Podcasts about Prague Castle

This is the first episode in a new series about the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who blended inspiration from deep antiquity with the modern sensibilities he learnt as a student of Otto Wagner (subject of a previous ABC miniseries episodes 79–83). Here we discussed his upbringing and education, time in Italy and his idiosyncratic classical sources from Etruscan deep time and late antiquity. Later his career and earliest commissions in Vienna and Prague, especially the Zacherlhaus, Church of the Holy Spirit and his interventions at Prague Castle. To follow along with the images, find this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/a8S9gA6_j6M Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonus content for every show. Please rate and review the show on your podcast store to help other people find us! Follow us on twitter // instagram // facebook We're on the web at aboutbuildingsandcities.org This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Tim bracht in de zomervakantie van 2024 samen met zijn gezin 10 dagen door in Praag, en ook Paul bezocht de stad recent nog samen met zijn vrouw. Daarom staan we in deze aflevering van De Buitenwereld uitgebreid stil bij de Tsjechische hoofdstad. Natuurlijk blikken we uitgebreid terug op onze ervaringen in Praag, maar ook delen we veel praktische tips voor luisteraars die zelf plannen hebben om naar Tsjechië af te reizen!Show notes- Home | Prague City Tourism- Praag - Wikipedia- time to momo - Praag, Elke Parsa | bol- Retro Design Apartment in the Letná Art District - Airbnb- Hotel Rott **** | In the Prague's Heart Itself- Hotel St George- Homepage | PID- Kofola - Wikipedia- Hlavní stránka- Museum of Bricks Czech Republic - THE LARGEST PRIVATE LEGO COLLECTION IN THE WORLD- The largest indoor amusement park in the Bohemia | Majaland Praha- National museum- Prague Castle for visitors- Bobová dráha Prosek- Home - Botanická zahrada Praha- vintage tram 42 | Prague City Tourism- Magická Fontána- Mucha Museum Prague

News; Czech scientists in Albania discover world's largest underground thermal lake; National Film Archive preserves amateur and family films as well as classics; and, for our feature, we bring you another episode of “Prague Off the Beaten Track” with Vit Pohanka. Today, we look at Nový svět: a peaceful refuge off the Prague Castle.

News; Czech scientists in Albania discover world's largest underground thermal lake; National Film Archive preserves amateur and family films as well as classics; and, for our feature, we bring you another episode of “Prague Off the Beaten Track” with Vit Pohanka. Today, we look at Nový svět: a peaceful refuge off the Prague Castle.

News, Prague Castle lighting, will Czechs get insurance-covered cross border health care, Vinohrady salon Hair Mates

News, Prague Castle lighting, will Czechs get insurance-covered cross border health care, Vinohrady salon Hair Mates

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 20, 2024 is: defenestration • dee-fen-uh-STRAY-shun • noun Defenestration is most often used to refer to a usually swift dismissal or expulsion, as from a political party or office. It is also used to refer to a throwing of a person or thing out of a window. // Once fancying itself something of a big tent, the group now seeks the defenestration of any local leader who isn't aligned with the current mayor's administration. // Ingrid's annoyance at the alarm clock's persistent drone led to the clock's sudden defenestration from her eighth-floor bedroom. See the entry > Examples: "Since his defenestration, Michael had dabbled in investing, but he was open to returning to the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley start-ups." — Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, 2024 Did you know? These days, defenestration—from the Latin fenestra, meaning "window"—is often used to describe the forceful removal of someone from public office or from some other advantageous position. History's most famous defenestration, however, was one in which the tossing out the window was quite literal. On May 23, 1618, two imperial regents were found guilty of violating certain guarantees of religious freedom and were thrown out the window of Prague Castle. The men survived the 50-foot tumble into the moat, but the incident marked the beginning of the Bohemian resistance to Hapsburg rule that eventually led to the Thirty Years' War and came to be known as the Defenestration of Prague. It was, in fact, the third such historical defenestration in Prague, but it was the first to be referred to as such by English speakers.

News; Czechia struggling with pensions reform; St. Wenceslas Vineyard on the slopes of Prague Castle; Disinformation in Czechia continues to threaten democracy

News; Czechia struggling with pensions reform; St. Wenceslas Vineyard on the slopes of Prague Castle; Disinformation in Czechia continues to threaten democracy

In this revamped episode from 2022, we are taking you on a magical journey to the beautiful city of Prague! We chat with Jan, co-founder of Taste of Prague, a tour company that shares the vibrant culinary scene, culture, and history of this enchanting city. From the iconic Charles Bridge to the grand Prague Castle, Jan introduces us to some must-see landmarks and hidden gems like the secret deer moat beneath the castle. Jan also shares his favorite childhood spots, including a mini Eiffel Tower replica and the largest stadium in the world! The episode wouldn't be complete without a deep dive into Czech cuisine—fruit dumplings, fried cheese, and hearty soups that make Prague's food scene extra special. Plus, Jan teaches us a few words in Czech, including the fun greeting "Ahoy!" (Yes, like pirates!). Grab your ticket and enjoy this family-friendly virtual tour of one of Europe's most magical cities. Taste of Prague: https://www.tasteofprague.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tasteofprague

News; PM Fiala on solidarity in flood crisis, promises support at all levels; Bohemian crown jewels go on display at Prague Castle; interview with Veronika Novotna, who argues for amplifying voices of youth in politics.

News; PM Fiala on solidarity in flood crisis, promises support at all levels; Bohemian crown jewels go on display at Prague Castle; interview with Veronika Novotna, who argues for amplifying voices of youth in politics.

In this interview, Karel Pacovský discusses his on-going research into the daily lives of the Benedictine nuns of St George's Monastery in Prague Castle.  The monastery, founded around 970 exclusively for women, was the earliest monastic institution in Bohemia. It held an important position within the Bohemian state due to its physical location and the status and learning of its abbesses. Karel's research is based on a range of sources, including a book written for the nuns by their confessor, a monk from a near-by Benedictine Abbey of Ostrov, in the early 15th century. This book contains the rule of St Benedict, and the confessor's advice on various aspects of their life – how to manage their library, educate the young novice nuns, and how to conduct their daily life in accordance with their monastic vows. The book also contains reprimands which offer delightful insights into where and how the nuns were taking short-cuts in their religious life. This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Medieval Studies.

Let us continue our time in the Czech Republic and visit a former prison in the heart of the country's capital, Prague. This tower is named for it's first, and most famous, inmate, a man who some believe never left and remains here in death. What will the Director for the Department of Tourism have to tell me when I speak with him about the ghosts of this structure within the Prague Castle complex? And I will read you an email from a listener who visited while on holiday and has a tale to tell that is an incredible, as it is utterly terrifying. So, lets ask together, just how haunted is Daliborka Tower? August's Partner Podcast is Technically a Conversation, find out all about this excellent podcast at www.technicallyaconversation.com Support How Haunted? by subscribing and leaving a review. Find out more about the pod at https://www.how-haunted.com and you can email Rob at Rob@how-haunted.com You can become a Patreon for as little as £1 a month. You can choose from three tiers and get yourself early access to episodes, and exclusive monthly episodes where Rob will conduct ghost hunts and you'll hear the audio from the night. You can even get yourself some exclusive How Haunted? merch. To sign up, and take advantage of a free seven day trial, visit https://patreon.com/HowHauntedPod Perhaps you'd rather buy me a coffee to make a one off donation to support the pod, you can do that at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HowHauntedPod Music in this episode includes: Darren Curtis – Lurking Evil: https://youtu.be/3i0aVnpeppw   " HORROR PIANO MUSIC " composed and produced by "Vivek Abhishek" Music link :https://youtu.be/xbjuAGgk5lU || SUBSCRIBE us on YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/DQQmmCl8crQ || Follow on Facebook: https://bit.ly/33RWRtP || Follow on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2ImU2JV  

News, antisemitism on the rise, app shows users Prague Castle underground, interview with Ed Ley, the Englishman recording the stories of Prague's streets  

News, antisemitism on the rise, app shows users Prague Castle underground, interview with Ed Ley, the Englishman recording the stories of Prague's streets  

News; “Very powerful”: New Havel doc gets special Prague Castle screening; “International experiences can change your life”: Exchange programs on the rise in Czechia; New game aims to make Kafka's work more accessible to young people

News; “Very powerful”: New Havel doc gets special Prague Castle screening; “International experiences can change your life”: Exchange programs on the rise in Czechia; New game aims to make Kafka's work more accessible to young people

News; intelligence chief rings alarm over Russian propaganda; Designblok marks 25 years and returns to Prague Castle; and we meet photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková.

News; intelligence chief rings alarm over Russian propaganda; Designblok marks 25 years and returns to Prague Castle; and we meet photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková.

News; Dissident and gender studies pioneer Jiřina Šiklová among women to be honoured with street name in new Prague district; Pop Messe bringing big alternative names to Brno; Prague Castle gardens; Petschek Palace

News; Dissident and gender studies pioneer Jiřina Šiklová among women to be honoured with street name in new Prague district; Pop Messe bringing big alternative names to Brno; Prague Castle gardens; Petschek Palace

News; Czech tourists on Rhodes complain of chaos and poor communication during evacuation; New book highlights Prague Castle's priceless historical textiles; The steady rise of Czech cricket

News; Czech tourists on Rhodes complain of chaos and poor communication during evacuation; New book highlights Prague Castle's priceless historical textiles; The steady rise of Czech cricket

News; Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Angola-Zambia visit; Prague Castle festival spotlights Czechia's best microbreweries; same-sex stork couple from Czechia makes international headlines

News; Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Angola-Zambia visit; Prague Castle festival spotlights Czechia's best microbreweries; same-sex stork couple from Czechia makes international headlines

Jana Markova, a licensed guide furnished by Czech Tourism, gives James Shillinglaw a quick tour of Prague, including the famed Prague Castle, cathedral, Lesser Town, Charles Bridge, Jewish quarter and much more. Rediscover Prague as it is today, a vibrant city of history, culture, dining and much more. For more information, visit www.visitczechia.com or www.absolutelyprague.com. If interested, the original video of this podcast can be found on the Insider Travel Report Youtube channel or by searching for the podcast's title on Youtube.

Jan Korta, director of sales and marketing for the Aria Hotel in Prague's Lesser Town, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about his unique boutique property located just below Prague Castle and steps from the famed Charles Bridge. Korta details how each suite in the hotel has a musical theme ranging from classical to jazz and beyond. He also showcases the hotel's great restaurant and its rooftop. For more information, visit www.ariahotel.net. If interested, the original video of this podcast can be found on the Insider Travel Report Youtube channel or by searching for the podcast's title on Youtube.

Adnan-Daniel Al Dabbas, hotel manager at the Mozart Prague, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about his historic hotel located next to the Vltava River with views of the famed Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. Al Dabbas describes the many categories of rooms this former palace, including some opulent suites (one named after Mozart). He also details food and beverage options and other amenities. For more information, visit www.themozart.com.  If interested, the original video of this podcast can be found on the Insider Travel Report Youtube channel or by searching for the podcast's title on Youtube.

Get ready for an adventure to Prague as we're joined by a special guest, Jan, from the tour group "Taste of Prague."  Explore the city's incredible food and rich culture, including a hidden secret garden beneath Prague Castle, crossing the legendary Charles Bridge, and savoring the mouthwatering delight of fruit dumplings and crispy fried cheese.  We'll end the episode with some fun words in Czech, all packed with excitement and wonder!  For more information about Taste of Prague, click here:https://www.tasteofprague.com/ For comments and feedback: http://culturekidspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram: @culturekidspodcastEmail us: culturekidspodcast@gmail.comLike us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/culturekidspodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFuV6-GMP4eEEPpNKFP4ug

Angela Greenman is an internationally recognized communications professional. Her career has spanned the spectrum from community relations in Chicago to US and world governments' public communications on nuclear power. She has been an expert and lecturer with the International Atomic Energy Agency for over a decade, a spokesperson for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and a press officer for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, the City's civil rights department. After traveling to twenty-one countries for work and pleasure, she decided it was time to seriously pursue her love of writing. She wants to share the exciting places she has visited, and the richness of the cultures she has experienced. In a September 27, 2021, Writer Unboxed post by Erika Liodice “Travel & Writing: Exploring the Creative Connection”, Angela shared how travel inspires her writing: “For thriller author Angela Greenman, whose debut novel The Child Riddler is forthcoming, it was the Prague Castle that left her speechless and roused her inner storyteller. “I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere and its massive complex,” said Angela. “Inhaling the towers' cold musty smell imbued me with its history—the ruthless discipline of the castle archers at the narrow windows; the fear that the torture victims must have felt—and my muse went into overdrive, inspiring a major ‘chase' scene that takes place in the castle. Angela used the details that moved her, like the tall graceful blue bottle of Bulgaria's national drink, rakia, and the glow of Austria's green and blue domes in the evening light, to weave an elegant “background tapestry” that contrasted her characters' devious plotting.” You can connect with Angela on Facebook @Angela-Greenman-Author, Twitter @AngelaGreenman or Instagram @angelsprism. You can also visit her website at angelagreenman.com. Make sure to check out this episode

News, is growing extremism a threat to democracy, tapestries inspired by Josef Čapek on display at Prague Castle, Vietnamese minority in Czechia

News; President-elect to employ Prague Castle architect, Photo of medieval castle at sunrise wins postcard competition; Interview with health expert Steriani Elavsky

What you'll learn in this episode: Why sacred geometry is the underlying link between Eva's work in jewelry, architecture and design How growing up in an isolated Soviet Bloc country influenced Eva's creative expression Why jewelry is one of the most communicative art forms How Eva evaluates jewelry as a frequent jewelry show judge Why good design should help people discover new ideas and apply them in other places  About Eva Eisler A star of the Prague art world, Eva Eisler is an internationally recognized sculptor, furniture/product designer, and jeweler. Rooted in constructivist theory, her structurally-based objects project a unique spirituality by nature of their investment with “sacred geometry.” The current series of necklaces and brooches, fabricated from stainless steel, are exemplars of this aesthetic. In 2003, she developed a line of sleek, stainless steel tabletop objects for mono cimetric design in Germany.  Eisler is also a respected curator and educator. She is chairman of the Metal and Jewelry Department at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, where she heads the award-winning K.O.V. (concept-object-meaning) studio. Her work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum and Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Canada; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; and Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague, among others.  Additional Resources: Eva's Instagram Photos available on TheJeweleryJourney.com Transcript: Eva Eisler is the rare designer who works on projects as small as a ring and as large as a building. What connects her impressive portfolio of work? An interest in sacred geometry and a desire to discover new ideas that can be applied in multiple ways. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how she communicates a message through jewelry; why jewelry students should avoid learning traditional techniques too early; and her thoughts on good design. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven't heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com. My guest today is Eva Eisler, Head of the Jewelry Department of the Academy of Arts in Prague. She's probably one of the most well-known artists in the Czech Republic. Welcome back.    How long were you in New York? A long time?   Eva: 25 years.    Sharon: Wow! I didn't realize that. And did you teach the whole time?   Eva: I taught for a few years at Parsons School of Design, and then New York University pulled me in. It was Judith Schwartz, who was the Director of the Department of Art Education, who wanted to expose the students to metalworking. So, she asked me to come and teach there.   Sharon: Did you do jewelry and other things because you wanted to have not so much grayness in the world, to have color, to have joy?   Eva: Are you asking?   Sharon: Yeah, I'm asking. Did you break out, in a sense, because of the world around you?   Eva: I think that one challenge after the other gave me strength and conviction. This is something I can work with, the medium of jewelry, because it's so communicative. I had so many incredible encounters through wearing a piece of jewelry. For example, I went to a party at Princeton University. I'm talking to this professor of physics. He's telling me how they are developing an artificial sun, and he's looking at my piece. When he finished talking about his project, he said, “Is this what I think it is?” I said, “Clearly, yes.” It was a piece of metal bent into an S, one line and one dot. It's basically telling you that it depends on a point of view and how you perceive things. I used to like to come up with a concept that I would play with in different theories.    Sharon: Did you expect to be in the States for 25 years? That's a long time.   Eva: No. We were allowed by Czechoslovakia to go for one year. After one year, we politely applied for an extension. It was denied to us. So, we were actually abroad illegally and we could not return because we did not obey the rules.    Sharon: When you came back, did you teach? We saw some of your students' work. What do you tell them about your work? What do you teach them?    Eva: It's a different system. In New York, you teach one class at a time if you're not a full-time professor at the university. In New York, it's very rare. The intensity and the high quality of professionals in all different fields allows schools to pull them in, so they can take a little bit of their time and share with students what they do. It's not that you devote your full time to teaching.    In the Czech Republic, it's different. At the academy where I have taught for 16 years, you're the professor, and you have a student for six years with a special degree in the master's program. For six years, you're developing the minds of these young people. I don't teach them techniques. We have a workshop and there is a workshop master. I talk to them about their ideas. We consult twice a week for six years. It's a long time. I would be happy if somebody talked about my work for half an hour once a year. I would have to ask somebody because I need it as well. It's a different system, the European system of schools.   Sharon: You're head of the K.O.V. Studio. How would you translate that?   Eva: The academy is divided into departments, and each department is a different media: Department of Architecture, Department of Industrial Design and so on. We are part of the Department of Applied Arts, which is divided between ceramics, glass, textile, fashion. My studio is about metal, and for metal in Czech, you write “kov.” When I took over the studio, I put dots in between the letters, which stands for “concept, object, meaning.” In Czech, meaning isn't even a word. That way, I could escape the strict specialization for metal, because when you're 20 and you go study somewhere, do you know you want to work for the rest of your life in metal? No. Today, we are also exploring different materials, discovering new materials. I am giving them assignments and tasks. Each of them has to choose the right material, so the person comes up with using concrete or cork or wood or paper or different things, glass or metal.   Sharon: How do you balance everything? You have so much going on. How do you balance it?    Eva: I have to do three jobs because teaching does not make a living, even though I'm a full-time professor. It's an underpaid profession, maybe everywhere.   Sharon: I was going to say that, everywhere.   Eva: Then I do my own art, and I do large projects like designing exhibitions, curating exhibitions, designing a design shop. Things like that to make money to support those other two. It's a lot, yes. I have grandchildren.   Sharon: A family. Yes, it's a lot. You've done jewelry shows and you've evaluated shows. What's important to you? What stands out? What jumps out at you?   Eva: I sit on juries. In 2015, I was invited to be a curator of Schmuck, the jewelry exhibition in Munich. It's a big challenge, selecting out of 600 applicants for a show that at the end has only 60 people from all over the world. When I looked at the work, we flipped through pictures one after the other. It's so incredible what jewelry has evolved into, this completely open, free thing, many different styles, many different trends and materials. There's organic and geometric and plastic. I noticed these different groups and that I could divide all these people into different groups, different styles, different materials. Then I was selecting the best representation of these groups. It made it quite clear and fast when I came up with this approach.   Sharon: Does something jump out at you, though, when you're looking through all these—let's say you've divided all the glass, all the metal—   Eva: Very rarely, because we go to Munich every year. I go and see exhibitions all over, so it's very random. You can see something completely different and new. I worked on a very interesting exhibition that year at the Prague Castle. Cartier does not have a building for their collection, a museum. They have the collection traveling around in palaces and castles and exhibition galleries around the world, and each place has a different curator. I was invited to curate it in Prague. It was the largest Cartier exhibition ever displayed. It was around 60 pieces for this show, and it was in Bridging Hall of the Prague Castle, an enormous space.    That was very interesting because at the moment I accepted this challenging job, I had never walked into a Cartier anywhere in the world, in New York, Paris, London, because I was never curious. It was real jewelry, but when I started working with the collection, which is based in Geneva, and I was going to Paris to these workshops and archives, I discovered the completely different world of making jewelry, how they, in the middle of the 19th century, approached this medium and based it on perfection and mechanisms and the material. So, the best of the best craftsmen were put together in one place. It was very challenging.   Another exhibit I worked on was for a craft museum. It was called The Radiant Geometries. Russell Newman was the curator, and I was doing the display faces. My work was part of the show as well. That was a super experience.    An interesting show I had was at Columbia University at the School of Architecture. The dean was Bernard Tschumi, the deconstructivist architect. He invited me to do an exhibition of jewelry and drawings for their students of architecture. Can you imagine? The students looked at the work, and they thought they were small architecture models. I developed a new system for how to hold them together. For that exhibition, I built cabinets that I later developed into a system with vitrines. After the exhibition with vitrines, I started making chairs and tables and benches, and later on I used it again for an exhibition when I was in Brussels. One thing leads me to another. One thing inspires the other. I go from flats, from drawings and paintings, into three-dimensional objects. I need a lance, so I design it and then some company makes it.   Sharon: Wow! What do you think has kept your attention? We'll have pictures of the jewelry on the website so people can see it. I love the necklace you have on. It's avant garde. Everything in the exhibit and everything your students did was avant garde. So, what holds your attention about it? How would you describe it?   Eva: I think making something like many people did before you doesn't make any sense. We are surrounded by so much stuff. It only makes it worth spending your talent and time when it's something new. You're discovering something new that somebody else can learn from and apply somewhere else. For example, this necklace is just held by the tension of the spring wire. Next time, maybe I can use it for some lighting. Who knows?   Sharon: I'd like to see that if you do it. What makes a good exhibit? You've been in charge of so many exhibits. What makes a good jewelry exhibit?   Eva: It should be based on a common theme or concept, and all the objects should together tell a story. Also, the exhibition design or architectural design of the show is very important. A lot of exhibition architects are creating something so powerful that you can't see the work that is showing. My rule is that the installation basically should disappear. The work is the most important thing, right?   Sharon: Yes, that's true. You mentioned a story, like each area or part should tell a story. Would you agree with that?   Eva: If it's large exhibition of jewelry in different styles, let's say, it should be grouped into similar topics so it empowers them. If you have one piece of this kind, another piece of a different kind next to each other, then—I don't know; it can be anything. It depends on the curator or the architect. Look at the Danner Rotunda in Munich. Their collection is strung together. Maybe the curator or the artist who did the installation wanted to create a dialogue of completely different characters, like when you have guests for dinner and you're thinking who sits next to whom. You want to create an exciting dialogue.   Sharon: When you came to New York, do you think you stood out? In Czechoslovakia did you stand out? Could you hold your own within these different parties?   Eva: I'm not the one who can judge it, but yes. I heard from different people what caught their attention, and why, for example, Judy Schwartz said, “I was waiting patiently all these years,” whenever she finds the time to teach at NYU. I was always amazed by her education. Toni Greenbaum wrote a beautiful piece when we first met. She was intrigued by what I wore and how I looked, but mostly by a piece of jewelry I wore. I sewed the dress a day before because I thought, “What am I going to wear?” I designed it myself. If somebody asks me what I collect—mostly everybody collects something—I usually say I collect people. People together create society, create culture. One cannot stand alone. Through the work I do, it brings me to people. I try, and the results bring me to better people. That's what I value most.   Sharon: That's interesting. That was going to be my next question, but you answered it. Everybody does collect something, and people have different definitions of collections. Collecting people is a collection, yes, and you collect people all over the world. Thank you so much for being with us today, Eva. I really appreciate it.   Eva: Thank you so much for inviting me and talking to me. I'm saying hello to everyone who is listening.   Sharon: Well will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.  

News; US town of Crest Hill commemorates Lidice massacre; Prague Castle to host 10th edition of annual Minibrewery Festival; Jordi Savall brings early music back to stage.

News; US town of Crest Hill commemorates Lidice massacre; Prague Castle to host 10th edition of annual Minibrewery Festival; Jordi Savall brings early music back to stage.

Synopsis On today's date in 1868, the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana helped lay the foundation stone for Prague's future National Theatre. As the stone was driven into the soil with a ceremonial mallet, Smetana exclaimed, “In music is the life of the Czechs!” That same evening at Prague's New Town Theatre Smetana conducted the premiere performance of his new opera “Dalibor.” It's worthy of note that one of the players in the orchestra was a 26-year old violist and fellow composer named Antonin Dvorak. The subject matter of “Dalibor” seemed theatrically apt for the occasion: a Czech legend about a rebellious 15th century knight imprisoned for supporting a peasant uprising. During his imprisonment, according to the legend, Dalibor learned to play the violin so beautifully that people came to listen to him outside the window of the Prague Castle tower in which he was held. Thirteen years after the premiere of “Dalibor,” the National Theatre opened on June 11, 1881. For that gala occasion, another Smetana opera, “Libuse,” received its premiere performance. Sadly, by that time Smetana was completely deaf, mentally ailing, and desperately poor. To add insult to injury, the directors of the new theater had neglected to invite him to the gala premiere of his own opera! Despite the inexcusable snub, Smetana found his way into the theater, and, when called on the stage and recognized by the audience, was acknowledged with thunderous applause. Music Played in Today's Program Bedrich Smetana — Act I Prelude and opening chorus,. fr "Dalibor" (Prague National Theatre Orchestra and Chorus; Zdenek Kosler, cond.) Supraphon ‎SU0077-2 632

Joe talks about Prague Castle, a listener's provocative email, and how to tell how much you care about your romantic partner.

The Maharal of Prague (c.1512-1609) was more legend than reality. His teachings and diverse scholarship seem to grow more popular with time, but who was he and what was the world that he lived and operated in? The Maharal was a communal rabbi in his hometown of Poznan (Poland), Nikolsburg (Moravia) and Prague (Bohemia). He was a posek and kabbalist, a communal leader and a prolific author. He stood at a crossroads of Jewish history and made a decisive impact in his own time and through his legacy. Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire moved the seat of the royal court to the Prague Castle in 1583, and his religious tolerance coupled with his eccentric obsession with the occult sciences added to Prague's mystical reputation. And it was in Prague where the Maharal would lead the community, teach his students and publish many of his acclaimed works.   This episode of Jewish History Soundbites on the Maharal is sponsored by “Short Machshava on the Daf”, a project of Machsheves Yechezkel. The Short Machshava Shiur aims to give an understanding of the Agadita/Machshava of every Daf in shas, following the Daf Yomi schedule, adding a new Depth to the Daf, and is given by Rabbi Yechezkel Hartman, a Talmid of Rabbi Moshe Shapiro zt"l, Maggid Shiur in Lawrence NY and son of Rav Yehoshua Hartman, the publisher and editor of many works of the Maharal.  Available on machshevesyechezkel.com Whatsapp- https://bit.ly/shortmwa4  All Major Podcast Platforms - https://bit.ly/shortmpodcast TorahAnytime- https://www.torahanytime.com/#/speaker?l=882  All Daf- https://alldaf.org/series/4102/   For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at:  yehuda@yehudageberer.com   Subscribe To Our Podcast on:    PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/   Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites You can email Yehuda at yehuda@yehudageberer.com

News, state award ceremony at Prague Castle, schools taking in Ukranian children, Roman Maca on disinformation websites

News, state award ceremony at Prague Castle, schools taking in Ukranian children, Roman Maca on disinformation websites

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 18, 2021 is: defenestration • dee-fen-uh-STRAY-shun • noun Defenestration originally meant "a throwing of a person or thing out of a window." Today, it's more often used for "a usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office)." // Michael's annoyance at his alarm clock's persistent drone led to its sudden defenestration from his eighth-floor bedroom. See the entry > Examples: "The drama would culminate in [Margaret Thatcher's] … defenestration…." — Jeremy Cliffe, The New Statesman, 6 Jan. 2021 Did you know? These days defenestration—from the Latin fenestra, meaning "window"—is often used to describe the forceful removal of someone from public office or from some other advantageous position. History's most famous defenestration, however, was one in which the tossing out the window was quite literal. On May 23, 1618, two imperial regents were found guilty of violating certain guarantees of religious freedom and were thrown out the window of Prague Castle. The men survived the 50-foot tumble into the moat, but the incident marked the beginning of the Bohemian resistance to Hapsburg rule that eventually led to the Thirty Years' War and came to be known as the Defenestration of Prague (it was the third such historical defenestration in Prague, but the first known to be referred to as such by English speakers).

On this day in 1618, two regents were thrown from a window in the Prague Castle, an incident now known as the Second Defenestration of Prague. / On this day in 1951, Tibet signed the Seventeen Point Agreement, which affirmed China's sovereignty over Tibet. There is controversy over the validity of the document and China's adherence to it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Does the Thirty Years’ War merit its gruesome reputation? Who were the winners and losers of the conflict? And why did a Protestant mob throw Catholics out of a top-floor window of Prague Castle in 1618? Peter Wilson answers your questions on the conflict that tore central Europe apart for three decades in the 17th century, in the latest in our series tackling history’s major topics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Indira Gumarova is a dynamic and multilingual marketing professional with 20 years of Public Relations experience in New York’s creative industry. Her client list includes notable off-Broadway theater productions, filmmakers, authors, musicians and fashion designers. She has promoted documentary films on a wide range of subjects including science, health and Islam. Indira, a former Prague Castle resident who has been based primarily in Prague since 2014, has quickly become an influential participant in the Washington DC’s cultural scene, promoting local businesses and cultural events. Her rich multicultural background has naturally enabled her to take a leading role in the life of Prague's diplomatic community. Indira also founded the Diplomacy and Fashion Project with the mission to integrate the language of fashion into the message of diplomacy and vice versa. She holds dual citizenship and is married to the current Czech Ambassador to the U.S., Hynek Kmonicek. Visit www.diplomacyandfashion.com & www.fashionnightignites.com. Get the listen to Vibrations of Love by Sister Jenna on Spotify. Visit www.americameditating.org. Download our free Pause for Peace App for Apple or Android.

HERE - 13 More Ghost Stories with Raymond JohnstonGuest: Raymond Johnston, Journalist and author of the Ghost MapPrague's one of the most haunted cities in Europe, so it was an easy task to find 13 scary stories for Halloween to amaze, delight and frighten you. Follow along using Raymond's interactive ghost map, or just settle back and listen to tales about ghosts, pirates, mermaids, water sprites, beheadings, barbers, a werewolf, a very slow zombie, a very shy vampire and more.SECTIONS01:51 - North to South02:12 - The Ghoul of Stromovka (Holešovice)04:17 - The Werewolf of the Stag Moat (below Prague Castle)06:45 - The Invisible Nun (Malá Strana)09:10 - Headless Laura (Malá Strana)12:08 - Kabourek, the Water Sprite (Malá Strana)15:02 - The Mad Barber of Karlova Street (Staré Město)17:51 - The Headless Templar of Liliova Street (Staré Město)21:08 - The Pirate Red Goat & Black Lilly (Petrská čtvrť)23:54 - The Mermaid of V Tůních (Nové Město)27:41 - The Devil Chef (Nové Město)31:08 - The Well-Dressed Solider (Vyšehrad)33:41 - Vampire Lick It Up Bloody Knee (Žižkov)37:41 - The White Lady of Záběhlice Chateau (Záběhlice)40:03 - Sources for Stories Music by Fanette Ronjat Things mentioned in this episode:Magic BohemiaBaba StudioInteractive Ghost Map of PraguePrague Full of Ghosts by Miloslav SvandrlikFor events in Prague, go to the Facebook page The Prague Haps Follow us on social for extras:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramOther Podcasts by Derek DeWittDIGITAL SIGNAGE DONE RIGHT - Winner of 2020 Communicator Award of Excellence for Podcasts Series-Corporate Communications and on numerous top 10 podcast lists. CONSPIRACY CLEARINGHOUSE - A rather skeptical look at conspiracies and mysteries. Each episode will examine conspiracy theories, most of which are not true, a few of which might be a little bit true and even a couple that turned out, in fact, to be true. This is the podcast that dares to look behind the curtain that’s behind the curtain.

Eda Kriseová joined old friend Václav Havel at a “Kafkaesque” Prague Castle when he became president. The writer and ex-dissident recalls the lingering odour of Husák, and way more besides, in this broad-ranging interview.

On this day in 1618, two regents were thrown from a window in the Prague Castle, an incident now known as the Second Defenestration of Prague. For more on this subect, listen to an episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class on the Defenestrations of Prague here: https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/the-defenestrations-of-prague.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Dan Tepfer has made a name for himself as a pianist-composer of wide-ranging ambition, individuality and drive — “a remarkable musician” in the words of the Washington Post and one “who refuses to set himself limits” in those of France’s Télérama. The New York City-based Tepfer, born in 1982 in Paris to American parents, has performed with some of the leading lights in jazz, including extensively with veteran saxophone luminary Lee Konitz. As a leader, Tepfer has crafted a discography already striking for its breadth and depth, ranging from probing solo improvisation and intimate duets to richly layered trio albums of original compositions. His Sunnyside/Naïve album Goldberg Variations / Variations saw the prize-winning pianist performing J.S. Bach’s masterpiece as well as improvising upon it to “build a bridge across centuries and genres” (Wall Street Journal) in “an impressive feat that keeps coming back to a hearty and abiding respect” (New York Times). As a composer, he is a recipient of the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for works including Concerto for Piano and Winds, premiered in the Prague Castle with himself on piano, and Solo Blues for Violin and Piano, premiered at Carnegie Hall. Bringing together his undergraduate studies in astrophysics with his passion for music, his groundbreaking multimedia project Natural Machines integrates computer-driven algorithms into his improvisational process. Awards include first prize and audience prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition, first prize at the East Coast Jazz Festival Competition, and the Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association. http://www.dantepfer.com Natural Machines: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUzNnspxG1f5Bks6R8ckCzDSEn__psaO8 Dan’s Apps: https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/dan-tepfer/id906075109

Your favorite people spend most of their interview time talking about work: offering up professional insights, sharing the latest thinking on topics of choice, and discussing their latest projects. But there's SO much more to unpack! When you punch out of work, you refocus on your personal passions and side interests. That’s exactly what my "Punching Out" co-host, Katie Robbert, and I want to explore. On Punch Out With Katie and Kerry, you’ll get to hear about people's fun hobbies, weird collections, and side hustles. For Episode 1 of Season 1, Katie and I cover what we do for fun. Other Season 1 episodes will feature well known personalities including Chris Brogan, Mark Schaefer, Christopher Penn, and Katie Martell! In this inaugural episode, we cover: Why people should tune in to the Punching Out Podcast Why dad jokes are the best - and not told exclusively by dads What activities fall into hobbies, interests and side hustles Bad student films and good movies KenTacoHut This episode of Punch Out With Katie and Kerry is sponsored by Trust Insights. Are you feeling less than confident in your marketing metrics, looking for some help automating your tasks, or wondering what topics are most important to your audience? Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, Trust Insights will help you light up your dark data. Visit trustinsights.ai/punchingout for more information. Punch Out With Katie and Kerry (#PunchOut) is the show that dives deeper into topics you care about. We don't ask the questions everyone else does. We get to the real insights (and the weird hobbies, the guilty pleasures, the secret side hustles...the good stuff)! We find out what really makes your favorite people tick. Punch out with Katie and Kerry! Have a cool hobby or side interest you want to talk about on the show? Let us know: Web: www.punchoutwithus.comEmail: punchoutwithus@gmail.com Hosts: Kerry O’Shea Gorgone (@KerryGorgone) & Katie Robbert (@katierobbert) Transcript: Kerry Gorgone 0:00 Katie, Do you know any dad jokes? Katie Robbert 0:00 As a matter of fact, I do. Did you hear the one about the restaurant on the moon? No great food, no atmosphere. INTRO: Sometimes you just want to talk about something other than work. Katie Roberto and Kerry O’Shea are going get to the weird hobbies guilty pleasures and secret side hustlers. The good stuff about all your favorite people. Punch Out with Katie and Kerry. Kerry Gorgone 0:29 Hi everyone. Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Punching Out Podcast with me, Kerry O’Shea Gorgone and Katie Robbert from Trust Insights. Hey, Katie big first episode you excited. Katie Robbert 0:32 I am beyond excited. This is something I’ve always wanted to be able to do. Like on my own terms, not for a company, not for anyone else’s agenda. And I’m so excited that we finally get to do something like this. Kerry Gorgone 0:52 I have been talking about marketing on the marketing smarts podcast for Marketingprofs for about five years. And I love it. I still love it. But I was ready to talk about something else. I kind of felt like with every guest, they would bring something up. And I would think I’d be so interesting to find out more about that. But it was like a hobby, or a side hustle or a cause they supported or something and didn’t really have a place in a business discussion about marketing. So now we can talk about all those things. Katie Katie Robbert 1:16 well, and it’s you know, it’s something that I think is also so important because especially at trust insights, we really challenge our employees to be well rounded, and not just work 15, 16, 20 hours a day. You know, we want people to have outside hobbies and have other passions outside of marketing. It’s just a really healthy way to live. And so I think that this is the perfect complement to what you and I both do. Kerry Gorgone 1:41 It’s like the movie “The Firm” with Tom Cruise when he goes to join that law firm. And they’re like, the firm encourages children firm doesn’t forbid wives from working. You guys are like “The Firm”. Katie Robbert 1:51 So, so similar, but not we do not enforce children. Thank goodness, we strongly suggest we don’t enforce Kerry Gorgone 2:03 children are not a hobby. Anyway, they’re more of a side hustle. But I would say it’s like your full time gig. No matter what is going on Katie Robbert 2:11 It’s kind of like the show “diners, drive ins and dives.” They try to fit everything into one of those three categories. So we fit kids into a side hustle because we have hobbies, interests, and side hustles. So it’s like the same thing. Hobbies, Kerry Gorgone 2:25 You're into dad jokes. Katie Robbert 2:27 I loved that job. You Unknown 2:28 don’t have good Did your dad joke? No. Katie Robbert 2:31 I want you know, I blame my own dad for it. He taught me some of the worst jokes that I’ve ever learned. including some really bad sea shanties and limericks Kerry Gorgone Oh. Like pG 13. Kerry Gorgone Yeah, yes. And no. Kerry Gorgone 2:48 Telling me a dad joke, Katie. Katie Robbert Okay. Kerry Gorgone Something you learned by the shanty? Katie Robbert 2:56 Well, here’s here’s a good dad joke. This is very typical of something that might dad would tell me how many apples grow on a tree? Kerry Gorgone How many Katie Robbert all of them. Kerry Gorgone 3:07 And that is the reaction you’re going for. Katie Robbert 3:09 I don’t have what, like an Alexa or Google Home. But I’ve been told that if you do have one, you can actually install a program that you can say, Alexa, tell me a dad joke. And chills. Just start telling you bad jokes. And if I were to invest in like a Google Home, and Alexa. That would be the only reason why. it’s just have someone tell me bad jokes all day long. Kerry Gorgone 3:30 But why dad jokes in particular, I mean, moms can tell terrible joke. I tell a ton of mom jokes. By the way. Katie Robbert 3:35 I think it’s just the what is always been called. I don’t think it’s actually necessarily has to be told by a dad. Like, I’m not a dad that I know of. So I think it’s just called a dad joke. Because that’s what people understand them to be. But I mean, anyone can tell a bad joke. A lot of people tell bad jokes. I think the difference is, anyone can tell them bad joke, but it’s considered a dad joke If you kind of get that eye roll and groan, of like, ”Oh my god, that’s so dumb. It’s funny.” And I guess that’s the difference. Kerry Gorgone 4:10 This is the best. Like, what do you call an elephant that doesn’t matter? An irrelevant. Katie Robbert 4:20 I’m gonna have to save that one. Kerry Gorgone 4:22 So dad jokes as a hobby. Just break that out. When you guys have company or what? Katie Robbert 4:25 I don’t even need company. I’ll just, I mean if my husband is sitting even somewhere within like, 10 feet of me. I’ll just start you know, telling jokes. Kerry Gorgone Adam. Sure. You really like that. Katie Robbert There’s a reason he married me. He actually really does and the worst the better and then he’ll take them to work with him and then start telling them Kerry Gorgone 4:47 how did the dogs like him because you have dogs, right. Katie Robbert 4:50 I do, I have two Newfoundland’s one is just under 200 pounds. And the other one is a little hundred-pound bruiser. They tell their own jokes they think it’s funny to pull pranks the other day they pretended, like, so I had gotten up a little bit later than I normally do. And they pretended they hadn’t eaten so they got two breakfasts so you know so they pulled a prank and my husband rolled into the room he’s like oh so they didn’t tell you that they’ve already and I was like “Oh guys you got me” Kerry Gorgone 5:19 you’re going to have like morbidly obese already giant Katie Robbert 5:25 no, they eat a normal diet that was that was only one out of you know, the five years that we’ve been doing this that they’ve pulled that prank Kerry Gorgone 5:32 Well, normally will be talking to other people about their weird collections and fun hobbies and side hustlers and causes that they support but, you know, we thought for this first episode of The Punching Out Podcast that we would find out about the weird things that you do Katie Robbert 5:44 well, and you Kerry Kerry Gorgone 5:46 and me but you know, I don’t have anything as exotic as dad jokes and enormous dogs that I overfeed. I don’t even have a goldfish. I just have children and they make an effort not to overfeed them. Although I can say that that always goes on according to plan. Katie Robbert 6:00 Well, we have established that children are a side hustle. Do you have any interesting hobbies? Or do you collect anything? Kerry Gorgone 6:08 I think kids are like tiny thugs to take over your whole life. That’s pretty much so I mean, side hustle, I would hesitate to categorize them as but before I had kids, I was at the movies every weekend. You know how they used to tell jokes or they’d have trivia at the beginning of every movie. And you know while they were well before the movie started I got to the point where I knew what the next revolution was going to be before the before it came up. I just been to so many movies anymore as like yes not that they actually give you prizes for that or anything but I felt like every crap movie that came out between 1990 and now Katie Robbert 6:44 what were some of your favorites Kerry Gorgone 6:46 Um, I don’t even know why I went to see Titanic because I was like everybody knows how it ends I will say that the lower my expectations the better my reaction when it is not terrible and so I was like oh man that was a amazing like the effects there is a way that the another one along the same lines with Varsity Blues expected to be god awful and when it wasn’t that bad I was so thrilled that it wasn’t that bad Don’t ask me why I think I had run through all the good movies that’s what happens right because movies stay out for a while and I was down to like the seeds and stuff as they say in certain the circles and so he went to see “Varsity Blues”, fully expecting it to be awful. And it was all right. I tend to like horror movies a lot. And so fairly recently I took my mom to see the first purge Katie Robbert wow Kerry Gorgone I know! that was another season says it’s kinda weekend. But you know what, she actually liked it too, because there’s a lot of action and stuff so and you don’t really need to have seen the rest of them because it is supposed to be the origin story. And if you’re familiar with the purge movies, like they locked down the city and everyone’s allowed to do whatever they want. Including kill people for like, 12 hours or 24, I forget, maybe 12 Katie Robbert 7:59 I haven’t seen but I do love an origin story. So are they are without giving anything away. So if you’re in your house, our people love to break into your house. Like Are there any rules with the purge? Or is it just, everything goes? Kerry Gorgone 8:15 everything’s legal, everything. Yeah. And so that’s the thing. So they’ll obviously to be targeting certain people. But their idea, I think, is that the kind of like, the lower classes would just kill each other, this terrible evil, horrible thing, right? And you get to see the beginnings of it, like, how it unfolded and how it actually whatever. But so I was surprised by that movie, too. I mean, that’s not none of these are like the best movies that I’ve seen. Terrible that I was, I was one of those nerds. It was like at the midnight showings for the Lord of the Rings movies, when they came out like it did all of that all the superhero movies, all the horror movies, the really good ones, there were some that were disappointing. I’ve seen some critically acclaimed movies that turned out to be in my opinion, awful like the “Witch” Katie Robbert 8:56 is that the one where the W looks like two V’s? Kerry Gorgone 8:59 I don’t remember. I don’t remember it. Seeing on Rotten Tomatoes. It had like this ridiculously high score, you know, that movie ratings website and I thought, you know, give it a whirl and they turned up for it. And it was it was just terrible, really slow moving and depressing as hell. And I was like, I want two and a half hours of my life back so angry. Katie Robbert 9:17 I think I see that one pop up on Netflix because I also watch a lot of horror movies and I’ve watched a lot of bad ones. I think one of the worst ones I watched was on a flight back from San Francisco to Boston and it was “the pretty thing that lives in the walls” Kerry Gorgone I haven’t seen that Katie Robbert and just in general like the title sounds like oh that’ll be really interesting and the preview was really interesting but there was almost no dialogue and it was like a single shot on the actress the whole time and it just was so slow and so terrible and I was really disappointed because I was really hoping to watch you know a really exciting horror movie so instead I switched over to Stephen King’s thinner which was way better yeah and on a plane when other people are trying to figure out what you’re doing like the guy next to me was horrified Kerry Gorgone 10:04 I bet well even the made for TV Stephen King movies are going to be better than some of the stuff that’s out there I like the ones that they release it seems like in Paris like to similar movies with a similar story like Armageddon and Deep Impact right and then you’re like Armageddon was so much better way better Yes Are there was deep blue sea and then there was a deep rising or something and one was about smart sharks for the other was about but anyway so I like those kinds of barriers you know comparing which was better and stuff you know i’m a movie buff and it’s partly about the experience I kind of like getting out and going to the theater Katie Robbert 10:37 so I don’t know if you know this Kerry but I actually have a film degree no way I studied film at Fitchburg state it was college back them now it’s University Kerry Gorgone 10:49 it matriculated Katie Robbert 10:51 so I to have made a bad student film in my day. And because I also love horror movies. That was the genre that I kept trying to make. But what would happen was we would the team and I would set out to make this horror movie and it would turn into a comedy. So we just rolled with it. And we ended up making this one called quiet hours. Because you know, when you’re in college, you have no budget, you have to kind of have to work with like the surroundings that you have. So we came up with this plot where there is this one, like sort of psychopathic kid who was trying to study during finals. And during finals, you have the quiet hour. So like every floor, every dorm has to be like no music, no parties, that kind of a thing. Kerry Gorgone 11:32 I was a Resident Assistant, I enforce this. Katie Robbert 11:35 And so you know, and so basically what would happen was he was he started murdering all of the people who were violating quiet hours. Who hasn’t wanted to do that. So you had someone who was singing in the shower, so there was a shower murder scene. And of course, he was singing that Maxwell’s “I always feel like somebody’s watching me” Kerry Gorgone 11:54 of course you’ve got clearance for that. Katie Robbert 11:56 I mean, yes, of course. There was a kid who was that was this was back in the day when they were actual phones tethered to walls. So there was a phone booth so we had somebody loudly arguing with their girlfriend in a phone booth so there was a phone booth killing seen lots of like, small on Kerry Gorgone Oh my god, phone booths. When was the last time you saw a phone booth, Katie? Katie Robbert that’s a really good question. I don’t know. Kerry Gorgone 12:21 I mean outside of the movies? Katie Robbert 12:23 Yeah, probably outside the pop Geno’s down the street Kerry Gorgone 12:26 We have a KenTacoHut. Katie Robbert A whaaaat? Kerry Gorgone A Kentucky Fried Chicken Taco Bell, Pizza Hut all in one Katie Robbert 12:33 oh my god – fancy Kerry Gorgone 12:35 I know right. Katie Robbert 12:37 I live I think I live too far into the sticks to have anything like that SPONSOR This episode of The Punching Out Podcast is sponsored by Trust Insights. Are you feeling less than confident in your marketing metrics, looking for some help automating your tasks, or wondering what topics are most important to your audience? Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, Trust Insights will help you light up your dark data. Visit trustinsights.ai/PunchingOut for more information. Kerry Gorgone 13:05 Well, I’m guessing your movie making career didn’t take off the way you hoped Katie Robbert 13:09 it didn’t. So after college, I interned for a production company and they produced a lot of local commercials. They worked with the Boston Red Sox and a lot of the charitable foundations and at the time Nomar Garciaparra no mas Noma was on the Red Sox. And so we would follow him around because he had the Nomar sorry, the Noma five funds. So we all summer I just got to follow around, Nomar and sort of like, he dedicated a playground and did like a children’s bowling league, and those types of things to sort of like, really give back. And then after that, I, after the internship was over, I fell in and started working with a casting agency. And that’s when I decided that I didn’t really want to go down that road. And at the time, the movie production hadn’t really come to Boston, that was probably like another 10 years out. And so I couldn’t afford to move to New York or Los Angeles, I didn’t really want to do casting. And I didn’t want the instability of doing freelance. And so I moved on to a regular office job. But the good news as it led me to where I am today. Kerry Gorgone 14:20 Yeah, I think it’s hard to make sense that your career journey until you kind of look backwards on it. But I love when your hobbies can inform what it is you want to do with the kind of the rest of your life. And they even help you make connections with people like I’ve connected with people over the fact that my favorite movie is part of the Evil Dead Series. I love all those Bruce Campbell movies, the really cheesy, Evil Dead series, my favorites, Katie Robbert 14:41 So good, Kerry Gorgone 14:42 an Army of Darkness, I think it’s probably my favorite of the series. And so I’ve had conversations with people, I’m a lawyer, I don’t practice now. But when I did, I did have a lot of conversations about things like copyright clearance for using different things in academic textbooks or other kind of contexts. And so you know, while I was chatting with people, because you kind of butter and Katie, you go butter people up so you can get what you want, get the Versa that you need. And haven’t mentioned that that was one of my favorite movies. And the guy on the other end was like, really, oh, man, I have a soundboard of all the stuff he says that it’s like, all these effects, and all its everything. And then I got my permission, whatever else got asked out on a date, which I had to like, politely decline. But I got the clearance. And it was in part due to the fact that I shared about my hobby, or my interest in movies. And we like connected over it. Katie Robbert 15:27 And I think that that’s a really good tie in because that’s really one of the things that we’re trying to accomplish with this show, is to show everyone the other sides of, you know, these marketers, and these people who are really big in the industry, people know what they do professionally. But they have very little opportunity to talk about what they like, and enjoy outside of their work. And it’s just another opportunity for people to connect, you know, when you and I started getting to know each other, we found out how many millions of things we have in common, we’re essentially the same person Unknown 16:02 you’re about, you know, better. Katie Robbert 16:05 But it’s really interesting when you break it down. Because we were even talking this morning about our love of horror movies. And we were just sharing referrals of like, you should watch this movie, you should watch this movie. And I know we have other guests coming up this season that we’ve been able to do that with Personally, I know like john wall, for example, he and I bonded over I love our shared love of 90s new jack swing music. And we could talk for hours about it, and he’ll send me audio tracks and things that he’s hijacked. And it’s awesome. We just talked about music for hours. Kerry Gorgone 16:36 So that’s the thing when your job like mine is, is to interview people about their professional pursuits, and accomplishments, about topics of interest that can benefit marketers, which I love. Like I said, it’s a little bit limiting. And I think for the people themselves, sometimes like, they’ll give you a little glimpse into what they do when they punch out when they’re done with work for the day. And you just think, Oh, I really want to know more about that. So this in our first season of punching out is going to be really exciting with people with all kinds of quirky little hobbies, some really meaningful side interests and causes they support. And it’s been really fascinating. I like finding out why people do the things that they do, like you like to travel. But on a beer budget. Katie Robbert 17:16 Yeah, I have champagne tastes, and a beer budget dream. You know, one of the things that so I live in Massachusetts, and there’s this nonprofit organization that my husband and I love to support called the Trustees of Reservations. And their whole mission is to preserve open space all around Massachusetts, so that you can preserve it for, you know, future generations so that you don’t have too many houses go up and those types of things. And so they have, I want to say about 125 properties all around Massachusetts, that vary from farms and hiking trails, and camping grounds. And they even have one right in the Boston Market where they teach cooking classes. And so they have this challenge to try to hit all of their different properties. And people participate. And they tweet about it, they post pictures of all of the different properties that they visit. Now, we’ve only gotten to about 20 or so properties, but most of the properties are actually free for people to visit. And we actually got married on one of their properties. And we were able to support them by making a donation to the property and we as people who don’t have a lot of money, we’re able to get a relatively inexpensive wedding venue, but it was a beautiful venue because it had, you know, like a covered picnic area. It was on the water. It was lovely. It rained all day, but it was still lovely. Kerry Gorgone 18:39 I thought he did it on the fly. Like quick, let’s do this thing before they Unknown 18:43 like Haha, too late. We did it. Unknown 18:49 Next marriage Katie Robbert 18:52 maybe next time. You know how many ideas for next time? Kerry Gorgone 18:56 Well, you can renew your vows if this one works out. I mean, you never know. You know, Katie Robbert 18:59 you never know, you never know Kerry Gorgone 19:02 at least you’ve stuck with it. I think my biggest thing with finding any hobby like I just started guitar lessons in October. the very end. When I say October, I mean like October 31. So I wore my Harley Quinn costume to the guitar shop for my first guitar. Lesson. Marketingprofs, where I work, is doing a learning challenge. And they’re like, devote five hours a week to doing something new. And everybody was like, You should learn to code do something, you know, professionally valuable. And I’m like, no. So I didn’t want I didn’t want to. Because for me punching out as an actual psychological phenomenon that has to happen. So I can decompress. So I decided to try something I’ve never done before play string instrument. When I was in elementary school, I played the flute. Katie Robbert 19:42 I also played the flute Kerry Gorgone 19:44 and not well, I didn’t play it well. But they were like, that’s what we need. You’re going to play the flute. And I hated it. I hated like every second of it. So I was never going to touch that again. And string instrument was totally different to me. So that’s what I do now. And I take a 30 minute less than a week from a super cool guy who could do with his little finger more than I can manage with both hands at a lot. We’re tell it that I have doubt. But I’m enjoying it. But the other thing I do is learn languages, little pieces of languages, not the whole language where you could talk to someone, Katie Robbert 20:12 but like enough that if you want us to travel to that country, you could get by Kerry Gorgone 20:16 maybe with the combination of some gestures Google Translate or something like I could ask in check for directions to Prague Castle. I could get a menu I could get some beer. These are all important things. Very important things a great I can’t even find a star last survey. So yes, I could find the business district Katie Robbert 20:38 would me hold don’t. Kerry Gorgone 20:41 Why do I know that I could give somebody my business card to dm Lee enough. She think that’s really good. I think I enjoy learning languages like the sounds. And when I learned them, I can do it. You know, in the pronunciation of whoever it is. It taught me like, I can mimic it really well. But I can’t ever find a conversational partner to take me to the next level. So I don’t get fluent. And at that point, I just like hop to the next one. So I’ve got the little Spanish, a little German, a little check a little Japanese, nothing that will get me very far anywhere. I know. It’s so funny. I’m just at this point. I’m probably on to cling on. I don’t know what I’ll do after that. Katie Robbert 21:19 I think I know some people who can help you out with that. Well, that I know, right? Kerry Gorgone 21:23 It’s so funny. And never mind that coding is a language. I mean, I’ve had that bill of goods sold to me also, oh, you should learn PHP or you should learn, you know, Ruby on Rails or whatever. And I’m like, no, it’s To me, it’s different. There’s something about learning like a romance language, you know, code. So I don’t know all these things, I think just get different cylinders firing in your brain. And that has to be a good thing. Katie Robbert 21:45 It absolutely is a good thing. So I’m excited for this season of the Punching Out Podcast. I’m excited to learn what other people are doing. We know so much about them as professionals, but I just want to know them as people. And I think honestly, that makes their marketing better when it’s authentic, and it’s genuine and it’s from their own perspective. So I’m, I’m really jealous. I can’t wait to hear what other people are up to. Kerry Gorgone 22:06 Well, let’s give people a sneak peek. Who do we have coming up, Katie? Katie Robbert 22:09 So, we have john wall who is co-host of marketing over coffee. He’s been doing that for well over 10 years. We have Gini Dietrich. She is the owner and CEO of spin sucks. We have Chris Brogan. We have Chris Penn. We have a lot of really good names. Kerry Gorgone 22:32 You have Katie Martell and a lot of really fun kind of obscure hobbies. Katie Robbert 22:35 Yeah, I know I’m leaving some people out. But you’ll have to listen and just sort of find out what these people are up to. There are some really cool things coming up. Kerry Gorgone 22:42 And if you have a weird hobby, by all means, let us know. We want to hear about it, so Katie, and I are both on Twitter. I’m at @kerrygorgone.. Katie, what’s your handle? Katie Robbert 22:50 I’m at @katierobbert, and that’s Robert with two B’s Kerry Gorgone Wow that’s complicated Katie Robbert Man, Tell me about it you know the family is divided down to like two sides you’re either a “row bear” or “row-bert”, nobody is a “Robert” and I think I get it wrong most of the time. It’s my married name. My maiden name is just as complicated so let’s just go with @katierobbert, that’s Robert with two B’s. Kerry Gorgone 23:16 I think “row-bear” is much classier than “row-bert” Katie Robbert 23:19 Well you can you can tell my husband’s mom that Kerry Gorgone Hard pass. How about a dad joke? Katie Robbert Okay how about this: The graveyard looks overcrowded people must be dying to get in there Kerry Gorgone 23:38 terrible Katie Robbert 23:41 but it’s so good. Kerry Gorgone 23:44 I look forward to hearing more about other people’s hobbies Katie Robbert 23:49 next time on The Punching Out Podcast more dad jokes Kerry Gorgone 23:53 that’s it will see our subscriber count dropped its here OUTRO 23:59 Thanks for listening to Punching Out Podcast. If you like what you heard today, please do leave us a review or rating on iTunes. If you have a weird how do you want to talk about reach out to us on Twitter at @kerrygorgone and at @katierobbert – Talk with you next time, I’m punching out!

Have you Seen this new OM-D E-M1X by Olympus. Holy cow. I’m loving this camera. Let’s look at some of the details. They claim “extensive weather sealing” which sounds like they’re really upping the weather sealing game. I love it. Rain, sleet or snow, they claim it can handle it with ease. That’s awesome. Some Specs: 20.4 MP 4/3 sensor 4K video recording, with “live ND” to mimic the effects of a solid ND filter, nice. 7-stop shake reduction, or 7.5 with the new 12-100mm lens. The integrated grip will hold two batteries. It can shoot up to 120 frames per second in HD video mode. Both SD card slots are UHS-II compatible, which is nice when shooting all those frames per second or 4K video. Also includes a PC flash terminal, headphone and mic ports, as well as micro HDMI. And a USB-C port that can be used to charge both batteries in camera.  WiFi and Bluetooth are supported for connecting to the smartphones. Includes 121 Phase Detection AF points, and 121 contrast detect areas for AF as well.  It also has “Intelligent Subject Detection AF” which they make it sound like it’ll learn the shape of what you’re shooting and it will prioritize focus on that. That’s amazing. It also has face detect and eye detection as well. And it’ll work down to -6EV which is very dark indeed. If you use the electronic shutter, you can get 60fps shooting, or 15fps using the mechanical shutter. If you want to use the electronic shutter and maintain full AF, you’ll be “limited” (a couple of air quotes there) to 18fps. The buffer holds a varying amount of shots depending on how fast you’re shooting. If in manual focus and shooting 60fps, you’ll fill the buffer at 49 shots, that’s less than a second. Did I mention it has dual UHS-II SD card slots? You’re gonna need it! If you’re at the 15fps, you fill it up at 103 frames, so that’s almost 7 full seconds there. Either way you shoot, it’s impressive. This part really interests me, the multi-shot HighRes mode. It’ll create an 80MP Raw image by using the IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) system to nudge the sensor to different positions to capture the space between the pixels. It does this by taking 8 frames very quickly and then combining them in camera.  Then there’s the hand-held mode, where it does the same thing with 16 total frames, but it only makes a 50MP image. Still, I’m loving the sound of this technology. The so-called limitations of the 4/3s sensor are all but eliminated now.  It has the live composite mode which will build up a scene over time such as star trails.  It also does in camera focus stacking.  OK, just take my money already!!! I love this camera. Along with this camera they have also announced the 150-400 f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO lens.  This is a 300-800 equivalent length on a full-frame body, and it has a built in 1.25x extender. It can also be paired with a new 2x extender which would give you a 2000mm in full-frame speak. And they claim you can shoot it hand held due to the combination of the IBIS and the lens’ own stabilization.  I would love to try this out. Olympus, if you’re listening, I’m here for you to put this through the paces. I’ll go shoot eagles or something like that with this setup. That would be so amazing. They’ve already got a few really good lenses out there, the 7-14mm, 12-40 and 40-150 all look like my kind of lenses.  I don’t know about you, but the Olympus line-up has suddenly gotten awesome, at least in my opinion anyway. Sony A6400 Have you also seen that new Sony 6400? I won’t go into all the spec details, but that too is an impressive camera. I love the compact nature, the APS-C sized sensor and lens lineup. If I were to switch to Sony I’d give this on a serious look. In fact I’m actually considering buying this one. If Olympus releases a not-so-over-the-top option of that latest OM-D model then I might be tempted to go that route. One thing is for sure, we have so many good options in gear these days. OK, now on to the images, and revisiting the idea of shooting abstracts, or abstractions once again. I won’t be writing as much in the show notes as I did on the previous episode. I’ll just talk a bit more conversationally about these. Plants, Prague Castle. Notes: I was initially intrigued by these plants, but as I was shooting I felt they could use something more. So I decided to put the camera into manual focus and completely blur out the subject, making a beautiful bouquet of color. I then punched color saturation in post to achieve the affect I was going for. I also had adjusted the exposure to +1 when I took the shot to give it a bit more oomph. B&W Buildings, Boston, MA Boston, MA, USA Notes: I like to isolate the graphic forms and enhance the lines. By zooming in to the subject like this I’m able to eliminate any distractions that might take us away from the subject. Also, by removing the color, I’m able to keep the attention on the shape and form of the building and the glass frames rather than get distracted by the cool color and cloud shapes. Without color, the cloud textures become part of the building more. Also, for the second image I tilted the camera a bit so the side of the building would align with the edge of the frame. Doing so makes the building’s angles even more dramatic and it has some strength leaning up against the side like this where if I didn’t turn the camera on angle, it would feel really balanced, but not as strong. Segmentation series images. I love this series. By shooting the subject in segments I’m able to make a different statement than is normally made. With the yellow leaves, I was able to make it feel like separate pictures laying on top of each other, while still really enjoying the contrast of the lines, the brilliant color of the leaves and the strength of the trunk. But by limiting the view the eye is focused on the specific items that I wanted to highlight and draw the attention too, and other distractions were eliminated. For the black and white option here, the main subject is captured in those three images. They are very nearly evenly spaced and the texture is enhanced by the absence of color, and a little more clarity in Lightroom. The two additional frames in this set are to support and balance the composition overall. It’s important that these extra elements be shown there so we get a greater sense of place, but they are placed behind so as not to overly take away from the main subject. With the twin sisters shot, I really like it because it emphasizes the clouds. This composition works by itself, but I found it a bit boring. But I knew I wanted to bring those clouds in somehow, and with the angled shots and a segmentation I knew I had something good going here. The composition remains simple yet there’s added strength to it because we get to have more of those clouds, but they still aren’t complete. That’s one of the great things about photography, when we crop an element the mind must work to complete it in its imagination. With this type of shot the mind gets an initial look, then it gets more with the added frames and we still don’t complete the clouds so our impression of the magnitude of the clouds is rather enhanced. Grass image I love the simplicity and complexity of this image all at the same time. It’s simple because the depth-of-field is so shallow. It’s complex because the grass blades are going everywhere and they feel rather chaotic. The monochromatic color is also enhancing the idea of simplicity. Raining cottonwoods US, OR, Morrow County. Poplar Trees at the Boardman Tree farm. NR US, OR, Morrow County. Poplar Trees at the Boardman Tree farm. NR I love doing camera movement images. With this set I started out with the camera mounted to a gimbal head and a 50mm lens. I used the gimbal head to restrict the movement to one axis. With a bit of practice I got it working quite nicely. The exposure is about .8 seconds to begin with, and then I get to 1 second for the last two images. For the second to last image I sent on two axis, and the result is a feeling of motion to the side, and it contrasts with the position and direction of the trunks. It’s truly an amazing feeling looking at this image in full resolution. The final image has me hand-holding and twisting. I must have tried this 15 or more times before I got the one that really worked and was what I was looking for. The off-center point of rotation gives it a good sense of balance that’s not perfectly symmetrical. I also appreciate the added movement on the far left side of the image due to the off-center rotation point. Palouse field forms US, WA, Whitman County, Views from Steptoe Butte. The Palouse region is simply amazing. It’s also extremely popular with photographers. With a long tele lens you’re able to really pull out some great shapes, colors and forms from atop Steptoe Butte. If you get there about an hour before sunset you’re probably too late. So get there a bit earlier if you can. Then you can watch the transition of the forms and shadows as they elongate with the setting sun. If you can get a clear day you’re in luck. Sometimes it’s too hazy to get a good shot since you’re shooting subjects that are so far away. Stacked Waves I was testing two lenses and this shot is with the Sigma 150-600 Sport on my Canon 5D mkiv. I decided on a B&W conversion to enhance the effect of the deep tonality of the waves and the brilliant mist that is being blown off the top of the waves. The loan gull makes the shot really sing for me. I got some shots that have more birds, but in the spirit of abstracts and abstractions, this better fits the bill. Palouse Falls thundering water detail Palouse Falls state park is a great place to shoot. Just please be careful. The cliff is very high and the falls are 198 ft high as well. It can be dangerous if you’re not careful. For these shots I was at the top of the rim zooming down. I wanted to capture the energy of the water crashing down into the pool. The water in spring time is quite muddy, so I enhanced the contrast on these images and used a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. Clouds lit rom within Nature has some amazing gifts for us photographers. With this shot I was chasing a storm here in SE Washington. It was moving fast so I did more driving than shooting. I finally got ahead of it enough with a place that I could safely set up and shoot. But as it moved away the lightning was largely on the interior of the clouds, which enhanced the texture of the clouds. Being lit from within also makes for added drama with the foreground clouds. Sun spots The sun is possible to shoot with a 100–400 zoomed out to 400 with a 2x extender. I also used a 10-stop neutral density filter. I used that filter rather than a solar filter so I could render the sunspots. With a standard solar filter you don’t get enough detail to see the sunspots like this. Reminders I’ve got some workshops coming up this summer.  Shoot-n-Print in Walla Walla Total Solar Eclipse in Chile,  Composition, Culture and more in Croatia.

Speaking at the CEIBS-hosted 2nd China-CEE Development Forum in Prague on September 25, Governor of Czech National Bank Jiří Rusnok touched on how both countries can find mutually beneficial way to work together. The forum, which took place at historic Prague Castle, was one of five hosted by CEIBS with its partners across Europe. The events are part of the wider CEIBS Insights 2018 initiative, launched to mark the 15th anniversary of the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by observing the role that CEIBS has played and continues to play in fostering Sino-European ties. Prior to the Prague event, CEIBS hosted forums in Munich and London on July 17 and 19, respectively. The last two events were held in Paris on October 19 and Zurich on October 24.

His Excellency Jianmin Zhang made his first speech in his role as China’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic at the CEIBS-hosted 2nd China-CEE Development Forum in Prague on September 25. He spoke of the need for both countries to work together, especially with the rise of unilateralism and protectionism in some parts of the world. The forum, which took place at historic Prague Castle, was one of five hosted by CEIBS with its partners across Europe. The events are part of the wider CEIBS Insights 2018 initiative, launched to mark the 15th anniversary of the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by observing the role that CEIBS has played and continues to play in fostering Sino-European ties. Prior to the Prague event, CEIBS hosted forums in Munich and London on July 17 and 19, respectively. The last two events were held in Paris on October 19 and Zurich on October 24.

On September 25, the historic Prague Castle was the venue for a frank and fruitful discussion on how China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe can work together to drive mutual economic growth. Attended by about 200 participants, the event saw keynote speeches from China’s new Ambassador to the Czech Republic, H.E. Jianmin Zhang; Governor of Czech National Bank, Mr. Jiří Rusnok; President of the New Silk Road Institute Prague and Adviser to the President of the Czech Republic, Mr. Jan Kohout; CEIBS President, Professor Li Mingjun; and CEIBS Professor of Economics and Finance, Xu Bin. It was co-organised by China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and the New Silk Road Institute Prague. The event also included two panel discussions featuring leading Chinese and Czech executives. The first discussion covered practices and examples for investing in both countries while the day’s final panel looked at “New Space for China-Czech Cooperation”.

¡Anteúltimo destino en Europa! Llegamos a #Praga, corazón de Europa, y nos maravillamos con sus castillos, puentes y monumentos. También, a decir verdad, nos cagamos un poco de frío. ¿Qué nos llevamos de nuestra primera visita a Europa del Centro-Este? ¡Te lo contamos en el episodio trece de #EnModoAvion! Glosario #EnModoAvion * Torre de Televisión de Žižkov
 * Charles Bridge (Sobre Río Moldava) * Torre de Pólvora * Old Town Square - Reloj Astrológico, Monumento a Jan Hus * Church of Our Lady before Týn * Iglesia de San Nicolás
 * #Prague Castle * San Vito Cathedral * Monumento a Franz Kafka - David Černý. * Dancing House - Vlado Milunić y Frank Gehry * Museo de Lego * Teatro Nacional de Praga * Bar speakeasy subterráneo: Vzorkovna Lo que vimos * Justice League en IMAX —————— #viajeros #podcast #podcasteros #podcastdeviaje #podcastenespañol #turistas #nomadasdigitales #digitalnomad #viajeroslatinos #argentinosporelmundo #wanderlust #ondemand #podcasting

Zdeněk Lukeš is one of the country’s best known architects. During the 1990s he was part of Václav Havel’s team revitalising Prague Castle and he still works in its monuments department, while as an author and journalist he has done a great deal to popularise architecture in the Czech Republic. Our tour of “Zdeněk Lukeš’s Prague” is in fact a tour of his Letná, the leafy area he has always called home. We begin with a coffee at the district’s Café Alchymista, specifically in the lovely garden in the back.

Join us for our second installment of the telling of Czech legends connected to the Prague Castle area. We will discuss the stories of the bells of St. Vitus, the mourning of King Charles IV, and the mystery of Prince Wenceslas' mother, Drahomira.A show by podcastnik.com — visit the site for all projects and news. Visit bohemican.com for more on this project and the Czech Republic. Check out our new show, Past Access! (YouTube Link) Twitter @bohemican | @Travis J Dow | @Podcastnik — Facebook Podcastnik Page — Instagram @podcastnik Podcastnik YouTube | Podcastnik Audio Podcast Support: PayPal | Patreon | Podcastnik Shop | Pete Collman Photography Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

sermon transcript Introduction Three Different Kings Well, as I meditate on Christmas, and I have that privilege of thinking about it every year and thinking about what I want to say to you at this time, and meditate with you on the goodness of God and sending His Son, so many thoughts come to my mind, so many themes. One of the thoughts that hit me this week as I was meditating on Christmas and on the incarnation and the gift is that it's really a tale of Three Kings. Now, I'm not thinking about that song, "We Three Kings of Orient are... ", and all that, which talks about the Magi, but I mean the account of three different kings and how differently they extended their kingdoms. A history is filled - it's replete - with the decrees and the deeds of kings of mighty men of power and ambition, whose decrees moved armies and changed landscapes and built kingdoms. And most of the time their ambitions were ungodly, they were ambitions of power and greed, and they were written, those deeds and decrees were written in blood. Sometimes there were good kings, who used their positions of power well. Many of those were Christians, believers in Christ, who sought to honor their Lord. But, as I look at the accounts in Matthew and in Luke, I think about Three Kings, I think about Caesar Augustus, who was the king of the Romans, the most powerful man on earth at the time. And because of his decree, he the mover and shaker, we think about kings being movers and shakers, his decree caused the entire population of the Roman world to move out, it moved Joseph and Mary to leave Nazareth and go down to Bethlehem where Jesus was born, in fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah Chapter 5. So, Caesar Augustus, I think motivated by a desire for taxation money and to control his empire, issued that decree. And then you've got a second king, King Herod, who was in Jerusalem, and you remember how jealous he was for his throne and how much he yearned to keep his little throne under Caesar Augustus. And how when the Magi came and said to him, "'Where is the one who has been born, King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and we have come to worship Him.'" He was threatened by that. He was threatened by it, and so he decreed that all the boy babies in Bethlehem and its vicinity be murdered so that he could stamp out this threat to his throne. Now, it's really an amazing thing to meditate on that third king, and that is Jesus, who is born King of the Jews. Now you think about that, no one's born King, inevitably they have to grow up into it, their father's are already on the throne, etcetera, but Jesus was born king. And I think as we meditate on Caesar Augustus, as a mover and shaker and his decree caused empires to move, and populations to move. And then you think about Herod, whose decree caused soldiers to move out and how Bethlehem was shaken. I look at the third King Jesus, and He is the one who Himself was moved, who descended from heaven to earth, and who Himself was shaken by the decree of God the Father, that He would die on the cross for our sins. What a different way of building a kingdom. And so, I want to meditate with you today on John chapter 6, and how Jesus the King left His throne above and came, He was moved. He left a position of power and authority and comfort and adulation, and came to Earth to be shaken to the roots of His being by dying on the cross. Good King Wenceslas Now, this summer, I had the privilege of visiting one of my favorite cities in Europe, Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic, a beautiful city. Been there several times and in the old town near Prague Castle there's this imposing bronze statue. And I've taken pictures near it, I had my picture taken near it, it said I didn't know at first who it was, but the first time I came, I asked. And it is Wenceslas, who is the patron saint of the Bohemian people? He's viewed by them as their protector saint. Wenceslas as you know, is well remembered by the Christmas hymn, Good King Wenceslas. I love history and I went over all the history of Wenceslas in the sermon this morning, and I thought, "If you're interested, come and ask me, I've discarded it." It's really fascinating, but when you wrote it and you're preaching it and you're bored by it, get rid of it. Alright, but there are some interesting features to Wenceslas' life; he was born to a pagan mother who hated Christianity, but he had a grandmother who loved Christ and who raised Wenceslas as a Christian. Eventually, his mother threatened by him, had the grandmother killed and tried to get Wenceslas away from Christian influence. But in due time, he rose to the throne of that part of the world of Bohemia, and he became a good monarch. He desired to use his power and his authority to bless the poor and needy and is especially charitable to children, to orphans, to slaves. Eventually, he was assassinated, a young age, at age 22, and he is revered by the people there. Now, the hymn, Good King Wenceslas was written by John Mason Neil. It was first published in 1853, and in the story, I rewrote it because it's in this kind of old Victorian English, but this is basically what happens in the hymn. In the hymn, Good King Wenceslas is standing in his comfortably heated castle, and he's looking down from that lofty, comfortable perch on the snow-covered ground below. It's night time and it's bitterly cold, but the moon is shining brightly and Wenceslas can see plainly, a poor man braving the frigid temperatures in an effort to collect firewood for his family. Now, moved by compassion by this pathetic site and the suffering plight of this peasant, Wenceslas calls one of his servants to come stand near by him. The two of them stand and watch this man gathering firewood, and Wenceslas asked his servant, "Do you know who that man is, and where he lives?" "Yes, Sire," the servant answers, “He lives almost four miles away at the base of the mountain near St. Agnes' fountain." Then King Wenceslas sprang decisively into action, "Bring me some meat, bring me some wine, bring me some pine logs and firewood from my personal store, this very night, you and I are going to watch this poor man feast in his own home with the provisions that we bring." So, the godly Wenceslas and his servant go out into the storm, out into the bitter cold in the wind, it's made far worse at that point by a howling wind, they're both heavily laden with all these stores that they're carrying, the food, the wine, the firewood, and after a while, the servant begins to complain that it's difficult to make headway against this wind, carrying all of these things. "Sir," the servant said, "The clouds are hiding the moon, it's getting harder and harder to see. The wind is really kicking up now. I don't know if I have enough strength to make it all the way to that hut." Wenceslas answers is servant, "Walk behind me in the footsteps that I've laid in the snow. Walk in my footsteps with good courage, follow my example, know that I am also bearing this terrible weather, and if you follow my footsteps, you'll have the strength to get there." So, the servant follows in his master's footsteps, the tracks he made in the snow, in some mysterious way, the servant is somehow warmed by the footsteps themselves. They get to the poverty-stricken man's hut, and they surprised him with the lavish blessings that they have carried in their arms to his hut. I can't imagine if it really ever happened, the man hearing a knock on the door during a stormy night, he opens the door and there is this king carrying all of these things and saying, "If you don't mind, we'd love to share a meal with you." And I think of how special that would have been. Now, there's no historical record of this actually happening, it is consistent with the record of his benevolence to the poor and needy, Wenceslas, I mean. But it's also a beautiful picture of the benevolence and the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I picture it this way, The Book of Amos speaks of God dwelling in a high, lofty palace with its foundations on the earth. And so that's a poetical picture of God seated on His throne, and we would have to picture Him in absolute perfect comfort and pleasure. He's comfortable up there, He's filled with joy. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was worshipped by a 100 million angels, completely adored, completely at peace. And He sought to brave the storm of sin and death for our sake, He sought to bring in His arms a feast and to lay it out for us and enable us to feast on Him, really, forever and ever. Now, as you look at the stories, the two almost can't be compared. The kind of journey that Jesus made, His command didn't send forth a bunch of soldiers to build a bloody kingdom, He Himself left His throne and went forth, and the gifts can't be compared, the sacrifice can't be compared but it's symbolic. The Real Christmas Present I think about 2 Corinthians 8:9 which says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor. So that you through His poverty, might become rich." This is the real Christmas present, this is the real joy of this season, contemplating how through faith in Christ and through the cost he paid, how wealthy we are, eternally wealthy. So, what I want to do is I want to go through John 6, and I want to talk about Jesus leaving His Father's heavenly throne and descending down to earth. And you may wonder why I zeroed in on John 6, but it just has to do with the many times, it says in this Chapter that He descended from heaven to earth, and in that descent, we see the Christmas theme. We see the idea of the incarnation, John 6:33, for example, Jesus speaks of "the bread of God," as "He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." See that in verse 33? And then in Verse 35, "Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty," and "I am the bread that came down from heaven," in verse 41. And in Verse 50 and 51, "Here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of the bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Context of John 6 So, this is the central mystery, the central wonder of Christmas, and that is the mystery of the incarnation, how Christ descended or came down from heaven to earth to save us. So, I want to feast on this idea, I want to feast on Christ by the ministry of the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit. In order to do that, we need to get a little context in John, chapter 6. Jesus, at the beginning of that chapter, feeds the 5000, we have that account in all four of the Gospels, and then in John's Gospel, after He has fed the 5000, they want to take Him by force and make Him king right away. But they don't understand the nature of His kingship or the kingdom that He sought to bring, and they certainly didn't understand how He would have to give His body on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. And so, He hid from them so they could not take Him by force and make Him king. He sends His apostles, His disciples, across the Sea of Galilee in a boat, and He himself goes up on a mountain to spend time with His father in prayer. During the night, as His disciples are toiling across the lake in an adverse storm, Jesus comes to them walking on the water, they're terrified, but He assures them that it is He, and they're willing to have Him into the boat, and immediately the boat goes to the other side. Now, the next morning, the crowd that had traveled by boat across the lake, get there and they're shocked to see Him, they don't have any idea how He could have gotten there, because they're always aware where Jesus is and they know He didn't get in the boat with them. And so, they're amazed. They said, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" And Jesus confronts them concerning their true motivation, this is in John 6:26-27, He says, "If I tell you the truth, you're looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loafs and had your fill. Do not labor for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him, God the Father has placed His seal of approval." Well, their minds were on earthly things, earthly food, earthly drink, earthly comforts and earthly kingdom. That's what they wanted, that's all they understood. Where Jesus’ Mission Began Seven Times Asserted Jesus wanted them by faith in the Word to lift their eyes up to the heavenly realms, to heavenly things, to things that would last forever, so He uses throughout this teaching a dominant metaphor, the idea of bread of life, which descends from heaven to earth to feed the world. So, we're going to begin where Jesus' mission began, and that is heaven. Seven times it's asserted in this chapter, I've already read them for you, but I want you to look at it with your own eyes. Look at verse 33, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." You see it again in verse 38, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but to do the will of Him who sent me." Verse 41, we have it again, "At this, the Jews began to grumble about Him because He said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.'" And then in verse 42, they said, "'Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, I came down from heaven.'" In Verse 50, "'But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.'" Again, verse 51, "'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'" And then again in verse 58, "'This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.'" Jesus Entered the World Willingly So, behind all of this, we get a really staggering concept, Jesus entered the world willingly, He decided to enter the world, that is completely unique in human history. There is no other human being who can be... It could be said, he or she decided to enter the world, He's the only one, he made a willing choice. He existed from eternity past, He is the eternal Son of God, He existed with His Father before the foundation of the world, and His kingship is an eternal kingship. It says in that very passage, that prophecy that I mentioned earlier, Micah 5:2, it says, "But you Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come from me one who will be ruler over Israe1," listen to this, "whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." So, Jesus sat on a heavenly throne before His incarnation. We have a beautiful picture of that glorious throne in Isaiah 6, the vision that Isaiah had of “…the Lord, seated on His throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. And above Him there seraphim, each with six wings. And with two wings, they were covering their faces, and with two wings they were covering their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.'" And it is the Apostle John that tells us, Isaiah said this because He saw Jesus's glory and spoke about Him. So, that is Jesus on His throne in heavenly glory, and from that throne, He made a willful decision to enter the world. He said this to Pontius Pilate when he was on trial for His life, remember? He mentions the nature of his kingdom, Jesus did. Pilate says in effect, "Aha. So, you are a king, you are building a kingdom. You are a king then," he said. Jesus said, "'You are right in saying that I'm a king. For this reason, I was born, and for this I entered the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'" Now, that's staggering assertion, which He makes before an unbelieving Governor, holds His life and His death in his hands. He said, "Yes, you are right. For this reason, I entered the world to testify to the truth." Jesus Entered the World Obediently & Was Sent on Mission by the Heavenly Father He made a willing decision to enter the world, to descend from heaven to earth, but also we know that He entered the world obediently. He did it in submission to the command He received from His father, we get this again and again in this very chapter. Look at verse 38, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of Him who sent me." So again and again, we get the idea of Jesus not merely taking it upon himself to enter the world, but entering the world, obediently on mission from the Father. "The Father sent me," Jesus says again and again. Again, verse 44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws Him and I will raise him up at the last day." And again, verse 57, "The living Father sent me and I live because of the Father." So, Jesus is completely father-centered here, His mission came from the Father, the Father sent Him. How Jesus Came Down from Heaven Not So Plainly Asserted Here … But More Plainly Told Earlier in John’s Gospel Now, how did Jesus descend from heaven to earth? Well, it's not so plainly asserted here, but it is hinted at. Look at verse 51 again, He says this, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." So here we have the doctrine of the infleshment or the incarnation of Jesus, He took on a human body. It's told plainly, more plainly, theologically earlier in John's gospel, in John 1:14, "The word," that's Jesus, "Became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory. Glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The History Given More Plainly in Luke Well, we get the more clear record of it in Luke's gospel. And in Luke 1:31-35, we have the visitation of the Angel Gabriel and he comes to the Virgin Mary, and he says this to Mary, "'You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, His kingdom will never end.'" Now, Mary asked a very reasonable question, "'How can this be since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the Holy One to be born of you will be called the Son of God.'" Well, that's exactly what happened. She was with child by the power of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way. But then He was born in the natural way. We find therefore that Jesus is supernaturally conceived, but naturally born and so, He is fully God and fully man. We have the account very famously for us in Luke 2:1-7, where it says that, "Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and lineage of David, and he went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. And she gave birth to her first born, a son, and she wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." So, Jesus supernaturally conceived, but naturally born, fully God and fully man. That's how He descended from heaven to earth, that's how His mission began. Why Jesus Came Down From Heaven To Give Life to the World Well, why did He come? What was the purpose of His mission? Well, there are many answers to this question, even in John 6, but let me zero in on just a few. First, He came to give life to the world. Look again at Verse 33, "For the bread of God is He, who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Jesus came to give us life. To Bring Fullness and Satisfaction Also, He came to bring us fullness and satisfaction, that's where you get the eating kind of idea, feasting on Jesus. Feasting brings fullness and satisfaction. Verse 35, Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." And so, Jesus satisfies. Now, Jesus satisfies our deepest longings, everything that you want, all of the desires you have in your heart that are God-given, all of those are met in Jesus. And He has more satisfaction still to give you, He yearns to satisfy you every moment of your lives, the rest of your lives. He doesn't want you to be satisfied with idols and with created things, He wants you to be satisfied with Him and Him alone. And then when you die and when you're taken into heaven, and when you sit at table with Jesus, and when you see that new Jerusalem, and you see that new heaven and a new earth, you are going to be perfectly, completely satisfied, you're going to be filled with pleasure. Because at His right hand are pleasures forever more. He came richly to satisfy us. Sin doesn't satisfy. Sin actually starves us, it starves our souls, it tries to lure us into addictions and then deprives us of all joy until we are enslaved to that which gives us nothing but starvation. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. He came to satisfy. To Raise Up the Elect on the Final Day And He says, He came to raise up the elect on the final day. Look at verses 38-40, Jesus said, "'For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.'" So, Jesus came to raise us up, what does that mean? To call us out of our graves, to give us resurrection bodies, that we will live in glorious resurrection bodies in a resurrected world, filled with His glory forever and ever, He came to do that. So, He descended from heaven to earth to give us final resurrection. To Feed His People So They Will Not Die He came to feed us so that we would never die. Look at verses 47-50, He said, "I tell you the truth, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died, but here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die." Well, Jesus doesn't mean there merely physical death, we know that Christians die physically, but the Book of Revelation speaks of a second death, which is eternal torment in Hell. And Jesus descended from heaven to earth that He might rescue us from hearing, apply to us those dreadful words, "Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." That is the true death. To Give His Flesh For the Life of the World And Jesus gave His flesh on the cross, He gave His body that we might eat by faith and not die eternally. So, He gave His flesh for the life of the world. Look at verse 51, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this flesh, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." This is the mission Jesus came down from heaven to do, lavish generosity to the sinners of the world, and He came to feed us with His flesh that we might live eternally. No Christmas Gift Could Possibly Compare! Now, no Christmas gift can possibly compare with that, it doesn't matter what's wrapped under the tree waiting for you or what gifts have yet to be bought, if you're anything like me. Alright, let's not talk about that. Every year, I resolve to do better and not procrastinate. I told the postman, I promised him, I said, "A year from now, actually 11 months from now, in two weeks, I'm going to be here." And he said, "Yeah, right." I keep trying not to procrastinate on gifts, but it doesn't matter what gifts we select, whether from Amazon or you go to the mall or whatever, there is no gift that you can give that is eternal. I don't even think - I think the average Christmas gift, like 19 out of 20 toys that are given under the tree break within one year, one out of 20 makes it through a year, isn't that amazing. Sorry, kids. That's what's coming your way. But you know, right in the text, in verse 27, it says, "Do not labor for the food that spoils." Don't labor for things that don't satisfy, don't labor for things that don't matter, don't put your hopes on that, but instead for the food that feeds you for all eternity, that gives you eternal life. Labor for that. The Divisive Effect of Jesus’ Mission How is This Gift Received? By Faith! Well, we need to see though, right in the text, the divisive nature of Jesus's mission. You know, you think, this is such good news, this is such a great story, why doesn't the world care about it? Why is the world all wrapped up in the materialism, wrapped up in the trappings of Christmas and the symbolism of Christmas, but without the reality and no concern about Christ and His gift? It's because of the divisive nature of the mission itself. Jesus said, "Do not suppose that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." And so, He came to divide people, and you see it right in the text, the divisive nature of Jesus's mission. Well, this gift that He came to give is received only by faith, that's the only way we can receive this gift. Look at verse 28 and 29, "They asked Him, 'What must we do to do the works of God? To do the work God requires.' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this, to believe in the one He has sent.'" Do you see that? We always are saying, what can I do? What good work can I do to feel better about myself. And there are all kinds of charities, like every time you walk in the supermarket, you can drop some coins into The Salvation Army pot, there are all kinds of charities people can give to and they're good charities. But some people are convinced that by these kinds of actions, they can be paying for their sins. To the unbeliever, to the outsider, to the sinner who's outside of the grace of God, that comes and says, "Look, I've got it; I know I'm a sinner. What good work must I do to gain eternal life?" Jesus says right in this text, "'This is the work of God, believe in the one He has sent.'" Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. There's no other salvation. He says it many times in this passage, not just once. Look at verse 35, "Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." So, to come to Christ means you'll never go hungry, to believe in Christ means you'll never be thirsty, that means to come to Christ, equals to believe in Christ, it's the same thing. So, you come to Christ not by moving yourself geographically or coming forward at an invitation, but in your heart believing that Jesus is the Son of God and died for your sins. So, to come to Him as a sinner and to feed on Him, on His work on the cross, where He gave His flesh for the life of the world, that is salvation. That's the work that God has for you to do. But No One Can Receive It Without God’s Work in their Hearts But here's the thing, no one can do that unless God works it in them by His sovereign grace. No one, you can't of your own free will, over your own choice, up and do this. He says it very, very plainly, and that's why there's a division in this passage, many people resisted Jesus's teaching. Look at verse 36, "'But as I have told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.'" And again, verses 41-43, "At this, the Jews began to grumble about Him because He said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.' They said, 'Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, I came down from heaven.' 'Stop grumbling among yourselves,' Jesus answered.” The Division Intensifies More and More… Obvious by the End of the Chapter Well, the division actually intensified, got worse as the chapter went on. Look at verse 51-55, "He said, 'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'" Verse 52, "Then the Jews began to argue, sharply among themselves, 'How can this man give us His flesh to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up the last day, for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.'" Well, verse 60, "On hearing it, many of His disciples said," I think a vast understatement "'This is a hard teaching, who can accept it?'" I might actually intensify it and say, "This is actually an impossible teaching, for the natural man to accept, impossible actually." And then in Verse 66, we have this incredible statement, "From that time, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him." It's staggering, because of this teaching, because He said, "Eat my flesh and drink my blood." They turned back and would no longer follow. So, there's a division here right away, between believers and unbelievers. The Absolute Sovereignty of God Asserted And so, in the middle of that, explaining all of that, we have the absolute sovereignty of God over salvation, plainly asserted. It is a moral and spiritual impossibility for anyone to come to Jesus unless the Father draws him or her, it's impossible. Look at verse 43 and 44, "'Stop grumbling among yourselves.' And Jesus answered, 'No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day.'" No one can equal; it is impossible for anyone to do this on their own, the Father has to draw you. The Father has to draw – and now I'm speaking to Christians - the Father has to draw your co-workers and relatives and neighbors and people you're trying to share with in this season, He has to draw them, or they'll never come. But secondly, if the Father does draw the person, they will inevitably come, isn't that awesome? If the Father is at work in someone's heart, drawing them, they will most certainly come. Look at Verse 37, "'All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.'" So, it's a moral and spiritual impossibility for anyone that the Father is drawing by the Spirit to refuse, they're going to come. And thirdly, if the person does in fact come to Christ by faith, it is a moral and spiritual impossibility for Jesus to lose any of them, they will all of them be raised on the final day. Look what He says in verse 39, "'And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that the Father has given me. But will raise them up at the last day.'" I find that incredibly encouraging. Isn't it? And now I know I am a Christian. I was thinking about this, I was listening to a Christmas hymn just the other day. I hadn't heard it in a while, and it talked about how the Father's love pierced into the singer's heart, and I thought that was it. I was resisting, I was hardened, I wouldn't, I didn't want to be a Christian, I thought they were weird, I don't want to go on the fall retreat, no way, etcetera. And then the Lord reached through all that hardness by His hand of sovereign grace, the Father reached out and drew me powerfully and tenderly into His kingdom. And if you're a Christian, you're listening to me today, He did the same to you. Different way, different time, different people spoke to you, but He did the same work in your heart that He did in mine. And that's why you celebrate Christmas as a Christian and not as a pagan, because God in His sovereign grace worked it in you. Simple faith, look at verse 40, "'For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.'" Who Can Receive This Difficult Teaching? So, we have a question at the end of this chapter, who can accept such a difficult teaching? It's an important question, isn't it? Look at verse 60, "On hearing it. Many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching, who can accept it?' Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 'Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of man ascend back to where He was? To where He was before. The Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. The words I spoke in to you are Spirit, and they are life, yet there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus had known from the beginning, which of them did not believe and who would betray Him? He went on to say, 'This is why I told you, no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.'" Verse 66, "'From this time, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. 'You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy one of God.'" Peter said it for all of us, we have nowhere else to go. Jesus, you are the word of God and you have the words of life. Where else can we go? Now, if he had said a little more, he said, "I don't get it, the eat my flesh, drink my blood thing makes no sense to me, but I know who you are. And maybe in due time, I'll understand the eat flesh, drink blood thing, but I know who you are, you are the holy one of God?" Jesus's answer was this, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil." And so by His sovereign grace, He reaches out and chooses those whom He gave, the Father gave to the Son from before the foundation of the world, that's what's going on when we celebrate Christmas, not just this time, but year round. The Call of Jesus’ Mission: Believe and Live! This is the Central Message of this Chapter… and the Whole Gospel of John So, the call of Jesus's mission is this; believe and live, or we could say, believe and feast and live, how about that? Believe and feast and live. At the end of this gospel, it explains the whole thing, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book, but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” That's the central message of this chapter and of the whole gospel. This is the Central Call of Christmas Itself Will you labor for the food that spoils? Or for the food that endures to eternal life, which Jesus alone can give you? What are you going to set your heart on, not just Christmas time, but year-round? Are you going to live for created things? Are you going to live for the food that spoils, or you're going to live for the eternal things that God has given you in Jesus? And so, I yearn for all of you to believe in Christ, to trust in Him. I know this time of year, there are some people that visit Church and they come and there'll be some Christmas Eve. Every year, Christmas Eve, I see a lot of people that I don't recognize, some of them are relatives, but sometimes they just come because they want to be in a Christmas service, and they do it the Sunday before Christmas, or they'll do it on Christmas Eve or something like that. They just want to get close, they want to have some religious feelings and all that. If you're like that, can I just plead with you? Trust in Christ, acknowledge that you're a sinner. Acknowledge and feast on Jesus by faith, say, "I believe that your body was sent into the world to die on the cross for my sins, and that God raised you physically from the dead in a resurrection body. I believe that, I trust in you, forgive me for my sins." Applications for Christians Now, if you're a Christian, I'm going to say the same thing to you, "Feast on Christ through faith." It's amazing how many times you have to do that. I mean, even just recently, I was in a situation, I was like, "Alright," and I just closed my eyes and I said, "I need to believe in you, Jesus, right now." Because circumstances overwhelm you, you could be overwhelmed with shopping, you could be overwhelmed with grief and an affliction, you could be overwhelmed with busyness or fatigue, whatever, it doesn't matter. You just close your eyes and say, "Lord Jesus, you're my savior, you're my life. I want to walk by faith and not by sight, I trust in you, afresh and anew." That's what we need to do, we feed on Him by faith, based on His word, and guard your hearts from laboring for the food that spoils, you know it's a temptation. You know that all of the swirl of allure of the world and all that, it's constantly assaulting our souls and drawing us away from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. And embrace the absolute sovereignty of God over salvation. Let's be faithful as witnesses, amen. Let's be faithful to share the Gospel, but let's not be children as we do it, let's be mindful of the fact that most of the people we're going to talk to, are going to reject. But let's be confident that there going to be some that God shows before the foundation of the world that haven't been converted yet, and the father is going to use you to share the gospel and through the words of the Gospel as you share, He's going to powerfully draw those sinners to faith in Christ. So, let's be active in doing that, throughout this week and throughout the year, and let's delight in Christ, let's realize what we have yet to come. The best things are yet to come. Jesus said in Matthew 8, "I tell you the truth, many are going to come from the east and the west, and they're going to take their places, at the banqueting table in the Kingdom of Heaven with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." So, picture that feast that's yet to come, and let's be involved in missions. I love Jonathan and Gohar McDonald, I love their commitment to Christ, I love all of the workers that we've sent out around the world to lead others to Christ. I'm grateful for that. I'm pleading with you, financially, let's make sacrifice to make our Lottie Moon offering goal. Let's do that. Look at yourself, look at what you've given or what you have given, and say, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Give yourself to the Lord first in commitment and then to the mission work as the Lord commands. Now, let me say one thing, I don't usually mention this, but don't forget to give to the church budget too, okay? We're a little bit behind on the budget, I usually don't mention it, but it's not either, or. It's both, and. So, our budget enables us to reach out here in this community, enables us to do the works we have to do here, so just as you're making a commitment financially and all that, pray about what the Lord would have you do and be generous. One final word before I pray, remember, we're going to be praying this week, Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM, and then keep doing that throughout the season. Closing Thoughts and Prayer So, if you've got some time, maybe you have a little more time, maybe you're off from work, join us in praying. We're praying for God to do a work, a supernatural work of holiness in this church, and a supernatural work of evangelistic fruitfulness and power reaching out. We've had more than 20 people joining with us for prayer, come and join us, we'd love to have you. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you that you sent your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He descended from Heaven to Earth to make us rich. We think about that hymn, Good King Wenceslas, and how the king looked down into the storm and the cold and saw someone suffering and not making it. And he was moved with compassion. How much greater, O Lord, did you see from your holy throne? How we would not make it on judgment day, a storm of judgment was coming our way, and we were not ready. Thank you Jesus, for taking on flesh and dying on the cross, shedding your blood that we might live forever. Enable us by faith to feed on your death and your resurrection, that we might live forever, in Jesus name. Amen.

Rick joins his Czech tour guide for a sweep through Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the tomb of St. Wenceslas. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Rick joins his Czech tour guide for a sweep through Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the tomb of St. Wenceslas. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Glen Emery has been in Prague since the early 1990s and today owns the lively and cosmopolitan bar Bukowski’s in Žižkov. But the Canadian, a font of great anecdotes and with a keen interest in history, started out in the city with Jo’s Bar, just off the main square in Malá Strana, or the Lesser Quarter. In this edition of My Prague, Emery takes us on a short tour of the area, which lies below Prague Castle on the left bank of the River Vltava.