to you.  Ezekiel 9:1-8 Then he called out in my hearing with a loud voice saying, let those who have charged over the city, draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a battle axe in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub where it had been to the threshold of the temple. And he called to the man clothed with linen who had the writer's inkhorn at his side.   And the Lord said to him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark (In the hand and forehead representing the mind and works of Christ.) on the foreheads of men who sigh and cry over the abominations that are done with it. To the others, he said in my hearing, go after him through the city and kill. Do not let your eyes spare, nor have pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women, but do not come near anyone who has the (good) mark and begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the elders who were before the temple. Then he said to them, defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out. And they went out and killed in the city. And so it was that while they were killing them, I was left alone. And I fell on my face and cried out, o Lord God, will you destroy all the remnant of Israel and pouring out your fury on Jerusalem? (This represents the death of apostate Jerusalem and rebirth of the sanctified Jerusalem, the leadership of God's people.) That was the scripture He said to read and these people that Ezekiel was seeing there, they were actually angels that he saw being dispatched. And these angels were to mark those who were crying out against the wickedness and those that were not. And then the angels killed those that were a part of the wickedness. The Lord said this, “The marks have gone out already. Those marked for death because of their wickedness, My mighty angels have been dispatched. They are waiting on My word to raise up their battle axe against the wicked.”   So, this is a future event that the Lord, that Father God is going to do. He's going to send His mighty angels to kill the wicked that have been marked, that have refused to repent of their wickedness, and they have had plenty of time to repent. Then the Lord said this, “It is I, the Lord of Host, Who have the power of life and death in my hands. No one will have done this except Me, says the Lord of Host. So, when there is sudden death all over the world, it is Me, says the Lord. My mighty angels are also bringing down demonic principalities and powers who have ruled a long time. They will be stripped of their power and influence over these regions and countries and nations. (Like satan and his fallen angels are cast down in Revelation 12.) That is why there is so much stirring and swirling in the spiritual realm. These are unusual days and unusual times.” And then the Lord said, “I want to give you some examples of what's going to occur as markers for these events to happen.”  He said, “In one day, there will be unusual shooting stars across many skies, all at one time.  (We also received this as a sign in another dream.) It will look like fireworks streaking through the skies.” And then the Lord said, “If you will believe, these are the principalities and powers being dethroned by my angelic army. This will be a sign that I Am doing exactly what I have said regarding dethroning these demonic principalities and powers.” (And the sick satanists who are ruled by them.) (1Sa 2:34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. (Like the satanists they were molesting the women! Many wicked will die to set those captives free.)  (Isa 9:14 Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day. Meaning many leaders and false prophets will die for deceiving God's people and hindering them from entering the Kingdom.)  (Rev 18:8 Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her. Representing plagues upon the harlot church of satanists and apostates.)  Then He said this, “Another sign will be that the sky will have an unusual glow during the day. There will be unusual colorful glows of iridescent colors. There will be many photos taken of this phenomenon.” And He said, “Just know that when this happens, My visitation is near.” So, the Lord's giving us a sign in the skies right before His visitation.  (Luk 21:11 and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven.)  And then He said, “A third sign that there will be unusual lightning occurrences. Lightning will go from the ground up instead of from the sky down.” He said, “Nothing is impossible with Me, says the Lord of Host, for I Am the creator of lightning, and if I command it to come up from the ground and return to the sky, then it will, says the Lord.”   (I thought of this verse: Mat 24:27-28 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 28 Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. This is the beginning of the Man-Child ministry.)  The Lord says, “So, my children, get ready for My visitation. Get ready to rise up and take your place as My remnant Bride with abundant oil in your lamps and extra oil for the journey.” And then He said, “I love you, My children.”   Then on August 10 of 2023, at 04:00 a.m., I had this dream about President Donald Trump. In this dream, I walked into a room, and it was early, early morning. I saw President Trump in a sitting position on a reclining chair... I walked over to him and I addressed him as Mr. President out of respect. And I began to talk to him, and I said this. “Mr. President, I need to tell you a few things.” I said, “You have been given information from reliable sources, and now is the time to release this information.” (This is probably info declassing the DS Satanists)  I also told him that the Lord is sending death angels that will kill many wicked people all over the world. Then, in the dream, Donald Trump was now in a laid-back position, like in a reclining position in the chair. And I noticed how weary he looked. His face looked really weary.   And I asked him in the dream, I said, “Can I pray for you?” And he said, “Yes, please pray for strength for me.” So, I laid my hand on his shoulder, and I began to pray in tongues. And it was this very powerful prayer in tongues as I remember in the dream. And after the prayer, I noticed that President Trump's countenance had changed. He looked strengthened now and full of vigor. And then after the prayer also, I said to him, “President Trump, the Lord has told me that you will be the president and win the presidential elections in 2024.”   And then right after I said that President Trump received a phone call while he was sitting there. And as I was standing there with him talking on the phone, I heard him say these words. And he said it with such authority. He said, “You are speaking to the President of the United States of America.”  And I knew that when he spoke these words that he was referring to now, that he was [is] the acting President of the United States of America. (President Trump is still and has been the acting President even though he officially handed over leadership to the military.)  Please pray for President Trump. Pray for strength. Pray for protection. Pray in your prayer language for President Trump. Amen.  (Pray he be delivered from all occultic influences and religion being pushed at him.) So, let's get ready. Let's get ready. Let's get ready for this great visitation of the Lord, and let's start looking to see what the Lord's going to do! Amen. Hallelujah!    NO Weapon Formed Against Eve Will Prosper   Vanessa Weeks 8/23/23 (David's notes in red)  Yesterday, while I was thinking about Eve and how the Lord sets His people free. I heard the Lord say, “I do all things, and I accomplish all things and no weapon formed against Eve will prosper.” ( I believe this is also true of the other elect women that are being used by the satanists for their own lusts.) Then today I was reading where I am, going along in Luke and I read the parable of the widow who cried to be avenged of her adversary and the verses the Lord has been saying to us. NENT Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and he is longsuffering over them? 8 I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily.   Thank you Father for protecting Eve and hearing our cries to You for her and the others that are captured. We loose the Angels to release your elect speedily in Jesus name, Amen.     Eve Across The Street   Vanessa Weeks 8/13/23 (David's notes in red)  In a dream, I was talking to one of the ladies in this fellowship. I saw Eve standing and waiting to talk to me, and she was standing across the street.  I knew in the dream that Eve did not want to interrupt us from talking. She looked humbled, and was wearing a long skirt. I also knew Eve wanted to apologize to me for what she had done, when this lady was done talking to me. I had a good feeling about Eve in the dream.   I asked the Lord what He wanted to say about these dreams and received by faith at random, Acts 27:22 In context, Act 27:22-25 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve, 24 saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me.  Father, help us to be of good cheer concerning Eve because it will be as You have spoken to us. Thank you, in Jesus name, amen!   (This is one of many confirmations of Eve's return. Faction WILL NOT prevail against our sister, Eve, and our other elect sisters.)    The Man-Child is Born When Faction is Cleansed   Alenna Timoshchuk - 10/19/21 (David's notes in red)   I dreamt that I was looking at my phone, scrolling through a transcription of one of David Eells Bible studies. I saw a revelation on there from Sandy Shaw and there were certain sentences highlighted in a bold burgundy color. (Like blood resembling the blood of Christ.) I was distracted and didn't really have time to read it all but I noticed that it was a warning saying that things are going to change drastically fast and to be ready because it will all happen before this year is over. (This was a personal warning to me to repent and get rid of all of my distractions and get into the Word to prepare for all the things that are coming.) (It is also a corporate warning for the church. The enemy is doing everything to try to distract us and weaken us spiritually so that we won't have a passover when the judgments begin to fall.)   Then my phone went black and the power went out in my house. I went to my husband and told him that the ten days of darkness must've started already. (We are hearing that the ten days of darkness planned by the “white hats” are upon us. IF SO: there will likely be different interruptions of services and you should act accordingly and quickly. We are told that trucking and airlines are to cease. Airlines are already going down; many pilots who took the clot shot are sick and the rest are dangerous. The trucking interruption means food will quickly begin to disappear from the store shelves. During this time, they are starting up the new StarLink satellites and taking out DS satellites along with the Main Stream Media. They are planning to bring up a new internet that is much safer and much faster. Trump has announced his new social media platform on Truth Social. This may be intended to replace the influence of the Big Tech giants.    They are going to bring down nuclear power plants and bring online free energy. Since all of these things are connected, they will try to do all of this together. How long this will actually string out we don't know. Trump is “officially” coming back and the Nesara Gesara and blockchain voting on our phones and computers for the rulers of the new republic. The dominoes are falling, the states where the votes are contested are falling to Trump. It came down to 46 of 50 states clearly showing a huge win for Trump last I knew. The military will remove the fake Biden. Trump will quickly bring the economy back with the money the DS stole from the people over many years that was collected by executive order. Be in prayer and listen to the Lord. Pray down the DEW weapons.)  My husband, David, (Representing the Lord, our heavenly Husband) went to our living room, and lit a fire in the fireplace. (The fireplace represents the fiery wilderness trials that burn up the wood, hay and stubble of our fleshly sinful lives.) I was surprised and asked him where he got the firewood. He told me he picked it up at Michael's and David's house. (This wood represents the true Word of God and all that we'd been learning since becoming a part of the UBM ministry.)  I asked how much firewood we had and then realized that all we had was already burning in the fireplace. I asked my husband, “Shouldn't we have saved that for the night when it's a lot colder? Would it be possible for us to go to their house and get some more?” (I thought maybe this means my husband, David, and I have had our spirit fired up but we need more of the Word of God to sustain us for the dark days ahead.) (John 9:4 We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.)   Then the scene changed and we were with local UBM and I was in a house with a bunch of women. (Representing Esther when she was in the house of the women before she was chosen to be the Queen or Bride by the King of kings.) It seemed like a baby shower party. (As we will see, the Bride is getting ready to birth the Man-child.)   Everyone brought food and one lady brought two beautiful dishes of food that looked exactly the same. She put one dish in the living room and another dish right outside the living room. Another lady, who was factious, saw this and she started saying a lot of mean things to everyone about the woman who brought the two identical dishes of food and was trying to bring her down. She was trying to make her feel bad for bringing such a fancy dish and saying that she was just trying to show off and that she also had no creativity because she brought two of the same thing. (The two identical dishes of food represent an unchangeable gospel. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and His Word or food is to do the will of His Father and it does not change either. If we speak as oracles of God then we bring the same food to the people all the time. I have been criticized by the faction that I never change my doctrine.  I told them that if we get it all out of the sum of the Word we do not ever need to change it. The Israelites complained in the wilderness of the same Manna that fell every morning and they brought a curse on themselves for hating the Manna. The factious apostates also hate the Word of God and criticize the ministers who stick strictly to it. The apostates like to add to it and take away from it bringing curses upon themselves.)   Then the factious woman left the baby shower party and everyone else simply carried on as if nothing had happened. (The factious always leave the true fellowship around the Word of God that brings forth the birth of the Man-child, Jesus, in the hearts of those who love His Word and truth. Their demons are never missed when they are separated from us.)  Then the scene changed and I was in a room laying on the bed. I was in labor and ready to give birth to a baby boy. (Once the Lord cleanses all the factious from among us then the Man-child is birthed.) My mom was at my head and two women were at my feet waiting for the baby to come out. My mom was worried about me but I assured her that I felt fine and didn't have any pain. I felt the baby was ready, so I pushed 3 times and felt his head and shoulders come out. I told the women that he was ready to be pulled out and so they pulled him out and laid him in my arms. Then I woke up. (This is a sign of the Man-child being born.)    Son of Perdition  David Eells In 2001 a prophet from east Florida was sitting at his computer and the Lord gave him a website to type in. It was my site. This was a miracle considering that in those days my address was more complex than it is today. When he found my number he called me and told me that the Lord had told him that he would see the son of perdition in another month. I told him I didn't think that was possible because the falling away had to come first according to 2 Thessalonians 2. However, when I got off the phone, the Lord pointed out to me that I was writing an article on the son of perdition according to what He had shown me and it would be finished the next month. I realized that this was where he would see, meaning get the revelation of, the son of perdition. The next month when I sent him the article, he saw it as a fulfillment of what the Lord had spoken to him. He saw the son of perdition.     A LARGE BODY WHICH FALLS AWAY  I recommend that the very short chapter 4, Second Key to Hidden Manna, be fresh in your mind before reading this chapter. As we saw there, Jesus and His disciples were for signs of those who were to follow in their steps in the end time. Judas, the son of perdition, was one of those signs. He was a type and shadow of a corporate body of people hidden in the body of Christ that is going to be revealed in these days. This is our Judas, the “son of perdition,” and the “man of sin.” Again, as we saw in the Second Key, Judas is a spiritual father of a vast body of people today that will walk as he walked in the falling away and betrayal of the body of Christ. Judas walked in the steps of his spiritual father, Dan, who was called a serpent, and was also one of the twelve patriarchs who fell away (Gen.49:6,17). Therefore, if we study Judas, we will see who his spiritual counterparts are in our day.   (1Cor.10:11) Now these things happened unto them (Israel) by way of example (Greek: “figure” or “type”); and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. Let's look at our type so we can see what will happen in the “end of the ages” to the Church. The children of Israel ate the lamb as a type of Jesus and they were delivered from the curse as the death angel passed over them (Gal.3:13). They crossed the Red Sea as a type of baptism (1Cor.10:2) where the Egyptian (the old man) were buried and the Israelite (the born again man) came up out of the water and went into the wilderness of the Tribulation (Rev.12:6; 17:3). A “mixed multitude went up also with them” (Ex.12:38). The mixed multitude was part Egyptian (the old man) and part Israelite (the born again man).   (Num.11:4) And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? (6) But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look upon. This is a type of the half-Christians who lust after the flesh and will even tempt the true Christians. They hated the manna. The word “manna,” in Hebrew, is literally “man” in Exodus 16:31. The Man that they hated to eat was Jesus who is the bread of heaven, the Word of God that we must eat to have life (Joh.6:51)!   This angered God, Who said He would give them more flesh than they could stomach. (20)…Until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected the Lord (manna) who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? Paraphrased, this says, “Why did we ever get saved?” In type they were rejecting the self-crucifying Word of God to live after their own lusts and God was giving them what they wanted until it made them sick. This is kind of like the boy who gets caught smoking by his dad, who, in an attempt to make him repent, makes him smoke the whole pack until he turns green.   In this case, however, the boy never repented and died of cancer. Romans 8:13 says, “if ye live after the flesh, ye must die.” (Num.11:33) While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. (34) And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted. The wilderness tribulation that was meant to give life brought death to those who followed after the flesh and so it will in the coming days. Those who according to the type fell away and spiritually died as sons of perdition, came out of their midst. We have these lukewarm people among us now but they will be spewed out of the body (Rev.3:16) just like Judas, who came out of the early body of the twelve disciples, and Dan, who is no longer listed among the twelve tribes (Rev.7:4-8). Those that were left were sanctified from the man of sin that was in their midst and ready to go to the Promised Land.   Jesus, as a type of the end time Man-child's ministry, taught for 3½ years and was betrayed by Judas, who fell away as the son of perdition. As a prophecy of the end, that 3½ years would bring us to the middle of the Tribulation when the mark is given as an “abomination that maketh desolate” to those sons of perdition who receive it. (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be], except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.  In a few words, God is saying do not be deceived. The Lord will not come for us until after the falling away reveals the son of perdition in our midst. The words “falling away” are from the Greek word, apostasia (apostasy). Apostasy here means falling away from Christ and a lost person cannot fall away. The son of perdition is among the Christians as he was in Jesus' day. In the falling away, the “man of sin,” the “son of perdition,” will be revealed. God is going to purge His Church of the rebels and get the rest ready to meet the Lord. People who have been acting like Christians will not be able to act anymore, because of great tribulation. Years ago I prayed over my three sons and asked God to give them a dream or vision concerning our future. God did this to all three and Justin, my youngest son, received an open vision.   He saw a great ship on the ocean, filled with people. Some were dressed in white and were on the right side of the ship. Others in black were on the left side. A jet plane suddenly appeared, swooped down, and shot a rocket which blew the ship to pieces. Those dressed in black were not able to swim and sank. The people dressed in white swam around and built a new smaller ship from the pieces. They searched out a smaller motor and installed it on the new ship.   The Lord showed me this was the proverbial Gospel ship. Those in white on the right are the sheep and those in black on the left are the goats as Jesus separated them in Matthew 25:33. The white garments are the works of the Spirit and the black garments are the works of the flesh. (Rom.13:12)…Cast off the works of darkness (black garments)… (14)...put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (white garments), and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Rev.3:5) He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life…. The water represents the curses written in the Word (Dt.11:26-28). Those in black sank under the curses of this world. The true identity of these will be revealed through tribulation because they will fall away and ultimately be destroyed in the Day of the Lord. Noah was saved by the flood that destroyed the wicked. The flood of destruction proved who was a son of perdition (Greek: “destruction”). The new smaller motor is the new Church government that will be raised up.   (Joh.17:12) While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. Among the people of God in the coming days, not one will perish, but the son of perdition. What happened in Judas' day is going to happen in this day. Look at the signs in the Gospels, because they are going to be fulfilled again. (Eccl.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. If what you see of your revelation of the end times doesn't fit into history, it is wrong; throw it out. Those who fall away in this day are revealed to be the son of perdition.     HIDDEN IN THE BODY   (Joh.13:17) If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them. (18) I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen…. In other words, Judas was not chosen because he would not do the things Jesus spoke. The lawless can be called but will not be chosen. “For many are called, but few chosen.” The word “chosen” is the word eklektos, where we get the word “elect.” Judas was called to partake of Christ but chose to follow his flesh. (Joh.13:18)…But that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me. Judas ate Jesus' bread with the disciples and then betrayed Him. This also identifies the mixed multitude. In our day, the body of Judas will eat Jesus' bread and then betray the body of Christ. (21) When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in the spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. (22) The disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. (Mat.26:22) And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto him every one, Is it I, Lord?  Obviously the son of perdition, the man of sin, was as well hidden to the others as he is today. When Jesus sent out the twelve to do the miracles, don't you think they would have suspected Judas if he hadn't done any? This is why the son of perdition has to be revealed in our day. He does the religious works, and for a time, he can hide his lack of fruit. Tribulation is necessary to reveal and separate him from the body. He is a cancer in the body of Christ.   Judas' hidden lusts overcame him when he was tribulated. For silver (personal gain) he sold out the body of Christ. He was secretly a thief who stole from the common purse (Joh.12:6). He had no concern for the brethren's needs, only his own. The son of perdition still takes what belongs to Jesus and His disciples for himself. Jesus and the disciples had all things common, a practice that continued in Act.2:44, 4:32. (Lk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. We must renounce ownership of our possessions, rights, and will, to be a disciple. We are merely stewards of these things for Jesus and the brethren. True disciples steward common possessions, rights, and will, to see that all needs are met. Every member of a body (eyes, ears, arms, etc.) serves the body. (1Cor.6:19)… And ye are not your own; (20) for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body.   (Joh.13:26) Jesus therefore answereth, He it is, for whom I shall dip the sop, and give it him. So when he had dipped the sop, he taketh and giveth it to Judas, [the son] of Simon Iscariot. (27) And after the sop, then entered Satan into him. Jesus therefore saith unto him, What thou doest, do quickly. When Judas ate the sop and Satan entered into him, he manifestly became the son of perdition. The Lord spoke to me plainly years ago and said, “SOP, S-O-P, son - of - perdition.” The sop was a morsel of bread that was used to soak up liquid food. We must eat the bread of Christ, the Word, to bear fruit, but it also makes us responsible. (Joh.15:22) If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin. Judas was reprobated because he knew too much of the Word to get away with what he did. Many are being hardened today because, when they hear the Word, they do not repent. (Psa.41:9) Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, Who did eat of my bread, Hath lifted up his heel against me.   The word “Judas” is Hebrew meaning, “to use the hand.” God definitely used the hand of Judas, for Jesus told him, “What thou doest, do quickly.” (Act.2:23) Him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay. “Lawless” here is the same Greek word as in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 where the son of perdition is called “the man of sin” or lawlessness. God used the hand of a man of lawlessness to crucify the body of Christ and in these days it will be the same. Our greatest enemy is the man of lawlessness that is among the people of God. From the beginning, Jesus knew Judas would fall away. Jesus said, “Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (Joh.6:70). Remember, the son of perdition must fall away and be a Judas to the body before the Lord can come. (Act.1:25) To take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.   “Iscariot” is made up of two words. Is, which is Hebrew for “man,” and cariot, which is Babylonish or Chaldean for “city.” So, Judas Iscariot means, “To use the hand of a man city.” This shows us that the son of perdition is a corporate body of people in our day who are a part of the city of Babylon. As far as Christians are concerned, he is a part of the great Babylonish religious city in these days. Judas represented the city of the falling away that is guilty of the blood of the saints (Rev.17:6,18:24). He was in league with the Sanhedrin, the corporate false prophet over the apostate people of God.   Jesus said of His true followers, “Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid” (Mat.5:14). True Christianity is a worldwide city, or congregation of people. However, there is a Babylonish city within our city. There are two cities inhabiting the same territory. God's plan is to separate these two by using the son of perdition to crucify the flesh of the body of Christ, as with Judas and Jesus. (Mat.24:9) Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. (10) And then shall many stumble (fall away), and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. (11) And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. You see here that the end time corporate Judas Iscariot will betray and deceive his own brethren worldwide.   (Joh.13:30) He then having received the sop went out straightway: and it was night. When Judas, the son of perdition went out from among the body to betray Christ, it was night. He, now being filled with Satan, walked in total darkness. (Joh.9:4) We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. (5) When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Another aspect of this darkness was that the son of perdition put out the Light of the world, Christ. This time he will put out the Light of the world, the body of Christ, for Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Mat.5:14). The night, of course, is when there is no light to see by. In Jesus' day, the Jews were coming to the end of their dispensation of light. God was about to revoke the light from the Jews and give it to the Gentiles. They had a night. Now, the Gentiles are coming to the night. (Rom.11:25)…A hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. We must work “while it is day,” for “the night cometh, when no man can work.” Our work to convert Gentiles is going to be totally useless when God turns away from them and back to the Jews. (Rev.9:20-21) And the rest of mankind…repented not ….   (Joh.13:31) When therefore he (son of perdition) was gone out, Jesus saith, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. The Son of man is glorified at the time when the son of perdition goes out. We are also the body of Christ, the son of man. The Church is going to be glorified, or purified, because the son of perdition is going to come out of the midst. Then the Lord will come for a sanctified people. (2Thes.1:10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. (11) To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and [every] work of faith, with power; (12) that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that Christ will be glorified in His body before He comes to glorify His body. The body is not glorified here, but Christ in the body. (2Cor.4:11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.   (2Thes.2:3) Let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it (the coming of the Lord) will not be], except the falling away come first, and the man of sin (lawlessness) be revealed, the son of perdition, (4) he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. The Greek word for temple here is naos and is used nine times by Paul in the New Testament. In every case he uses it as the spiritual temple of God's people. Hieron is the Greek word for the literal temple or building, used seventy-one times in the New Testament, but never figuratively. Just as Judas was among the disciples, the latter day son of perdition is sitting in the temple of God's people. (1Cor.3:16) Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (Act.17:24) The God that made the world…dwelleth not in temples made with hands. This truth will destroy much tradition.    GOD OF SELF   The son of perdition “exalteth himself”“setting himself forth as God.” What happens when you rule your individual temple? You are making yourself God! If you walk after your own flesh, you are your own god. God was meant to sit on the throne of this temple and rule it through your spirit. But if you walk after the flesh, the devil is ruling your temple through your flesh. Self is sitting upon the throne. Continuing his revelation, Paul said, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things (2Thes.2:5)?” Paul told us in Philippians 3:18, “For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross (just as Judas) of Christ: (19) whose end is perdition (son of perdition), whose god is the belly (selfish lusts), and [whose] glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” (Rom.16:17)… Mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling…. (18) For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly (self); and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent. God will “mark” those in the New Testament temple whose god is self.  Judas was not only a disciple who ruled in his individual temple but he was also an apostle. He was a leader in the corporate temple. In other words, the sons of perdition are a vast number of individuals ruling their own life and temple, making up a Babylonish corporate temple. Also, they are the apostate leadership ruling in the corporate temple. The apostate leadership is profiled in Second Peter 2 as “false prophets…false teachers…denying even the Master,” “make merchandise of you,” who “loved the hire of wrong-doing,” “and their destruction (perdition) slumbereth not.” Jude profiles them as “shepherds that without fear feed themselves,” “denying our only Master,” “rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally” (the letter), “clouds without water” (no depth in the word), “wandering stars” (not keeping their position of being seated with Christ in the heavens), “who make separations” (denominations). That is a good description of Judas and the end time son of perdition.   In our type, ten of the twelve tribes worshiped the image of the beast, the golden calf. (1Ki.12:28) Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods (Hebrew: “Elohim”), O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (29) And he set the one in Beth-el (Hebrew: “house of God”), and the other put he in Dan (son of perdition). Notice that we are speaking of a false system of worship upon which Israel put the name of Elohim, the true God. Also, we see that it was in the house of God and in the son of perdition. Much of the house of God falls away as the son of perdition because they have a false image of the true God. The apostate churches have a God of their own making but they use the name of Jesus. Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “For if he who cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye bear well with [him]” (according to the Greek and the numeric pattern). (Rev.3:1)…I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest (Christian), and thou art dead.   In the middle of the Tribulation these sons of perdition will give up presenting their bodies as living sacrifices to Christ (Rom.12:1) and take the mark of the beast. This is a fulfillment of Daniel 9:27, “in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” These who have worshiped the image of the beast will take the mark of the beast and go back to their Christian assemblies as an “abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (Mat.24:15).   The Man-child ministry will say of this apostate temple, “Your house is left unto you desolate” (Mat.23:38), just as Jesus did. These sons of perdition, now identified as members of the body of the beast, are an abomination standing in the midst of God's holy people. When the righteous see this sign, they are to flee to the mountains (Mat.24:16) as the elect did when this happened as a physical sign in 70 A.D. This falling away will reveal the sons of perdition for who they are and cause their desolation, which is reprobation, and then destruction by the beast.  

What do husbands and wives, parents and kids, slaves and masters have in common? Well for one, if they happened to be first century Christians in the city of Colossae, they all received a specific mention in Paul's letter to their church. The section in Colossians 3:18-4:1 is a condensed version of what Paul said to the same three groupings in far more detail in Ephesians 5:22-6:9. What Paul says about these relationships flows out of earlier instructions about putting off the old self and putting on the new self with its practices. These “practices” are then explored in terms of some of our most common, vital and challenging relationships. These are the proving ground for the virtues of Christ that we are to be clothing ourselves with as Christians. The three relationship categories provide examples of six gospel principles that we as Christians should be applying in our daily lives. Series: Invisible God; Visible Faith (Colossians) Todd Dugard Message: 8 – The application of faith Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Colossians 3:18-4:1 August 20, 2023 In all of my relationships, I must apply the gospel principles of… …submission (3:18) …love (3:19) Men more naturally respect but struggle to love. Women more naturally love but struggle to respect (submit). Wives tend to react in ways that feel disrespectful to the husbands—thus the command to respect/submit. Husbands tend to react in ways that feel unloving to the wife—thus the command to love. Paraphrased from Love and Respect …obedience (3:20) …sensitivity (3:21) Recognizing the importance of fathers doesn't dismiss the importance of mothers in the lives of young men. It's about acknowledging that male role models are important and that their absence has consequences. Jamil Jivani The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), a non-profit organization working to end fatherlessness in the United States, claims “there is a father factor in nearly all social ills facing America today.” This bold statement is backed up by research that shows fatherless children are more likely to have behavioural problems, live in poverty, experience abuse or neglect, use drugs or alcohol, repeat grades in school, become teenage parents, and go to prison. The research also shows that adolescent boys with absentee fathers are especially likely to engage in criminal and other delinquent behaviours. Jamil Jivani The Consequences of Growing up without a Father https://thewalrus.ca/the-consequences-of-growing-up-without-a-father/#:~:text=Statistics%20Canada%20reports%20that%2012.8,without%20fathers%20in%20the%20home …servanthood (3:22-25) …justice (4:1)

What do husbands and wives, parents and kids, slaves and masters have in common? Well for one, if they happened to be first century Christians in the city of Colossae, they all received a specific mention in Paul's letter to their church. The section in Colossians 3:18-4:1 is a condensed version of what Paul said to the same three groupings in far more detail in Ephesians 5:22-6:9. What Paul says about these relationships flows out of earlier instructions about putting off the old self and putting on the new self with its practices. These “practices” are then explored in terms of some of our most common, vital and challenging relationships. These are the proving ground for the virtues of Christ that we are to be clothing ourselves with as Christians. The three relationship categories provide examples of six gospel principles that we as Christians should be applying in our daily lives. Series: Invisible God; Visible Faith (Colossians) Todd Dugard Message: 8 – The application of faith Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Colossians 3:18-4:1 August 20, 2023 In all of my relationships, I must apply the gospel principles of… …submission (3:18) …love (3:19) Men more naturally respect but struggle to love. Women more naturally love but struggle to respect (submit). Wives tend to react in ways that feel disrespectful to the husbands—thus the command to respect/submit. Husbands tend to react in ways that feel unloving to the wife—thus the command to love. Paraphrased from Love and Respect …obedience (3:20) …sensitivity (3:21) Recognizing the importance of fathers doesn't dismiss the importance of mothers in the lives of young men. It's about acknowledging that male role models are important and that their absence has consequences. Jamil Jivani The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), a non-profit organization working to end fatherlessness in the United States, claims “there is a father factor in nearly all social ills facing America today.” This bold statement is backed up by research that shows fatherless children are more likely to have behavioural problems, live in poverty, experience abuse or neglect, use drugs or alcohol, repeat grades in school, become teenage parents, and go to prison. The research also shows that adolescent boys with absentee fathers are especially likely to engage in criminal and other delinquent behaviours. Jamil Jivani The Consequences of Growing up without a Father https://thewalrus.ca/the-consequences-of-growing-up-without-a-father/#:~:text=Statistics%20Canada%20reports%20that%2012.8,without%20fathers%20in%20the%20home …servanthood (3:22-25) …justice (4:1)

“Not all that is gold doth glitter. Not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither and the deep roots are not touched by the frost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien “Giving someone a weapon implies your trust in the maturity and responsible behaviour of the recipient. It speaks of your desire for their safety and well being. It communicates your mutual aspiration to make the world a better and safer place, by putting this tool in the hands of a virtuous and trustworthy person. But remember, in the end, you are the weapon. Everything else is just a tool.” - Paraphrased from a quote by Rocky Warren Men are symbols of strength. We're protectors of our sovereignty, our principles, our families and loved ones. As Dave Grossman says in today's episode, “we're about protecting, preserving, and conserving what's good.” That means learning how to be a dangerous man in dangerous times. A dangerous man fighting the good fight. But this isn't something to approach casually and weapons, or ‘being a weapon' as Dave puts it, is a matter of great responsibility. Dave Grossman comes to us today to help us see the truth of what's happening in our own streets and on our battlefields and how a man can prepare himself to join the battle. He literally wrote the book On Killing, compiling countless interviews with soldiers and law enforcement people who've killed serving their countries. He served 24 years in the military as a paratrooper, Sargent, Ranger, and Westpoint psychology professor. He also wrote On Killing, On Spiritual Combat, On Hunting. He also trains law enforcement throughout the world. Grossmanontruth.com Also in this episode: Powertac Flashlights https://www.powertac.com/ Emmerson Knives Sheep Dog Knife https://emersonknives.com/shop/knives/every-day-carry/new-2/sheepdog/ Jordan Peterson   You're invited to come to a Sovereign Circle meeting to experience it for yourself. To learn more, go to https://www.sovereignman.ca/. While you're there, check out the Battle Ready program and check out the store for Sovereign Man t-shirts, hats, and books.

Most of us don't realize just much of our lives come down to our own personal choices. We have far more power over how we handle our everyday experiences than we give ourselves credit for. Why wouldn't we claim this power so we can better influence our path? Because we subtly and regularly fall into habits of thinking that lull us into a lukewarm and compliant attitude of submission. The Apostle Paul was all about helping us, as his fellow disciples of Christ, challenge the status quo and reset our minds so we can daily think and choose with spiritual clarity. Much of the letter he wrote to the Philippian Christians focused in on the adverse conditions in life and how to think through them. Examining this letter is the first step to better focusing our Christian thinking! The Apostle Paul really loved his fellow Christians at Philippi. While on house arrest under Roman guard, he wrote them a comprehensive letter concerning their Christian growth and development. One of his conclusionary teachings in this letter is found in the commonly read verse of Philippians 4:8. Paraphrased it says, "Finally, whatever is true, honorable, right, pure lovely or of good report, if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy, dwell on these things." This letter to the Philippians is a tutorial on several of the high standards that true discipleship requires. Paul showed us how to handle limiting circumstances by talking about his own imprisonment. He implored all of his brethren to work through their issues in a unified fashion. He focused us on the importance of leaving our old standards of success behind and instead seeking success in a life of sacrifice. These and many other teachings were all in place to address the building up of a mature Christian mind. A special list Paul then gave us the list of things he pointed us to and what we should dwell upon. This was no mere listing of nice things to preoccupied us. This was a list of solid, connected, sequential and spiritually-sound priorities. Dwelling on them meant we were to use them as solid foundation stones of our Christian lives. First on this list was the instruction to dwell on what is true. As we dig more deeply into his teaching, we realize the apostle was pointing us not to general worldly truth, but to godly eternal truth. All of the rest of his “think about this” list had its foundation in this solid beginning. Check out our May 15, 2023 podcast, “We Are What We Think About, So What Are We Thinking About? (Part I)” for more. After comprehensively summarizing the letter to the Philippians, we delve into the meaning of what is true, what is honorable, what is right and what is pure. What we find is the beginnings of a profound and life-altering approach to setting our minds up for true Christian thinking. Join us as we begin to learn what to think about and how to think about it!    

*New Podcast* -Continuation from last discussion. “Christianity is this fierce contradiction and we don't resolve the contradictions, they just remain fierce” GK Chesterton. (Paraphrased by Dr. Marc Buchanan) On this episode I discuss: 1. Wisdom vs. Special Revelation tension 2. Living in the “real” world 3. God's love and room for conflict in our spiritual relationship

Scripture Reading: John 18:28-19:16a 28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor's residence. (Now it was very early morning.) They did not go into the governor's residence so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They replied, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”31 Pilate told them, “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him according to your own law!” The Jewish leaders replied, “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” 32 (This happened to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated what kind of death he was going to die.)33 So Pilate went back into the governor's residence, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and your chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked, “What is truth?”When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders and announced, “I find no basis for an accusation against him. 39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 40 Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. 2 The soldiers braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him again and again and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly in the face.4 Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation against him.” 5 So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look, here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said, “You take him and crucify him! Certainly I find no reason for an accusation against him!” 7 The Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die because he claimed to be the Son of God!”8 When Pilate heard what they said, he was more afraid than ever, 9 and he went back into the governor's residence and said to Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don't you know I have the authority to release you and to crucify you?” 11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of greater sin.”12 From this point on, Pilate tried to release him. But the Jewish leaders shouted out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar! Everyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar!” 13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat in the place called “The Stone Pavement” (Gabbatha in Aramaic). 14 (Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, about noon.) Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, here is your king!”15 Then they shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” 16 Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.Main ThemesPilateThe Jewish authorities sentence Jesus. Jesus' apostles—most notably Peter—desert him. Then the time comes for the Romans to get involved.The first question we ought to ask is: why? Why must the Romans be involved at all? I have discussed this already, so I will be brief. The Romans depended on delatores—accusers—to bring criminals to justice. These accusers could be individuals or councils, such as the Sanhedrin. In particular, the Sanhedrin was composed of the aristocratic elite of the most important city in Israel. The Roman governor would certainly cooperate with such a group.The Jews deliver Jesus to Pilate “very early in the morning,” probably around 6 am. For Romans, “late morning” in the summer months was before 8 or 9 am. A Roman governor would probably end his public transactions around noon, leaving some time for leisure. In fact, Romans rarely slept in; doing so could carry the implication of drinking or partying the night before.When the Jews deliver Jesus, they avoid entering into the “governor's residence”—the praetorium. There is some debate whether the praetorium was Fortress Antonia, adjoining the temple courts, or the old palace of Herod the Great. The lavishness of Herod's old palace, which would have been preferred by a Roman governor, along with confirmation from other ancient writings seem to support the latter alternative. Either way, why did the Jews not enter the praetorium? Because houses of non-Jews were ritually impure and entering them would render a Jew impure as well, keeping him from fully participating in the Passover festivities. This concern for ritual purity serves as evidence of the aristocrats' hypocrisy: they spent the night ignoring the weightier matters of the law, such as justice and fairness, to then show concern for more superficial rituals. Recall Matthew 23:23-24:“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!Notice Pilate's attitude. From Josephus' writings (an ancient Jewish historian) we know that originally Pilate was quite unsympathetic towards the Jewish customs. In John, we find a Pilate much more willing to avoid unnecessary friction. He comes out to meet the Jewish elite, accommodating of the fact that they could not enter the home. However, Pilate also shows some annoyance with the situation. He asks, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” The response is, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” If we read between the lines, Pilate's question does not seem like an honest request for information. He seems to be aware of the accusation but remains unconvinced that this is a matter worthy of his involvement. The Jews insist they would not seek audience before Pilate if Jesus was not really a criminal.The Jewish elite finally speak truly when they say, “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” As I explained last session, only the Roman governor could order a person killed—particularly by crucifixion. Notice, therefore, that the only way in which Jesus' words could be fulfilled (e.g., “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32) was if the Jews involved the Romans. This was expected, indeed planned, by Jesus.Roman citizens could not be legally crucified, but slaves and provincials could be, generally for rebellion against Rome.Pilate was known for his brutality. He had sometimes executed Jews without trial. The Jewish elite knew that if they wanted Jesus dead, they were asking the right guy. They may have expected no hearing at all, even if Roman law technically required one. But there were politics at play. An overly cruel governor could give rise to revolts by the provincials. In fact, later in his life, Pilate's excessive use of capital punishment cost him his office. We also have other reasons to believe that Pilate may have been trying to be more careful than usual. His patron, Sejanus, was executed in the year 31 AD. If the crucifixion happened in the year 33 AD, then Pilate found himself in a precarious situation with little political support. Even if the crucifixion happened in the year 30 AD (the other widely argued for date), Pilate may have already been feeling the mounting opposition to his patron. Pilate himself was only an equestrian, a class lower than senators. Finally, there is likely some personal animosity at work as well. Pilate had gained some political savvy by this point, but he probably strongly disliked the Jews. Pilate may have been fair to Jesus simply to spite the Jews.Pilate Questions JesusAccording to normal judicial procedure, the accuser spoke first. So, Pilate had to already be aware of the charge of treason when he begins Jesus' interrogation. The question Pilate asks is, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Ain't that the million dollar question! In classic Johannine fashion, this moment drips with irony. Pilate is probably employing sarcasm, perhaps even mockery. But the gospel audience understands that the question is serious—the most important question ever, in fact. Is Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the High Priest, the King, God himself?Notice that Pilate's question is strange in one regard: so far no one has used his exact terminology. Jesus' detractors do not calling him king of the Jews. Jesus himself does not make the claim with those exact words. The title is not even a traditional Christian confession. Christians will call Jesus Messiah, Christ, Lord, or perhaps even King of Israel or King of Kings, but generally not King of the Jews. There is irony in the fact that a Gentile is one to speak with such insight, even if he spoke more than he knew.Jesus' reply plays on the irony of Pilate's question. Jesus retorts, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told you about me?” Allow me to rephrase it as, “Oh, so you can tell? You figured it out on your own or someone told you?” Pilate's response makes perfect sense, “I am not a Jew, am I?” In other words, “How would I know? I am not a Jew.”If up to this point the conversation had a mocking tone, it becomes serious as Pilate asks, “Your own people and your chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” This is a hefty question. Paraphrased, Pilate says, “Your people wish me to have you killed. Why?” There is also some legalese at play here. If a defendant failed to offer a defense, the judge would ask about the charge three times before convicting the defendant by default.Jesus explains that his kingdom is not of this world. He offers a simple proof. If his kingdom were of this world, his followers would be fighting to free Jesus; they would probably be fighting against Jews to establish Jesus as King and fighting against the Romans to liberate Israel. They are not. “As it is,” meaning, “look around, there is no fighting,” Jesus' kingdom is certainly not political. But Jesus does not deny the charge against him. Jesus affirms he has a kingdom: “my kingdom is not from here.” If Jesus were trying to win his trial, this was not a wise move.Pilate picks up on Jesus' confession. “So you are a king!” To whatever extent Pilate is following standard trial procedure, notice that this is the third time the charge is brought up to the defendant. The defendant's lack of defense will result in a conviction by default. (Although, perhaps the conversation simply developed this way and the governor is not thinking in terms of legal procedure.) For the last time, Jesus fails to defend himself. “You say that I am a king.” This statement can be taken in a few different ways. Jesus may mean it as, “You say I am king because I am.” As an older commentary puts it, “Thou sayest; for I am a king.” Another alternative is that Jesus bypasses the title and instead affirms the substance of the accusation. Then we could rephrase Jesus response as follows: “Is King the proper title for someone like me? I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me. Does that make me king?” However we interpret Jesus' response, it is not a denial of the charge against him. Jesus may have sealed his fate.Pilate ends the conversation with another million dollar question, “What is truth?” The true tone and intent behind his questions is hard to discern. Maybe Pilate is mocking Jesus' and his commitment to truth. After all, Pilate lived a life of Roman politics and military prowess. Truth? Who cares. Power—that's what really matters. We can almost hear his argument: “Do you think a man is convicted because he is guilty? He is convicted because he is weak. Do you think the powerful escape justice because they are righteous? Don't be naïve! Do you think only the wicked are conquered and enslaved? We conquer devils and saints alike. Do you think the righteous rule the world? The strong rule over all. Do you think that kings speak only truth? They don't yet go ahead and disagree with them and see what happens. Do you think truth matters at all? Don't be a child.”However, there is a good chance Pilate means his question earnestly. The other gospels tell us that Pilate knew Jesus to be innocent. Moreover, Pilate's wife had received a vision confirming Jesus was blameless and should not be convicted.So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?” (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.) As he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream about him today.” Matthew 27:17-19We can imagine a corrupt ruler of a corrupt nation being asked by a corrupt ruling council to brutally crucify a man he knows to be innocent and asking himself: “What is truth? Is there anything worth fighting for? Anything worth sacrificing for? If so, what is that truth? Where does it come from?” These could be the questions of a wicked man who is beginning to see that what is right and wrong is not simply a matter of power.Pilate Attempts to Release JesusPilate finds no (legal) fault in Jesus and attempts to release him. Pilate follows a custom of releasing one prisoner during Passover (as scholars call it, the “paschal amnesty custom”). A Roman governor was free to issue amnesties. We have record of Romans sometimes releasing prisoners en masse on local feasts. During their own festivities, Romans usually delayed punishments. So, the custom described in John would not have seemed odd in the ancient world.Pilate gives the Jewish people a choice: Jesus or Barabbas? To Pilate's surprise, the people exclaim: “Barabbas!” There is irony upon irony here. Jesus was accused of being a revolutionary but found to be innocent. Barabbas was an actual revolutionary! Technically, the word used in verse 40 is “robber,” but that was a euphemism for revolutionary. As the NET's translators' note 118 explains:Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lēstēs) in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. Moreover, the Jewish leaders allegedly acted against Jesus to prevent a revolution that could destroy Israel. John 11:49-50:Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”Yet, they requested the release of the very type of person who would bring demise to the nation just 40 years later.Abusing the PrisonerThe FloggingJewish law allowed for up to 40 lashings (Deuteronomy 25:3). To make sure that one did not accidentally exceed the lawful numbers of blows, the Jews only dealt 39 lashings. The Romans were not beholden to such a limit. In fact, the text indicates a more severe flogging. As the NET's study note 1 explains:Three forms of corporal punishment were employed by the Romans, in increasing degree of severity: (1) fustigatio (beating), (2) flagellatio (flogging), and (3) verberatio (severe flogging, scourging). The first could be on occasion a punishment in itself, but the more severe forms were part of the capital sentence as a prelude to crucifixion. The most severe, verberatio, is what is indicated here by the Greek verb translated flogged severely (μαστιγόω, mastigoō). People died on occasion while being flogged this way; frequently it was severe enough to rip a person's body open or cut muscle and sinew to the bone. It was carried out with a whip that had fragments of bone or pieces of metal bound into the tips.The Roman scourging could be so severe that sometimes victims that were not sentenced to death died. There are accounts of scourgings that left the victim's bones exposed. It was a horrific practice.Jesus was probably tied to a pillar or post and beaten with flagella, which as the quotation above explains, were leather whips with interspersed knots with pieces of iron or bone, which left skin hanging from the back in bloody strips.The Mocking“The soldiers braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe. They came up to him again and again and said, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!' And they struck him repeatedly in the face.” (John 19:2-3)The crown of thorns may have been made for mockery more than torture, although it may have served both purposes. It was probably made from the branches of an available shrub, such as acanthus. The thorns may have been turned outward to simulate a crown instead of inward to produce bleeding. The main point was making Jesus look like a king to then sarcastically mock him. We have records of the Romans abusing other prisoners, even by adorning them as king as well. So, the scene being described is entirely in keeping with Roman practice.Purple was an expensive dye in the ancient world. Consequently, purple clothing was often worn only by the wealthy elite or royalty. For example, the robes of Hellenistic princes were purple. To complete Jesus' costume, the Roman soldiers give him a purple robe. However, if purple was so expensive, would the soldiers dare waste such an item of clothing? The Gospel of Matthew gives us an important clue. In Matthew 27:28, the same item is described as a “scarlet robe.” A scarlet robe would have been worn by a Roman soldier and it was cheaply dyed in contrast to expensive royal purple—but it resembled a king's robe. Imagine a child pretending to be a superhero. His parent may tie a towel around the child's neck and then refer to it as a cape. On one hand we understand that it is a towel, but on the other hand we clearly understand it is meant to represent a cape and would refer to it as such. Similarly, although the soldiers probably used a scarlet military garment to clothe Jesus, everyone understood it was meant to represent a royal purple robe.Finally, the soldiers chant, “Hail, king of the Jews!” In the Eastern Roman Empire, those who worshipped Cesar would chant “Hail, Cesar!” The soldiers purposely utilize the same chant for Jesus to add to their sarcastic mockery.Pilate's Second AttemptPilate's Attempt to Release JesusAfter the scourging and mockery, Pilate attempts to release Jesus once more. Presumably hoping that the flogging had satiated the Jews' bloodthirst, Pilate presents the horrifically bloodied Jesus to them an exclaims, “I find no reason for an accusation against him.” In other words, “Hasn't this innocent man suffered enough for whatever he did to annoy you? Can we be done with this whole ordeal?” The words that Pilate actually uses carry even more irony. Pilate says, “Behold the man!” This sounds strikingly similar to words of God to the prophet Samuel as God presented Israel's first king:When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “Here is the man that I told you about. He will rule over my people.” 1 Samuel 9:17Moreover, “behold the man” is the whole reason for the gospel. God became man! To quote C.S. Lewis, “The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation.” Had God not become man there would be no Gospel, there would be no story to tell, there would be no chance of killing God. We should behold indeed!The Jewish religious elite respond by demanding, “Crucify him!” Pilate has no reason to crucify Jesus, so he responds, “You take him and crucify him!” Pilate's response is a bit metaphorical. The Roman soldiers will have to be the ones to carry out the execution, but it will be done so at the behest of the Jews not the Romans. As we will see throughout the next few verses, John does not exculpate Pilate, who is too weak to save a man he believes to be innocent, but the brunt of the guilt for Jesus' execution is placed squarely on the Jewish elite's shoulders.Why do the “chief priests and their officers” demand execution? Because they have a law and according to that law Jesus ought to die for claiming to be the Son of God. Notice this is a different charge from what Pilate was told earlier—that Jesus claimed to be the king of the Jews. However, both charges are related. Since Caesar was understood to be divine, a claim to be a son of a god could be understood by the Romans as a political claim to office. Nonetheless, Pilate seems unconvinced. For Pilate to declare Jesus innocent implies Pilate understood Jesus' claims as merely philosophical, not political.To the reader of John's Gospel, the claim that the law demands Jesus' death because he claims to be God's son would be laughable if it weren't so tragic. The law would certainly demand such a penalty—if the claim were false! That's the whole question. Is Jesus telling the truth or not? Jesus provided miracle after miracle after miracle to substantiate his claims, but nothing sufficed for the religious elite. The careful reader will also detect a deep irony. Jesus is the incarnation of their law (“Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us.” John 1:14). To say that the law demands the death of Jesus is to say that Jesus demands the death of Jesus.Pilate More Afraid than EverWhen Pilate is informed that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, he becomes “more afraid than ever.” As a Roman, Pilate would have been familiar with tales of deities appearing in human form and of the harsh consequences to the mortals who rejected them. Consequently, Pilate seems to take the claim of Jesus' divinity quite seriously—ironically, much more seriously than the Jews who witnessed miracle after miracle. A Roman proves more willing to believe the Jewish Messiah than the Jews.Pilate takes Jesus' words so seriously that he immediately grasps the importance of determining Jesus' origin.Recall the following verses:The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to all. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. John 3:31-32Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” John 6:32-34Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven'?” John 6:41-42The Jews were either too obtuse or too obstinate to understand Jesus when he spoke as being “from heaven,” “from above,” or “from God.” Pilate, who has heard none of these statements, immediately demands such an explanation. “Where do you come from?”Jesus does not respond. In this way, Jesus seals his fate—a fate not brought upon the Jews or the Romans but controlled by Jesus himself all the while.Pilate responds either in annoyance, hostility, or (less likely for a Roman ruler) earnest concern: “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don't you know I have the authority to release you and to crucify you?” If, against the odds, Pilate is truly concerned for Jesus, we could take his statement as: “I have the power to help you, but you have to give me something to work with! Help me help you!” If we understand Pilate's statement to be less friendly, we could rewrite his words as saying: “You dare disrespect me while your life is in my hands!” Perhaps Pilate meant his words both ways. Pilate may have been trying to help Jesus while taking offense that, as a scholar (Brown) points out, “by not answering Jesus is somehow looking down on [Pilate].”Jesus' attitude towards Pilate is wholly unexpected, which may have been what earned him some credibility before the Roman ruler. A prisoner, particularly one facing crucifixion, would praise the judge's integrity. Jesus does nothing of the sort.No Authority Except by GodJesus makes clear to Pilate that no, Jesus' life is not in his hands—not ultimately anyways. Pilate has power over Jesus only because God has made it so. If God had so desired, Pilate would have no authority. This statement is partially exculpatory. Pilate may be choosing incorrectly but at least the situation he finds himself in is not of his own making. The Jewish elite, on the other hand, are much guiltier. This messy situation (to use a severe understatement) was not brought upon them. They caused it.The idea that God establishes and uses rulers is not foreign to scripture. We find it both in the Old and the New Testament. The interaction between God and government is a difficult topic that goes well beyond our current study of John. Merely as a introduction to the topic, I quote other verses that touch on the matter.Some of the key passages in the New Testament include:Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God's appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation because it is God's servant for your well-being. Romans 13:1-4aBe subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether to a king as supreme or to governors as those he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do good. For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. 1 Peter 2:13-15Throughout the ages, Christians have interpreted these passages differently. Some take them as universal teachings with no exceptions. They would argue that Christians should obey the government regardless of how wicked it is. Romans 13, for example, was heavily preached by German churches in the 40s to convince Christians to follow the Nazi government. Most Christians have taken a more nuanced approach, recognizing the general principle that Christians should be exemplary citizens for the sake of the Gospel. However, the government should be disobeyed or even opposed in a number of situations, like when the government requires Christians to engage in sinful behavior. Some of the key passages in the Old Testament include:“Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7“This is what the Lord says to his chosen one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold in order to subdue nations before him, . . .” Isaiah 45:1aThese Old Testament verses may not seem as impactful as the New Testament verses quoted above, but in context they are nothing short of scandalous. The verse in Jeremiah is written as God decrees the exile of the Jews to Babylon, after the Babylonians utterly destroyed the kingdom of Judah and decimated the Israelites. In the midst of the tragedy, as the Jews are carried off as captives and slaves, God commands them to pray for peace and prosperity for the captors! In an unfathomable twist of events, God will use the nation of Babylon—the same nation he used to destroy his people—to prosper his people. The verse in Isaiah has a similar context—God using the Persians to subdue nations. A gentile king is called anointed.God uses rulers, even the evil ones.Pilate's Third AttemptPilate is so impressed by his conversation with Jesus that he is determined to release him. Although I have tried to keep my opinion mostly out of the discussion, I think this is clear evidence that Pilate's dialogue should not be read mostly with a mocking or hostile tone, but in earnest. Some Eastern Christian churches, such as the Ethiopian and Coptic Orthodox Churches hold that Pontius Pilate later converted to Christianity himself. So they revere Pilate as a saint. These conversion narratives are late and hard to rely on as historical accounts, but I think they make more sense of the text than the negative view of Pilate developed by Western tradition.Whether Pilate was beginning to believe Jesus or not ends up becoming irrelevant. The Jews twist his arm. The Jewish elite threaten Pilate that if he lets Jesus go free, they will tell Caesar that Pilate released a man claiming to be king—i.e., a traitor to Caesar! Pilate has a political calculation to make. Could he defend himself of a treason charge? Could he explain that Jesus' kingdom was not of this world? Recall the discussion above regarding Caesar's precarious political support. His patron had either already been killed or there was mounting opposition against him. Caesar himself was nothing more than an equestrian with a questionable record as a governor. Ultimately, is it worth becoming a martyr for Jesus? Alas, despite Pilate's belief that Jesus was innocent, he opts for political expediency. He caves to the threats of the Jews and condemns Jesus to crucifixion. Again, this moment shifts the weight of blame between the Jewish elite and the Roman governor. Pilate was guilty of weakness—he knew what was right but lacked the courage to see it through. The Jewish elite were guilty of deliberate wrongdoing.The trial reaches its climax in a shocking statement. In my opinion, one could argue that all the hypocrisy, antagonism, and wickedness of the Jewish religious elite builds up to this one stupefying statement: “We have no king except Caesar!” The Jewish religion, at its core, believed that God was their ultimate king ruling from everlasting to everlasting. Moreover, God had and would again appoint a human king over the Israelites, but the king would come from their own people. No foreign king could ever be the true king of Israel—much less Caesar who claimed to be divine. I provide scriptural support for these point below.Notice that in the Old Testament, God is called Israel's Judge:I have not done you wrong, but you are doing wrong by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites! Judges 11:27bJudge in this context referred to a political office meaning something akin to ruler.God was not often called King of Israel in the Old Testament, but the implication was always clear from his role, for example, as the one who fought wars for the nation of Israel.Joshua captured in one campaign all these kings and their lands, for the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal. Joshua 10:42-43Indeed, when the Israelites demanded a king “just like all the other nations have,” God decried this as a rejection of his kingship.The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you. For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. Just as they have done from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods.” 1 Samuel 8:7-8aWas the concept of demanding a human king intrinsically wrong? No, it was the sinful motives underlying the request that amounted to a rejection of God's authority and plan. In fact, God had promised the Israelites a human king.When you come to the land the Lord your God is giving you and take it over and live in it and then say, “I will select a king like all the nations surrounding me,” you must select without fail a king whom the Lord your God chooses. From among your fellow citizens you must appoint a king—you may not designate a foreigner who is not one of your fellow Israelites. Deuteronomy 17:14-15But regardless of whether a human person ruled over Israel, God's kingship endured forever.But you, O Lord, rule forever, and your reputation endures. Psalm 102:12 (literally “sit enthroned” forever)Moreover, God promised a future king to Israel who would rule forever and bring upon the wonderful promises of the eschaton.For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called Wonderful Adviser, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His dominion will be vast, and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David's throne and over David's kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Heaven's Armies will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7With that background in mind, again consider the high priests exclaiming, “We have no king except Caesar!” Caesar was not their king, and he was certainly not their only king. This statement amounts to the kind of blasphemy for which they sought to kill Jesus.Thursday or Friday: When Did Jesus Die?Verse 14 seems to place Jesus' death during Passover (Thursday) instead of the day after (Friday) like all the other Gospels. At least initially, this presents a difficult harmonization question. Are the gospels contradictory with one another? Did John make a mistake? I was going to write somewhat extensively about this question, but I found a great summary of the issue and potential answer:In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus dies the day after Passover. But in John, it seems like he dies on the Passover. Can these be reconciled?The Last Supper is clearly a Seder, a Passover dinner (Matt 26:17-19). Passover lambs were sacrificed earlier that day, Thursday, Nisan 14. Jesus died the next morning, Friday, Nisan 15. However, at first read, John seems to place Jesus' death on the Passover, making it Friday, Nisan 14 (which would only occur in a different year). The chief priests do not want to enter Pilate's palace so that “they might not be defiled but eat the Passover” (John 18:28), and Pilate sends the titulus (the sign for Jesus' cross) proclaiming Jesus as king on “the day of Preparation of the Passover” (John 19:14).There have been a number of proposals attempting to deal with these two different accounts. Some suggest that John is ignoring historical accuracy to make Jesus' death coincide with the slaying of the Passover lambs. Others suggest that John and the Synoptic authors were using different calendars. Although it is true that some early Jews, most notably the Essenes, followed a different calendar, I don't think that really solves the problem in John.Here's the solution I find most likely. “Day of preparation” (παρασκευή, paraskeuē) is also the standard word for “Friday” for early Jews and Christians, since Jewish households had to prepare for the Sabbath every Friday. John clearly means Friday, since he says that this παρασκευή was the day before Sabbath (John 19:31). The other Synoptic Gospels also call the day of the crucifixion παρασκευή (Matt 27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54). So the phrase “Preparation of Passover” (παρασκευὴ τοῦ πάσχα) can simply mean “Friday of Passover [week]” rather than “preparation for Passover.” That makes it the same day and date as the accounts in the Synoptic Gospels.What about the chief priests' desire to “eat Passover” that night, after Jesus' death? (John 19:31) While this is definitely evidence for the belief that John has a different chronology, there is a reasonable explanation. Passover is not only a single meal, but a week of festivities, with more than one sacred meal. The chief priests would be more likely than most Jews to be involved in multiple rituals during Passover week, and all of them would have required ritual purity.Personally, I find the suggestion that John got the crucifixion day wrong to be so unlikely as to be untenable. Even if we took the most liberal understanding of the Fourth Gospel's authorship and postulated it was not written by John or his disciples, the other gospels were already popular. The author of the Fourth Gospel, whoever he was, would have known exactly when the crucifixion occurred. The suggestion that John moves the date of the crucifixion to make a theological point seems to me also highly unlikely. Sure, ancient authors were allowed, even expected, to take more liberties when writing a narrative than a modern author might. But there is no indication in the text that John is writing anything but an accurate and chronological description of events. He even provides the time of day in which the events occur. To take this interpretation is to severely undermine the historical reliability of the Fourth Gospel.

Scripture Reading: John 18:1-27 [originally the post read “John 18:1-40,” but we could not cover all the material] When he had said these things, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley. There was an orchard there, and he and his disciples went into it. 2 (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, knew the place too, because Jesus had met there many times with his disciples.) 3 So Judas obtained a squad of soldiers and some officers of the chief priests and Pharisees. They came to the orchard with lanterns and torches and weapons.4 Then Jesus, because he knew everything that was going to happen to him, came and asked them, “Who are you looking for?” 5 They replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He told them, “I am he.” (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, was standing there with them.) 6 So when Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they retreated and fell to the ground. 7 Then Jesus asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 He said this to fulfill the word he had spoken, “I have not lost a single one of those whom you gave me.”10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest's slave, cutting off his right ear. (Now the slave's name was Malchus.) 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”12 Then the squad of soldiers with their commanding officer and the officers of the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13 They brought him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish leaders that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.)15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed them as they brought Jesus to Annas. (Now the other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard.) 16 But Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who watched the door, and brought Peter inside. 17 The girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You're not one of this man's disciples too, are you?” He replied, “I am not.” 18 (Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire they had made, warming themselves because it was cold. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.)19 While this was happening, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus replied, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple courts, where all the Jewish people assemble together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. They know what I said.” 22 When Jesus had said this, one of the high priest's officers who stood nearby struck him on the face and said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus replied, “If I have said something wrong, confirm what is wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.25 Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing in the courtyard warming himself. They said to him, “You aren't one of his disciples too, are you?” Peter denied it: “I am not!” 26 One of the high priest's slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the orchard with him?” 27 Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor's residence. (Now it was very early morning.) They did not go into the governor's residence so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They replied, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”31 Pilate told them, “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him according to your own law!” The Jewish leaders replied, “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” 32 (This happened to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated what kind of death he was going to die.)33 So Pilate went back into the governor's residence, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and your chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked, “What is truth?”When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders and announced, “I find no basis for an accusation against him. 39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 40 Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)Main ThemesThe Passion NarrativeChapter18 puts us squarely within the “passion narrative.” As one website summarizes:The term “passion narrative” is used primarily to refer to the accounts given in the canonical gospels of the suffering and death of Jesus. Generally, scholars treat the passion narratives as beginning with Jesus' agony and arrest in Gethsemane and concluding with his burial. The sections to which these narratives are typically assigned consist therefore of Matthew 26:30–27:66, Mark 14:26–15:47, Luke 22:39–23:56, and John 18:1–19:42.The passion narratives (plural, to refer to the different passion narratives in each gospel) are quite unique in their literary genre. The Gospels resemble the genre of ancient biographies. Ancient biographies ending with the subjects' deaths were not unusual, but they rarely ended with the subjects' martyrdom. If considered on their own (not within the larger context of each gospel), the passion narratives resemble martyr stories but even this comparison is not perfect. The shared elements with ancient martyrdom narratives include a righteous person's unjust death, betrayal, refusal to compromise, and sentencing. However, the passion narratives do not include other distinctive elements of martyr narratives, such as sensationalistic details, interpretive speeches, and vengeful threats. The passion narratives are also different from the typical Greek apotheosis stories. Jesus is not promoted into divinity (e.g., like when Hercules turns “shiny” in the animated Disney movie); Jesus returns to his preexistent glory with the Father. All this has led at least one scholar (Theissen) to claim that, “There is no analogy to the Passion narrative in all of ancient literature.” To whatever extent this is an overstatement, it is not far off the mark.The High Priest and the SanhedrinThe High PriestThe High Priesthood was a religious office instituted in the Old Testament by God (see, e.g., Exodus 28). By Jesus' day, the office was quite different. According to the Old Testament, the office was held for life and was hereditary. In the first century, the office was appointed and held at the pleasure of the emperor and his political delegates. Thus, Quirinius appointed Annas, Gratus appointed Caiaphas, and Vitellius retired Caiaphas. In the Old Testament, only one person was referred to as the High Priest. In the first century, the High Priest and his sons were commonly referred to as high priests. Finally, the High Priest was meant to hold an incredibly important religious role, which was a linchpin of the Israelite's religion. As such, we might expect the high priests in Jesus' day to be Pharisees, given their religious fanaticism. Surprisingly, however, the office was dominated by Sadducees.The SadduceesWho were the Sadducees? As one Christian website explains:The Sadducees were an aristocratic class connected with everything going on in the temple in Jerusalem. They tended to be wealthy and held powerful positions, including that of chief priests and high priest, and they held the majority of the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin.The Sadducees worked hard to keep the peace by agreeing with the decisions of Rome (Israel at the time was under Roman control), and they seemed to be more concerned with politics than religion. Because they were accommodating to Rome and were the wealthy upper class, they did not relate well to the common man, nor did the common man hold them in high opinion. The commoners related better to those who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. Though the Sadducees held the majority of seats in the Sanhedrin, history indicates that much of the time they had to go along with the ideas of the Pharisaic minority, because the Pharisees were more popular with the masses.Not all priests were Sadducees, but many of them were. The Sadducees preserved the authority of the written Word of God, especially the books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy). While they could be commended for this, they definitely were not perfect in their doctrinal views. The following is a brief list of Sadducean beliefs that contradict Scripture:1. The Sadducees were extremely self-sufficient to the point of denying God's involvement in everyday life.2. They denied any resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18–27; Acts 23:8). Due to this belief, the Sadducees strongly resisted the apostles' preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead.3. They denied the afterlife, holding that the soul perished at death and therefore denying any penalty or reward after the earthly life.4. They denied the existence of a spiritual world, i.e., angels and demons (Acts 23:8).Notice what an odd bunch the Sadducees were. They used the biblical tradition as a set of societal rules but denied the underlying spiritual realities. Without an after life, the resurrection of the dead, or even a spiritual world, the Old Testament is rendered nearly meaningless. Judgment, atonement, and the eschaton become, at most, symbolic. God, if real at all, ought to be followed to avoid his wrath, have a pleasant life, and a prosperous nation. When I think about it, the Sadducees don't sound that odd. In fact, they sound oddly familiar.Sadducees were rarely concerned with purity rules, particularly the extrabiblical ones followed by the Pharisees. They were much more concerned with politics. And these were the people that dominated the priesthood, the high priesthood, and Jerusalem's ruling council—the Sanhedrin.The SanhedrinThe Sanhedrin was a municipal aristocracy. Large cities in the ancient world often had their own senates or ruling councils. They would be comprised of the wealthy elite. In the case of the Sanhedrin, although a municipal group, its power influenced national affairs. Because the group was dominated by Sadducees, it was more of a political council with a religious veneer than a religious council with political power. Tradition indicates the group had 71 members, although this may have been more of an average rather than an exact number. Some or most of the members may have been appointed by the local rulers, such as Herod. Also according to tradition, the group met in the Chamber of Hewn Stone on the Temple Mount.The Romans were glad to interact with and delegate to local councils. The Roman justice system worked with a system of delatores instead of prosecutors. A local individual or group would accuse and then testify against an alleged criminal. Local councils could also issue sentences and administer punishments themselves, without involving the Romans. The Romans, however, reserved the power of capital punishment. Part of the reason for this limitation on local councils was to prevent them from executing fellow provincials for being pro-Roman.Betrayal and ArrestAfter Jesus concludes his speech (recall chapters 13 through 17), he goes out with his disciples to the Kidron Valley. This valley is east of Jerusalem and separates the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. A creek is found at the bottom of the valley, but it is dry much of the year. The valley runs all the way to the Dead Sea. The Old Testament refers to part of this valley as the "Valley of Josaphat." The location is relevant to some eschatological prophecies.Jesus reaches an orchard or garden, depending on the translation. At the time, gardens were often enclosed by walls, but that may not be in view here. The word orchard may be a better translation considering that the Gospel of Mark calls the place Gethsemane, which means “olive press.” So, Jesus probably reaches an olive orchard with an olive press as part of the agricultural unit.Judas knew this place because Jesus often met there with his disciples. Judas guides a “squad of soldiers” and some officers of the chief priests and Pharisees. The term translated as “squad of soldiers” is literally “cohort.” As translators' note 6 in the NET explains:Grk “a cohort.” The word σπεῖραν (speiran) is a technical term for a Roman cohort, normally a force of 600 men (one-tenth of a legion). It was under the command of a χιλίαρχος (chiliarchos, v. 12). Because of the improbability of an entire cohort being sent to arrest a single man, some have suggested that σπεῖραν here refers only to a maniple, a force of 200. But the use of the word here does not necessarily mean the entire cohort was present on this mission, but only that it was the cohort which performed the task (for example, saying the fire department put out the fire does not mean that every fireman belonging to the department was on the scene at the time). These Roman soldiers must have been ordered to accompany the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees by Pilate, since they would have been under the direct command of the Roman prefect or procurator. It is not difficult to understand why Pilate would have been willing to assist the Jewish authorities in such a way. With a huge crowd of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover, the Romans would have been especially nervous about an uprising of some sort. No doubt the chief priests and Pharisees had informed Pilate that this man Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, or in the terms Pilate would understand, king of Israel.However, the matter is not quite as straightforward as the translators' note may lead us to believe. Although the term cohort is certainly a Roman one, such military terms had long been transferred to Jewish soldiers. It is more historically probable that the arrest did not involve Roman authorities, which have not been alerted yet in the story. Neither the Synoptics nor John's Gospel seem to involve the Romans at this point in the story.Notice that the soldiers come with lanterns and torches. Although this could simply imply it was dark, it may also suggest that the authorities expected Jesus to run and a chase to ensue. That did not occur. Jesus turns himself in since “he knew everything that was going to happen to him.”In the Synoptics, Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss. In the Gospel of John, the author omits that detail and jumps straight to the dialogue.I Am HeThe dialogue between Jesus and the arresting authorities has a seemingly strange moment. Jesus asks, “Who are you looking for?” They reply, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus responds, “I am he.” Upon saying this, “they retreated and fell to the ground.” Why? As translators' note 16 to the NET explains (quoted only in part):When Jesus said to those who came to arrest him “I am,” they retreated and fell to the ground. L. Morris says that “it is possible that those in front recoiled from Jesus' unexpected advance, so that they bumped those behind them, causing them to stumble and fall” (John [NICNT], 743-44). Perhaps this is what in fact happened on the scene, but the theological significance given to this event by the author implies that more is involved. The reaction on the part of those who came to arrest Jesus comes in response to his affirmation that he is indeed the one they are seeking, Jesus the Nazarene. But Jesus makes this affirmation of his identity using a formula which the reader has encountered before in the Fourth Gospel, e.g., 8:24, 28, 58. Jesus has applied to himself the divine Name of Exod 3:14, “I AM.”Jesus identifies himself with a formula that sounds like he is calling himself God. Everyone present certainly takes it as such and reacts to the deadly blasphemy. They drop to the ground almost as if to avoid the lightning that was sure to strike from the sky—so grievous was the offense.Peter's ResistanceThe Synoptics do not tell us who reacts violently during Jesus' arrest. The Gospel of John does: Peter. It even tells us the name of the victim, Malchus. Perhaps the earlier gospels omitted this information to protect Peter from arrest and prosecution. John, writing years later, can provide people's identities without problem.Peter's brave attack creates a striking backdrop against his impending abandonment of Jesus. As Craig Keener points out, “Loyalty with a weapon in one's hand and hope of messianic help is not the same as loyalty when self-defense is impossible . . . .”Why Peter harmed only Malchus' ear is unclear. The chances that Peter was confident and dexterous enough with a blade to do so on purpose are slim to none. Peter may have meant a much more serious wound to the face or neck, and Malchus may have partially moved out of the way.Jesus rebukes Peter and insist Jesus must “drink the cup” that the Father has given him. What is this “the cup?” The cup is a symbol of judgment often employed in the Old Testament. For example:May he rain down burning coals and brimstone on the wicked! A whirlwind is what they deserve. (In Hebrew, the literal text says, “[may] a wind of rage [be] the portion of their cup.”) Psalm 11:6You have made your people experience hard times; you have made us drink intoxicating wine. Psalm 60:3You will be shocked and amazed! You are totally blind! They are drunk, but not because of wine; they stagger, but not because of beer. For the Lord has poured out on you a strong urge to sleep deeply. He has shut your eyes (you prophets), and covered your heads (you seers). Isaiah 29:9-10Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you, which was full of his anger. You drained dry the goblet full of intoxicating wine. Isaiah 51:17Annas and CaiaphasAnnas and the Corrupt TrialUpon arrest, Jesus is first taken to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas “who was high priest that year.” Please recall the discussion of the high priesthood above. According to Jewish law, the high priest was to serve for life. Now that the Romans had conquered the Jews, the high priest could be changed at the whim of the Roman authorities. That was the case with Annas. He had been appointed high priest by the Romans and was later deposed by them. However, there are strong indications that Annas held on to the powerful office albeit unofficially. After Annas left office, all five of his sons followed in office. In all likelihood, Annas remained the powerful figure pulling the strings of his children. Also, Annas was probably still viewed by the people of Israel as the true high priest. John outright refers to him as the high priest while also acknowledging that technically Caiaphas was the high priest that year. All this explains why Jesus was first brought to him although officially Annas held no office.Beginning with Annas, the Jewish trial of Jesus shows evidence of corruption. For example, Pharisaic tradition prohibited a single individual from acting as judge. Perhaps Annas, who was a Sadducee and not a Pharisee, could be excused from such a requirement. There were other irregularities, however. To the extent that later rabbinic sources give us insight into Jewish first century practices, judges were meant to conduct capital trials during daylight (this may explain the brief meeting with Caiaphas early in the morning), trials should not occur on the eve of or during a Sabbath or festival (although emergency situations could justify doing so), Pharisaic tradition required a day to pass before issuing a verdict of condemnation (Sadducees may not have felt bound to this tradition), and the Sanhedrin was supposed to meet in the Chamber of Hewn Stone. Most importantly, Jewish law forbade false witnesses. The penalty for a false witness in a capital case was death. Although not found in John, the other gospels mention such false witnesses (e.g., Matthew 26:59).The original audience of John's Gospel would have picked up on the irregularities. Yet, they also would have never expected otherwise. The law in the first century unabashedly favored the wealthy and powerful. There was no expectation of fairness.Annas Questions JesusAnnas questions Jesus regarding his disciples and his teachings. Although the text does not say, we can make an educated guess that Annas probably focused on statements like Jesus' threat against the temple (“Jesus replied, ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.' Then the Jewish leaders said to him, ‘This temple has been under construction for 46 years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?'” John 2:19-20); Jesus' blasphemous claims (“‘The Father and I are one.' The Jewish leaders picked up rocks again to stone him to death. Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many good deeds from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?' The Jewish leaders replied, ‘We are not going to stone you for a good deed but for blasphemy because you, a man, are claiming to be God.'” John 10:30-33); and the violent or sacrilegious behavior of Jesus' disciples (“Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest's slave, cutting off his right ear.” John 18:10).Jesus does not directly address the accusations. There might be a legal strategy at work. There is some indication (although from later sources), that a Jewish tribunal could not condemn a prisoner based solely on his own testimony in a capital case. Another possibility is that since Jesus had been confronted by the authorities in public and been vindicated in public (e.g., “The officers replied, ‘No one ever spoke like this man!'” John 7:46), this trial was inappropriate, in a similar way that we prohibit double jeopardy. Regardless of whether the author intends us to pick up on such legal tactics, Jesus certainly does not display the submissive behavior expected of him. Most prisoners brought before an aristocratic tribunal would have known to act self-effacingly and highly adulatory of the authorities.Jesus' response to Annas' questioning makes perfect sense. (“I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple courts, where all the Jewish people assemble together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. They know what I said.” John 18:20-21) Whatever the accusations may be of him, why is an investigation required (i.e., a trial with testimony and evidence)? Jesus taught publicly. There is nothing to discover. Surely if Jesus said anything worthy of death in public, there would have been public opposition. Both Jews and Romans were highly suspicious of secret religious groups—a prejudice on which Annas' questioning is predicated. Jesus makes clear he is not part of a secret sect. Moreover, Jesus' response has an implied accusation. He taught in public. The religious elite, however, arrested him in secret.Annas strikes Jesus because of his disrespect. In Annas' mind, Jesus ought to beg not challenge. Striking the prisoner during questioning would have violated Jewish law, but as I discussed above, no ancient listener would be surprised by a member of the elite taking certain liberties. Jesus' response to the strike is another challenge. (“If I have said something wrong, confirm what is wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why strike me? John 18:23) If Annas has struck Jesus without reason, then the one who has broken the law is Annas while Jesus remains blameless.Caiaphas Takes Jesus to the RomansAnnas sends Jesus to Caiaphas. Caiaphas is the one to turn Jesus in to the Romans. There are a few reasons this was the case. Primarily, we must remember that Caiaphas was technically holding the office of high priest that year. Annas could pull the strings in the background, but Caiaphas' rubber stamp was still required. Also, and this is much more speculative, Jewish law may have required a daytime trial in a capital case. A brief, early morning hearing with Caiaphas may have technically fulfilled this requirement.Peter's DenialsPeter denies Jesus three times. The first denial is found in verses 15 through 18. An anonymous disciple introduces Peter into the high priest's household. The level of acquaintance between the unknown disciple and the high priest is not described. It could range from a person who regularly supplied the high priest's household (for example, of fish) and had therefore met his servants, to a person who was a true friend of someone in the high priest's household. One could speculate regarding the identity of this disciple, but there is no indication that he was even one of the twelve. The options are too many.In verse 17, the slave girl at the door asks, or perhaps the better word is accuses, “You're not one of this man's disciples too, are you?” Perhaps she remembered having seen Peter with Jesus. Maybe Peter's Galilean accent gave him away. Peter, now surrounded by the high priest's slaves and guards, responds, “I am not.” Given the value of honor towards one's teacher, Peter's behavior would have been seen as bringing shame not only upon himself but upon Jesus as well. Peter fails to do what Jesus requires, “The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:25-26Peter's second and third denials are described in verses 25 through 27. In verse 25, “they” recognize him—probably servants of the high priest. Again we are not told how he is recognized. Peter emphatically denies being one of Jesus disciples, “I am not!” Finally, a relative of Malchus—the man Peter attacked and cut off his ear—recognizes Peter. Then the most damning accusation is made, “Did I not see you in the orchard with him?” Peter had attacked (with probable lethal intent) a servant of the arresting officials. If Peter were identified, he could have been properly sentenced. Peter denies Jesus one more time and the rooster crows.The rooster crowing marks the climax, though not the end, to Peter's story. The words of Jesus are fulfilled. Recall John 13:31-38:31 When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him right away. 33 Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders, ‘Where I am going you cannot come,' now I tell you the same.34 “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? I tell you the solemn truth, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!Notice that Peter's denials are interspersed with Jesus' fearless responses to the high priest. This literary device creates a stark comparison between he who is willing to lay down his life and he who is not. Notice as well that Peter's later restoration (John 21:7-ff) provides hope for all those who have faltered.[The blog post section that follows was not covered during the session and was copied to the following session.]PilateThe Jewish authorities sentence Jesus. Jesus' apostles—most notably Peter—desert him. Then the time comes for the Romans to get involved.The first question we ought to ask is: why? Why must the Romans be involved at all? I have discussed this already, so I will be brief. The Romans depended on delatores—accusers—to bring criminals to justice. These accusers could be individuals or councils, such as the Sanhedrin. In particular, the Sanhedrin was composed of the aristocratic elite of the most important city in Israel. The Roman governor would certainly cooperate with such a group.The Jews deliver Jesus to Pilate “very early in the morning,” probably around 6 am. For Romans, “late morning” in the summer months was before 8 or 9 am. A Roman governor would probably end his public transactions around noon, leaving some time for leisure. In fact, Romans rarely slept in; doing so could carry the implication of drinking or partying the night before.When the Jews deliver Jesus, they avoid entering into the “governor's residence”—the praetorium. There is some debate whether the praetorium was Fortress Antonia, adjoining the temple courts, or the old palace of Herod the Great. The lavishness of Herod's old palace, which would have been preferred by a Roman governor, along with confirmation from other ancient writings seem to support the latter alternative. Either way, why did the Jews not enter the praetorium? Because houses of non-Jews were ritually impure and entering them would render a Jew impure as well, keeping him from fully participating in the Passover festivities. This concern for ritual purity serves as evidence of the aristocrats' hypocrisy: they spent the night ignoring the weightier matters of the law, such as justice and fairness, to then show concern for more superficial rituals. Recall Matthew 23:23-24:“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!Notice Pilate's attitude. From Josephus' writings (an ancient Jewish historian) we know that originally Pilate was quite unsympathetic towards the Jewish customs. In John, we find a Pilate much more willing to avoid unnecessary friction. He comes out to meet the Jewish elite, accommodating of the fact that they could not enter the home. However, Pilate also shows some annoyance with the situation. He asks, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” The response is, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” If we read between the lines, Pilate's question does not seem like an honest request for information. He seems to be aware of the accusation but remains unconvinced that this is a matter worthy of his involvement. The Jews insist they would not seek audience before Pilate if Jesus was not really a criminal.The Jewish elite finally speak truly when they say, “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” As I explained above, only the Roman governor could order a person killed—particularly by crucifixion. Notice, therefore, that the only way in which Jesus' words could be fulfilled (e.g., “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32) was if the Jews involved the Romans. This was expected, indeed planned, by Jesus.Roman citizens could not be legally crucified, but slaves and provincials could be, generally for rebellion against Rome.Pilate was known for his brutality. He had sometimes executed Jews without trial. The Jewish elite knew that if they wanted Jesus dead, they were asking the right guy. They may have expected no hearing at all, even if Roman law technically required one. But there were politics at play. An overly cruel governor could give rise to revolts by the provincials. In fact, later in his life, Pilate's excessive use of capital punishment cost him his office. We also have other reasons to believe that Pilate may have been trying to be more careful than usual. His patron, Sejanus, was executed in the year 31 AD. If the crucifixion happened in the year 33 AD, then Pilate found himself in a precarious situation with little political support. Even if the crucifixion happened in the year 30 AD (the other widely argued for date), Pilate may have already been feeling the mounting opposition to his patron. Pilate himself was only an equestrian, a class lower than senators. Finally, there is likely some personal animosity at work as well. Pilate had gained some political savvy by this point, but he probably strongly disliked the Jews. Pilate may have been fair to Jesus simply to spite the Jews.Pilate Questions JesusAccording to normal judicial procedure, the accuser spoke first. So, Pilate had to already be aware of the charge of treason when he begins Jesus' interrogation. The question Pilate asks is, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Ain't that the million dollar question! In classic Johannine fashion, this moment drips with irony. Pilate is probably employing sarcasm, perhaps even mockery. But the gospel audience understands that the question is serious—the most important question ever, in fact. Is Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the High Priest, the King, God himself?Notice that Pilate's question is strange in one regard: so far no one has used his exact terminology. Jesus' detractors do not calling him king of the Jews. Jesus himself does not make the claim with those exact words. The title is not even a traditional Christian confession. Christians will call Jesus Messiah, Christ, Lord, or perhaps even King of Israel or King of Kings, but generally not King of the Jews. There is irony in the fact that a Gentile is one to speak with such insight, even if he spoke more than he knew.Jesus' reply plays on the irony of Pilate's question. Jesus retorts, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told you about me?” Allow me to rephrase it as, “Oh, so you can tell? You figured it out on your own or someone told you?” Pilate's response makes perfect sense, “I am not a Jew, am I?” In other words, “How would I know? I am not a Jew.”If up to this point the conversation had a mocking tone, it becomes serious as Pilate asks, “Your own people and your chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” This is a hefty question. Paraphrased, Pilate says, “Your people wish me to have you killed. Why?” There is also some legalese at play here. If a defendant failed to offer a defense, the judge would ask about the charge three times before convicting the defendant by default.Jesus explains that his kingdom is not of this world. He offers a simple proof. If his kingdom were of this world, his followers would be fighting to free Jesus; they would probably be fighting against Jews to establish Jesus as King and fighting against the Romans to liberate Israel. They are not. “As it is,” meaning, “look around, there is no fighting,” Jesus' kingdom is certainly not political. But Jesus does not deny the charge against him. Jesus affirms he has a kingdom: “my kingdom is not from here.” If Jesus were trying to win his trial, this was not a wise move.Pilate picks up on Jesus confession. “So you are a king!” To whatever extent Pilate is following standard trial procedure, notice that this is the third time the charge is brought up to the defendant. The defendant's lack of defense will result in a conviction by default. (Although, perhaps the conversation simply developed this way and the governor is not thinking in terms of legal procedure.) For the last time, Jesus fails to defend himself. “You say that I am a king.” This statement can be taken in a few different ways. Jesus may mean it as, “You say I am king because I am.” As an older commentary puts it, “Thou sayest; for I am a king.” Another alternative is that Jesus bypasses the title and instead affirms the substance of the accusation. Then we could rephrase Jesus response as follows: “Is King the proper title for someone like me? I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me. Does that make me king?” However we interpret Jesus' response, it is not a denial of the charge against him. Jesus may have sealed his fate.Pilate ends the conversation with another million dollar question, “What is truth?” The true tone and intent behind his questions is hard to discern. Maybe Pilate is mocking Jesus' and his commitment to truth. After all, Pilate lived a life of Roman politics and military prowess. Truth? Who cares. Power—that's what really matters. We can almost hear his argument: “Do you think a man is convicted because he is guilty? He is convicted because he is weak. Do you think the powerful escape justice because they are righteous? Don't be naïve! Do you think only the wicked are conquered and enslaved? We conquer devils and saints alike. Do you think the righteous rule the world? The strong rule over all. Do you think that kings speak only truth? If not, go ahead and disagree with them and see what happens. Do you think truth matters at all? Don't be a child.”Maybe Pilate means his question earnestly. The other gospels tell us that Pilate knew Jesus to be innocent. Moreover, Pilate's wife had received a vision confirming Jesus was blameless and should not be convicted.So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?” (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.) As he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream about him today.” Matthew 27:17-19We can imagine a corrupt ruler of a corrupt nation being asked by a corrupt ruling council to brutally crucify a man he knows to be innocent and asking himself: “What is truth? Is there anything worth fighting for? Anything worth sacrificing for? If so, what is that truth? Where does it come from?” These could be the questions of a wicked man who is beginning to see that what is right and wrong is not simply a matter of power.Pilate Attempts to Release JesusPilate finds no (legal) fault in Jesus and attempts to release him. Pilate follows a custom of releasing one prisoner during Passover (as scholars call it, the “paschal amnesty custom”). A Roman governor was free to issue amnesties. We have record of Romans sometimes releasing prisoner en masse on local feasts. During their own festivities, Romans usually delayed punishments. So, the custom described in John would not have seemed odd in the ancient world.Pilate gives the Jewish people a choice: Jesus or Barabbas? To Pilate's surprise, the people exclaim: “Barabbas!” There is irony upon irony here. Jesus was accused of being a revolutionary but found to be innocent. Barabbas was an actual revolutionary! Technically, the word used in verse 40 is “robber,” but that was a euphemism for revolutionary. As the NET's translators' note 118 explains:Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lēstēs) in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. Moreover, the Jewish leaders allegedly acted against Jesus to prevent a revolution that could destroy Israel. John 11:49-50:Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”Yet, they requested the release of the very type of person who would bring demise to the nation just 40 years later.

Jesus the Christ Various passages December 11, 2022      Introduction:At the time of Jesus birth, every Jew's hope was wrapped up in the one they called the Messiah, the one who was coming to be a forever king who would reign forever over a forever kingdom.The New Testament translates that Hebrew word into Greek with the word “Christ”  Read John 1:40-41  So simply the Messiah or Christ is synonymous for the King of Israel.  Read Matthew 2:1-4 Show them that “King of the Jews” in v2 is equivalent to “Christ” in v4.  They were waiting and hoping for this Messiah/ Christ/ King because they were under the rule of Rome and they longed for the day when the Christ would come to set them free from Rome and set up God's kingdom here on earth. When we think of the rest of the story of Christmas, we need to understand that Jesus was not just born to die, but he came to present himself as the King over both Israel and the whole world. Their expectations and hopes were shaped by what they knew about him from the Old Testament – summarizeHe would be God himself (Isaiah 5:7; 9:6-7; 24:23; Micah 4:7; Zechariah 14:9,16-17) who would dwell in their midst as a victorious warrior (Zephaniah 3:15-17; Zechariah 2:7-10) judging the nations (Psalm 110:5-6; Isaiah 42:1; 63:1-6; Zechariah 14:1-3,12-15;) and saving Israel so that they dwell in safety forever (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 14:11). One from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:10) and the line of David (2 Samuel 7:12-19; Psalm 132:11), who would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and preceded by a messenger who would prepare the way before him (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3;1).   He would enter into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) to be their  king forever ( 2 Samuel 7:16; Daniel 7:14; Isaiah 9:6-7),  over God's kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:16; Daniel 2: 44; 7:14 ), ruling over all the world (Psalm 2:4-12; Psalm 110:1-3; Isaiah 2:2-4; Daniel 7:14;  Zechariah 9:9-10; 14:9-10) from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-3; 24:23) after he enters through the east gate of the temple to set up his throne there (Ezekiel 43:1-7).   He would be anointed by the Spirit of God to be the King (Isaiah 11:1-5), a priest (1 Samuel 2:35; psalm 110:4) and a prophet like Moses in whose mouth God himself would put his words (Deuteronomy 18:15:18).  A prophet who would preach good news to the broken and imprisoned (Isaiah 61:1-2).  He would be the good and faithful shepherd who will care for them (Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-16) and supernaturally heal their infirmities (Isaiah 35:4-6). Therefore, this is what would have been in the mind of a Jew at the coming of Christ based on what they knew from the Old Testament.   Now we need to know that …   Jesus born to be KingBefore he was born Jesus was King– John tells us in John 12:41 that when Isaiah saw that great vision of the glory of God sitting on the throne in Isaiah 6, that is was Jesus whom he saw.    At his birth, the angels announced that Jesus was a king, the Magi affirmed it and King Herod even tried to kill baby Jesus because he knew he was the King of the Jews! The whole book of Matthew was written to prove Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the King of Israel they were all waiting for.       During Jesus' life he claimed to be the Messiah/ Christ/ King In Luke 4 - when Jesus began his ministry, he read in the synagogue a passage of Scripture about the Messiah from Isaiah 61.  Then he said this, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  They understood clearly that Jesus was proclaiming himself to be the Messiah and the people were so angry they threw him out of the city and tried to kill him In John 4 – the Samaritan woman said to Jesus “I know that the Messiah is coming and when he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her “I, who speak to you, am he.” In Matthew 16 when Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus told him that this was a supernatural revelation that the Father opened up to Peter! At the triumphal entryMatthew said that it was to fulfill the prophecy of Israel's king coming to them  The crowds recognized and affirmed him as King as they cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David” and “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” In Matthew 26 - we saw that the high priest asked Jesus directly, “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?” Paraphrased for us that is, “Are you the coming king, are you God himself?”  When Jesus said he was; the high priest accused him of blasphemy and condemned him to death. In John 18 Pilate asked Jesus directly, “Are you the King of the Jews?” After a little discussion about this, listen to how the conversation closed.  Read John 18:37  So here is the rest of the story of Christmas, Jesus was born to be a king and keeping things in context – that is the truth he came to bear witness of, the truth that he is a king! Finally, when the charges were put above the cross for the reason for his death it said – “the King of the Jews” The Pharisees wanted it to say, “He said he was” the King of the Jews  But Pilate insisted it stay as the King of the Jews  Jesus not only came to present himself as King and we are not only waiting for him to come back to be the king in the millennial kingdom but Jesus always was, is and will be King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords!   So what does that mean for you and me this Christmas Application Simply a king is the one who has the right to rule, he has the right to direct, order, command.  He has the highest rank and superior status over everyone and everything in his kingdom. He is preeminent and has first place over everyone and everything in his kingdom.  It is what we sometimes refer to the lordship of Christ.  While our response to him, as Savior is to trust him, our response to him, as Lord is to obey him.    Luke 6:46  When we think of a king, we think of King Charles!  He is really distant from the details of people's lives and his decisions make an impact but in a very general way.  So when we think of Jesus as King we often think of him reigning from a distance over the world or for some even in the future when he returns. But Jesus is an up-close kind of king, who is reigning right now over with the intimate details of his people's lives!  Turn to Colossians 1.  Read v16-18 All things created through and for him! First place in everything!ESV – preeminent  Web - before all others in importance, having paramount rank MSG – towering far above everything, everyone! Amplified explains this as he will stand supreme and be preeminent in everything! That sounds like a king to me, an up-close king over everyone and every detail of their lives! Implications for you and me this Christmas is that Jesus was not only born to be King over Israel and the whole world in the future but also born to be our King, our Lord who has first place over everything in our lives right now.    So does Jesus have first place in everything in your life?   Is he ruling and directing your life from the throne of your life, or are you sitting on that throne of your life, ruling and directing your own way? Let me do a quick check up like your primary care pastor!  Heart Affections – is Jesus truly the top love and delight of your heart or is some local sports team, political party, or reaching some achievement or position, or certain pleasures I have become addicted to, or certain things you want to get? Motives so as to do everything in life to the glory of God,  Choices you make consistent with the choices Jesus would make if he were in your shoes – by the way he may not be in your shoes but he is in your heart,  HeadThought life so as to focus upon that which is true and pure,  TongueWords you speak to others so as to build them up, encourage them and point them to Jesus,  AssetsPossessions – am I stewarding everything I have as one who is managing what God really owns or do I treat it as my own, doing whatever I want with it? Money – am I honoring God with the first fruits of my money by giving that to him and am I using all my money under his direction for his glory,  Relationships – Am I connecting deeply with other believers to support one another in our walk with Jesus or am I being influenced primarily by those who do not know God so as to forget that bad company corrupts good morals, etc.  Jesus/Christmas - does Jesus have first place this year in your Christmas plans, your family gatherings, your decorations, your gift giving, your music, your conversations with your kids and friends about Christmas?  Let me ask you this – What is that still small voice of the Spirit speaking to your heart this morning? Even more importantly now – what specific thing or things are you going to do in response to what he is speaking to you about? Take a moment to consider those two questions  

My Good School Season 9, Episode 8. Quality is defined as the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something. But why is it important? Tune in to discover the enigma of quality. Join Anvesha and Simar as they are back with a podcast this month. We welcome you to My Good School Show Episode 9, where passion meets education, and it is quality this time. Tune into this fruitful conversation where our friend Arav unfurls his stories. Join us in the celebration of Quality at My Good School and make it even more fun! Paraphrased from The Little Book Of Values by Julie Duckworth Quality • noun (pl. qualities) 1 the degree of excellence of something as measured against other similar things. 2 general distinctions. Three distinctive attributes or characteristics. Children say Quality is: • Working together to get quality work in your books • Making sure you've got a great team • Achieving quality can make yourself and others feel good inside • It's about not giving up on yourself; you need to believe that you can do it • You need quality to care for the world • Your teachers want you to have high standards and quality work. They plan good lessons so you can always do your best • If we think we can, we will do well. We say in our heads and out loud, ‘I can and I will'. Our thoughts need to be of high quality; there is no room for negative words • We need friends of good quality in our lives. The sort of friends who will stand by you when everything is down. Comment below and let us know if you liked our podcast; if you want to be a part of similar podcasts, join us. Anvesha and Simar - Gyanshree School, Noida Arav Agarwal - Billabong High International School, Thane Enjoy our shows on www.DilJeeto.com. You will love the stories our students, teachers, and passionate educators share. Please find out more about My Good School at www.MyGoodSchool.in. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/learningforward/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/learningforward/support

In this episode Ariel talks about the power of choice and how shifting our perception can shift our results. She also gives you tools and ideas for how to do this. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on 6/24/22 overturning Roe v. Wade and ending 50 years of a woman's right to decide if she wants an abortion or not. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/24/roe-v-wade-overturned-by-supreme-court-ending-federal-abortion-rights.html  The Supreme Court decision: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf   "When a door closes, a window opens." Paraphrased from Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone. “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” John C. Maxwell  From < https://thegoalchaser.com/quotes-about-making-choices/ > "People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan." John J. Beckley Ruth Werner's Course Offerings: http://ruthwerner.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ruth-Werner-Course-Offerings-2022-1.pdf  The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference , by Malcolm Gladwell. "Revisionist History," Malcolm Gladwell's podcast "The Art of Self-Reinvention"on The Chase Jarvis Live Show, The ability to choose what you want to be in this world, an interview with Malcolm Gladwell and they also discuss Paul Simon (Miracle and Wonder) Malcolm Gladwell: The Art of Self-Reinvention Magical thinking: When we associate two totally different things because we think they have something in common, like Jay likes basketball and Maria likes basketball, so Jay and Maria are destined to fall in love.  It can sound a bit outrageous or silly when said out loud. Reframing: Reframing is an act using the Power of Choice to relate to an experience and take back our power, boost self-esteem, and release loss and humiliation.   KEY TAKEAWAYS We need to talk about the power of choice and how it's being stripped away from women, from the recent Supreme Court decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organisation and how it's taking away women's power of choice over their bodies. If you don't like this, you can make a difference by voting in the elections this fall. Your choice this fall will affect women for decades to come, voting is important.  A long time ago, when I was experiencing something really negative in my life, the guidance I was getting when I was meditating was: If you don't like the choices you've made and the results from those choices, choose something else. I use that wisdom a lot. We don't have to judge ourselves for bad choices, we can just recognise the patterns that went into making those, acknowledge them and move on to something else. Good choices usually come from or create positive habits that generate the kind of results we're looking for. Some good choices that people talk about with me are positive self-care habits, active care and attention to people they care about, an engaged and positive relationship with money, an active spiritual life, having a purpose, being consistently creative, taking action when something is not working and a loving and positive relationship with self – that's really important.   BEST MOMENTS “Sometimes we learn quite a bit by experiencing things we don't want, sometimes this lets us gain clarity about what we do want.” “When we don't plan, we don't have an outcome or a path chosen for our life, we're not living a purpose driven life and we usually don't experience as much happiness. Planning is really important.” “Can we use the power of choice to change how we experience and perceive the past and how we experience and perceive negative experiences? We can clear the impact of prior hurt and pain and our reactions to it by shifting how we think and feel about it and how our brain makes associations about the past.” “Over time, when we make good choices – choosing positive habits – and we apply those habits consistently over time, we create positive results.”   ABOUT THE HOST Ariel is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master, Empath and Psychic who has been involved in holistic healing since 1988. She is also an educator, speaker, author and mentor for empaths, spiritual seekers and medical professionals. To reach Ariel, go to www.arielhubbard.com, where you will be able to contact her directly.  Please let her know you heard her on the podcast and the assistance you need or question you have. Website: www.arielhubbard.com  Online Courses: http://hubbardeducationgroup.myclick4course.com  Podcast: Woman Power Zone on all major platforms LinkedIn: @arielhubbard IG: @arielhubbard Facebook: @HubbardEducationGroup YT: @arielhubbard11 CH: @arielhubbard  Pinterest:   https://pin.it/6Z6RozS  Pre-order form for Ariel's educational, hilarious and spicy dating book:  The Empowered Woman's Guide to Online Dating: Set Your BS Tolerance to Zero https://eworder.replynow.ontraport.net/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acts 1:1-11

Episode one hundred and forty-eight of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Light My Fire" by the Doors, the history of cool jazz, and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "My Friend Jack" by the Smoke. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources As usual, I've put together a Mixcloud mix containing all the music excerpted in this episode and the shorter spoken-word tracks. Information on Dick Bock, World Pacific, and Ravi Shankar came from Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar by Oliver Craske. Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger have all released autobiographies. Densmore's is out of print, but I referred to Manzarek's and Krieger's here. Of the two Krieger's is vastly more reliable. I also used Mick Wall's book on the Doors and Stephen Davis' biography of Jim Morrison. Information about Elektra Records came from Follow the Music by Jac Holzman and Gavan Daws, which is available as a free PDF download on Elektra's website. Biographical information on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi comes from this book, written by one of his followers. The Doors' complete studio albums can be bought as MP3s for £14. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript There are two big problems that arise for anyone trying to get an accurate picture of history, and which have certainly arisen for me during the course of this podcast -- things which make sources unreliable enough that you feel you have to caveat everything you say on a subject. One of those is hagiography, and the converse desire to tear heroes down. No matter what one wants to say on, say, the subjects of Jesus or Mohammed or Joseph Smith, the only sources we have for their lives are written either by people who want to present them as unblemished paragons of virtue, or by people who want to destroy that portrayal -- we know that any source is written by someone with a bias, and it might be a bias we agree with, but it's still a bias. The other, related, problem, is deliberate disinformation. This comes up especially for people dealing with military history -- during conflicts, governments obviously don't want their opponents to know when their attacks have caused damage, or to know what their own plans are, and after a war has concluded the belligerent parties want to cover up their own mistakes and war crimes. We're sadly seeing that at the moment in the situation in Ukraine -- depending on one's media diet, one could get radically different ideas of what is actually going on in that terrible conflict. But it happens all the time, in all wars, and on all sides. Take the Vietnam War. While the US was involved on the side of the South Vietnamese government from the start of that conflict, it was in a very minor way, mostly just providing supplies and training. Most historians look at the real start of US involvement in that war as having been in August 1964. President Johnson had been wanting, since assuming the Presidency in November 1963 after the death of John F Kennedy, to get further into the war, but had needed an excuse to do so. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident provided him with that excuse. On August the second, a fleet of US warships entered into what the North Vietnamese considered their territorial waters -- they used a different distance from shore to mark their territorial waters than most other countries used, and one which wasn't generally accepted, but which they considered important. Because of this, some North Vietnamese ships started following the American ones. The American ships, who thought they weren't doing anything wrong, set off what they considered to be warning shots, and the North Vietnamese ships fired back, which to the American ships was considered them attacking. Some fire was exchanged, but not much happened. Two days later, the American ships believed they were getting attacked again, and spent several hours firing at what they believed were North Vietnamese submarines. It was later revealed that this was just the American sonar systems playing up, and that they were almost certainly firing at nothing at all, and some even suspected that at the time -- President Johnson apparently told other people in confidence that in his opinion they'd been firing at stray dolphins. But that second "attack", however flimsy the evidence, was enough that Johnson could tell Congress and the nation that an American fleet had been attacked by the North Vietnamese, and use that as justification to get Congress to authorise him sending huge numbers of troops to Vietnam, and getting America thoroughly embroiled in a war that would cost innumerable lives and billions of dollars for what turned out to be no benefit at all to anyone. The commander of the US fleet involved in the Gulf of Tonkin operation was then-Captain, later Rear Admiral, Steve Morrison: [Excerpt: The Doors, "The End"] We've talked a bit in this podcast previously about the development of jazz in the forties, fifties, and early sixties -- there was a lot of back and forth influence in those days between jazz, blues, R&B, country, and rock and roll, far more than one might imagine looking at the popular histories of these genres, and so we've looked at swing, bebop, and modal jazz before now. But one style of music we haven't touched on is the type that was arguably the most popular and influential style of jazz in the fifties, even though we've mentioned several of the people involved in it. We've never yet had a proper look at Cool Jazz. Cool Jazz, as its name suggests, is a style of music that was more laid back than the more frenetic bebop or hard-edged modal jazz. It was a style that sounded sophisticated, that sounded relaxed, that prized melody and melodic invention over super-fast technical wizardry, and that produced much of what we now think of when we think of "jazz" as a popular style of music. The records of Dave Brubeck, for example, arguably the most popular fifties jazz musician, are very much in the "cool jazz" mode: [Excerpt: The Dave Brubeck Quartet, "Take Five"] And we have mentioned on several occasions the Modern Jazz Quartet, who were cited as influences by everyone from Ray Charles to the Kinks to the Modern Folk Quartet: [Excerpt: The Modern Jazz Quartet, "Regret?"] We have also occasionally mentioned people like Mose Allison, who occasionally worked in the Cool Jazz mode. But we've never really looked at it as a unified thing. Cool Jazz, like several of the other developments in jazz we've looked at, owes its existence to the work of the trumpeter Miles Davis, who was one of the early greats of bop and who later pioneered modal jazz. In 1948, in between his bop and modal periods, Davis put together a short-lived nine-piece group, the Miles Davis Nonette, who performed together for a couple of weeks in late 1948, and who recorded three sessions in 1949 and 1950, but who otherwise didn't perform much. Each of those sessions had a slightly different lineup, but key people involved in the recordings were Davis himself, arranger Gil Evans, piano player John Lewis, who would later go on to become the leader of the Modern Jazz Quartet, and baritone sax player Gerry Mulligan. Mulligan and Evans, and the group's alto player Lee Konitz, had all been working for the big band Claude Thornhill and his Orchestra, a band which along with the conventional swing instruments also had a French horn player and a tuba player, and which had recorded soft, mellow, relaxing music: [Excerpt: Claude Thornhill and his Orchestra, "To Each His Own"] The Davis Nonette also included French horn and tuba, and was explicitly modelled on Thornhill's style, but in a stripped-down version. They used the style of playing that Thornhill preferred, with no vibrato, and with his emphasis on unison playing, with different instruments doubling each other playing the melody, rather than call-and response riffing: [Excerpt: The Miles Davis Nonette, "Venus De Milo"] Those recordings were released as singles in 1949 and 1950, and were later reissued in 1957 as an album titled "Birth of the Cool", by which point Cool Jazz had become an established style, though Davis himself had long since moved on in other musical directions. After the Birth of the Cool sessions, Gerry Mulligan had recorded an album as a bandleader himself, and then had moved to the West Coast, where he'd started writing arrangements for Stan Kenton, one of the more progressive big band leaders of the period: [Excerpt: Stan Kenton, "Young Blood"] While working for Kenton, Mulligan had started playing dates at a club called the Haig, where the headliner was the vibraphone player Red Norvo. While Norvo had started out as a big-band musician, playing with people like Benny Goodman, he had recently started working in a trio, with just a guitarist, initially Tal Farlowe, and bass player, initially Charles Mingus: [Excerpt: Red Norvo, "This Can't Be Love"] By 1952 Mingus had left Norvo's group, but they were still using the trio format, and that meant there was no piano at the venue, which meant that Mulligan had to form a band that didn't rely on the chordal structures that a piano would provide -- the idea of a group with a rhythm section that *didn't* have a piano was quite an innovation in jazz at this time, and freeing themselves from that standard instrument ended up opening up extra possibilities. His group consisted of himself on saxophone, Chet Baker on trumpet, Bob Whitlock on bass and Chico Hamilton on drums. They made music in much the same loose, casual, style as the recordings Mulligan had made with Davis, but in a much smaller group with the emphasis being on the interplay between Mulligan and Baker. And this group were the first group to record on a new label, Pacific Jazz, founded by Dick Bock. Bock had served in the Navy during World War II, and had come back from the South Pacific with two tastes -- a taste for hashish, and for music that was outside the conventional American pop mould. Bock *loved* the Mulligan Quartet, and in partnership with his friend Roy Harte, a notable jazz drummer, he raised three hundred and fifty dollars to record the first album by Mulligan's new group: [Excerpt: Gerry Mulligan Quartet, "Aren't You Glad You're You?"] Pacific Jazz, the label Bock and Harte founded, soon became *the* dominant label for Cool Jazz, which also became known as the West Coast Sound.  The early releases on the label were almost entirely by the Mulligan Quartet, released either under Mulligan's name, as by Chet Baker, or as "Lee Konitz and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet" when Mulligan's old bandmate Konitz joined them. These records became big hits, at least in the world of jazz. But both Mulligan and Baker were heroin addicts, and in 1953 Mulligan got arrested and spent six months in prison. And while he was there, Chet Baker made some recordings in his own right and became a bona fide star. Not only was Baker a great jazz trumpet player, he was also very good looking, and it turned out he could sing too. The Mulligan group had made the song "My Funny Valentine" one of the highlights of its live shows, with Baker taking a trumpet solo: [Excerpt: Gerry Mulligan Quartet, "My Funny Valentine"] But when Baker recorded a vocal version, for his album Chet Baker Sings, it made Baker famous: [Excerpt: Chet Baker, "My Funny Valentine"] When Mulligan got out of prison, he wanted to rehire Baker, but Baker was now topping the popularity polls in all the jazz magazines, and was the biggest breakout jazz star of the early fifties. But Mulligan formed a new group, and this just meant that Pacific Jazz had *two* of the biggest acts in jazz on its books now, rather than just one. But while Bock loved jazz, he was also fascinated by other kinds of music, and while he was in New York at the beginning of 1956 he was invited by his friend George Avakian, a producer who had worked with Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and others, to come and see a performance by an Indian musician he was working with. Avakian was just about to produce Ravi Shankar's first American album, The Sounds of India, for Columbia Records. But Columbia didn't think that there was much of a market for Shankar's music -- they were putting it out as a speciality release rather than something that would appeal to the general public -- and so they were happy for Bock to sign Shankar to his own label. Bock renamed the company World Pacific, to signify that it was now going to be putting out music from all over the world, not just jazz, though he kept the Pacific Jazz label for its jazz releases, and he produced Shankar's next album,  India's Master Musician: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Raga Charu Keshi"] Most of Shankar's recordings for the next decade would be produced by Bock, and Bock would also try to find ways to combine Shankar's music with jazz, though Shankar tried to keep a distinction between the two. But for example on Shankar's next album for World Pacific, Improvisations and Theme from Pather Panchali, he was joined by a group of West Coast jazz musicians including Bud Shank (who we'll hear about again in a future episode) on flute: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Improvisation on the Theme From Pather Panchali"] But World Pacific weren't just putting out music. They also put out spoken-word records. Some of those were things that would appeal to their jazz audience, like the comedy of Lord Buckley: [Excerpt: Lord Buckley, "Willy the Shake"] But they also put out spoken-word albums that appealed to Bock's interest in spirituality and philosophy, like an album by Gerald Heard. Heard had previously written the liner notes for Chet Baker Sings!, but as well as being a jazz fan Heard was very connected in the world of the arts -- he was a very close friend with Aldous Huxley -- and was also interested in various forms of non-Western spirituality. He practiced yoga, and was also fascinated by Buddhism, Vedanta, and Taoism: [Excerpt: Gerald Heard, "Paraphrased from the Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu"] We've come across Heard before, in passing, in the episode on "Tomorrow Never Knows", when Ralph Mentzner said of his experiments with Timothy Leary and Ram Dass "At the suggestion of Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard we began using the Bardo Thödol ( Tibetan Book of the Dead) as a guide to psychedelic sessions" -- Heard was friends with both Huxley and Humphrey Osmond, and in fact had been invited by them to take part in the mescaline trip that Huxley wrote about in his book The Doors of Perception, the book that popularised psychedelic drug use, though Heard was unable to attend at that time. Heard was a huge influence on the early psychedelic movement -- though he always advised Leary and his associates not to be so public with their advocacy, and just to keep it to a small enlightened circle rather than risk the wrath of the establishment -- and he's cited by almost everyone in Leary's circle as having been the person who, more than anything else, inspired them to investigate both psychedelic drugs and mysticism. He's the person who connected Bill W. of Alcoholics Anonymous with Osmond and got him advocating LSD use. It was Heard's books that made Huston Smith, the great scholar of comparative religions and associate of Leary, interested in mysticism and religions outside his own Christianity, and Heard was one of the people who gave Leary advice during his early experiments. So it's not surprising that Bock also became interested in Leary's ideas before they became mainstream. Indeed, in 1964 he got Shankar to do the music for a short film based on The Psychedelic Experience, which Shankar did as a favour for his friend even though Shankar didn't approve of drug use. The film won an award in 1965, but quickly disappeared from circulation as its ideas were too controversial: [Excerpt: The Psychedelic Experience (film)] And Heard introduced Bock to other ideas around philosophy and non-Western religions. In particular, Bock became an advocate for a little-known Hindu mystic who had visited the US in 1959 teaching a new style of meditation which he called Transcendental Meditation. A lot is unclear about the early life of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, even his birth name -- both "Maharishi" and "Yogi" are honorifics rather than names as such, though he later took on both as part of his official name, and in this and future episodes I'll refer to him as "the Maharishi". What we do know is that he was born in India, and had attained a degree in physics before going off to study with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, a teacher of the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism. Now, I am not a Hindu, and only have a passing knowledge of Hindu theology and traditions, and from what I can gather getting a proper understanding requires a level of cultural understanding I don't have, and in particular a knowledge of the Sanskrit language, so my deepest apologies for any mangling I do of these beliefs in trying to talk about them as they pertain to mid-sixties psychedelic rock. I hope my ignorance is forgivable, and seen as what it is rather than malice. But the teachings of this school as I understand them seem to centre around an idea of non-separation -- that God is in all things, and is all things, and that there is no separation between different things, and that you merely have to gain a deep realisation of this. The Maharishi later encapsulated this in the phrase "I am that, thou art that, all this is that", which much later the Beach Boys, several of whom were followers of the Maharishi, would turn into a song: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "All This is That"] The other phrase they're singing there, "Jai Guru Dev" is also a phrase from the Maharishi, and refers to his teacher Brahmananda Saraswati -- it means "all hail the divine teacher" or "glory to the heavenly one", and "guru dev" or "guru deva" was the name the Maharishi would use for Saraswati after his death, as the Maharishi believed that Saraswati was an actual incarnation of God. It's that phrase that John Lennon is singing in "Across the Universe" as well, another song later inspired by the Maharishi's teachings: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Across the Universe"] The Maharishi became, by his own account, Saraswati's closest disciple, advisor, and right-hand man, and was privy to his innermost thoughts. However, on Saraswati's death the leadership of the monastery he led became deeply contested, with two different rivals to the position, and the Maharishi was neither -- the rules of the monastery said that only people born into the Brahmin caste could reach the highest positions in the monastery's structure, and the Maharishi was not a Brahmin. So instead of remaining in the monastery, the Maharishi went out into the world to teach a new form of meditation which he claimed he had learned from Guru Dev, a technique which became known as transcendental meditation. The Maharishi would, for the rest of his life, always claim that the system he taught was Guru Dev's teaching for the world, not his own, though the other people who had been at the monastery with him said different things about what Saraswati had taught -- but of course it's perfectly possible for a spiritual leader to have had multiple ideas and given different people different tasks. The crucial thing about the Maharishi's teaching, the way it differed from everything else in the history of Hindu monasticism (as best I understand this) is that all previous teachers of meditation had taught that to get the benefit of the techniques one had to be a renunciate -- you should go off and become a monk and give up all worldly pleasures and devote your life to prayer and meditation. Traditionally, Hinduism has taught that there are four stages of life -- the student, the householder or married person with a family, the retired person, and the Sanyasi, or renunciate, but that you could skip straight from being a student to being a Sanyasi and spend your life as a monk. The Maharishi, though, said: "Obviously enough there are two ways of life: the way of the Sanyasi and the way of life of a householder. One is quite opposed to the other. A Sanyasi renounces everything of the world, whereas a householder needs and accumulates everything. The one realises, through renunciation and detachment, while the other goes through all attachments and accumulation of all that is needed for physical life." What the Maharishi taught was that there are some people who achieve the greatest state of happiness by giving up all the pleasures of the senses, eating the plainest possible food, having no sexual, familial, or romantic connections with anyone else, and having no possessions, while there are other people who achieve the greatest state of happiness by being really rich and having a lot of nice stuff and loads of friends and generally enjoying the pleasures of the flesh -- and that just as there are types of meditation that can help the first group reach enlightenment, there are also types of meditation that will fit into the latter kind of lifestyle, and will help those people reach oneness with God but without having to give up their cars and houses and money. And indeed, he taught that by following his teachings you could get *more* of those worldly pleasures. All you had to do, according to his teaching, was to sit still for fifteen to twenty minutes, twice a day, and concentrate on a single Sanskrit word or phrase, a mantra, which you would be given after going through a short course of teaching. There was nothing else to it, and you would eventually reach the same levels of enlightenment as the ascetics who spent seventy years living in a cave and eating only rice -- and you'd end up richer, too. The appeal of this particular school is, of course, immediately apparent, and Bock became a big advocate of the Maharishi, and put out three albums of his lectures: [Excerpt: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, "Deep Meditation"] Bock even met his second wife at one of the Maharishi's lectures, in 1961. In the early sixties, World Pacific got bought up by Liberty Records, the label for which Jan and Dean and others recorded, but Bock remained in charge of the label, and expanded it, adding another subsidiary, Aura Records, to put out rock and roll singles. Aura was much less successful than the other World Pacific labels. The first record the label put out was a girl-group record, "Shooby Dooby", by the Lewis Sisters, two jazz-singing white schoolteachers from Michigan who would later go on to have a brief career at Motown: [Excerpt: The Lewis Sisters, "Shooby Dooby"] The most successful act that Aura ever had was Sonny Knight, an R&B singer who had had a top twenty hit in 1956 with "Confidential", a song he'd recorded on Specialty Records with Bumps Blackwell, and which had been written by Dorinda Morgan: [Excerpt: Sonny Knight, "Confidential"] But Knight's biggest hit on Aura, "If You Want This Love", only made number seventy-one on the pop charts: [Excerpt: Sonny Knight, "If You Want This Love"] Knight would later go on to write a novel, The Day the Music Died, which Greil Marcus described as "the bitterest book ever written about how rock'n'roll came to be and what it turned into". Marcus said it was about "how a rich version of American black culture is transformed into a horrible, enormously profitable white parody of itself: as white labels sign black artists only to ensure their oblivion and keep those blacks they can't control penned up in the ghetto of the black charts; as white America, faced with something good, responds with a poison that will ultimately ruin even honest men". Given that Knight was the artist who did the *best* out of Aura Records, that says a great deal about the label. But one of the bands that Aura signed, who did absolutely nothing on the charts, was a group called Rick and the Ravens, led by a singer called Screamin' Ray Daniels. They were an LA club band who played a mixture of the surf music which the audiences wanted and covers of blues songs which Daniels preferred to sing. They put out two singles on Aura, "Henrietta": [Excerpt: Rick and the Ravens, "Henrietta"] and "Soul Train": [Excerpt: Rick and the Ravens, "Soul Train"] Ray Daniels was a stage name -- his birth name was Ray Manzarek, and he would later return to that name -- and the core of the band was Ray on vocals and his brothers Rick on guitar and Jim on harmonica. Manzarek thought of himself as a pretty decent singer, but they were just a bar band, and music wasn't really his ideal career.  Manzarek had been sent to college by his solidly lower-middle-class Chicago family in the hope that he would become a lawyer, but after getting a degree in economics and a brief stint in the army, which he'd signed up for to avoid getting drafted in the same way people like Dean Torrence did, he'd gone off to UCLA to study film, with the intention of becoming a filmmaker. His family had followed him to California, and he'd joined his brothers' band as a way of making a little extra money on the side, rather than as a way to become a serious musician. Manzarek liked the blues songs they performed, and wasn't particularly keen on the surf music, but thought it was OK. What he really liked, though, was jazz -- he was a particular fan of McCoy Tyner, the pianist on all the great John Coltrane records: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "My Favorite Things"] Manzarek was a piano player himself, though he didn't play much with the Ravens, and he wanted more than anything to be able to play like Tyner, and so when Rick and the Ravens got signed to Aura Records, he of course became friendly with Dick Bock, who had produced so many great jazz records and worked with so many of the greats of the genre. But Manzarek was also having some problems in his life. He'd started taking LSD, which was still legal, and been fascinated by its effects, but worried that he couldn't control them -- he couldn't tell whether he was going to have a good trip or a bad one. He was wondering if there was a way he could have the same kind of revelatory mystical experience but in a more controlled manner. When he mentioned this to Bock, Bock told him that the best method he knew for doing that was transcendental meditation. Bock gave him a copy of one of the Maharishi's albums, and told him to go to a lecture on transcendental meditation, run by the head of the Maharishi's west-coast organisation, as by this point the Maharishi's organisation, known as Spiritual Regeneration, had an international infrastructure, though it was still nowhere near as big as it would soon become. At the lecture, Manzarek got talking to one of the other audience members, a younger man named John Densmore. Densmore had come to the lecture with his friend Robby Krieger, and both had come for the same reason that Manzarek had -- they'd been having bad trips and so had become a little disillusioned with acid. Krieger had been the one who'd heard about transcendental meditation, while he was studying the sitar and sarod at UCLA -- though Krieger would later always say that his real major had been in "not joining the Army". UCLA had one of the few courses in Indian music available in the US at the time, as thanks in part to Bock California had become the centre of American interest in music from India -- so much so that in 1967 Ravi Shankar would open up a branch of his own Kinnara Music School there. (And you can get an idea of how difficult it is to separate fact from fiction when researching this episode that one of the biographies I've used for the Doors says that Krieger heard about the Maharishi while studying at the Kinnara school. As the only branch of the Kinnara school that was open at this point was in Mumbai, it's safe to say that unless Krieger had a *really* long commute he wasn't studying there at this point.) Densmore and Manzarek got talking, and they found that they shared a lot of the same tastes in jazz -- just as Manzarek was a fan of McCoy Tyner, so Densmore was a fan of Elvin Jones, the drummer on those Coltrane records, and they both loved the interplay of the two musicians: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "My Favorite Things"] Manzarek was starting to play a bit more keyboards with the Ravens, and he was also getting annoyed with the Ravens' drummer, who had started missing rehearsals -- he'd turn up only for the shows themselves. He thought it might be an idea to get Densmore to join the group, and Densmore agreed to come along for a rehearsal. That initial rehearsal Densmore attended had Manzarek and his brothers, and may have had a bass player named Patricia Hansen, who was playing with the group from time to time around this point, though she was mostly playing with a different bar band, Patty and the Esquires. But as well as the normal group members, there was someone else there, a friend of Manzarek's from film school named Jim Morrison. Morrison was someone who, by Manzarek's later accounts, had been very close to Manzarek at university, and who Manzarek had regarded as a genius, with a vast knowledge of beat poetry and European art film, but who had been regarded by most of the other students and the lecturers as being a disruptive influence. Morrison had been a fat, asthmatic, introverted kid -- he'd had health problems as a child, including a bout of rheumatic fever which might have weakened his heart, and he'd also been prone to playing the kind of "practical jokes" which can often be a cover for deeper problems. For example, as a child he was apparently fond of playing dead -- lying in the corridors at school and being completely unresponsive for long periods no matter what anyone did to move him, then suddenly getting up and laughing at anyone who had been concerned and telling them it was a joke. Given how frequently Morrison would actually pass out in later life, often after having taken some substance or other, at least one biographer has suggested that he might have had undiagnosed epilepsy (or epilepsy that was diagnosed but which he chose to keep a secret) and have been having absence seizures and covering for them with the jokes. Robby Krieger also says in his own autobiography that he used to have the same doctor as Morrison, and the doctor once made an offhand comment about Morrison having severe health problems, "as if it was common knowledge". His health difficulties, his weight, his introversion, and the experience of moving home constantly as a kid because of his father's career in the Navy, had combined to give him a different attitude to most of his fellow students, and in particular a feeling of rootlessness -- he never owned or even rented his own home in later years, just moving in with friends or girlfriends -- and a lack of sense of his own identity, which would often lead to him making up lies about his life and acting as if he believed them. In particular, he would usually claim to friends that his parents were dead, or that he had no contact with them, even though his family have always said he was in at least semi-regular contact. At university, Morrison had been a big fan of Rick and the Ravens, and had gone to see them perform regularly, but would always disrupt the shows -- he was, by all accounts, a lovely person when sober but an aggressive boor when drunk -- by shouting out for them to play "Louie Louie", a song they didn't include in their sets. Eventually one of Ray's brothers had called his bluff and said they'd play the song, but only if Morrison got up on stage and sang it. He had -- the first time he'd ever performed live -- and had surprised everyone by being quite a good singer. After graduation, Morrison and Manzarek had gone their separate ways, with Morrison saying he was moving to New York. But a few weeks later they'd encountered each other on the beach -- Morrison had decided to stay in LA, and had been staying with a friend, mostly sleeping on the friend's rooftop. He'd been taking so much LSD he'd forgotten to eat for weeks at a time, and had lost a great deal of weight, and Manzarek properly realised for the first time that his friend was actually good-looking. Morrison also told Manzarek that he'd been writing songs -- this was summer 1965, and the Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man", Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", and the Stones' "Satisfaction" had all shown him that there was potential for pop songs to have more interesting lyrical content than "Louie Louie". Manzarek asked him to sing some of the songs he'd been writing, and as Manzarek later put it "he began to sing, not in the booze voice he used at the Turkey Joint, but in a Chet Baker voice". The first song Morrison sang for Ray Manzarek was one of the songs that Rick and the Ravens would rehearse that first time with John Densmore, "Moonlight Drive": [Excerpt: Rick and the Ravens, "Moonlight Drive"] Manzarek invited Morrison to move in with him and his girlfriend. Manzarek seems to have thought of himself as a mentor, a father figure, for Morrison, though whether that's how Morrison thought of him is impossible to say. Manzarek, who had a habit of choosing the myth over the truth, would later claim that he had immediately decided that he and Morrison were going to be a duo and find a whole new set of musicians, but all the evidence points to him just inviting Morrison to join the Ravens as the singer Certainly the first recordings this group made, a series of demos, were under Rick and the Ravens' name, and paid for by Aura Records. They're all of songs written by Morrison, and seem to be sung by Morrison and Manzarek in close harmony throughout. But the demos did not impress the head of Liberty Records, which now owned Aura, and who saw no commercial potential in them, even in one that later became a number one hit when rerecorded a couple of years later: [Excerpt: Rick and the Ravens, "Hello I Love You"] Although to be fair, that song is clearly the work of a beginning songwriter, as Morrison has just taken the riff to "All Day and All of the Night" by the Kinks, and stuck new words to it: [Excerpt: The Kinks, "All Day and All of the Night"] But it seems to have been the lack of success of these demos that convinced Manzarek's brothers and Patricia Hansen to quit the band. According to Manzarek, his brothers were not interested in what they saw as Morrison's pretensions towards poetry, and didn't think this person who seemed shy and introverted in rehearsals but who they otherwise knew as a loud annoying drunk in the audience would make a good frontman. So Rick and the Ravens were down to just Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, and John Densmore, but they continued shopping their demos around, and after being turned down by almost everyone they were signed by Columbia Records, specifically by Billy James, who they liked because he'd written the liner notes to a Byrds album, comparing them to Coltrane, and Manzarek liked the idea of working with an A&R man who knew Coltrane's work, though he wasn't impressed by the Byrds themselves, later writing "The Byrds were country, they didn't have any black in them at all. They couldn't play jazz. Hell, they probably didn't even know anything about jazz. They were folk-rock, for cri-sake. Country music. For whites only." (Ray Manzarek was white). They didn't get an advance from Columbia, but they did get free equipment -- Columbia had just bought Vox, who made amplifiers and musical instruments, and Manzarek in particular was very pleased to have a Vox organ, the same kind that the Animals and the Dave Clark Five used. But they needed a guitarist and a bass player. Manzarek claimed in his autobiography that he was thinking along the lines of a four-piece group even before he met Densmore, and that his thoughts had been "Someone has to be Thumper and someone has to be Les Paul/Chuck Berry by way of Charlie Christian. The guitar player will be a rocker who knows jazz. And the drummer will be a jazzer who can rock. These were my prerequisites. This is what I had to have to make the music I heard in my head." But whatever Manzarek was thinking, there were only two people who auditioned for the role of the guitar player in this new version of the band, both of them friends of Densmore, and in fact two people who had been best friends since high school -- Bill Wolff and Robby Krieger. Wolff and Krieger had both gone to private boarding school -- they had both originally gone to normal state schools, but their parents had independently decided they were bad influences on each other and sent them away to boarding school to get away from each other, but accidentally sent them to the same school -- and had also learned guitar together. They had both loved a record of flamenco guitar called Dos Flamencos by Jaime Grifo and Nino Marvino: [Excerpt: Jaime Grifo and Nino Marvino, "Caracolés"] And they'd decided they were going to become the new Dos Flamencos. They'd also regularly sneaked out of school to go and see a jug band called Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, a band which featured Bob Weir, who was also at their school, along with Jerry Garcia and Pigpen McKernan. Krieger was also a big fan of folk and blues music, especially bluesy folk-revivalists like Spider John Koerner, and was a massive fan of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Krieger and Densmore had known each other before Krieger had been transferred to boarding school, and had met back up at university, where they would hang out together and go to see Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, and other jazz musicians. At this time Krieger had still been a folk and blues purist, but then he went to see Chuck Berry live, mostly because Skip James and Big Mama Thornton were also on the bill, and he had a Damascene conversion -- the next day he went to a music shop and traded in his acoustic for a red Gibson, as close to the one Chuck Berry played as he could find. Wolff, Densmore, Krieger, and piano player Grant Johnson had formed a band called the Psychedelic Rangers, and when the Ravens were looking for a new guitarist, it was natural that they tried the two guitarists from Densmore's other band. Krieger had the advantage over Wolff for two reasons -- one of which was actually partly Wolff's doing. To quote Krieger's autobiography: "A critic once said I had 'the worst hair in rock 'n' roll'. It stung pretty bad, but I can't say they were wrong. I always battled with my naturally frizzy, kinky, Jewfro, so one day my friend Bill Wolff and I experimented with Ultra Sheen, a hair relaxer marketed mainly to Black consumers. The results were remarkable. Wolff, as we all called him, said 'You're starting to look like that jerk Bryan MacLean'". According to Krieger, his new hairdo made him better looking than Wolff, at least until the straightener wore off, and this was one of the two things that made the group choose him over Wolff, who was a better technical player. The other was that Krieger played with a bottleneck, which astonished the other members. If you're unfamiliar with bottleneck playing, it's a common technique in the blues. You tune your guitar to an open chord, and then use a resonant tube -- these days usually a specially-made metal slide that goes on your finger, but for older blues musicians often an actual neck of a bottle, broken off and filed down -- to slide across the strings. Slide guitar is one of the most important styles in blues, especially electric blues, and you can hear it in the playing of greats like Elmore James: [Excerpt: Elmore James, "Dust My Broom"] But while the members of the group all claimed to be blues fans -- Manzarek talks in his autobiography about going to see Muddy Waters in a club in the South Side of Chicago where he and his friends were the only white faces in the audience -- none of them had any idea what bottleneck playing was, and Manzarek was worried when Krieger pulled it out that he was going to use it as a weapon, that being the only association he had with bottle necks. But once Krieger played with it, they were all convinced he had to be their guitarist, and Morrison said he wanted that sound on everything. Krieger joining seems to have changed the dynamic of the band enormously. Both Morrison and Densmore would independently refer to Krieger as their best friend in the band -- Manzarek said that having a best friend was a childish idea and he didn't have one. But where before this had been Manzarek's band with Morrison as the singer, it quickly became a band centred around the creative collaboration between Krieger and Morrison. Krieger seems to have been too likeable for Manzarek to dislike him, and indeed seems to have been the peacemaker in the band on many occasions, but Manzarek soon grew to resent Densmore, seemingly as the closeness he had felt to Morrison started to diminish, especially after Morrison moved out of Manzarek's house, apparently because Manzarek was starting to remind him of his father. The group soon changed their name from the Ravens to one inspired by Morrison's reading. Aldous Huxley's book on psychedelic drugs had been titled The Doors of Perception, and that title had in turn come from a quote from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by the great mystic poet and artist William Blake, who had written "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern" (Incidentally, in one of those weird coincidences that I like to note when they come up, Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell had also inspired the book The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, about the divorce of heaven and hell, and both Lewis and Huxley died on the same date, the twenty-second of November 1963, the same day John F. Kennedy died). Morrison decided that he wanted to rename the group The Doors, although none of the other group members were particularly keen on the idea -- Krieger said that he thought they should name the group Perception instead. Initially the group rehearsed only songs written by Morrison, along with a few cover versions. They worked up a version of Willie Dixon's "Back Door Man", originally recorded by Howlin' Wolf: [Excerpt: Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man"] And a version of "Alabama Song", a song written by Bertholt Brecht and Kurt Weill, from the opera The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, with English language lyrics by  Elisabeth Hauptmann. That song had originally been recorded by Lotte Lenya, and it was her version that the group based their version on, at the suggestion of Manzarek's girlfriend: [Excerpt: Lotte Lenya, "Alabama Song"] Though it's likely given their tastes in jazz that they were also aware of a recent recording of the song by Eric Dolphy and John Lewis: [Excerpt: Eric Dolphy and John Lewis, "Alabama Song"] But Morrison started to get a little dissatisfied with the fact that he was writing all the group's original material at this point, and he started to put pressure on the others to bring in songs. One of the first things they had agreed was that all band members would get equal credit and shares of the songwriting, so that nobody would have an incentive to push their own mediocre song at the expense of someone else's great one, but Morrison did want the others to start pulling their weight. As it would turn out, for the most part Manzarek and Densmore wouldn't bring in many song ideas, but Krieger would, and the first one he brought in would be the song that would make them into stars. The song Krieger brought in was one he called "Light My Fire", and at this point it only had one verse and a chorus. According to Manzarek, Densmore made fun of the song when it was initially brought in, saying "we're not a folk-rock band" and suggesting that Krieger might try selling it to the Mamas and the Papas, but the other band members liked it -- but it's important to remember here that Manzarek and Densmore had huge grudges against each other for most of their lives, and that Manzarek is not generally known as an entirely reliable narrator. Now, I'm going to talk a lot about the influences that have been acknowledged for this song, but before I do there's one that I haven't seen mentioned much but which seems to me to be very likely to have at least been a subconscious influence -- "She's Not There" by the Zombies: [Excerpt: The Zombies, "She's Not There"] Now, there are several similarities to note about the Zombies record. First, like the Doors, the Zombies were a keyboard-driven band. Second, there's the dynamics of the songs -- both have soft, slightly jazzy verses and then a more straight-ahead rock chorus. And finally there's the verse chord sequence. The verse for "She's Not There" goes from Am to D repeatedly: [demonstrates] While the verse for "Light My Fire" goes from Am to F sharp minor -- and for those who don't know, the notes in a D chord are D, F sharp, and A, while the notes in an F sharp minor chord are F sharp, A, and C sharp -- they're very similar chords. So "She's Not There" is: [demonstrates] While "Light My Fire" is: [demonstrates] At least, that's what Manzarek plays. According to Krieger, he played an Asus2 chord rather than an A minor chord, but Manzarek heard it as an A minor and played that instead. Now again, I've not seen anyone acknowledge "She's Not There" as an influence, but given the other influences that they do acknowledge, and the music that was generally in the air at the time, it would not surprise me even the smallest amount if it was. But either way, what Krieger brought in was a simple verse and chorus: [Excerpt: The Doors, "Light My Fire"] Incidentally, I've been talking about the song as having A minor chords, but you'll actually hear the song in two different keys during this episode, even though it's the same performance throughout, and sometimes it might not sound right to people familiar with a particular version of the record. The band played the song with the verse starting with A minor, and that's how the mono single mix was released, and I'll be using excerpts of that in general. But when the stereo version of the album was released, which had a longer instrumental break, the track was mastered about a semitone too slow, and that's what I'll be excerpting when talking about the solos -- and apparently that speed discrepancy has been fixed in more recent remasterings of the album than the one I'm using. So if you know the song and bits of what I play sound odd to you, that's why. Krieger didn't have a second verse, and so writing the second verse's lyrics was the next challenge. There was apparently some disagreement within the band about the lyrics that Morrison came up with, with their references to funeral pyres, but Morrison won the day, insisting that the song needed some darkness to go with the light of the first verse. Both verses would get repeated at the end of the song, in reverse order, rather than anyone writing a third or fourth verse. Morrison also changed the last line of the chorus -- in Krieger's original version, he'd sung "Come on baby, light my fire" three times, but Morrison changed the last line to "try to set the night on fire", which Krieger thought was a definite improvement. They then came up with an extended instrumental section for the band members to solo in. This was inspired by John Coltrane, though I have seen different people make different claims as to which particular Coltrane record it was inspired by. Many sources, including Krieger, say it was based on Coltrane's famous version of "My Favorite Things": [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "My Favorite Things"] But Manzarek in his autobiography says it was inspired by Ole, the track that Coltrane recorded with Eric Dolphy: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "Ole"] Both are of course similar musical ideas, and either could have inspired the “Light My Fire” instrumental section, though none of the Doors are anything like as good or inventive on their instruments as Coltrane's group (and of course "Light My Fire" is in four-four rather than three-four): [Excerpt: The Doors, "Light My Fire"] So they had a basic verse-chorus song with a long instrumental jam session in the middle. Now comes the bit that there's some dispute over.  Both Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger agree that Manzarek came up with the melody used in the intro, but differ wildly over who came up with the chord sequence for it and when, and how it was put into the song. According to Manzarek, he came up with the whole thing as an intro for the song at that first rehearsal of it, and instructed the other band members what to do. According to Krieger, though, the story is rather different, and the evidence seems to be weighted in Krieger's favour. In early live performances of the song, they started the song with the Am-F sharp minor shifts that were used in the verse itself, and continued doing this even after the song was recorded: [Excerpt: The Doors, "Light My Fire (live at the Matrix)"] But they needed a way to get back out of the solo section and into the third verse. To do this, Krieger came up with a sequence that starts with a change from G to D, then from D to F, before going into a circle of fifths -- not the ascending circle of fifths in songs like "Hey Joe", but a descending one, the same sequence as in "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" or "I Will Survive", ending on an A flat: [demonstrates] To get from the A flat to the A minor or Asus2 chord on which the verse starts, he simply then shifted up a semitone from A flat to A major for two bars: [demonstrates] Over the top of that chord sequence that Krieger had come up with, Manzarek put a melody line which was inspired by one of Bach's two-part inventions. The one that's commonly cited is Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779: [Excerpt: Glenn Gould, "Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779"] Though I don't believe Manzarek has ever stated directly which piece he was inspired by other than that it was one of the two-part inventions, and to be honest none of them sound very much like what he plays to my ears, and I think more than anything he was just going for a generalised baroque style rather than anything more specific. And there are certainly stylistic things in there that are suggestive of the baroque -- the stepwise movement, the sort of skipping triplets, and so on: [Excerpt: The Doors, "Light My Fire"] But that was just to get out of the solo section and back into the verses. It was only when they finally took the song into the studio that Paul Rothchild, the producer who we will talk about more later, came up with the idea of giving the song more structure by both starting and ending with that sequence, and formalised it so that rather than just general noodling it was an integral part of the song. They now had at least one song that they thought had the potential to be a big hit. The problem was that they had not as yet played any gigs, and nor did they have a record deal, or a bass player. The lack of a record deal may sound surprising, but they were dropped by Columbia before ever recording for them. There are several different stories as to why. One biography I've read says that after they were signed, none of the label's staff producers wanted to work with them and so they were dropped -- though that goes against some of the other things I've read, which say that Terry Melcher was interested in producing them. Other sources say that Morrison went in for a meeting with some of the company executives while on acid, came out very pleased with himself at how well he'd talked to them because he'd been able to control their minds with his telepathic powers, and they were dropped shortly afterwards. And others say that they were dropped as part of a larger set of cutbacks the company was making, and that while Billy James fought to keep them at Columbia, he lost the fight. Either way, they were stuck without a deal, and without any proper gigs, though they started picking up the odd private party here and there -- Krieger's father was a wealthy aerospace engineer who did some work for Howard Hughes among others, and he got his son's group booked to play a set of jazz standards at a corporate event for Hughes, and they got a few more gigs of that nature, though the Hughes gig didn't exactly go well -- Manzarek was on acid, Krieger and Morrison were on speed, and the bass player they brought in for the gig managed to break two strings, something that would require an almost superhuman effort. That bass player didn't last long, and nor did the next -- they tried several, but found that the addition of a bass player made them sound less interesting, more like the Animals or the Rolling Stones than a group with their own character. But they needed something to hold down the low part, and it couldn't be Manzarek on the organ, as the Vox organ had a muddy sound when he tried to play too many notes at once. But that problem solved itself when they played one of their earliest gigs. There, Manzarek found that another band, who were regulars at the club, had left their Fender keyboard bass there, clipped to the top of the piano. Manzarek tried playing that, and found he could play basslines on that with his left hand and the main parts with his right hand. Krieger got his father to buy one for the group -- though Manzarek was upset that they bought the wrong colour -- and they were now able to perform without a bass player. Not only that, but it gave the group a distinctive sound quite unlike all the other bands. Manzarek couldn't play busy bass lines while also playing lead lines with his right hand, and so he ended up going for simple lines without a great deal of movement, which added to the hypnotic feel of the group's music – though on records they would often be supplemented by a session bass player to give them a fuller sound. While the group were still trying to get a record deal, they were also looking for regular gigs, and eventually they found one. The Sunset Strip was *the* place to be, and they wanted desperately to play one of the popular venues there like the Whisky A-Go-Go, but those venues only employed bands who already had record deals. They did, though, manage to get a residency at a tiny, unpopular, club on the strip called The London Fog, and they played there, often to only a handful of people, while slowly building in confidence as performers. At first, Morrison was so shy that Manzarek had to sing harmony with him throughout the sets, acting as joint frontman. Krieger later said "It's rarely talked about, but Ray was a natural born showman, and his knack for stirring drama would serve the Doors' legacy well in later years" But Morrison soon gained enough confidence to sing by himself. But they weren't bringing in any customers, and the London Fog told them that they were soon going to be dropped -- and the club itself shut not long after. But luckily for the group, just before the end of their booking, the booker for the Whisky A-Go-Go, Ronnie Haran walked in with a genuine pop star, Peter Asher, who as half of Peter & Gordon had had a hit with "A World Without Love", written by his sister's boyfriend, Paul McCartney: [Excerpt: Peter and Gordon, "A World Without Love"] Haran was impressed with the group, and they were impressed that she had brought in a real celebrity. She offered them a residency at the club, not as the headlining act -- that would always be a group that had records out -- but as the consistent support act for whichever big act they had booked. The group agreed -- after Morrison first tried to play it cool and told Haran they would have to consider it, to the consternation of his bandmates. They were thrilled, though, to discover that one of the first acts they supported at the Whisky would be Them, Van Morrison's group -- one of the cover versions they had been playing had been Them's "Gloria": [Excerpt: Them, "Gloria"] They supported Them for two weeks at the Whisky, and Jim Morrison watched Van Morrison intently. The two men had very similar personalities according to the other members of the Doors, and Morrison picked up a lot of his performing style from watching Van on stage every night. The last night Them played the venue, Morrison joined them on stage for an extended version of “Gloria” which everyone involved remembered as the highlight of their time there. Every major band on the LA scene played residencies at the Whisky, and over the summer of 1966 the Doors were the support act for the Mothers of Invention, the Byrds, the Turtles, the Buffalo Springfield, and Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. This was a time when the Sunset Strip was the centre of Californian musical life, before that centre moved to San Francisco, and the Doors were right at the heart of it. Though it wasn't all great -- this was also the period when there were a series of riots around Sunset Strip, as immortalised in the American International Pictures film Riot on Sunset Strip, and its theme song, by the Standells: [Excerpt: The Standells, "Riot on Sunset Strip"] We'll look at those riots in more detail in a future episode, so I'll leave discussing them for now, but I just wanted to make sure they got mentioned. That Standells song, incidentally, was co-written by John Fleck, who under his old name of John Fleckenstein we saw last episode as the original bass player for Love. And it was Love who ensured that the Doors finally got the record deal they needed. The deal came at a perfect time for the Doors -- just like when they'd been picked up by the Whisky A Go-Go just as they were about to lose their job at the London Fog, so they got signed to a record deal just as they were about to lose their job at the Whisky. They lost that job because of a new song that Krieger and Morrison had written. "The End" had started out as Krieger's attempt at writing a raga in the style of Ravi Shankar, and he had brought it in to one of his increasingly frequent writing sessions with Morrison, where the two of them would work out songs without the rest of the band, and Morrison had added lyrics to it. Lyrics that were partly inspired by his own fraught relationship with his parents, and partly by Oedipus Rex: [Excerpt: The Doors, "The End"] And in the live performance, Morrison had finished that phrase with the appropriate four-letter Oedipal payoff, much to the dismay of the owners of the Whisky A Go Go, who had told the group they would no longer be performing there. But three days before that, the group had signed a deal with Elektra Records. Elektra had for a long time been a folk specialist label, but they had recently branched out into other music, first with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, a favourite of Robby Krieger's, and then with their first real rock signing, Love. And Love were playing a residency at the Whisky A Go Go, and Arthur Lee had encouraged Jac Holzman, the label's owner, to come and check out their support band, who he thought were definitely worth signing. The first time Holzman saw them he was unimpressed -- they sounded to him just like a bunch of other white blues bands -- but he trusted Arthur Lee's judgement and came back a couple more times. The third time, they performed their version of "Alabama Song", and everything clicked into place for Holzman. He immediately signed the group to a three-album deal with an option to extend it to seven. The group were thrilled -- Elektra wasn't a major label like Columbia, but they were a label that nurtured artists and wouldn't just toss them aside. They were even happier when soon after they signed to Elektra, the label signed up a new head of West Coast A&R -- Billy James, the man who had signed them to Columbia, and who they knew would be in their corner. Jac Holzman also had the perfect producer for the group, though he needed a little persuading. Paul Rothchild had made his name as the producer for the first couple of albums by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band: [Excerpt: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, "Mary Mary"] They were Robby Krieger's favourite group, so it made sense to have Rothchild on that level. And while Rothchild had mostly worked in New York, he was in LA that summer, working on the debut album by another Elektra signing, Tim Buckley. The musicians on Buckley's album were almost all part of the same LA scene that the Doors were part of -- other than Buckley's normal guitarist Lee Underwood there was keyboard player Van Dyke Parks, bass player Jim Fielder, who had had a brief stint in the Mothers of Invention and was about to join Buffalo Springfield, and drummer Billy Mundi, who was about to join the Mothers of Invention. And Buckley himself sang in a crooning voice extremely similar to that of Morrison, though Buckley had a much larger range: [Excerpt: Tim Buckley, "Aren't You the Girl?"] There was one problem, though -- Rothchild didn't want to do it. He wasn't at all impressed with the band at first, and he wanted to sign a different band, managed by Albert Grossman, instead. But Holzman persuaded him because Rothchild owed him a favour -- Rothchild had just spent several months in prison after a drug bust, and while he was inside Holzman had given his wife a job so she would have an income, and Holzman also did all the paperwork with Rothchild's parole officer to allow him to leave the state. So with great reluctance Rothchild took the job, though he soon came to appreciate the group's music. He didn't appreciate their second session though. The first day, they'd tried recording a version of "The End", but it hadn't worked, so on the second night they tried recording it again, but this time Morrison was on acid and behaving rather oddly. The final version of "The End" had to be cut together from two takes, and the reason is that at the point we heard earlier: [Excerpt: The Doors, "The End"] Morrison was whirling around, thrashing about, and knocked over a TV that the engineer, Bruce Botnick, had brought into the studio so he could watch the baseball game -- which Manzarek later exaggerated to Morrison throwing the TV through the plate glass window between the studio and the control room. According to everyone else, Morrison just knocked it over and they picked it up after the take finished and it still worked fine. But Morrison had taken a *lot* of acid, and on the way home after the session he became convinced that he had a psychic knowledge that the studio was on fire. He got his girlfriend to turn the car back around, drove back to the studio, climbed over the fence, saw the glowing red lightbulbs in the studio, became convinced that they were fires, and sprayed the entire place with the fire extinguisher, before leaving convinced he had saved the band's equipment -- and leaving telltale evidence as his boot got stuck in the fence on the way out and he just left it there. But despite that little hiccup, the sessions generally went well, and the group and label were pleased with the results. The first single released from the album, "Break on Through", didn't make the Hot One Hundred: [Excerpt: The Doors, "Break on Through"] But when the album came out in January 1967, Elektra put all its resources behind the album, and it started to get a bit of airplay as a result. In particular, one DJ on the new FM radio started playing "Light My Fire" -- at this time, FM had only just started, and while AM radio stuck to three-minute singles for the most part, FM stations would play a wider variety of music. Some of the AM DJs started telling Elektra that they would play the record, too, if it was the length of a normal single, and so Rothchild and Botnick went into the studio and edited the track down to half its previous seven-and-a-half-minute length. When the group were called in to hear the edit, they were initially quite excited to hear what kind of clever editing microsurgery had been done to bring the song down to the required length, but they were horrified when Rothchild actually played it for them. As far as the group were concerned, the heart of the song was the extended instrumental improvisation that took up the middle section: [Excerpt: The Doors, "Light My Fire"] On the album version, that lasted over three minutes. Rothchild and Botnick cut that section down to just this: [Excerpt: The Doors, "Light My Fire (single edit)"] The group were mortified -- what had been done to their song? That wasn't the sound of people trying to be McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones, it was just... a pop song.  Rothchild explained that that was the point -- to get the song played on AM radio and get the group a hit. He pointed out how the Beatles records never had an instrumental section that lasted more than eight bars, and the group eventually talked them

• Just because we have the "right" to do something, doesn't mean we should, especially when exercising that right causes our "weaker" brother or sister to stumble in his or her faith, or when refraining from that "right" removes obstacles to the gospel and helps us better build up the body. “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.” There are some things that we may need to set aside (even if it's within our rights) for the sake of the gospel, out of love for the body of Christ. Read Romans 14: 1-21, where Paul expands on this point.• When we place other's needs and concerns above our own, when we're sensitive to other's “weaker” consciences,” when we avoid placing unnecessary “stumbling blocks” in the way of a believer . . . we strengthen the body. • Never assume the gospel, even in your own heart. Even though salvation is guaranteed for all who claim Jesus as Savior, even though we can live confidently that nothing will ever separate us from the love of Christ, we still run toward the finish line, toward our prize, our heavenly crown. Even though we know this victory is ours, we still run the race “for the sake of the gospel, that we might share in its blessings.”Reflection Questions:• Are there any “rights” you are holding on to which could upset the faith of others or cause another to stumble? What needs to change?• How can we get to a point where we use our rights to “build up” the body of Christ? How can our inward-bent use of rights begin to bend outward toward love?• In what specific ways are you being called to “become all things to all people” for the sake of Christ? In what ways is this challenging?• Is there a particular area of life where you need to pursue greater self-discipline in order to “run the race that's been set before you”?"We run the race that's been set out before us, that we might share in the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to us by becoming one of us, an insider who felt our deepest hopes and aspirations, who learned the questions we were asking, and the things that troubled us, a witness that immersed himself so deeply in our fallen world, speaking and giving, living and love in ways we could understand – sharing everything with us, becoming weak for us, sacrificing all his freedoms and rights on our behalf, not just setting them aside but losing it all, giving his life for us and for our sins, in order to win us to him forever." (Paraphrased from Steven Um)

• Just because we have the "right" to do something, doesn't mean we should, especially when exercising that right causes our "weaker" brother or sister to stumble in his or her faith, or when refraining from that "right" removes obstacles to the gospel and helps us better build up the body. “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.” There are some things that we may need to set aside (even if it's within our rights) for the sake of the gospel, out of love for the body of Christ. Read Romans 14: 1-21, where Paul expands on this point. • When we place other's needs and concerns above our own, when we're sensitive to other's “weaker” consciences,” when we avoid placing unnecessary “stumbling blocks” in the way of a believer . . . we strengthen the body. • Never assume the gospel, even in your own heart. Even though salvation is guaranteed for all who claim Jesus as Savior, even though we can live confidently that nothing will ever separate us from the love of Christ, we still run toward the finish line, toward our prize, our heavenly crown. Even though we know this victory is ours, we still run the race “for the sake of the gospel, that we might share in its blessings.” Reflection Questions: • Are there any “rights” you are holding on to which could upset the faith of others or cause another to stumble? What needs to change? • How can we get to a point where we use our rights to “build up” the body of Christ? How can our inward-bent use of rights begin to bend outward toward love? • In what specific ways are you being called to “become all things to all people” for the sake of Christ? In what ways is this challenging? • Is there a particular area of life where you need to pursue greater self-discipline in order to “run the race that's been set before you”? "We run the race that's been set out before us, that we might share in the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to us by becoming one of us, an insider who felt our deepest hopes and aspirations, who learned the questions we were asking, and the things that troubled us, a witness that immersed himself so deeply in our fallen world, speaking and giving, living and love in ways we could understand – sharing everything with us, becoming weak for us, sacrificing all his freedoms and rights on our behalf, not just setting them aside but losing it all, giving his life for us and for our sins, in order to win us to him forever." (Paraphrased from Steven Um)

Steve Schmidt was clear in his take on electing Republicans. He said that you cannot let these people back into .power until the autocratic faction is underground Capitalism at its best. Altria says it is going from a tobacco company to a tobacco harm reduction company/ Chuck Todd got VP Pence's Chief of Staff, Marc Short, to fess up on air that Biden won the election. Punto y final. Marco Rubio vs. Marco Rubio courtesy of Ari Melber. Senators like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz would say whatever they need to to appease the Right-Wing people in their party. Unfortunately, it allows videos like these which completely destroys their credibility with most. They count on most Americans not seeing videos like this. Unfortunately, too often that is true. That is why we must make sure to share, share, and share. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

Today I was talking with my cohost of the Law School Student Hour, Garrett Speak, and he said something that really struck a chord with me. Paraphrased he said, "fatherhood is the adventure." It got me thinking, of all the adventures that I want to go on, do I consider fatherhood as the most important? Do I view fatherhood as the greatest adventure on which I will ever embark? Today I discuss how fatherhood really is the greatest adventure you will ever encounter and how that adventure will last a lifetime. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/randy-everett/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/randy-everett/support

To paraphrase Anne Hathaway's character in “The Dark Knight Rises,” “There's a storm coming…and you better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how we were so stupid as to have created this next great self-inflicted mess.” See, I told you? Paraphrased, liberties taken. After all of the insane stories we've heard about children with sniffles being sent home from school and adults from work, and being told not to come back without negative Covid test results, I suppose nothing should surprise me. After hearing about countless friends and their relatives who have previously known medical conditions, long before Covid, which attack the respiratory system, still being told that they were presumed positive for Covid after negative test results, I suppose I should have been better prepared. But when it actually happens to you, it does have more of an impact. While we can't prove it, the RAD show is convinced, as are some of our doctors in hindsight, that we were on the front lines of Covid in early January, of 2020. Over the course of much of the month, we passed around an illness amongst the show that decimated Dawn for a week, kept gnawing at Brandon's throat and lungs, and gave me 4 straight days of never-ending headaches and fatigue. At the time, we merely called it “the ick,” only to find out by June, that between us, we each had all of the potential symptoms of what was, by then, known as Covid-19. I've got a bad feeling we're about to do this to ourselves all over again. Only this time, the price could be much higher and the suffering even greater if we don't make some serious adjustments, which we all know we won't. My week started Monday morning at 2AM with a scratchy throat; nothing at all serious, but worrisome enough that with Dawn having a medical procedure scheduled for Friday, I had an obligation to ensure that I hadn't caught a breakthrough case of Covid, which if she got, would cancel her surgery. Six hours later, I felt like absolute hell. Still with the sore throat, now a headache added in, and total fatigue. By noon, my wife Christina was feeling crappy, but with totally different symptoms, including nausea, which I never had. Eventually, she started having bouts of dizziness, while I introduced some lovely intestinal problems into the mix. Over the next four days, she improved quicker than I did, but we both spent more time sleeping than we probably have all year combined. At no time did either of us have any sort of respiratory or congestion issues (this is important to the story). Oh, and we both tested negative to Covid…multiple times. But guess what? We had Covid. At least, that's what every god-damned single person on the planet kept telling me. Let me ask you a few things: If the tests are that unreliable, why are we even using them? If we're just going to self-assert and demand that everyone and anyone who gets at all sick in 2021 has Covid, why don't we all just walk around saying that we're Covid positive all of the god-damned time? If the number one, main symptom, that is consistent throughout all cases of Covid are respiratory issues (thus the ventilators being used in hospitals), and that's the one and only symptom neither of us had, then how in the hell did we have Covid? If we've both been vaccinated, (and we have), if we're both otherwise healthy, (and we are), if we both rarely if ever get sick at all, (and we don't), and if breakthrough cases are mild, why are we still presumed to have had Covid when this is as sick as either of us has been in as long as we can remember? Could it be possibly…that….wait for it…we didn't fucking have Covid? And that maybe everyone should stop telling us that we did and start to prepare for the next big thing, whatever this may be? Because we're all looking the wrong way, and it's going to start costing people a lot more than merely a week off of work. To be clear…we were sick, period. I realize that getting sick in America is now a fate worse than death that we're all terrified of, but that's what it was. Being sick. At least that's what it was for us…but given our otherwise good health, her youth, and our proclivity to bounce back quicker than most, whatever we had is something to be reckoned with and taken seriously. But here's the thing; no one will help you do so, because they're all terrified of Covid. Even if you've tested negative, most doctor's offices won't see you in person, and most Urgent Care places and hospitals will send you to a special department to get yet another Covid test before speaking with you, despite you feeling like you want to die (and having no business driving yourself around anyway). And then, in the end, they'll tell you, no matter how many times that you've been tested, that they're going to presume it's Covid, and that you should stay home and rest and let them know if you start to have trouble breathing. Only towards the end of the week was I able to hear from multiple people the same thing that many doctors are saying: “Yeah, we've been seeing this go around now for a few weeks. We don't know what it is, other than it isn't Covid, and it seems to last between 3-10 days.” HUH? What in the hell are we doing here? We know it isn't Covid, but because of Covid, we're not going to do anything about it, even though it really seems to be kicking the ass of people who get it. Brilliant…and this will all only get worse as we head towards winter. One theory is that this is this year's flu, which logic and common-sense dictates will be brutal on most people, who have done a number on their immune systems by mostly staying away from humans and being overly hygienic for the past 18 months. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10017531/Former-FDA-Commissioner-Dr-Scott-Gottlieb-says-flu-season-complicated-now.html Whatever it is, here's what I'd do differently if I had to do it over again: Take it more seriously at the first symptom and start with heavy doses of additional zinc, vitamins D, C & B, and L-cysteine. Drink way more water and Gatorade Give in and rest, no matter how annoying it is(which after the first day is easy because bed is the only place you actually want to be) Most importantly: I'd text all of my friends that I am fine, everything is fine, and I am just taking an unexpected vacation. Therefore, there is no reason to send me all of the things that “worked for you when you had Covid,” since I DON'T HAVE COVID!! One final observation that may actually say it all; of the few friends I have who actually believed that we didn't have Covid, most of them fell off the Earth after hearing those results. In other words, if it isn't Covid, it must not be serious or important. Because, after all, Covid is all that there is. It's one thing to respectfully leave someone alone and let them rest, but that wasn't the case when test results were being waited on. Once we were confirmed negative it was basically “ok, well then…good luck with whatever you have, at least it isn't Covid!” We've been wondering for more than a year and a half what the true levels of damage are that we've done to our society and it's safe to say, as we get ready to head into year three of this mess, that we still have absolutely no idea the depths and gravity of how we've fundamentally and stupidly altered this country's view of merely getting sick for perhaps lifetimes to come.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Communion Sunday sermon by Pastor Rick Mixon on September 5, 2021 accompanying scripture is Genesis 1: Beginningness  (Paraphrased by Timothy Wayne Good) and was read by Pastor Rick Mixon.

All praises due for those who left something behind for us to dwell on I appreciate those who came before me and after this person was known as Malcom X to most people --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/change-griot/support

Nathan goes over a list of truths from Zuby. We watch a crazy dash cam video of a car flying. Indonesian man, that was COVID positive, disguises himself as wife to board plane. Boiling lobsters alive maybe illegal soon in UK. Scientist urge encounters with sharks to be called, “bites” not “attacks.” Keagull made a shirt that you can see for yourself and possibly get one in the future. Here's the link (https://www.customink.com/designs/verbal/zmd0-00b1-s3vd/twt) Leave a review on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. Share us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/verbalassaultpodcast), Twitter (@_verbalassault_) and if you really want to show your love support us via Patreon (www.patreon.com/verbalassault) for $1.00 an episode. We would love to hear from you on Google Voice (865-316-6955.) We are now on Bitchute!!! (www.bitchute.com/verbalassault)

TECH 5 JULY 19, 2021 THE LAND THAT MADE ME ME (PARAPHRASED) by Hunters Bay Radio

With Samuel Levac-Levey from Solutions the Game and Work on Climate We know we need to spend time in the “solutions space” when teaching about climate change, but how do we go about this? Can we leverage the popularity of gaming? Samuel Levac-Levey thinks so, so he's created the board game Solutions, inspired by Project Drawdown. In this wide-ranging discussion, we discuss the advent of the game as well as the awesomeness of human potential, disinformation about renewable technologies like electric vehicles, extending gameplay into real-world action, the 3.5% rule, and, yes, Woolly Mammoths!   Guest: Samuel Levac-Levey is a mechanical engineer from Montréal, Canada. He is a core team member of the entrepreneurial community Work on Climate and the creator of the soon-to-be-released board game Solutions, in which players debate the relative impacts of various innovative climate solutions. The seeds of the game were planted at the Project Drawdown conference in September 2019, where Tetris creator Henk Rogers suggested turning Drawdown into a board game. (Paraphrased from https://solutionsthegame.com/about/) Transition music: "Takeover of the 8-bit Synths" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hey everyone. Tune in to hear a short episode about key lessons we can all learn from Star Wars. Paraphrased from: https://www.lifehack.org/346045/9-life-lessons-can-learn-from-star-wars

Let's talk about the 21-day-habit maker! Change your bad habits or build new, positive habits by tuning in. Paraphrased from: https://medium.com/swlh/21-day-habit-timeline-how-to-form-a-habit-in-21-days-day-by-day-92298446bf6b#:~:text=However%2C%20a%20recent%20study%20has,days%20until%20it's%20fully%20formed.

What's up, REAQTers? I want to share some of the biggest college myths. Tune in to hear some crazy thoughts and ideas. Stay well! Paraphrased from: https://www.fastweb.com/college-search/articles/the-10-completely-false-college-myths https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/myths/top-5-myths-about-college-students-debunked/ https://www.shmoop.com/college/biggest-college-myths-and-legends.html

In today's show, Dr. Lisle and Dr. Howk discuss some economics, politics, and this question from a listener:  (Paraphrased due to original q length) Dear Dr's, I was recently laid off from my job and even though I'm collecting unemployment, I still want to get another job.  I've applied for and received opportunities for jobs.  One offer is to work for the police as an analyst but do I really want to work for an establishment that hauls people to jail for not wearing a mask?  Another is a high tech job implementing 5G technology - I have strong opinions against 5G and think it needs more testing. I know 5G is coming whether I work on it or not, but I feel guilty putting my efforts toward it.   I  have the same sort of personal objections on the other offer. What the hell is wrong with me? I need the money and I need companionship. It is hard to get a job in this economy and I have worked so hard to get these. Why am I so confused about which job to take? Maybe I should just forget it and sit around on unemployment. 

“I don't care, I will argue on the internet, if he wants it, I'm ready!” – Paraphrased from this Podcast. TJ is hilarious, but really he is a very intelligent man. We talk about Rent2Rent as a strategy, how much money you need, and an overview of the process, plus why TJ loves it. It's a great approach for beginners with no experience and little cash.⠀⠀ ⠀We also talk about haters on the internet, and how he sells his education without changing the way people perceive him. He produces so much content, go check him out on IG.⠀⠀ ⠀James & Tej cover the murky, sharky world of Property Education too, our experiences with it and what we think should be done. Also, how to spot a good trainer vs a bad one.⠀⠀⠀Let's stay connected - James Social Connections ⠀⠀⠀Instagram - http://ow.ly/38w250zaefc

“I don’t care, I will argue on the internet, if he wants it, I’m ready!” – Paraphrased from this Podcast. TJ is hilarious, but really he is a very intelligent man. We talk about Rent2Rent as a strategy, how much money you need, and an overview of the process, plus why TJ loves it. It’s a great approach for beginners with no experience and little cash. We also talk about haters on the internet, and how he sells his education without changing the way people perceive him. He produces so much content, go check him out on IG. James & Tej cover the murky, sharky world of Property Education too, our experiences with it and what we think should be done. Also, how to spot a good trainer vs a bad one. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

VUCA is an acronym meaning Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Paraphrased from the Oxford dictionary: Volatility means fast, unpredictable change. Uncertainty means the lack of confidently knowing. Complexity means being comprised of many parts. Ambiguity means having more than one clear interpretation of word or situation.

VUCA is an acronym meaning Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Paraphrased from the Oxford dictionary: Volatility means fast, unpredictable change.  Uncertainty means the lack of confidently knowing.  Complexity means being comprised of many parts.  Ambiguity means having more than one clear interpretation of word or situation.  Based on this, we can agree creating resilience is nonnegotiable. 

If you want to get more than 6.5 in IELTS and you don't know about paraphrasing, I don't think it is feasible. So, I am going to share with you how to paraphrase in this episode. To read the full blog of this episode, click here. Follow me on TIKTOK, Instagram and Facebook. Example 1: Original sentence: People need to learn English because it is an international language so it helps them communicate and expand their knowledge. Paraphrased sentence: Learning English is essential for people because it is an international language, thanks to which communication barriers will be demolished and learners will expand their knowledge that they would not be able to acquire with only their mother tongue. Example 2: Original sentence: Some people believe that teachers are the most important people to teach children. Some other people think that parents are the more important. Paraphrased sentence: It is a belief of some people that when it comes to teaching children, teachers are more important than anyone, while to some others, parents are considered to play a more fundamental role in their offspring's life. Example 3: Original sentences: Some people think that protecting the environment is a waste of resources. Some others think that it is very important to protect the environment. Paraphrased sentences: While environment preservation is considered prodigality in terms of resources by some people, others support the idea that it is a fundamental act. Example 4: Original sentence: The amount of money that was spent on housing (30%) was twice bigger than that on transportation. Paraphrased sentence: People spent twice on housing (30%) than on transportation. Have fun learning!

6 - THE SHORT CUT LIE IS QUID PRO QUO “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).CLICK to viewTRAILER - I AM THE PROMISE KEEPERFALLING HARD IN THE GARDENGOD'S instruction to Adam and Eve was that they could eat any fruit in the Garden of Eden except one. He said: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).We so often try to assemble something without the owner's manual. Likewise, we try to win a spiritual battle without the armor of God protecting us.  Sadly, prayer becomes the final cry for God's help after first trying all carnal options and worsening the problem through our misguided self-determination!God created everything in the Garden for Adam and Eve to eternally enjoy. However, He gave them one commandment to obey, and they failed by listening to the lies of the serpent. Paraphrased, "don't eat it, or you will die."  The Word precisely says what God said! Eve's main problem was that she had a conversation with Satan in the first place! Scripture states: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:7-8a).Half-truths, lies, the world, and our old nature, which includes pride and greed are some of the most common strategies Satan uses to tempt us to sin against God. His goal is to keep us from God and eternal life. Reflecting the Image of God by the renewing of our minds is our calling now.We win the battle for control over our mind as we 'put on the whole armor of God.' The helmet of salvation will serve us well as we move forward in our relationship with God. The Apostle Paul writes, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).LOVE OFFERINGS ARE WELCOMED AT PAYPALbradwyrick@cox.net AUDIBLE BOOKS BY BRAD WYRICKAUTHOR PAGE AMAZONBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEInstacart - Groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Free delivery on your first order over $35.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

I love the gospel of Matthew.  Matthew was written to communicate the Jesus story to early Jewish Christians and, let me tell you, the writer of this gospel really knew how to tell a story!  Beginning with Chapter one, verse one, we hear Jesus called “The Messiah.”  The writer of Matthew begins by setting us up for something amazing, something big, something life changing and something surprising by naming Jesus as the Messiah.  At that point in time, there had been great expectation among Jewish people that a messiah would soon arrive.  However, the people expected a messiah who would use military might and power to free them from Roman oppression.  So, Matthew’s version of the Jesus story begins by latching on to that expectation and announcing Jesus as the long promised, awaited Messiah.  The writer of Matthew continues to build on that expectation by linking Jesus’ genealogy to royalty as King David is named an ancestor of Jesus.  The story even includes royal sages from the East who come to pay homage to this newborn Messiah.  Then, the knowledge of a newborn king is so threatening to the present Jewish king, King Herod, that Herod has all the infants he can locate massacred.  The presence of this newborn king Jesus is so compelling that even powerful Herod fears him.  If that is not enough, the writer of Matthew then tells us about a mighty prophet who enters the scene, John the Baptist.  John arrives wearing strange clothing, living in the wilderness, and eating bugs, while shouting out and calling people to repent.  This wild prophet begins announcing that One who is even more powerful than he is coming, One who “will be powerful enough to bring justice on the wicked and set things right.” (Feasting on the Word, p. 239.)  John shouts out, “Turn around – if your life journey is going down the wrong road, turn around and go the other way!  Start going down the right road!”  And, this announcement sets the tone for Matthew’s entire Jesus story. Well, the stage has been set and excitement levels have been raised.  We can almost hear the trumpets blaring as they announce the coming of this new powerful leader.  The day has finally come.  This is the day the new leader people have been hearing about is going to make his first major public appearance and they expect something big.  People’s excitement levels are shooting off the charts as they sit down on the mountainside and strain their ears to hear what this new, powerful leader is going to say.            Anticipation rises even more as this new leader climbs up the mountain, just like Moses and David and Elijah, those great leaders from the past.  And then, when this new leader finally speaks and gives his inaugural address, the people are not only surprised, they are also astounded.  They are totally taken aback when they do not hear anything about using power to take charge of their present situation.  As a matter of fact, what this Messiah is saying has nothing to do with rescuing them from Roman oppression.  As he begins to speak, he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  He goes on with a whole series of blessings and then says, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…..”           What??  Rejoice and be glad when you are persecuted?  This was definitely not what they had been looking for or hoped for.  No.  Not only are his words something they did not expect, Jesus also begins his message by saying, “Blessed.”  Now, the Jewish people really knew their Hebrew scripture and they knew the Psalms.  They knew that the great Law Psalm, Psalm 1, begins with exactly the same word, blessed.  You see, Psalm 1 begins like this, “Blessed is the one who walks not in the way of the wicked but in the way of the Lord.”  And, ashar, the Hebrew word for blessed, really means something like “You are on the right road.”  So, what Jesus is actually saying is, “You are on the right road when you are poor in spirit, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.  You are on the right road when you mourn, for you will be comforted.”  Now, do you begin to understand how astonishing and surprising these words of Jesus were to people 2,000 years ago?  This was absolutely NOT what people expected to hear.  And, you want to know something else?  These words are not what we expect to hear either.  You see, we live in a world and culture where the Beatitudes we hear seduce us into believing: You are on the right road when you spare no expense to win the game, when you are the one who achieves and succeeds, when you come out on top. You are on the right road when power and strength are on your side, then you can claim God is on your side. You are on the right road when you buck up and avoid crying, grieving, and mourning, when you don’t shed those tears because then you can show how strong you are. You are on the right road when you pursue the American dream, work for success, and really start making lots of money to invest in the Kingdom of Wall Street. You are on the right road when you are one of the popular ones and you raise your kids to be the popular ones and become popular leaders. You are on the right road when you support policies that limit assistance to the poor, when you cut off the immigrant population and the asylum seekers because free handouts do not encourage the poor to find work. You are on the right road when you focus on your individual rights over and above the rights of your neighbor.   Oh yes, the list goes on and on and on….. Well, today, Jesus gives us life-giving words that do not fit into the you are on the right road boxes we have created!  Today, Jesus is calling his disciples, including each one of us, to walk a very different road.  He is calling us to walk the road that is the way of his will for our lives and for this world.  And, that road looks very different from the road we hear about day in and day out in our culture.  In fact, Jesus is describing a road that is totally countercultural!!  It is the road he travels, the way of the cross. Jesus is calling us to walk the road he initiates, to walk the road that draws us into the very life of God, the road that leads us into the world that is truly real, the road where we will find the deepest and truest meaning in life, the road where we will find life that truly matters!  Jesus is saying: You are on the right road when you are aware of your own poverty and you are at the end of your rope, when you are aware of your own struggle and feel as though you have lost faith. God is naming you among the most faithful. You are on the right road when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you begin to know the embrace of God, the One who is really most dear to you. You are on the right road when you are content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourself proud owner of everything that cannot be bought. You are on the right road when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. Feasting on the life of God is the best meal you will ever eat. You are on the right road when you care deeply for others. It is then that you will find yourself cared for. You are on the right road when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. You are on the right road when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and discover your place in God’s family. (Paraphrased from The Message)        Jesus’ words to us today are not just empty platitudes and promises about something that will happen at some point in the future.  No.  As Jesus speaks, his words to the people on that mountain and to each one of us announce a whole NEW world.  His words announce a whole new world that is breaking in upon us, a world that he is inaugurating, and a world he brings to us.  His words are all about the very real world of God, the very real world that becomes flesh and blood through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus calls and invites us to walk with him on the road he is walking, the road of God’s restorative justice for all people, the road of love and care for all our neighbors – all we consider “other” – the road that is truly a road of love.  This is the road where we will find the deepest, truest meaning in life.  This is the message the writer of Matthew’s gospel wanted to tell, because the truest gospel in this Sermon on the Mount is Jesus, the One who gives the sermon, the inaugural address:  he is the sermon made flesh.  (Feasting on the Word, p. 240)   Blessed are you if you are on that road!

This episode kicks off Season 4 of the show and we are quite excited to have Rick Hall to talk to us about data analytics, entrepreneurship, and the impact of COVID on remote work. About Rick Hallhttps://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkitcaster.com%2Frick-hall%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C474fe5eb2c394812730a08d8747dba18%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637387430618549312%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=lL4rwORRcg7brwHm4gtPfU3VpKHvLnLOKq3r8f1X2Ho%3D&reserved=0 (Rick Hall ) is a software entrepreneur focused on the analytics market. He has led the development of over a dozen software products and taken several companies from the early stage to an eventual sale. He has been working in analytics and software for 30 years and has been apart of the evolution of several generations of technology and practices. Currently, he is the CEO at https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aginity.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C474fe5eb2c394812730a08d8747dba18%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637387430618559307%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=er8Xs5FXnKLgfv8IbxY%2FX%2FqQEXS8LswNLNklfEXRvMc%3D&reserved=0 (Aginity Corporation)--Supercharge your SQL Experience with Analytics Management. Aginity Corporation is the only next-generation analytics management toolset designed specifically to empower analytic teams to take advantage of the top analytic platforms. Show Noteshttp://thedatadrivenbook.com () Sponsor: http://thedatadrivenbook.com (Audible.com) - Get a free audio book when you sign up for a free trial! Notable QuotesWelcome to Season 4! (01:00) https://impactquantum.com (ImpactQuantum) is our new podcast. (02:30) Rick owns and operates https://www.aginity.com/ (Aginity Corporation). (04:00) Shoutouts to Bill Baker and the BI Advisory Council. (05:00) "Stuff changes." (Paraphrased) (08:00) OG can stand for Old Guy or Original Gangster." - Frank (08:30) Getting data to the place where someone can actually use it for Analytics. (09:00) "First, you get the data," referring to ETL, data engineering, data integration, data quality... (09:45) Regarding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPT-3 (GPT-3) (11:45) "34 ways to measure coupons..." (14:20) "It's more of a biology problem." (14:50) On answering questions at the speed of business. (15:45) "So many business questions are answered, initially, in the heat of the moment." (17:30) A really honest answer on predicting the unpredictable. (18:35) "I think we'll be talking about Covid for the next 20 years." - Frank (20:00) Wait - did (THE) Rick Hall just say he listens to http://datadriven.tv (Data Driven)?? (21:15) On business travel and remote work during the pandemic... (22:30) Rick, on pay for software engineers in Silicon Valley. (23:30) "Innovation Happens Everywhere" - Frank (25:25) "Everyone hears the story of the Google's of the world..." (27:30) Rick started a company 10 Sep 2001. (28:15) "If you don't double-down at the moment of greatest risk, well, no one's going to do it for you." - Rick (29:00) "This is probably not the easiest way to make money." - Frank, on entrepreneurship (31:00) "Get it useful fast." - Rick on Lean (32:00) On starting lean and https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Lean-Startup-Audiobook/B005LXV0HI?qid=1604144761 (The Lean Startup). (32:45) On startups and the cloud... (35:45) He said it again! (THE) Rick Hall listens to http://datadriven.tv (Data Driven)! (36:40) Did you find data or did data find you? (38:00) "Just shut up and go do it!" - Rick's boss (39:00) What's the favorite part of your current gig? (40:45) When I'm not working, I enjoy ___. (42:00) I think the coolest thing in technology is ___. (42:25) On Microsoft Azure engineering...

Amongst other topics, this week we dive into Halloween stories, our costumes & parties. Which Halloween costumes should be canceled? Socially distanced Trick or Treating. Carol Shelby movie on Netflix: he was an international racing star, failed chicken farmer, creator of the Mustang Shelby, AC COBRA, Daytona Coupe. His life lessons of never giving up were fantastic. They made a movie recently about it. Ford v Ferrari. 24 hrs Lemans. To this day, Sean’s dream car is a 1966 Ford gt350 Shelby Mustang. Although, he would like one from Revology https://revologycars.com/car/1966-shelby-gt350/Shelby American: The Carroll Shelby Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9_H_SxJalESean’s dream garage is a neat workspace for working on his old Ducati motorcycle.Audience emails: Tractor Pulls & Pickup Pulls explained; now we’re fans!Using Tile to find things you lost… also a good idea to put in your kid's shoes. https://www.thetileapp.com/Automated lawn sprinkler systems are expensive.iPhone 12? iPhone 11? New features, better camera? Are they any good? Why don’t they come with a manual? Pixel 4 does not pair with android auto. Cell phones are not ergonomic. More info on Billy Sol Estes the Texas Con Artisthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H_MXbPDfSghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zAyEpSq790Children raised by helicopter parents are growing up and we have a bit of a mess on hand. Kids should not get trophies unless they win.Talking about Joey Diaz: peals of wisdom from a flawed human (we’re all flawed, he just has the cajones to share his flaws publicly). UNCLE JOEY’S JOINT Podcast “In California people pay to keep your kids entertained, elsewhere, kids learn to entertain themselves.” Paraphrased, but a great point. https://youtu.be/ho5oUnvus8k?t=1992 ...Adversity, and competition are helpful in childhood. Man-cave or Bond villain fortress? Guns N' Roses Pinball, a stereo system, a 2020 Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard, pool table, dartboard, a shark with laser beams, missile silo & setting up a home gym.Sober October updates: Sean is feeling clear-headed, Kati feels sharp as ever. Fewer calories = losing weight.Kati’s Tik Tok @Katimorton Sean’s Tik Tok @hatori_seanz ------ Video version of Opinions That Don't Matter https://www.youtube.com/c/OpinionsThatDontMatter Ask Kati Anything! (2nd podcast) audio: https://askkatianything.buzzsprout.com/Ordering Kati's book Are u ok? http://bit.ly/2s0mULyONLINE THERAPY I do not currently offer online therapy. BetterHelp can connect you with a licensed, online counselor. I receive commissions on referrals to BetterHelp. I only recommend services I know and trust. Show email: otdmpod@gmail.com BUSINESS EMAIL linnea@toneymedia.com MAIL PO Box #665 1223 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90403

Filmmaker, Actress and voice over artist Mandy Kaplan returns for another episode. We talked about Walt Whitman, dancing in robes and acting in West Side Story.   Follow Mandy on Twitter @MandyKaplan Join the Bull Durham Minute Dugout on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/928386427538867/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/BullDurhamMin

ELITE WEEK EPISODE #033 Wednesday August 26th 2020; AN INTERVIEW WITH ELITE DANGEROUS PRODUCT MANAGER ALASDAIR “AL” HIBBERD Interview Subject: Alasdair Hibberd, Product Manager for Frontier's “Elite: Dangerous” @AlasdairHibberd Interviewer: Kai Zen, Space Nerd and drinker of beer Elite Week Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/eliteweek Elite Week Podcast: https://anchor.fm/eliteweek Elite Week E-mail: https://www.eliteweek3306@gmail.com Twitter (@kai19103): https://twitter.com/kai19103 Elite Week Discord: https://tinyurl.com/eliteweekdiscord COVER ART: “Atmosphere too thick for descent....passengers will have to disembark at the nearest luxury orbital...” By @CmdrToCoSo https://twitter.com/CmdrToCoSo 00:01 OPENING SONG: "Lunaris” Provided copyright free by Composer: Liborio Conti https://no-copyright-music.com/track/2398089/lunaris 02:30 INTRODUCTION: 05:20 How did you come to Frontier as a company and Elite as a product? What's it like starting the job post lockdown and never using your desk yet? What have you worked on in the past? What does the history of Elite mean to you? Is Ian Bell the bad guy in an alternate dimension? 19:45 The new secret thing from this week's Tweets! 21:25 Lore and Narrative in Elite! 26:41 How do you want to put your stamp on Elite? 30:40 No limit; Where would you like to see Elite go / What IP would you like to see crossover with Elite? 37:03 What are you most looking forward to in Elite Dangerous Odyssey? 43:20 Al questions YOU! Where do you want to see Elite in 5 years? 54:30 “This isn't Destiny. The FPS loop will be just one part of a very wide branching experience.” (PARAPHRASED) 57:08 Focus in Odyssey on group play and player interaction: “Together we are Elite” 1:05:06 Cheeky Sally Question: What's your favorite biscuit? 1:06:45 Deliver us Commanders The (OUR) Moon? 1:09:03 CLOSING SONG: "Lost & Found” Provided copyright free by Composer: Liborio Conti https://no-copyright-music.com/track/2398095/lost-and-found --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eliteweek/message

On episode 081 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by Rabih Alameddine. Alameddine and Holdengräber explore how poetry has impacted their lives, and share their mutual adoration for the work of Fernando Pessoa. When Holdengräber asks what is his favorite poem, Alameddine reads Happiness Writes White, by Edward Hirsch. Openly contemplating mental health, Alameddine and Holdengräber discuss observations on the human desires to be seen, as well as to be separate.Rabih Alameddine is the author of I, the Divine (W.W. Norton), The Hakawati (A.A. Knopf), Koolaids, The Perv, An Unnecessary Woman, and The Angel of History (all Grove Atlantic). An Unnecessary Woman was a finalist for the National Book Award 2014 and the winner of the prestigious Prix Femina étranger, and The Angel of History won the Lambda Literary Award. Alameddine is the winner of the 2019 Dos Passos Prize. His next novel, The Wrong End of the Telescope, will be published by Grove in spring/summer 2021. Read the poem “Happiness Writes White” by Edward HirschPhotography credit: Benito Ordonez

“Just because I've been a smoker for over 10 years, doesn't mean I cannot also become an athlete. Allow yourself to believe that that's who you can be. You never know what you're capable of doing until you try.” Paraphrased, not a direct quote from my conversation with Stephanie Andre, who ran in the Olympic Marathon Trials just this past February only 7 years after quitting smoking. If you are a smoker or a future ex-smoker who wants to learn more about my program “Quit Smoking | Start Running”, go to www.antoniadeheinrich.com or join my Facebook Group Quit Smoking|Start Running!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/qxsr/message See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSHow To Give and How To Pray ( The Lord's Prayer )Jesus teaches the people the way God would have us pray, and the way God would have us give to others.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSSigns Revealing Christ's Return To EarthJesus said, “Be on guard and don’t let anyone fool you. Many men will come attempting to impersonate me, saying ‘I am the Messiah!’, and they will fool many people.Jesus tells his disciples what signs will reveal his return to Earth to start his 1000 year reign as King of the world.

Discipline.... Something I need to master if I want to find consistency.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSThe Coming Persecutions For The Believers ( and Jesus’ final words to them at the last supper )Jesus sends his disciples to towns to preach the good news and tells them what to expect; who to be afraid of; and about the rewards that will be given to them.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSLazarus And The Rich Man ( about death and believing )A story about a poor beggar named Lazarus, who lived outside a rich man's house hoping to receive scraps of food from the rich man's table.

Risk management strategies that work are hard to find in such a noisy infosec buzzword filled industry. Our guest Matt Devost, offers perspective on subjects which will be helpful for beginners, advisors or CISO's. We cover some of the following items: * AI & Turing Integrity Assessments * Risk Management strategies that work. * Historical reference points to the beginnings of the threat intelligence industry. * Similarities between an evolving TI landscape, and red teaming over the last 20 years. * Where bad threat intelligence can take you. * Insider threats are always constant. * Context and discussion on disinformation. "Here are the threat actors that likely to target you, here are the goals that they are trying to achieve, here are the attack surfaces that presented themselves, here is the outcome we could achieve, here is the mitigation strategy. Metrics and measurement matter, but strategic outcomes must be pursued. Risk management should always focus on time to detection.".... (Paraphrased from Matt Devost) Matt Devost was one of the first white hat hackers to bridge the gap between the top-secret / national security circles and the hacker world. He was one of the few to have a masters degree in political science with a focus on national security, while also having the skills to attack and defend. He has been renowned as one of the few that had a world of "first's" within the industry. Matt was one of the first pulled into the United States Presidential commission on critical infrastructure protection in the 90s. The Presidential commission had a significant focus on cyber risks associated with the United States' critical infrastructure. Something that affects most of our careers in one way or another today. Special Guest: Matt Devost.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSThe Meaning Of The Cross ( For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost. ) Jesus relates his cross to the bronze snake Moses made to heal the people bitten and dying from snake bites! More quotes by Jesus and Paul about the cross.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSThe Meaning Of Easter ( Three examples from Jesus )Three examples from Jesus about the real meaning of Easter: The Paralyzed Man - Jesus Brings Lazarus Back To Life - The Unbelief Of Thomas.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSThe Last Supper - Jesus breaks some break and gives it to his disciples and says, “This is my body which is given for you. Every time you eat bread, think of me.” The events of preparing a room so Jesus and the Apostles could share a last supper together before his arrest, trial and crucifixion.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS [ Part 3 ]The Bread Of Life ( Bread nourishes of the body, the Word Of God nourishes of the soul. ) s said, “Man cannot live on bread alone, but needs every word that God speaks.”

The latter part of the show is part of epictetus's handbook paraphrased. The 1st part is more of the same bad covid19 news.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS [ Part 2 ]Jesus Walks On The Water ( Jesus said to Peter, “Why did you doubt?” )Jesus appears walking on the water to his disciples who are in a boat; in the midst of a storm. He encourages Peter to walk on the water to him.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUS [ Part 1 ]Jesus Feeds 5000 Men ( Not counting the women and children! )This is one of two times that Jesus fed large crowds. This story tells how he fed 5000 men, not counting the women or children - with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSJesus Chooses The Apostles ( from the many disciples who followed Him )How, where and who Jesus chose to be one of the 12 Apostles from the many disciples who followed him.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSJonah And The Whale ( Jesus affirms the story of Jonah and the whale as a historic fact. )The Pharisees and the teachers of the law ask Jesus for a miracle. He tells them none shall be given to them except the sign of Jonah.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSJesus And The Sabbath ( The day of rest )Jesus establishes a rule for the Sabbath:“The Sabbath was made for the good of man; man was not made for the Sabbath”

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSThe Greatest Commandment ( about love )Jesus tells the people that 'all the laws that have been given to you by Moses and the Prophets are based on these two commands.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSJesus And The Devil, ( Satan ) Jesus tells the teachers of the law, the people, and his disciples the truth about the Devil and evil spirits.He also tells them that whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven!

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSThe Worry Of Daily Life ( Do Not Worry! )Jesus said, “Who of you, by worrying, can add one moment to your life-span?”

Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early! (https://www.patreon.com/topiclords) Lords: * Erica talks about birds and plants on Twitter at @YerrikTRB and wants you to listen to the Frog Fractions 2 soundtrack. https://ryanike.bandcamp.com/album/frog-fractions-2-original-soundtrack * Justin talks about puzzles on Twitter at @firetrucknpl Topics: * 2:34 Children are terrifying. * 8:41 The Frog Fractions ARG, culminating in its Christmas release * The FF2 ARG on the Game Detectives wiki. https://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=FrogFractions2 * Befunge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Befunge * 22:02 Bringing interesting puzzles to people with boring jobs. * Reading with Rover. https://www.readingwithrover.org/ * 28:00 Paraphrased asks: "What were you doing before you're doing what you are now?" * 41:38 Weird Christmas / holiday foods. * Traditional Lithualian Christmas Eve dinner. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%AB%C4%8Dios * Lithuanian Christmas Eve recipes. http://www.maskoliunasfamilyproject.com/christmas-eve-recipes-and-others/ * Vinegretas. https://www.receptai.lt/receptas/burokeliu-salotos-su-pupelemis-1455 * Yule Sandwich Log. http://www.midcenturymenu.com/2011/01/the-mid-century-menuyule-sandwich-log/ * 52:37 Weird Christmas / holiday birds. * Passenger Pigeon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passengerpigeon * 54:12 Incorrect plant genera in video games. * Plants of Star Trek. https://twitter.com/search?q=%23plantsofstartrek * Birds of Google Maps. https://twitter.com/search?q=%23birdsofgooglemaps * Columnar cacti. https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&q=%23columnarcacti&src=typd * Flora of the Colorado Plateau. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FloraoftheColoradoPlateauandCanyonlandsregion * Hecho cactus. https://imgur.com/gallery/kVXqnhR * Organ pipe cactus. https://www.nps.gov/articles/organ-pipe-cactus.htm * Cardon, the world's largest cactus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnWeiSi9s2w * The black bars on the left of the screen in Atari 2600 games ("hmove lines") are caused by repositioning sprites in the middle of drawing the frame. http://www.ataricompendium.com/faq/faq.html#general18 * Extrasolar. https://extrasolar.com/ Microtopics: * People who celebrate Christmas on January 6th. * Addressing the least-served Christmas demographic. * Muting your mutuals because it turns out you have no common interests. * Not being sure if the Frog Fractions 2 Soundtrack liner notes exist any more. * Your three year old opening all the Advent Calendar doors and hiding the chocolates in his Halloween bag. * Your three year old pushing chairs from the kitchen to climb on top of the refrigerator because that's where you keep the cookies. * Developing problem-solving skills long before you develop a sense of ethics or self-preservation. * Your two year old deciding it's time to be a cool pirate and picking the biggest sword possible out of the kitchen knives. * Taking comfort in only half of prehistoric children dying before the age of five, so with modern medicine and safety advances your child has a pretty decent shot. * Half of all children dying before the age of five so they never amass the numbers needed to overthrow the adults. * Your one year old overcoming the child safety lock by ripping the entire door off. * Half your age plus seven being your personal cutoff for when someone stops being a child. * 18 year olds being allowed to vote and drive and get married. * Teenagers having infinite energy to learn and get things done, but no judgement for what are good things to learn or do. * Describing your relationship with your high school student as a jockey/horse scenario but not being sure if he's the horse and you're the jockey, or vice-versa. * Placing bets on the three-legged toddler races. * Taking bets on high school track events being illegal, so that's why a Silicon Valley startup has to do it. * Cleverly tying your collective bragging to the holiday season. * Writing a book about the Frog Fractions 2 ARG and hiding it inside of another book. * Making a GameFAQs-style guide to document how the game works while it's still in your head. * Your Skype work partner probably not looking at the screen, but maybe they are, maybe they know you're not working. * Teaching people to read by having them read to dogs because dogs are uncritical and just love the attention. * Skyping with a dog all day to motivate you to write your book. * Having a friend come onto the show and do a dog voice because real dogs pick terrible topics. * GameFAQs turning out to actually have standards. * GameFAQs rejecting your submission with the rejection note just saying "Boxing." * GameFAQs rejecting your submission with a subtle joke about the previous game in the series. * Actual FAQs being pretty rare on GameFAQs. * Writing an angry letter to the New York Times about your walkthrough being rejected from GameFAQs. * Programming languages that are deliberately constructed to be difficult to think about and work in. * The Museum of Artifacts From Collapsed Timelines. * Leaving your release date in the hands of the players and players deciding you should release on Christmas. * Letting ARG audience members take over your ARG design because you're busy making an executable. * Wanting something to be a commercial success and so hiding it as well as possible. * Reneging on your vow of obscurity at the last second and raking in the dough. * Not being able to put your game on sale because it would violate truth in advertising laws around the world. * Pricing your game high because games should cost money -- but that also meaning people have to pay that money. * Trying to convince the IRS that they've already deposited the check for the amount they're sending you a due notice for. * Enabling your bank teller to feel like a private investigator. * Adding quest flavor text when you ask things of retail workers so they feel like they'll get XP by helping you. * Asking the restaurant pianist to play Happy Birthday in a minor key and the pianist just being grateful that you didn't ask him to play Billy Joel's "Piano Man" for the fortieth time today. * Hearing somebody playing Gershwin in the next practice room over and playing Gershwin with them and them fleeing because the conservatory is haunted. * Asking the librarian to research paranormal activity on your property. * Tracking down the records of everyone who died in a house but entirely ignoring the fractals that may have died in the house. * Not accepting that although some things are known, you'll never know how they're known. * Realizing that economics and economists are dreadful. * Luminary physicists all having killed themselves because nobody took their theories seriously in their lifetimes. * Hiding behind freelance work because you're terrified try to to follow up your accidental success. * Not knowing what you're going to make, but definitely knowing how to sell it. * Bacteria just hanging out and waiting for you to succumb. * The bacteria in your jaw being the true legacy of your life's work. * Taking until your mid-30s to figure out how to work on purpose and not just when you're excited about something. * Sleeping when you want to sleep and getting up after you're not tired anymore. * Meeting a wife and coming to a sleep schedule compromise. * Having more dictionaries than you've ever had in your life. * Thinking your traditional holiday foods are weird until you hear about the other guy's holiday foods. * Pagan traditions intersecting with Christmas in ways that lead to incredibly weird food. * Thinking of whales as fish because you're allowed to eat them on Christmas Eve. * The food you like being impossible to find in a store or restaurant because it's horrifying. * A beet salad made with sour cream and beans and vinegar and peas and carrots and onions and a huge amount of pickles and nobody wanting to try it because it's the color of Pepto Bismol. * Eating poppy seed soup and failing every drug test for the rest of your life. * A puce soy milk served cold. * Skimming off the thick layer of poppy seed fat so your soup won't poison people. * Tiny dumplings representing food for the dead, because the dead don't need to eat a lot. * Pirate Santa, Santa's evil brother who likes puzzles and hiding presents. * Pirate Santa running the Christmas Puzzle Hunt to find all the ingredients for the Christmas appetizer log sandwich. * A Yule Sandwich Log, made from hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, bread, avocado, pineapple, pimento cheese, shrimp, chili sauce, cranberry sauce, deviled ham, peanut butter and a dill pickle, all dipped in cream cheese and decorated with canned pears and maraschino cherries. * A combination of savory, sweet and salty that is pleasing even if you've read the recipe. * A garden gnome except it's a duck. * Decorating a duck for holidays rather than a tree. * Two ninja turtle doves. * Being disappointed with depictions of columnar cacti in popular media. * Being disappointed with depictions of Atari 2600 games in popular media. * Being subpoenaed to the Supreme Court to testify about whether an Atari 2600 video capture is a forgery. * Star Trek either being filmed in California, or every planet in the universe having a mediterranean-style biome. * Plants on Earth being way weirder than alien plants depicted in sci-fi.

PARAPHRASED QUOTES AND STORIES FROM JESUSThe Things That Make A Person UncleanJesus answers the 'teachers of the law' about washing your hands before you eat and what really makes you unclean!

Life is filled with circuses You will fail, you will fail often,  It will be painful.  It will be discouraging.  At times it will test you to your very core. but If you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses.                                                                                                         - Paraphrased from Admiral William McRaven's speech --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thisweeksrehash/message

We are the specifically selected men defecting from the enemy, to join the ranks of Heaven’s Armies1 Chronicles 12 – The Warriors join David”“12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; 2 they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin): 3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,[a] 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. 9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth and Makbannai the eleventh. 14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. 15 It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west. 16 Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.” 18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” So, David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands. 19 Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”) 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. 22 Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”God’s Preparation in Our LivesRomans 5:2-4:2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.We will study key individuals in the Bible and how God’s preparation in their lives provided them with the necessary knowledge to be activated at their appointed time for God’s Kingdom.How if we step out of our calling for God and try to go at things on our own, we often fall or lose our anointing in the spirit, as we will discuss in depth in a future session when we talk about Saul and Samuel; as well as, David and bringing the Ark of The Covenant into Jerusalem.We accept that we are stewards of this ministry and carrying out God’s calling in our livesJeremiah 10:23: I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.An understanding that this ministry is not our, God has bestowed it on us as stewards, and if we deviate from His guidance then all of this can be taken away from us and given to someone else at any moment.Indirect Connection1. Men learn by doing. We rarely connect directly. We tend to size each other up in action and in work. 2. Men determine things while we are in motion. It’s one of God’s gift to us, menThis Sounds Like Right-wing Extremism:Two Extreme Groups of The Bible1. The Zealot During Jesus’ Time - Zealots, were members of a Jewish sect noted in the 1st Century, known for their uncompromising opposition to pagan Rome and the polytheism it professed. The Zealots were an aggressive political party whose concern for the national and religious life of the Jewish people led them to despise even Jews who sought peace and conciliation with the Roman authorities. A census of Galilee ordered by Rome in AD 6 spurred the Zealots to rally the populace to noncompliance on the grounds that agreement was an implicit acknowledgment by Jews of the right of pagans to rule their nation.2. The Sicarii - Extremists among the Zealots turned to terrorism and assassination and became known as Sicarii. (Greek sikarioi, “dagger men”). They frequented public places with hidden daggers to strike down persons friendly to Rome. In the first revolt against Rome (AD 66–70) the Zealots played a leading role, and at Masada in 73 they committed suicide rather than surrender the fortress, but they were still a force to be reckoned with in the first part of the following century. A few scholars see a possible relationship between the Zealots and the Jewish religious community mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls.All Right-wing extremist groups and para-militia groups you read about all end up adopting one philosophy; that not enough is being done, so they take matters into their own hands. When they do this they say, “We know better than God.” “we are above the rule of law and above God’s word and scripture.”Joshua 24:12: “And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow.”Romans 12:19: “19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saithe the Lord.”Striving in whatever we do, whatever we say, and however we act, must comply with God’s word and should be tested by God’s word. God’s word becomes a filter by which by which we teach, and we hold God’s word in the highest place and priority. If you ever hear something or feel like what we are doing goes against scripture, we urge you to bring it to our attention so that we can discuss it together and so that we can all grow and become better.How can we make sure that we are teaching sound theology that is solely based on scripture and God’s word? How would you know?The problem with the church today is discerning whether or not the Holt Spirit is present or not. Because even if the Holy Spirit started with the church, only the church would know if the Holy Spirit has gone away but the people would have no idea because the church is still carrying on its good works. Paraphrased from RT Kendall’s Book, Holy Fire.The same can be said of us and our ministry. We hold true to the fact that works alone do not get you into heaven. You can’t buy your way in and you cannot work your way in. The irony of the concentration camps during WWII is most terribly depicted by the sign at Auschwitz that said, “Arbeit macht frei” – “Work Will Set You Free” in German.We do believe that works we do here does store of gifts for us in heaven and we want to be rewarded for what we do here in the name of God’s Kingdom. That is scripturally based.

It’s audio porn time! We’re closing out the month with a recording recently submitted by a female listener of her getting down with her younger male lover…Paraphrased description from the female participant/submitter of the audio:- Making out- Dick sucking- More making out- Pussy eating - 10 full minutes of her orgasms & squirting - Fucking- Pulling out - More squirting- More fucking- His orgasm- The end- Happy girl.

ACL 2018 paper by Amrita Saha, Rahul Aralikatte, Mitesh M. Khapra, Karthik Sankaranarayanan Amrita and colleagues at IBM Research introduced a harder dataset for "reading comprehension", where you have to answer questions about a given passage of text. Amrita joins us on the podcast to talk about why a new dataset is necessary, what makes this one unique and interesting, and how well initial baseline systems perform on it. Along the way, we talk about the problems with using BLEU or ROUGE as evaluation metrics for question answering systems. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/DuoRC%3A-Towards-Complex-Language-Understanding-with-Saha-Aralikatte/1e70a4830840d48486ecfbc6c89b774cdd0b6399

The Inquisitorius, also known as the Inquisitorius Program and the Order of Inquisitors, was an organization of Force-sensitive agents who worked for the Galactic Empire. Members of the Inquisitorius were known as Imperial Inquisitors, Inquisitors, Red Blades, Mystics by Imperial officers, and sometimes even Jedi hunters. Note: After this episode was recorded, producer and head writer of Rebels Henry Gilroy shed some light on some of our questions about the inquisitors. Paraphrased from the panel: The Inquisitors are all fallen Jedi, who were scouted and picked by Palpatine before Order 66. He targeted Jedi that showed tendencies for brutality, were jealous, ambitious for power, or were disenfranchised by the Jedi Order and had them stunned during Order 66 instead of killed. There was a pitched arc in Season 3 that focused on other Inquisitors, but they decided to instead focus on Maul.  You can connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, or email the show at RebelsRebelsPod@gmail.com. Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us your personal Star Wars grading scale. We'll read it on a bonus episode!

A paraphrase of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. Paraphrased by Simon Woodman.

TAPwrap is back for 2018 with a full-length blockbuster episode, chock full of fixation and vexatious grievance. But enough about the hosts. In this episode, we go deep on the assessment, treatment, practicalities and politics of stalking and intimate partner violence, with academic expert and master storyteller Dr Lorraine Sheridan of Curtin University.   SHOW NOTES Dr Barry Rosenfeld Dialectical Behavior Therapy for the Treatment of Stalking Offenders [Rosenfeld et al 2007] Interview   Are arranged marriages happier than “love marriages”? Depends on who you ask, but they don’t seem to be any less happy: Dr Robert Epstein Prof Pamela Regan The quote fumbled by Luke is from Max Planck, “Die Wahrheit triumphiert nie, ihre Gegner sterben nur aus”. Paraphrased in English as ”truth never triumphs—its opponents just die out” or “science advances one funeral at a time.”   Books, papers, research and others mentioned in this episode (more to come as we rifle the databases!): Stalkers and their Victims [Mullen et al 2008] Amazon link   The Third Policeman [Flann O’Brien, 1967] Amazon linkThe audiobook read by Jim Norton is delightful!  Bad Boy Bubby (1993) UPCOMING 2018 EVENTS APATAP Annual Conference | Wellington | 5-7 March AETAP Annual Conference | Helsinki | 23-26 April ATAP Annual Threat Management Conference | Anaheima | 14-17 August ANZAPPL Annual Congress | Hobart | 21-24 November  

I love the gospel of Matthew.  Matthew was written to communicate the Jesus story to early Jewish Christians and, let me tell you, the writer of this gospel really knew how to tell a story!  Beginning with Chapter one, verse one, we hear Jesus called “The Messiah.”  The writer of Matthew begins by setting us up for something amazing, something big, something life changing and something surprising by naming Jesus as the Messiah.  There had been many would-be messiahs popping up around that time in history, as there have been throughout history.  Most of them got the people hyped up about the political scene and Roman oppression.  There had been great expectation among Jewish people that a messiah would soon arrive, a messiah who would use military might and power to free them from Roman oppression.  So, Matthew’s version of the Jesus story begins by latching on to that expectation and announcing Jesus as the long promised, awaited Messiah.  The writer of Matthew continues to build on that expectation by linking Jesus’ genealogy to royalty as King David is named an ancestor of Jesus.  The story even includes royal sages from the East who come to pay homage to this newborn Messiah.  Then, the knowledge of a newborn king is so threatening to the present Jewish king, King Herod, that Herod has all the infants he can locate massacred.  The presence of this newborn king Jesus is so compelling that even powerful Herod fears him.  If that is not enough, the writer of Matthew then tells us about a mighty prophet who enters the scene, John the Baptist.  John arrives wearing strange clothing, living in the wilderness and eating bugs, while shouting out and calling people to repent.  This wild prophet said, “Turn around – if your life journey is going down the wrong road, turn around and go the other way!”  And, with that he began announcing that One who is even more powerful than he is coming, One who “will be powerful enough to bring justice on the wicked and set things right.” (Feasting on the Word, p. 239.) Well, the stage has been set and excitement levels have been raised.  We can almost hear the trumpets blaring as they announce the coming of this new powerful leader.  The day has finally come.  This is the day that the new leader people have been hearing about is going to make his first major public appearance and they expect something big.  People’s excitement levels are shooting off the charts as they sit down on the mountainside and strain their ears to hear what this new, powerful leader is going to say.  So, this new leader climbs up the mountain, just like Moses and David and Elijah, those great leaders from the past.  And then, when he finally speaks, he gives his inaugural address and they are not only surprised, they are astounded.  They are totally taken aback when they do not hear anything about using power to take charge of the situation they are in.  As a matter of fact, what this Messiah is saying has nothing to do with rescuing them from Roman oppression.  As he begins to speak he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  He goes on with a whole series of blessings and then says, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…..” What??  Rejoice and be glad when you are persecuted?  This was definitely not what they had been looking for or hoped for.  No.  Not only are his words something they did not expect, Jesus also begins his message by saying, “Blessed.”  Now, the Jewish people knew their Hebrew scripture and they knew the Psalms.  They knew that the great Law psalm, Psalm 1, begins with exactly the same word, blessed.  You see, Psalm 1 begins like this, “Blessed is the one who walks not in the way of the wicked but in the way of the Lord.”  And, ashar, the Hebrew word for blessed, really means something like “You are on the right road.”  So, what Jesus is actually saying is, “You are on the right road when you are poor in spirit, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.  You are on the right road when you mourn, for you will be comforted.”  Now, do you begin to understand how astonishing and surprising these words of Jesus were to people 2,000 years ago?  This was absolutely NOT what people expected to hear.  And, you want to know something else?  These words are not what we expect to hear either.  You see, we live in a world and culture where the Beatitudes we hear seduce us into believing: You are on the right road when you win the game, when you are the one who achieves and succeeds, when you come out on top. You are on the right road when power and strength are on your side and you come out winning because then you can claim God is on your side. You are on the right road when you buck up and avoid mourning, when you don’t shed those tears because then you can show how strong you are. You are on the right road when you pursue the American dream, work for success and really start making lots of money to invest in the Kingdom of Wall Street. You are on the right road when you are one of the popular ones and you raise your kids to be the popular ones and become popular leaders. You are on the right road when you support policies that limit assistance to the poor and the immigrant population and the asylum seekers because free handouts do not encourage the poor to find work.   Oh yes, the list goes on and on and on….. Well, today, Jesus gives us life-giving words that do not fit into the you are on the right road boxes we have created!  Today, Jesus is calling his disciples, including each one of us, to walk a very different road.  He is calling us to walk the road that is the way of his will for our lives and for this world.  And, that road looks very different from the road we hear about day in and day out in our culture.  In fact, Jesus is describing a road that is totally countercultural!!  Jesus is calling us to walk the road he initiates, to walk the road that draws us into the very life of God, the road that leads us into the world that is truly real, the road where we will find the deepest and truest meaning in life, the road where we will find life that truly matters!  Jesus is saying: You are on the right road when you are aware of your own poverty and you are at the end of your rope, when you are aware of your own struggle and feel as though you have lost faith. God is naming you among the most faithful. You are on the right road when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you begin to know the embrace of God, the One who is really most dear to you. You are on the right road when you are content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourself proud owner of everything that cannot be bought. You are on the right road when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. Feasting on the life of God is the best meal you will ever eat. You are on the right road when you care deeply for others. It is then that you will find yourself cared for. You are on the right road when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. You are on the right road when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and discover your place in God’s family. (Paraphrased from The Message)   Jesus’ words to us today are not just empty platitudes and promises about something that will happen at some point in the future.  No.  As Jesus speaks, his words to the people on the mountain and to each one of us announce a whole NEW world.  His words announce a whole new world that is breaking in upon us, a world that he is inaugurating, and a world he brings to us.  His words are all about the very real world of God, the very real world that becomes flesh and blood through our Lord Jesus Christ.    Jesus calls and invites us to walk with him on the road he is walking, the road where we will find the deepest, truest meaning in life.  This is the message the writer of Matthew’s gospel wanted to tell, because the truest gospel in this Sermon on the Mount is Jesus, the One who gives the sermon, the inaugural address:  he is the sermon made flesh.  (Feasting on the Word, p. 240)

I tarried a hair today. I have excuses. But hearing excuses is not why you hired me. Sigh. So I'm hammering away at these keys and jumping back and forth between multiple windows to get this thing posted before midnight tonight. Nothing like a deadline to intensify one's focus!* That pressure aside, let's look at another force that affects certain of us who try to help save the world from time to time: The role of Supporter When you live life as a supporter, you run the risk of helping too much; being too enthusiastic; spreading your net too wide, catching more types of people than you care to. You can shoot yourself in your own foot, if you're not careful. I've been struggling with being someone who can't help but try to support at all times and doing so in a way that actually benefits both me and the ones I'm trying to help. Given time, I'll potentially stomp your guts out with the best of intentions This is where personal development practices, maturity, hard earned wisdom, and proper mentoring all come into play to produce a more metered approach as I attempt to give all in a way that doesn't smother the recipient. It's a fucking chore at times. Maybe you can relate? *(Finished with 3 minutes to go!) Subscribe To OJ Podcast! Sponsors: Family Network Chiropractic in Kingston, NY: The only providers of NSA Chiropractic in the Mid-Hudson Valley Maximum Results Fitness w/ Mike Romano: Online Training with Individually Customized Support Key Points: I couldn't stop supporting people even if I tried. What do you feel similarly about that you could turn into a platform? When I try to build with others, it often falls flat; I do most of the work and others can't maintain what I've built in my absence I get nowhere when directly trying to lead people to my work: Facebook ads are how I will passively lead people to my info Most of my best info has come from outside the system - from left field The people part of business has to be done right or the business, itself, will never prosper If you know something that others don't or have a unique way of sharing something familiar, you need to get it out there for those who will only hear it from you Thousands of others know how to do this better than me but millions more don't! (Paraphrased from the movie "Chicken People") I walk a tough line between sharing my old bipolar info in a way that doesn't draw me into people's pain and my new focus on showing people how to live life on their terms You have to know yourself as well as possible so that you can build anything at all in the way best suited to someone like you If you are building or maintaining an audience, be consistent with your delivery of updated content! It separates you from the herd! Links: Human Design Report: Mine shows I work best in response to things When I try to build something with others, it often blows up AdEspresso: How I intend to leverage Facebook in my favor Jason Leister: The first person to clarify that I work best in response to things My Kolbe results say I am designed for idea creation and information spreading "Chicken People": The movie I got the quote from "You'd Have Made A Great Jew! My book was contraband in an Israeli psychiatric lockdown ward Wealth Dynamics Entrepreneur Type Test: Where I first found out I am a Supporter "Best In Show": This movie belongs in your head. You're welcome! The photographer of this post's featured photo: rawpixel.com

Day 7: Paraphrased quote: "Denying the past is the surest way to have it define you." - Brene Brown

Day 7: Paraphrased quote: "Denying the past is the surest way to have it define you." - Brene Brown

The buzz: Make for me healthcare. In medicine, one-size-fits-all treatments have helped save many people cost-efficiently. But for complicated illnesses like cancer, a standardized approach doesn't always work. Personalized medicine – tailored to a specific patient profile – may be the answer. It sounds promising, but will individualized therapies really work, be affordable, and be appropriate for every patient and illness? The experts speak. Barbra McGann, HfS: “The future is a point on the horizon toward which we are headed. We can't get to the future right away because there is stuff in the way. We have to tack back and forth around obstacles.” (Paraphrased from Michael Rogers) Subhro Mallik, Infosys: “It's supposed to be automatic, but actually you have to push this button.” (John Brunner) Emanuel Ziegler, SAP: “Numerical quantities focus on expected values, graphical summaries on unexpected values.” (John W. Tukey) Join us for Personalized Medicine: Individual Therapies for All

The buzz: Make for me healthcare. In medicine, one-size-fits-all treatments have helped save many people cost-efficiently. But for complicated illnesses like cancer, a standardized approach doesn't always work. Personalized medicine – tailored to a specific patient profile – may be the answer. It sounds promising, but will individualized therapies really work, be affordable, and be appropriate for every patient and illness? The experts speak. Barbra McGann, HfS: “The future is a point on the horizon toward which we are headed. We can't get to the future right away because there is stuff in the way. We have to tack back and forth around obstacles.” (Paraphrased from Michael Rogers) Subhro Mallik, Infosys: “It's supposed to be automatic, but actually you have to push this button.” (John Brunner) Emanuel Ziegler, SAP: “Numerical quantities focus on expected values, graphical summaries on unexpected values.” (John W. Tukey) Join us for Personalized Medicine: Individual Therapies for All