Podcasts about Realization

In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony and Jesse continue their deep dive into the Parable of the Prodigal Son by examining the often-overlooked character of the elder brother. While the younger son's rebellion is obvious, the elder brother's self-righteous moralism represents a more subtle—and perhaps more dangerous—form of lostness. Through careful exegesis of Luke 15:25-32, the hosts explore how religious performance, resentment of grace, and merit-based thinking can keep us far from the Father's heart even while we remain close to the Father's house. This conversation challenges listeners to examine their own hearts for traces of elder brother theology and calls us to celebrate the scandalous grace that restores sinners to sonship. Key Takeaways Two ways to be lost: The parable presents both flagrant rebellion (the younger son) and respectable self-righteousness (the elder son) as forms of spiritual lostness that require God's grace. The elder brother's geographic and spiritual position: Though physically near the house and faithful in service, the elder brother was spiritually distant from the father's heart, unable to celebrate grace extended to others. Moralism as a subtle distance: Self-righteous religion can be more deceptive than open rebellion because it appears virtuous while actually rejecting the father's character and values. The father pursues both sons: God's gracious pursuit extends not only to the openly rebellious but also to the self-righteous, demonstrating that election and grace are sovereign gifts, not earned rewards. The unresolved ending: The parable intentionally leaves the elder brother's response unstated, creating narrative tension that challenges the original audience (Pharisees and scribes) and modern readers to examine their own response to grace. Adoption as the frame of obedience: True Christian obedience flows from sonship and inheritance ("all that I have is yours"), not from a wage-earning, transactional relationship with God. Resentment reveals our theology: When we find ourselves unable to celebrate the restoration of repentant sinners, we expose our own need for repentance—not from scandal, but from envy and pride. Key Concepts The Elder Brother's Subtle Lostness The genius of Jesus' parable is that it exposes a form of lostness that religious people rarely recognize in themselves. The elder brother never left home, never squandered his inheritance, and never violated explicit commands. Yet his response to his brother's restoration reveals a heart fundamentally opposed to the father's character. His complaint—"I have served you all these years and never disobeyed your command"—demonstrates that he viewed his relationship with the father transactionally, as an employer-employee arrangement rather than a father-son bond. This is the essence of legalism: performing religious duties while remaining distant from God's heart. The tragedy is that the elder brother stood within reach of everything the father had to offer yet experienced none of the joy, fellowship, or security of sonship. This form of lostness is particularly dangerous because it wears the mask of righteousness and often goes undetected until grace is extended to someone we deem less deserving. The Father's Gracious Pursuit of the Self-Righteous Just as the father ran to meet the returning younger son, he also went out to plead with the elder brother to come into the feast. This detail is theologically significant: God pursues both the openly rebellious and the self-righteous with the same gracious initiative. The father's response to the elder brother's complaint is not harsh correction but tender invitation: "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours." This reveals that the problem was never scarcity or the father's favoritism—the elder brother had always possessed full access to the father's resources and affection. The barrier was entirely on the son's side: his inability to receive sonship as a gift rather than a wage. This mirrors the historical situation of the Pharisees and scribes who grumbled at Jesus for receiving sinners. They stood adjacent to the kingdom, surrounded by the promises and covenant blessings of God, yet remained outside because they could not accept grace as the principle of God's dealing with humanity. The invitation still stood, but it required them to abandon their merit-based system and enter the feast as recipients of unearned favor. The Unresolved Ending and Its Challenge to Us Luke deliberately leaves the parable unfinished—we never learn whether the elder brother eventually joined the celebration. This narrative technique places the reader in the position of the elder brother, forcing us to answer for ourselves: will we enter the feast or remain outside in bitter resentment? For the original audience of Pharisees and scribes, this unresolved ending was a direct challenge to their response to Jesus' ministry. Would they continue to grumble at God's grace toward tax collectors and sinners, or would they recognize their own need and join the celebration? For contemporary readers, the question remains equally pressing. When we hear of a notorious sinner coming to faith, do we genuinely rejoice, or do we scrutinize their repentance with suspicion? When churches extend membership to those with broken pasts, do we celebrate restoration or quietly question whether they deserve a place at the table? The parable's open ending is not a literary flaw but a pastoral strategy: it refuses to let us remain passive observers and demands that we examine whether we harbor elder brother theology in our own hearts. Memorable Quotes The father's household is a place where grace produces joy, not just merely relief. The elder brother hears the joy before he sees it. That's often how resentment works, isn't it? We're alerted to the happiness of others and somehow there's this visceral response of wanting to be resentful toward that joy, toward that unmerited favor. — Jesse Schwamb There is a way to be near the house, church adjacent, religiously active, yet to be really far from the father's heart. The elder brother is not portrayed as an atheist, but as a moralist. And moralism can be a more subtle distance than open rebellion. — Jesse Schwamb God doesn't keep sinners from repenting. The reprobate are not prohibited or prevented by God from coming to faith. They're being kept out by their own stubborn refusal to come in. That's where this punchline hits so hard. — Tony Arsenal Full Transcript [00:00:44] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 477 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse.  [00:00:51] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother.  [00:00:55] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother.  [00:00:56] Parables and God's Word [00:00:56] Jesse Schwamb: Speaking of ears to hear, it struck me that this whole thing we've been doing all this parable talk is really after the manner of God's words. And one of the things I've really grown to appreciate is how God speaks to the condition of those whom he addresses. He considers our ability, our capacity as his hearers to process what he's saying, and that leads into these amazing parables that we've been talking about. He doesn't speak as he is able to speak. So to speak, but I didn't mean that to happen. But as we were able to hear, and that means he spoke in these lovely parables so that we might better understand him. And today we're gonna get into some of the drama of the best, like the crown jewel as we've been saying, of maybe all the parables. The Parable of the Lost Son. We spoke a little bit about it in the last episode. Definitely want to hit that up because it's setting you up for this one, which is the definitive episode. But now we're gonna talk about this first, this younger lost son. Get into some of all of these like juicy details about what takes place, and really, again, see if we can find the heart of God. Spoiler. We can and we'll,  [00:02:04] Tony Arsenal: yeah,  [00:02:04] Affirmations and Denials [00:02:04] Jesse Schwamb: but before we do both of those things, it's of course always time at this moment to do a little affirming with or denying against. Of course, if you haven't heard us before, that's where we take a moment to say, is there something that we think is undervalued that we wanna bring forward that we'd recommend or think is awesome? Or conversely, is there something that's overvalued that's just, we're over it. The vibe is done. We're gonna deny against that. So I say to you, as I often do, Tony, are you affirming with or deny against?  [00:02:31] Tony's Nerdy Hobby: Dungeons and Dragons [00:02:31] Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming tonight. Um, I don't know how much the audience realizes of a giant ridiculous nerd I am, but we're about to go to entirely new giant nerd depths. [00:02:43] Jesse Schwamb: All right. I  [00:02:43] Tony Arsenal: think,  [00:02:44] Jesse Schwamb: let's hear it.  [00:02:44] Tony Arsenal: So, um, I was a huge fan of Stranger Things. Some, there's some issues with the show, and I understand why some people might not, um, might not feel great about watching it. You know, I think it falls within Christian liberty. But one of the main themes of the show, this is not a spoiler, you learn about this in episode one, is the whole game. The whole show frames itself around Dungeons and Dragons, right? It's kind of like a storytelling device within the show that the kids play, Dungeons and Dragons, and everything that happens in the Dungeons and Dragons game that they're playing, sort of like, um, foreshadows what's actually gonna happen in the show. Which funny if, you know Dungeons and Dragons lore, you kind of learn the entire plot of the story like ahead of time. Um, but so I, stranger Things just finished up and I've kind of been like itching to get into Dungeons and Dragons. I used to play a little bit of tabletop when I was in high school, in early college and um, I just really like the idea of sort of this collaborative storytelling game. Um, whether it's Dungeon Dragons or one of the other systems, um, Dungeons and Dragons is the most popular. It's the most well published. It's the most well established and it's probably the easiest to find a group to play with. Although it is very hard to find a group to play with, especially, uh, kind of out in the middle of nowhere where I live. So this is where the ultra super nerdy part comes in.  [00:04:02] Jesse Schwamb: Alright, here we  [00:04:03] Tony Arsenal: go. I have been painstakingly over the last week teaching Google Gemini. To be a dungeon master for me. So I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons more or less by myself with, uh, with Google Gemini, and I'm just having a lot of fun with it. Um, you can get a free copy of the rules online if you, I think it's DND, the letter NDND beyond.com. They have a full suite of like tools to create your character. Access to a basic set of the core rules. Um, you can spend a lot of money on Dungeons and Dragons, uh, and if you want to like really get into it, the books are basically textbooks. Like you're buying $300 or 300 page, $300, 300 page textbooks, um, that are not all that differently costs than like college textbooks. You'll buy a 300 page Dungeon master guide that's like $50 if you want a paper copy. So, but you can get into it for free. You can get the free rolls online, you can use their dungeon, the d and d Beyond app and do all your dice rolls for free. Um, you, you can get a free dice roller online if you don't want to do their, their app. Um, but it's just a lot of fun. I've just been having a lot of fun and I found that the, I mean. When you play a couple sessions with it, you see that the, the um, the A IDM that I've created, like it follows the same story beats 'cause it's only got so much to work with in its language model. Um, but I'm finding ways to sort of like break it out of that model by forcing it to refer to certain websites that are like Dungeons and Dragons lore websites and things like build your, build your campaign from this repository of Dungeons and Dragons stuff. So. I think you could do this with just about any sort of narrative storytelling game like this, whether you're playing a different system or d and d Pathfinders. I mean, there's all sorts of different versions of it, but it's just been a lot of fun to see, see it going. I'm trying to get a group together. 'cause I think I would, I would probably rather play Dungeons and Dragons with people, um, and rather do it in person. But it's hard to do up here. It's hard to get a, get a group going. So that's my super nerdy affirmation. I'm not just affirming Dungeons and Dragons, which would already be super nerdy. I'm affirming playing it by myself on my phone, on the bus with Google Gemini, AI acting like I'm not. Just this weird antisocial lunatic. So I'm having a lot of fun with it.  [00:06:20] Jesse Schwamb: So there are so many levels of inception there. Yeah. Like the inception and everything you just said. I love it.  [00:06:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Well, what I'm learning is, um, you can give an, and, and this is something I didn't realize, what ai, I guess I probably should have, you know, it's not like an infinite thing. Um, you can give an AI instructions and if your chat gets long enough, it actually isn't referring back to the very beginning of the chat most of the time. Right. There's a, there's like a win context window of about 30 responses. So like if you tell the AI, don't roll the dice for me, like, let me roll dices that are related to my actions, eventually it will forget that. So part of what I've been doing is basically building, I'm using Google Gemini when the AI does something I don't want it to do, I say, you just did something I don't want it to do. Gimme a diagnostic report of why you did that. It will explain to me why it did what it did. Right. Why it didn't observe the rules. And then I'm feeding that into another. Prompt that is helping me generate better prompts that it refers back to. So it's kind of this weird iterative, um, yeah, I, I don't, I'm like, I maybe I'm gonna create the singularity. I'm not sure. Maybe this is gonna be possible. We should sit over the edge. It's gonna, it's gonna learn how to cast magic spells and it's gonna fire bolt us in the face or something like that. Right. But, uh, again, high risk. I, I, for one, welcome our AO AI dungeon masters. So check it out. You should try it. If you could do this with chat GPT, you could do it with any ai. Um, it, it, it is going to get a little, I have the benefit because I have a Google Workspace account. I have access to Google Pro or the Gemini Pro, which is a better model for this kind of thing. But you could do this with, with chat GPT or something like that. And it's gonna be more or less the same experience, I think. But I'm having a, I'm having a ton of fun with it. Um. Again, I, I, there's something about just this, Dungeons and Dragons at its core is a, it's like a, an exercise in joint storytelling, which is really fascinating and interesting to me. Um, and that's what most tabletop RPGs are like. I suppose you get into something like War Hammer and it's a little bit more like a board. It's a mixture of that plus a board game. But Dungeons and Dragons, the DM is creating the, I mean, not the entire world, but is creating the narrative. And then you as a player are an actor within that narrative. And then there's a certain element of chance that dice rolls play. But for the most part, um, you're driving the story along. You're telling the story together. So it's, it's pretty interesting. I've also been watching live recordings of Dungeons and Dragon Sessions on YouTube. Oh,  [00:08:50] Jesse Schwamb: wow.  [00:08:51] Tony Arsenal: Like, there's a, there's a channel called Critical Role. Like these sessions are like three and a half hours long. So, wow. I just kinda have 'em on in the background when I'm, when I'm, uh, working or if I'm, you know, doing something else. Um, but it's really interesting stuff. It's, it's pretty cool. I think it's fun. I'm a super nerd. I'm, I'm no shame in that. Um, I'm just really enjoying it.  [00:09:09] Jesse Schwamb: Listen, nerdery is great. That's like part of the zeitgeist now. Listen to culture. It's cool to be a nerd. I don't know much about d and d. I've heard a lot about this idea of this community that forms around. Yeah. The story, correct me if I'm wrong, can't these things go on for like years, decades?  [00:09:25] Tony Arsenal: Oh yeah, yeah. Like, you can do there. There, some of this has made its way into the official rule books, but basically you could do what's called a one shot, which is like a self-contained story. Usually a single session, you know, like you get a Dungeon master, game master, whichever you wanna call the person. Three to four, maybe five characters, player characters. And one session is usually about two hours long. So it's not like you sit down for 20 minutes, 30 minutes at a time and play this right. And you could do a one shot, which is a story that's designed to, to live all within that two hour session. Um, some people will do it where there isn't really any planned like, outcome of the story. The, the DM just kind of makes up things to do as they go. And then you can have campaigns, which is like, sometimes it's like a series of one shots, but more, it is more like a long term serialized period, you know, serialized campaign where you're doing many, um, many, many kinds of, uh, things all in one driving to like a big epic goal or battle at the end, right? Um, some groups stay together for a really long time and they might do multiple campaigns, so there's a lot to it. Game's been going on for like 50, 60, 70 years, something like that. I don't remember exactly when it started, but  [00:10:41] Jesse Schwamb: yeah.  [00:10:41] Tony Arsenal: Um, it's an old game. It's kinda like the doctor who of of poor games and it's like the original tabletop role playing game, I think. [00:10:47] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Yeah, that makes sense. Again, there's something really appealing to me about not just that cooperative storytelling, but cooperative gameplay. Everybody's kind of in it together for the most part. Yeah. Those conquest, as I understand them, are joint in nature. You build solidarity, but if you're meeting with people and having fun together and telling stories and interacting with one another, there's a lot of good that comes out of that stuff there. A lot of lovely common grace in those kind of building, those long-term interactions, relationships, entertainment built on being together and having good, clean, fun together.  [00:11:17] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Well, and it's, you know, it's, um. It's an interesting exercise. It's it, in some ways it's very much like improv. Like you, you think of like an improv comedy like show I've been to somewhere. Like, you know, you go to the show and it's an improv troupe, but they're like calling people from the crowd up and asking them for like different scenarios they might do. It's kind of like that in that like the GM can plan a whole, can plan a whole thing. But if I as a player character, um. And I've done this to the virtual one just to see what it does, and it's done some interesting things. One of the campaigns I was playing, I had rescued a merchant from some giant spiders and I was helping, like, I was helping like navigate them through the woods to the next town. And we kept on getting attacked and just outta nowhere. I was like, what if I sort of act as though I'm suspicious of this merchant now because why are we getting attacked all the time? And so I, I typed in sort of like a little. A mini role play of me accusing this guy. And it was something like, Randall, we get, we're getting attacked a lot for a simple merchant, Randall merchant. What happens if I cast a tech magic? What am I gonna find? And he's like, I don't know what I'm gonna find. I know I don't know anything. And then I cast a tech magic and it shifted. I mean, I don't know where the campaign was gonna go before that, but it shifted the whole thing now where the person who gave him the package he was carrying had betrayed him. It was, so that happens in real life too in these games, real life in these games. That happens in real, in-person sessions too, where a player or a group of players may just decide instead of talking to the contact person that is supposed to give them the clue to find the dungeon they're supposed to go to, instead they ambush them and murder them in gold blood. And now the, the dungeon master has to figure out, how do I get them back to this dungeon when this is the only person that was supposed to know where it is? So it, it does end up really stretching your thinking skills and sort of your improvisational skills. There's an element of, um, you know, like chance with the dice, um, I guess like the dice falls in the lot, but the lot is in the handle. Or like, obviously that's all ordained as well too, but there is this element of chance where even the DM doesn't get to determine everything. Um, if, if I say I want to, I want to try to sneak into this room, but I'm a giant barbarian who has, you know, is wearing like chain mail, there's still a chance I could do it, but the dice roll determines that. It's not like the, the GM just says you can't do that. Um, so it's, it's a, I, I like it. I'm, I'm really looking forward to trying to, getting into it. It is hard to start a group and to get going and, um, there's a part of me that's a little bit. Gun shy of maybe like getting too invested with a group of non-Christians for something like this. 'cause it can get a little weird sometimes. But I think that, I think that'll work out. It'll be fun. I know there's actually some people in our telegram chat. Bing, bing, bing segue. There we go. There's some people in our telegram chat actually, that we're already planning to do a campaign. Um, so we might even do like a virtual reform brotherhood, Dungeons and Dragons group. So that might be a new sub channel in the telegram at some point.  [00:14:13] Jesse Schwamb: There you go. You could jump right in. Go to t.me back slash reform brotherhood.  [00:14:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Jesse, what are you affirming since I just spent the last 15 minutes gushing about my nerdy hobby?  [00:14:23] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, no, that was great. Can I, can I just say two things? One is, so you're basically saying it's a bit like, like a troll shows up and everybody's like, yes. And yeah. So I love that idea. Second thing, which is follow up question, very brief. What kind of merchant was Randall.  [00:14:39] Tony Arsenal: Uh, he was a spice trader actually.  [00:14:42] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I don't trust that.  [00:14:43] Tony Arsenal: And, and silk, silk and spices.  [00:14:45] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. That's double, that's too strict.  [00:14:47] Tony Arsenal: He was actually good guy in the, in the story that developed out of this campaign. He actually became part of my family and like, like, like got adopted into the family because he lost everything on his own. Randy we're  [00:15:00] Jesse Schwamb: talking about Randy.  [00:15:01] Tony Arsenal: Randy Randall with one L. Yeah. The AI was very specific about  that.  [00:15:05] Jesse Schwamb: There's, there's nothing about this guy I trust. I, is this still ongoing? Because I think he's just trying to make his way deeper in,  [00:15:11] Tony Arsenal: uh, no, no. It, I'll, I'll wait for next week to tell you how much, even more nerdy this thing gets. But there's a whole thing that ha there was a whole thing out of this That's a tease. Tease. There was a, there was a horse and the horse died and there was lots of tears and there was a wedding and a baby. It was, it's all sorts of stuff going on in this campaign. [00:15:27] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. And I'm sure. Randy was somewhere near that horse when it happened. Right?  [00:15:32] Tony Arsenal: It was his horse.  [00:15:33] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, exactly. That's  [00:15:35] Tony Arsenal: exactly, he didn't, he didn't kill the horse. He had no power to knock down the bridge The horse was standing on.  [00:15:40] Jesse Schwamb: Listen, next week, I'm pretty sure that's what we're gonna learn is that it was all him. [00:15:45] Tony Arsenal: Alright, Jesse, save us from this. Save us from this, please. Uh,  [00:15:49] Jesse Schwamb: no.  What  [00:15:50] Tony Arsenal: you affirming, this is  [00:15:50] Jesse Schwamb: great.  [00:15:50] Jesse's Affirmation: Church Community [00:15:50] Jesse Schwamb: It's possible that there is a crossover between yours and mine if we consider. That the church is like playing a d and d game in the dungeon Masters Christ, and the campaigns, the gospel. So I was thinking maybe is it possible, uh, maybe this is just the, the theology of the cross, but that sometimes, like you need the denial to get to the affirmation. Have we talked about that kind of truth? Yeah,  [00:16:14] Tony Arsenal: yeah,  [00:16:15] Jesse Schwamb: for sure. So here's a little bit of that. I'll be very, very brief and I'm using this not as like just one thing that happened today, but what I know is for sure happening all over the world. And I mean that very literally, not just figuratively when it comes to the body of Christ, the local church. So it snowed here overnight. This was, this is the Lord's Day. We're hanging out in the Lord's Day, which is always a beautiful day to talk about God. And overnight it snowed. The snow stopped relatively late in the morning around the time that everybody would be saying, Hey, it's time to go and worship the Lord. So for those in my area, I got up, we did the whole clearing off the Kai thing. I went to church and I was there a little bit early for a practice for music. And when I pulled in, there weren't many there yet, but the whole parking lot unplowed. So there's like three inches of snow, unplowed parking lot. So I guess the denial is like the plow people decided like, not this time I, I don't think so. They understood they were contracted with the church, but my understanding is that when one of the deacons called, they were like, Ooh, yeah, we're like 35 minutes away right now, so that's gonna be a problem. So when I pulled in, here's what I was. Like surprise to find, but in a totally unexpected way, even though I understand what a surprise is. And that is that, uh, that first the elders and the deacons, everybody was just decided we're going to shovel an entire parking lot. And at some point big, I was a little bit early there, but at some point then this massive text change just started with everybody, which was, Hey, when you come to church, bring your shovel. And I, I will tell you like when I got out of the car. I was so like somebody was immediately running to clear a path with me. One of those like snow pushers, you know what I mean? Yeah. Like one, those beastly kind of like blade things.  [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: Those things are, those things are the best.  [00:17:59] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. You just run. And so you have never met a group of people that was more happy to shovel an entire large asphalt area, which normally shouldn't even be required. And. It just struck me, even in hindsight now thinking about it, it was this lovely confluence of people serving each other and serving God. It was as if they got up that morning and said, do you know what would be the best thing in the world for me to do is to shovel. And so everybody was coming out. Everybody was shoveling it. It was to protect everyone and to allow one into elaborate, one access. It was just incredible. And so I started this because the affirmation is, I know this happens in, in all of our churches, every God fearing God, loving God serving church, something like this is happening, I think on almost every Lord's day or maybe every day of the week in various capacities. And I just think this is God's people coming together because everybody, I think when we sat down for the message was exhausted, but. But there was so much joy in doing this. I think what you normally would find to be a mundane and annoying task, and the fact that it wasn't just, it was redeemed as if like we, we found a greater purpose in it. But that's, everyone saw this as a way to love each other and to love God, and it became unexpected worship in the parking lot. That's really what it was, and it was fantastic. I really almost hope that we just get rid of the plow company and just do it this way from now on. Yeah, so I'm affirming, recognize people, recognize brothers and sisters that your, your church is doing this stuff all the time and, and be a part of it. Jump in with the kinda stuff because I love how it brings forward the gospel.  [00:19:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. That's a great story. It's a great, uh, a great example of the body of Christ being, what the body of Christ is and just pulling together to get it done. Um, which, you know, we do on a spiritual level, I think, more often than a physical level these days. Right, right. But, um, that's great. I'm sitting here going three inches of snow. I would've just pulled into the lot and then pulled out of the lot. But New Hampshire, it hits different in New Hampshire. Like we all d have snow tires and four wheel drive.  [00:20:02] Jesse Schwamb: It's, it's enough snow where it was like pretty wet and heavy that it, if, you know, you pack that stuff down, it gets slick. You can't see the people, like you can't have your elderly people just flying in, coming in hot and then trying to get outta the vehicle, like making their way into church.  [00:20:14] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:20:15] Jesse Schwamb: So there was, there was a lot more of that. But I think again, you would, one of the options would've been like, Hey, why don't we shovel out some sp spaces for the, for those who need it, for, you know, those who need to have access in a way that's a little bit less encumbered. Oh, no, no. These people are like, I see your challenge and I am going to shovel the entire parking lots.  [00:20:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. It used to happen once in a while, uh, at the last church, uh, at, um, your dad's church. We would, where the plow would just not come on a Sunday morning or, or more often than not. Um, you know, what happens a lot of times is the plows don't want to come more than once. Right. If they don't have to. Or sometimes they won't come if they think it's gonna melt because they don't want to deal with, uh, with like customers who are mad that you plowed and that it all melts. But either way, once in a while. The plow wouldn't come or it wouldn't come in time. And what we would do is instead of trying to shovel an entire driveway thing, we would just went, the first couple people who would get there, the young guys in the church, there was only a couple of us, but the younger guys in the church would just, we would just be making trips, helping people into the, yeah. Helping people into the building. So, um, it was a pretty, you know, it was a small church, so it was like six trips and we'd have everybody in, but um, we just kind of, that was the way we pulled together. Um, yeah, that's a great, it's a great story. I love, I love stuff like that. Yeah, me too. Whether it's, whether it's, you know, plowing a, a parking lot with shovels instead of a plow, or it's just watching, um, watching the tables and the chairs from the fellowship, you know, all just like disappear because everybody's just, uh, picks up after themselves and cleans and stuff. That's, that's like the most concrete example of the body of Christ doing what the body of Christ does. Um, it's always nice, you know, we always hear jokes about like, who can carry the most, the most chairs,  [00:22:04] Jesse Schwamb: most  [00:22:04] Tony Arsenal: chairs. Uh, I think it's true. Like a lot of times I think like I could do like seven or eight sometimes. [00:22:10] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, you, that's, so, one more thing I wanna say. I, I wanted to tell you this privately, Tony, 'cause it just cracked me up 'cause I, you'll appreciate this. But now I'm realizing I think the brothers and sisters who listened to us talk for any length of time and in the context of this conversation, but the church will appreciate this too. On my way out, I, I happened because I was there early and the snow was crazy. I parked way further out, way on the edge of the lot to just allow for greater access because of all the shoveling that was happening. And by the way, I really hope there were a ton of visitors this morning because they were like, wow, this, this church is wild. They love to shovel their own lot and they're the happiest people doing it. Some sweaty person just ushered me in while they were casting snow. Like,  [00:22:47] Tony Arsenal: is this some new version of snake handling? You shovel your own lot and your impervious to back injuries.  [00:22:53] Jesse Schwamb: Uh. So I was walking out and as I walked past, uh, there was a, uh, two young gentlemen who were congregating by this very large lifted pickup truck, which I don't have much experience with, but it looked super cool and it was started, it was warming up, and they were just like casually, like in the way that only like people with large beards wearing flannel and Carhartt kind of do, like casually leaning against the truck, talking in a way that you're like, wow, these guys are rugged. And they sound, they're super cool, and they're probably like in their twenties. And all I hear as I pass by is one guy going, yeah, well, I mean that's, I was, I said to them too, but I said, listen, I'd rather go to a church with God-fearing women than anywhere else.  [00:23:36] Tony Arsenal: Nice.  [00:23:37] Jesse Schwamb: I was just like, yep. On the prowl and I love it. And they're not wrong. This is the place to be.  [00:23:42] Tony Arsenal: It is.  [00:23:43] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. This is the place to be. Yeah. So all kinds of, all kinds of good things I think going on in that in the house of the Lord and where wherever you're at, I would say be happy and be joyful and look for those things and participate in, like you said, whether it's physical or not, but as soon as you said like the, our young men, our youth somehow have this competition of when we need to like pack up the sanctuary. How many chairs can I take at one time? Yeah. It's like the classic and it just happens. Nobody says like, okay, everybody line up. We're about to embark on the competition now. Like the strong man usher competition. It's just like, it just happens and  [00:24:17] Tony Arsenal: it's  [00:24:17] Jesse Schwamb: incredible.  [00:24:18] Tony Arsenal: I mean, peacocks fan out their tail feathers. Young Christian guys fan out. All of the table chairs, chairs they can carry. It's uh, it's a real phenomena. So I feel like if you watch after a men's gathering, everybody is like carrying one chair at a time because they don't wanna hurt their backs and their arms. Oh, that's  [00:24:36] Jesse Schwamb: true. That's  [00:24:37] Tony Arsenal: what I do. Yeah. But it's when the women are around, that's when you see guys carrying like 19 chairs. Yeah. Putting themselves in the hospital.  [00:24:42] Jesse Schwamb: That's what I, listen, it comes for all of us. Like I, you know, I'm certainly not young anymore by almost any definition, but even when I'm in the mix, I'm like, oh, I see you guys. You wanna play this game? Mm-hmm. Let's do this. And then, you know, I'm stacking chairs until I hurt myself. So it's great. That's, that is what we do for each other. It's  [00:25:01] Tony Arsenal: just, I hurt my neck getting outta bed the other day. So it happens. It's real.  [00:25:05] Jesse Schwamb: The struggle. Yeah, the struggle is real.  [00:25:07] The Parable of the Lost Son [00:25:07] Jesse Schwamb: Speaking of struggle, speaking of family issues, speaking of all kinds of drama, let's get into Luke 15 and let me read just, I would say the first part of this parable, which as we've agreed to talk about, if we can even get this far, it's just the younger son. [00:25:24] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:25:25] Jesse Schwamb: And again, don't worry, we're gonna get to all of it, but let me read beginning in, uh, verse 11 here. This is Luke chapter 15. Come follow along as you will accept if you're operating heavy machinery. And Jesus said, A man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me. So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country. And there he squandered his estate living recklessly. Now, when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country and it began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. So he went and as he was desiring to be fed with the pods that the swine were eating because no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger. I'll rise up and go to my father, and I'll say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired men. So he rose up, came to his father, but while he was still a long way off. His father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him. And the son said to him, father, I've sinned against heaven and before you, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fat in calf and slaughter it and let us celebrate. For the son of mine was dead and has come to life again. He was lost and he has been found and they began to celebrate.  [00:27:09] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. This is such a, um, such a, I don't know, like pivotal seminal parable in the Ministry of Christ. Um, it's one of those parables and we, we mentioned this briefly last week that even most. It, it hasn't passed out of the cultural zeitgeist yet. A lot of biblical teaching has, I mean, a lot, I think a lot of things that used to be common knowledge where, where you could make a reference to something in the Bible and people would just get it. Um, even if they weren't Christian or weren't believers, they would still know what you were talking about. There's a lot of things in the Bible that have passed out of that cultural memory. The, the parable of the prodigal son, lost son, however you wanna phrase it, um, that's not one of them. Right. So I think it's really important for us, um, and especially since it is such a beautiful picture of the gospel and it has so many different theological touch points, it's really incumbent on us to spend time thinking about this because I would be willing to bet that if you weave. Elements of this parable into your conversations with nonbelievers that you are praying for and, and, you know, witnessing to and sharing the gospel with, if you weave this in there, you're gonna help like plant some seeds that when it comes time to try to harvest, are gonna pay dividends. Right. So I think it's a really, it's a really great thing that we're gonna be able to spend, you know, a couple weeks really just digging into this. [00:28:40] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, and to define the beginning, maybe from the end, just slightly here, I like what you said about this cultural acknowledgement of this. I think one of the correctives we can provide, which is clear in the story, is in the general cultural sense. We speak of this prodigal as something that just returns comes back, was lost, but now is found. And often maybe there is this component of, in the familial relationship, it's as if they've been restored. Here we're gonna of course find that this coming to one senses is in fact the work of God. That there is, again, a little bit of denial that has to bring forward the affirmation here that is the return. And so again, from the beginning here, we're just talking about the younger son. We have more than youthful ambition.  [00:29:19] The Essence of Idolatry and Sin [00:29:19] Jesse Schwamb: This heart of, give me the stuff now, like so many have said before, is really to say. Give me the gifts and not you, which is, I think, a common fault of all Christians. We think, for instance of heaven, and we think of all the blessings that come with it, but not necessarily of the joy of just being with our savior, being with Christ. And I think there's something here right from the beginning, there's a little bit of this betrayal in showing idolatry, the ugliness of treating God's gifts as if there's something owed. And then this idea that of course. He receives these things and imme more or less immediately sometime after he goes and takes these things and squanderers them. And sin and idolatry, I think tends to accelerate in this way. The distance from the father becomes distance from wisdom. We are pulled away from that, which is good. The father here being in his presence and being under his care and his wisdom and in his fear of influence and concern, desiring then to say, I don't want you just give me the gifts that you allegedly owe me. And then you see how quickly like sin does everything you, we always say like, sin always costs more than you want to pay. And it always takes you further than you want to go. And that's exactly what we see here. Like encapsulated in an actual story of relationship and distance.  [00:30:33] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I, you know, I think, um. It's interesting to me.  [00:30:39] The Greek Words for Property [00:30:39] Tony Arsenal: You know, I, I, I'm a big fan of saying you don't need to study Greek to understand your Bible, but I'm also a big fan of saying understanding a little bit of Greek is really helpful. And one of the things that I think is really intriguing, and I haven't quite parsed out exactly what I think this means, but the word property in this parable, it actually is two different Greek words that is translated as property, at least in the ESV. And neither one of them really fit. What our normal understanding of property would be. And there are Greek words that refer to like all of your material possessions, but it says, father, give me the share of property. And he uses the word usia, which those of us who have heard anything about the trinity, which is all of us, um, know that that word means something about existence. It's the core essence of a person. So it says, father, give me the share of usia that is coming to me. And then it says, and he divided his bias, his, his life between them. Then it says, not many days later, the younger son gathered all that he had took a journey into the far country. There he squandered his usia again. So this, this parable, Christ is not using the ordinary words to refer to material, uh, material accumulation and property like. I think probably, you know, Christ isn't like randomly using these words. So there probably is an element that these were somehow figuratively used of one's life possessions. But the fact that he's using them in these particular ways, I think is significant. [00:32:10] The Prodigal Son's Misconception [00:32:10] Tony Arsenal: And so the, the, the younger son here, and I don't even like calling this the prodigal sun parable because the word prodigal doesn't like the equivalent word in Greek doesn't appear in this passage. And prodigal doesn't mean like the lost in returned, like prodigal is a word that means like the one who spends lavishly, right? So we call him the prodigal son because he went and he squandered all of his stuff and he spent all of his money. So it doesn't even really describe the main feature or the main point of why this, this parable is here. It's just sort of like a random adjective that gets attached to it. But all of that aside, um. This parable starts off not just about wasting our property, like wasting our things, but it's a parable that even within the very embedded language of the parable itself is talking about squandering our very life, our very essence, our very existence is squandered and wasted as we depart from the Father. Right? And this is so like, um, it's almost so on the head, on the on the nose that it's almost a little like, really Jesus. Like this is, this is so like, slap you in the face kind of stuff. This is right outta like Romans, uh, Romans one, like they did not give thanks to God. They did not show gratitude to God or acknowledge him as God. This is what's happening in this parable. The son doesn't go to his father and say, father, I love you. I'm so happy to stay with you. I'm so happy to be here. He, he basically says like. Give me your very life essence, and I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go spend it on prostitutes. I'm gonna go waste your life, father, I'm gonna waste your life, your existence, your bias. I'm gonna go take that and I'm gonna squander it on reckless living. And I guess we don't know for sure. He, it doesn't say he spends it on prostitutes. That's something his brother says later and assumes he did. So I, I don't know that we do that. But either way, I'm gonna take what's yours, your very life, your very essence. And also that my life, my essence, the gift you've given me as my father, you've given me my life. In addition now to your life or a portion of your life. And I'm gonna go squander that on reckless living, right? Like, how much of a picture of sin is that, that we, we take what we've been given by God, our very life, our very essence, we owe him everything, and we squander that on sinful, reckless living. That that's just a slap in the face in the best way right out of the gate here.  [00:34:28] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, that, that's a great point because it's, it would be one thing to rebel over disobedience, another thing to use the very life essence that you've been given for destructive, self-destructive purposes. And then to use that very energy, which is not yours to begin with, but has been imbued in yours, external, all of these things. And then to use that very thing as the force of your rebellion. So it's double insult all the way around. I'm with you in the use of Greek there. Thank you. Locus Bio software. Not a sponsor of the podcast, but could be. And I think that's why sometimes in translations you get the word like a state because it's like the closest thing we can have to understanding that it's property earned through someone's life more or less. Yeah. And then is passed down, but as representative, not just of like, here's like 20 bucks of cash, but something that I spent all of me trying to earn and. And to your point, also emphasizing in the same way that this son felt it was owed him. So it's like really bad all around and I think we would really be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn't think that there's like a little bit of Paul washer saying in this, like I'm talking about you though. So like just be like, look at how disrespectful the sun is. Yeah. Haven't we all done this? To God and bringing up the idea of prodigal being, so that, that is like the amazing juxtaposition, isn't it? Like Prodigal is, is spent recklessly, parsimonious would be like to, to save recklessly, so to speak. And then you have the love the father demonstrates coming against all of that in the same way with like a totally different kind of force. So.  [00:36:02] The Famine and Realization [00:36:02] Jesse Schwamb: What I find interesting, and I think this is like set up in exactly what you said, is that when you get to verse 14 and this famine comes, it's showing us, I think that like providence exposes what Sin conceals.  [00:36:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:36:16] Jesse Schwamb: And want arrives. Not just because like the money ran out, but because again, like these idols, what he's replaced the father with, they don't satisfy. And repentance then often begins when God shows the emptiness of light apart life apart from him. That's like the affirmation being born out of the denial. And so I think that this also is evolving for us, this idea that God is going to use hardship, not as mere punishment, but as mercy that wakes us up and that the son here is being woken up, but not, of course, it's not as if he goes into the land, like you said, starts to spend, is like, whoa, hold on a second. This seems like a bad idea. It's not until all of that sin ever, like the worship of false things collapses under its own weight before it, which is like the precursor of the antecedent, I think, to this grand repentance or this waking up.  [00:37:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I also think it's, um.  [00:37:08] The Depths of Desperation [00:37:08] Tony Arsenal: A feature of this that I haven't reflected on too deeply, but is, is worth thinking about is the famine that's described here only occurs in this far country that he's in. [00:37:17] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah.  [00:37:17] Tony Arsenal: Right. So even that's right. And this is like a multitude of foolish decisions. This is compounding foolish decisions that don't, don't make any sense. Like they don't really actually make any sense. Um. There's not a logic to this, this lost son's decision making. He takes the property. Okay. I guess maybe like you could be anxious to get your inheritance, but then like he takes it to a far country. Like there's no reason for him to do that. If at any point through this sort of insane process he had stopped short, he would not have been in the situation he was in. Yes. And that, I love that phrase, that providence, you know, reveals, I don't know exactly how you said it, but like providence reveals what our sin can bring to us. Like he first see sins against his father by sort of like demanding, demanding his inheritance early. Then he takes it and he leaves his country for no reason. He goes to this far country, then he spends everything and then the famine arises. Right? And the famine arises in this other country.  [00:38:13] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:38:13] Tony Arsenal: And that's, I think that is still again, like a picture of sin. Like we. We don't just, we don't just take what the father has and, and like spend it like that would be bad enough if we weren't grateful for what we have and what we've been given, and we just waste it. But on top of that, now we also have taken ourselves to a far country. Like we've gone away from the good, the good land of the Lord, as those who are not regenerate. We've gone away from the, the Lord into this far country. And it's not until we start to have this famine that we recognize what we've done. And again, this is, this is where I think we get a picture. There's so many theological, like points in this parable particular that it almost feels a little bit like a, like a. Parable that's intended to teach some systematic theology about for sure, the oral salus, which I think there's probably a lot of like biblical theology people that are ready to just crawl through the screen and strangle me for saying that. But this is such a glorious picture of, of regeneration too. [00:39:16] The Journey Back to the Father [00:39:16] Tony Arsenal: Like he comes to himself, there's nothing, there's nothing in the story that's like, oh, and the servant that he was, the other servant he was talking to mentioned that the famine, like there's nothing here that should prompt him to want to go back to his home, to think that his father could or would do anything about it, except that he comes to himself. He just comes to the realization that his father is a good man and is wise and has resources, and has takes care of his, of his servants on top of how he takes care of his sons. That is a picture of regeneration. There's no, yeah. Logical, like I'm thinking my way into it, he just one day realizes how much, how many of my father's servants have more than enough bread. Right. But I'm perishing here in this, this foolish other country with nothing. Right. I can't even, and the, the pods that the pigs ate, we can even, we can get into the pods a little bit here, but like. He wants to eat the pods. The pods that he's giving the pigs are not something that's even edible to humans. He's that destitute, that he's willing to eat these pods that are like, this is the leftover stuff that you throw to the pigs because no, no, nobody and nothing else can actually eat it. And that's the state he's in at the very bottom, in the very end of himself where he realizes my father is good and he loves me, and even if I can never be his son again, surely he'll take care of me. I mentioned it last week, like he wasn't going back thinking that this was gonna be a failing proposition. He went back because he knew or he, he was confident that his father was going to be able to take care of him and would accept him back. Right. Otherwise, what would be the point of going back? It wasn't like a, it wasn't like a, um, a mission he expected to fail at. He expected there to be a positive outcome or he wouldn't have done it. Like, it wouldn't make any sense to try that if there wasn't the hope of some sort of realistic option.  [00:41:09] Jesse Schwamb: And I think his confidence in that option, as you were saying, is in this way where he's constructed a transaction. Yeah. That he's gonna go back and say, if you'll just take me out as a slave, I know you have slaves, I will work for you. Right. Therefore, I feel confident that you'll accept me under those terms because I'll humble myself. And why would you not want to remunerate? Me for the work that I put forward. So you're right, like it's, it's strange that he basically comes to this, I think, sense that slavery exists in his life and who would he rather be the slave of,  [00:41:38] Tony Arsenal: right? [00:41:39] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. And so he says, listen, I'm gonna come to the father and give him this offer. And I'm very confident that given that offer and his behavior, what I know about how he treats his other slaves, that he will hire me back because there's work to do. And therefore, as a result of the work I put forward, he will take care of me. How much of like contemporary theology is being preached in that very way right now?  [00:41:58] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:41:59] Jesse Schwamb: And that's really like why the minimum wages of sin is all of this stuff. It's death. It's the consequences that we're speaking about here. By the way, the idea about famine is really interesting. I hadn't thought about that. It is interesting, again, that sin casts him out into this foreign place where the famine occurs. And that famine is the beginning of his realization of the true destruction, really how far he's devolved and degraded in his person and in his relationships and in his current states. And then of course, the Bible is replete with references and God moving through famine. And whereas in Genesis, we have a local famine, essentially casting Joseph brothers into a foreign land to be freed and to be saved.  [00:42:39] Tony Arsenal: Right.  [00:42:40] Jesse Schwamb: We have the exact opposite, which is really kind of interesting. Yeah. So we probably should talk about, you know, verse 15 and the, and the pig stuff. I mean, I think the obvious statement here is that. It would be scandalous, like a Jewish hero would certainly feel the shame of the pigs. They represent UNC cleanliness and social humiliation. I'm interested again, in, in this idea, like you've started us on that the freedom that this younger brother sought for becomes slavery. It's kind of bondage of the wills style. Yeah. Stuff. There's like an, an attentiveness in the story to the degrading reversal in his condition. And it is interesting that we get there finally, like the bottom of the pit maybe, or the barrel is like you said, the pods, which it's a bit like looking at Tide pods and being like, these are delicious. I wish I could just eat these. So I, I think your point isn't lost. Like it's not just that like he looked at something gross and was so his stomach was grumbling so much that he might find something in there that he would find palatable. It, it's more than that. It's like this is just total nonsense. It, this is Romans one. [00:43:45] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And these pods, like, these aren't, um, you know, I guess I, I don't know exactly what these are. I'm sure somebody has done all of the historical linguistic studies, but the Greek word is related to the, the word for keratin. So like the, the same, the same root word. And we have to be careful not to define a Greek word based on how we use it. That's a reverse etymology fallacy. Like dunamis doesn't mean dynamite, it's the other direction. But the Greek word is used in other places, in Greek literature to describe like the horns of rhinoc, like,  [00:44:21] Jesse Schwamb: right,  [00:44:21] Tony Arsenal: this, these aren't like. These aren't pea pods. I've heard this described like these are like little vegetable pods. No, this is like they're throwing pieces of bone to the pigs.  [00:44:31] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah.  [00:44:31] Tony Arsenal: And the pigs, the pigs can manage it. And this is what this also like, reinforces how destitute and how deep the famine is. Like this isn't as though, like this is the normal food you give to pigs. Like usually you feed pigs, like you feed pigs, like the extra scraps from your table and like other kinds of like agricultural waste. These are, these are like chunks of bony keratin that are being fed to the pigs. So that's how terrible the famine is that not even the pigs are able to get food.  [00:45:00] Jesse Schwamb: Right?  [00:45:00] Tony Arsenal: They're given things that are basically inedible, but the pigs can manage it. And this, this kid is so hungry, he's so destitute that he says, man, I wish I could chew on those bony, those bony pods that I'm feeding them because that's how hungry and starved I am. You get the picture that this, um. This lost son is actually probably not just metaphorically on the brink of death, but he's in real risk of starvation, real risk of death that he, he can't even steal. He can't even steal from the pigs what they're eating, right? Like he can't even, he can't even glean off of what the pigs are eating just to stay alive. He, he's literally in a position where he has no hope of actually rescuing himself. The only thing that he can do, and this is the realization he has, the only thing he can do is throw himself back on the mercy of his father.  [00:45:50] Jesse Schwamb: That's  [00:45:50] Tony Arsenal: right. And, and hope, again, I think hope with confidence, but hope that his father will show mercy on him and his, his conception. I wanna be careful in this parable not to, I, I think there's something to what you're getting at or kinda what you're hinting at, that like his conception of mercy is. Not the full picture of the gospel. Yes. His conception of mercy is that he's going to be able to go and work and be rewarded for his laborers in a way that he can survive. And the gospel is so much broader and so much bigger than that. But at the same time, I think it's, it's actually also a confident hope, a faith-filled hope that his father's mercy is going to rescue him, is going to save him. So it is this picture of what we do. And, and I think, I think sometimes, um, I want to be careful how we say this 'cause I don't wanna, I don't want to get a bunch of angry emails and letters, but I think sometimes we, um, we make salvation too much of a theology test. And there's probably people that are like, Tony, did you really just say that? I think there are people who trust in the Lord Jesus thinking that that means something akin to what. This lost son thinks  [00:47:03] Jesse Schwamb: Right.  [00:47:03] Tony Arsenal: Exactly. They trust. They trust that Jesus is merciful and, and I'm not necessarily thinking of Roman Catholics. I'm not thinking of Roman Catholic theology for sure. I do think there are a fair number of Roman Catholic individuals that fall into this category where they trust Jesus to save them. Right. They just don't fully understand exactly what Jesus means, what that means for them to be saved. They think that Christ is a savior who will provide a way for them to be saved by His grace that requires them to contribute something to it. Arminians fall into that category. Right. I actually think, and I, I think there's gonna be if, if there's, if the one Lutheran who listens to our show hears this is gonna be mad, but I actually think Lutheran theology kind of falls into this in a sort of negative fashion in that you have to not resist grace in order to be saved. So I think. That is something we should grapple with is that there are people who fit into that category, but this is still a faith-filled, hope-filled confidence in the mercy of the father in this parable that he's even willing to make the journey back. Right? This isn't like right, he walks from his house down the street or from the other side of town. He's wandering back from a far country. He, he went into a far country. He has to come back from a far country. And yes, the father greets him from afar and sees him from afar. But we're not talking about like from a far country. Like he sees him coming down the road, it, he has to travel to him, and this is a picture of. The hope and the faith that we have to have to return to God, to throw ourselves on the mercy of Christ, trusting that he has our best interest in mind, that he has died for us, and that it is for us. Right? There's the, the knowledge of what Christ has done, and then there's the ascent to the truth of it. And then the final part of faith is the confidence or the, the faith in trust in the fact that, that is for me as well, right? This, this is a picture of that right here. I, I don't know why we thought we were gonna get through the whole thing in one week, Jesse. We're gonna spend at least two weeks on this lost son, or at least part of the second week here. But he, this is, this is also like a picture of faith. This is why I say this as like a systematic theology lesson on soteriology all packed into here. Because not only do we have, like what is repentance and or what does regeneration look like? It's coming to himself. What does repentance look like? Yes. Turning from your sins and coming back. What is, what is the orde solis? Well, there's a whole, there's a whole thing in here. What is the definition of faith? Well, he knows that his father is good. That he has more than enough food for his servants. He, uh, is willing to acknowledge the truth of that, and he's willing to trust in that, in that he's willing to walk back from a far country in order to lay claim to that or to try to lay claim to it. That's a picture of faith right there, just in all three parts. Right. It's, it's really quite amazing how, how in depth this parable goes on this stuff,  [00:49:54] Jesse Schwamb: right? Yeah. It's wild to note that as he comes to himself, he's still working. Yeah, in that far off country. So this shows again that sin is this cruel master. He hits the bottom, he wants the animal food, but he's still unfed. And this is all the while again, he has some kind of arrangement where he is trying to work his way out of that and he sees the desperation. And so I'm with you, you know, before coming to Christ, A person really, I think must come to themselves and that really is like to say they need to have a sober self-knowledge under God, right? Yeah. Which is, as we said before, like all this talk about, well Jesus is the answer. We better be sure what the question is. And that question is who am I before God? And this is why, of course, you have to have the law and gospel, or you have to have the the bad news before you can have the good news. And really, there's all of this bad news that's delivered here and this repentance, like you've been saying, it's not just mere regret, we know this. It's a turning, it's a reorientation back to the father. He says, I will arise and go to my father. So yeah, also it demonstrates to me. When we do come to ourselves when there's a sober self-knowledge under God, there is a true working out of salvation that necessarily requires and results in some kind of action, right? And that is the mortification of sin that is moving toward God again, under his power and direction of the Holy Spirit. But still there is some kind of movement on our part. And so that I think is what leads then in verse 19, as you're saying, the son and I do love this 'cause I think this goes right back to like the true hope that he has, even though it might be slightly corrupted or slightly wa

Summary  In this episode of Gary's Gulch, dive into a heartfelt journey of personal growth, agency, and financial independence. Host Gary reflects on his childhood challenges, military career, and the lessons he's learned about true wealth and legacy. Highlighting Aaron Chapman's "Redneck Economics," Gary urges listeners to find their unique genius and use it to build a better future. Explore the power of entrepreneurship, parenting, and the pursuit of self-reliance in today's world. A must-listen for those seeking inspiration to take control of their financial destiny and personal growth..   Episode Highlights 00:00:13 - Launch of "Redneck Economics" 00:01:08 - Power of unconventional language 00:02:35 - Real estate vs. stock investing 00:03:15 - Agency and control over future 00:03:52 - Influence of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" 00:06:06 - Economic challenges in the 1980s 00:07:00 - Personal financial journey 00:11:05 - The choice for Naval Academy 00:15:00 - Impact of the Great Recession 00:16:25 - Realization on financial independence 00:18:21 - Importance of legacy and time 00:20:47 - Shift from materialism to family 00:22:02 - Significance of choosing time with family 00:23:05 - Personal story about father's impact 00:25:38 - Investing in self and God 00:26:48 - Final thoughts on agency and impact   Links and Resources from this Episode Connect with Gary Pinkerton https://www.paradigmlife.net/  gpinkerton@paradigmlife.net https://garypinkerton.com/  https://clientportal.paradigmlife.net/WealthView360     Keywords Gary's Gulch   Redneck Economics   Aaron Chapman   Passive Investing   Financial Freedom   Rental Real Estate   Cash Flow   Control Over Future   Atlas Shrugged   Ayn Rand   Self-Reliance   Agency   Entrepreneurship   Financial Journey   Family Legacy   Importance of Time   Business Owners   Philanthropy   Inflation   Interest Rates   Paul Volcker   2008 Recession   Dot Com Crash   Stock Market   Wealth Management   Human Agency   Charlie Kirk   Freedom Preservation  

Welcome back to Story Archives! In this episode, hosts Mario Busto and Zachary Newton dive into Season 1, Episode 2 of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,' titled 'Hard Salt Beef.' They discuss the show's prospects, referencing scenes from 'Game of Thrones,' and analyze the character development of Dunk and Egg. They speculate about Dunk's future in the tournament, Egg's curiosity, and how the show's lighter tone is influenced by their peasant perspective. They also touch on the portrayal of Sir Arlan and Dunk's evolving view of him. The episode concludes with their thoughts on the recent Netflix event featuring a skyscraper climber.00:00 Welcome Back to Story Archives00:15 Diving into 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'00:37 Sir Duncan the Tall: A Hero's Journey00:59 The Legacy of Sir Arlan01:46 Dunk's Realization and Growth03:45 The Hand of the King and Royal Intrigues05:01 Dunk's New Sigil and Identity13:22 The Comedic Dynamic of Dunk and Egg15:35 The Jousting Tournament Begins21:38 Dunk's Sobering Realization23:20 Discussion on Innocence and Nudity in Game of Thrones26:25 Dunk and Egg's Dynamic and Character Development27:28 Tournament Anticipation and Predictions34:19 Simpler Show Structure and Episode Length35:02 Neighbor's Pot Smoking and Episode Format Preferences38:29 Climbing Skyscrapers and Netflix Special44:12 Podcast Wrap-Up and Call to ActionKeep up with all things Story Archives Official Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠soapbox.house⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠contact@soapbox.house⁠⁠⁠Support this show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠⁠Follow the hosts on Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mariobusto @zacharyrnewtonMario's Production Company: 1992films.comZachary's Design Company: zacharyrnewton.com

Share a commentSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Resistance Patterns in Deep Realization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

• Opening musical parody, extended singing, parody station drops • "Time for a bath" spoken-word/rap monologue • Gas station checkout bit with donations and tiny purchases • Pop culture name-drops and exaggerated confidence imagery • AMT Friday Free Show intro • Guest Seth Petruzzel returns; callback to Halloween special at his house • Ongoing house build delays; living in a rental; stressful unsettled Christmas • Missing a "first real Christmas" with daughter; limited meaningful kid Christmases • Debate over earliest memories, neuroscience, and false memories • Stress text about childcare, construction, and overwhelm • "No Smile Seth" nickname from construction crew; tension with workers • Yard/seagrass service failures and staff turnover • Interior progress: drywall, paint; Seth paints entire house himself • DIY vs professional painters debate • Limestone flooring installed too early; damage from ongoing work • Admitted poor sequencing, rushed decisions, and contractor confusion • Money wasted on inefficiency; budget blown by ~$100k cash • Dark humor from stress; resentment toward dogs after barking wakes baby • Babysitter chaos; raised-hand gesture scares sitter; anger acknowledged without harm • Tracy working multiple jobs to cover costs; dojo staffing struggles • Teaching classes while overwhelmed; no-call/no-shows • Boat broken and unused; pods block driveway; storage and delay stress • Yelling over missed deadlines; workmanship defects; cabinet and floor damage • Cheap vs quality work discussion; timelines constantly pushed back • Contractors criticizing each other; electrician refuses unsafe wiring • HVAC ductwork never replaced; contractor ghosted after payment • Realization money was taken; lesson on hiring cheapest bids • New AC installed; marriage stressed but solid; stress seen as situational • Considering selling boat; joking about downgrading and paddleboards • Dock delays due to rain; feeling too deep to change course • No nearby family help; brother unavailable; childcare strain • Estrangement from father after emotional texts; anger over lack of involvement • Father's minimal apology; no-contact; canceled life-story emails • Grief over lost family history compared to mother's legacy notebooks • Daily micromanaging renovation; cleaning dust; weeks of painting • Acknowledging misdirected anger; dojo as emotional outlet • First daycare drop-off at age two; guilt, crying, camera-checking • Kid illnesses after daycare; stress symptoms, weight loss, graying hair • Picky eating; reliance on carbs; supplementing nutrition • Shift to processed kids foods; questioning processed meat risks • Deli ham vs cigarettes carcinogen debate; nitrates and long-term risk • Parenting tension between health anxiety and convenience • Colonoscopy and PSA results good; jokes about aging and pelvic floor • Nerve issues from past B6 toxicity; substance use reflections • Panic attack after mushroom mocktail; heightened sound sensitivity • Little Saints described; conclusion anxiety likely self-induced • Decision to stop dwelling; announcement of trying for second child • Curiosity about father–son bond; light emotional dad talk • Viral poop videos and construction bathroom chaos • Grocery store poop incident; biohazard cleanup and food waste debate • Lee & Rick's Oyster Bar shutdown and reopening; bug tolerance jokes • Extreme lack of germ aversion; belief exposure builds immunity • Childhood TV theme nostalgia; Silver Spoons, Today's Special, Eureka's Castle • Theme songs imprinting more than shows; modern shows less memorable • Tomb Raider Prime Video series announced; Lara Croft portrayal debate • Criticism of Gladiator; new Game of Thrones spinoff tone discussion • Attention span concerns; distracted concert crowds • Voicemail callouts; hoodie sale and mystery merch bags • Gym workouts at Crunch; dojo recruitment jokes • Apple Music UI complaints; updates removing useful features • Decision to move into voicemails due to show length • Merch strategy shift to preorder-only; storage cost regrets • Counterfeit jersey acceptance debate • Pro Bowl no longer in Orlando; family outing idea • Listener voicemail on weed-induced panic attack • Gross-out debate ranking bodily fluids • Team shout-outs; editor KC praised • BDM promotion, Appreciation Week, $5 shirt tease • Weekend sign-off ### Where to Find the Show – A Mediocre Time Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-mediocre-time/id334142682](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-mediocre-time/id334142682) Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2FtZWRpb2NyZXRpbWUvcG9kY2FzdC54bWw](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2FtZWRpb2NyZXRpbWUvcG9kY2FzdC54bWw) Exclusive Content [https://tomanddan.com/registration](https://tomanddan.com/registration) Merch [https://tomanddan.myshopify.com/](https://tomanddan.myshopify.com/)

In this episode of "Lessons I Didn't Expect to Learn," Anna reflects on how losing her grandmother reshaped her understanding of success. Instead of measuring life by revenue and achievements, she explores family time, presence, and connection as the metrics that really matter. Through a tender story of her grandmother's final days, she shares how grief led her to redesign her life around proximity to loved ones and choosing memories over milestones.   Key Points: Success is often measured by numbers, not connection Loss of grandmother prompted deep reflection on priorities Final visit with grandmother became a cherished, intentional goodbye Grandmother valued experiences and relationships over accomplishments Her gift was making others feel seen and special Realization: family time must be prioritized now, not "when life calms down" Decision to create homes in Michigan and California for family proximity No amount of success can replace missed family moments Listeners urged to ask: "Who am I building this for?" A life well lived: connection is central, not an afterthought There's always another email or sale—but not always another chance to see a loved one Connect with Anna: Email: annamarie@happywholeyou.com / info@HappyWholeYou.com Website: www.happywholeyou.com / https://linktr.ee/happywholeyou Personal Website: www.DrAnnaMarie.com Instagram: @happywholeyou Personal Instagram: @Dr.Anna.Marie Facebook: Happy Whole You LinkedIn: Anna Marie Frank Venmo: @happywholeyou

reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 4, Desire — Food — Sex, pp. 76-77This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/01/14/sadhak-of-integral-yoga-rejects-fulfillment-of-sexual-impulse-to-focus-conscious-force-on-the-spiritual-realization/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #sadhana #tapasya #sexual impulse #Brahmacharya #celibacy

We argue about something that really doesn't matter in any way and spend much too much time doing it. The good scale debate. Dylan takes a stance on allowing pets in stores. He thinks people should not be allowed to bring their fur babies into every establishment. Robbie makes the argument that kids can be just as much of a nuisance as pets. Pepper has a very wholesome reaction to getting a surprise present from Dylan and his stepson. If you know Pepper, you'd know he has a massive love of elastics. Pepper makes a shocking observation about Dylan's current relationship. Now it seems like Dylan's world is shook!

1. Opening & DisclaimerEmphasize admiration for Brett Young's talentClarify: this is curiosity and discussion, not shadeKey Points:Brett Young is undeniably talentedRecognizable voice from the very first noteUnique sound in country musicAlso… very good-looking and clearly in peak physical shape 2. Brett Young's Background & CredibilityPersonal connection / anecdoteBrett's Fresno State baseball daysReputation as a genuinely good, generous guyLongstanding respect within the industry 3. Introducing the Cover: “Just in Case”Brett covers Morgan Wallen's Just in CaseAcknowledge the challenge of covering a Morgan Wallen songBrett puts his own vocal spin on itVocals: no complaints, strong performance 4. The Video Concept RevealExpectation: simple guitar-and-voice coverReality: fully produced music videoDescription of the Video:Zoom/Brady Bunch–style gridBand members in different squaresBrett Young center frameBrett singing… in the showerShirtless, muscular, tattoos visibleSinging into the shower headStrong eye contact, lip-licking, sensual vibes 5. First Reactions & ConfusionInitial host reactions: “What is happening?”Showing the video to LaunaLauna's response: “Something's wrong with him”Clarifying confusion vs. criticismTrying to understand the intent 6. Audience Reaction & Social Media CommentsReading Instagram commentsOverwhelmingly positive responseMostly female fansNotable comments (e.g., “Ooh, that tongue”)Realization: many people clearly loved it 7. Co-Host Take: “It's Weird”Description of the shower setupMagnetic shower head, running waterFully clothed band members in winter jacketsBrett naked in the showerQuestioning song choice vs. video conceptOverall verdict: bizarre but memorable 8. Possible ExplanationsNot throwing shade — pure speculationIs it a fitness-flex era?Is it a bold artistic choice?Is it a marketing move?Industry Angle:Brett hasn't had a massive recent hitCurrent single not dominating radioControversial content gets people talkingMission accomplished — we're talking about him 9. “Is This a Regret Post?”Comparing to late-night, “why did I post this?” momentsDoes Brett even drink anymore?Health kick, fitness focusBand involvement suggests it was intentional 10. Final Thoughts & Balanced TakeawayWe love Brett YoungHe's incredibly talentedThe cover itself is excellentHe made the song his ownThe video is strange… but effectiveMaybe we're the minoritySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some years back, we gave a talk called "Can Atheist Be Spiritual?" (alas its gone now since the YouTube ban of 2025!) Anyway, there, I presented some non-theistic traditions like Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, Jainism and of course, Sāmkhya to show how Indian spirituality is inclusive to all spiritual dispositions. i.e: you don't have to believe in "God" to make spiritual progress! In that talk, we also pointed out how the atheistic position is important for theists too since we must first reject the God of dogma, i.e the God of Religion, before we can move towards the God of Realization, the Living God. Now, a few years later, in this talk, we take a slightly different approach: understanding that the bhūpura is as much the cakra as the Bindu, I try to construct a non-dual, spiritually edifying view using the basic premises of scientific materialism. My claim here is that if we are to be honest materialists, we would be fully realized actually since this too, is a valid way like any other for realizing Mā!Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

Henrik Zeberg, head macro economist at SwissBlock and author of The Monetary House of Cards, warns that despite stock markets hitting all-time highs, the real economy is sinking fast - private job creation has fallen below recessionary levels seen in 2007, and 90% of US consumers are now worse off than going into both the 2008 financial crisis and the 1929 depression. Using his Titanic metaphor, he explains first class passengers (top 10%) are still at the bar while third class is already in the water. Zeberg predicts a blow-off top with the S&P potentially hitting 8,200 before a crash worse than 2008, driven by central bank hubris that will trigger stagflation when the Fed inevitably intervenes. He's long-term bullish on gold and silver but warns of a short-term pullback as the dollar spikes to 120+ on the DXY during the deflationary bust, and explains why there's no easy way out this time - we've exhausted the free lunch of money printing.This episode is brought to you by VanEck. Learn more about the VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF: http://vaneck.com/REMXJuliaLinks: X: https://x.com/HenrikZebergSubstack: https://henrikzeberg.substack.com/Book: https://buy.stripe.com/aFacN62DQdYFbZt9APaR201TEDx: https://youtu.be/DAmoawIOMbs?si=Infb0cLi8YPxdX4H00:00 Intro and welcome Henrik Zeberg01:22 Macro view, the real economy is about job creation, not financial markets04:13 90% of consumers worse off than going into 2008 and 192905:58 Titanic metaphor: First class denying while third class already in water06:56 Chart: ADP private job creation declining to recessionary levels08:26 Illusion of stability: Stock market disconnect from economy09:07 Stock market doesn't predict recessions - look at unemployment11:15 Zeberg business cycle model pointing to recession14:55  Bond market sniffing out problems - yield curve signals20:02 Central banks and the Fed: The hubris problem23:02 2020 changed everything - inflation is back as a factor25:26 Gold and silver starting to show end game signs26:20 If Fed intervenes with more stimulus, it creates stagflation28:03 Henrik's views on gold and silver clarified30:55 Dollar regime coming - DXY could spike32:12 Long-term bullish gold/silver but short-term pullback expected35:35 Navigating different regimes as an investor38:19 Strong dollar implications39:06 Current regime still risk-on, riding the blow off top43:29 Why this recession will be worse than 200848:21 No easy way out - we're at the end of the Keynesian curve49:12 Can we get back to sound money? Only through pain51:41 Under the radar trend: Realization of how bad consumer really is53:55 AI won't save us short-term - actually reduces jobs needed54:25 Wrap up: Think for yourself, do your own research

reference: Sri Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 4, Desire — Food — Sex, pp. 70-71This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/01/06/realization-of-the-divine-consciousness-and-ananda-requires-control-of-sexual-energies/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #sexual energies #Brahmacharya #celibacy #yogic consciousness

In this episode, find out what the next generation of acousticians is researching! In this episode, we talk to the latest round of POMA Student Paper Competition winners, from the joint 188th meeting of the ASA and the 25th International Congress on Acoustics held in New Orleans in May 2025. Their topics include:- Using the spatial decomposition method to parameterize acoustic reflections in a room (Lucas Hocquette, LAcoustic)- Visualizing nonlinearities in a bolted plate system with digital image correlation (Nicholas Pomianek, Boston University)- Analyzing the how people pronounce the word "just" in casual speech (Ki Woong Moon, University of Arizona)- Modeling strings of historical instruments that no longer make sound (Riccardo Russo, University of Bologna)- Improving automatic music mashup generators (Yu Foon Darin Chau, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)Associated papers:Lucas Hocquette, Philip Coleman, and Frederic Roskam. "Acoustic reflection parameterization based on the spatial decomposition method." Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 56, 055004 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002037.Nicholas Pomianek, Trevor Jerome, Enrique Gutierrez-Wing, and J. Gregory McDaniel. "Visualizing contact area dependent nonlinearity in a bolted plate system through digital image correlation." Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 56, 065001 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002099. Ki Woong Moon and Natasha Warner. "Realization of just: Speech reduction in a high-frequency word." Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 56, 060005  (2025). https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002080Riccardo Russo, Craig J. Webb, Michele Ducceschi, and Stefan Bilbao. "Convergence analysis and relaxation techniques for modal scalar auxiliary variable methods applied to nonlinear transverse string vibration." Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 56, 035007 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002073.Yu Foon Darin Chau, Andrew Brian Horner, Joshua Chang, Chun Yuen Chan, and Harris Lau. "Retrieval-based automatic mashup generation with deep learning-guided features." Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 56,  035006 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002071.Learn more about entering the POMA Student Paper Competition for the Fall 2025 meeting in HonoluluRead more from Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics (POMA).Learn more about Acoustical Society of America Publications.

Opening prayer and transition Prayer for healing of minds, emotions, and bodies in Jesus' name. Blessing over the people and light-hearted comment about “sinners/singers” saved by grace. Transition to the morning teaching and reference to the notes on fasting and prayer. Purpose of the teaching Many new people in the church do not fully understand prayer and fasting. Long-time members also need renewed direction, inspiration, and encouragement from Scripture for an effective and profitable fast. Pastor's personal struggle with coughing and mic; testimony of praying over the upcoming fast and the church. Realization: the Lord, as the Good Shepherd, cares more about the people and their fasting than the pastor does. Emphasis that believers must hear the Shepherd's voice; call to open hearts and spirits to the Word and notes. What fasting is (definition and biblical basis) Fasting described as a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible, not an afterthought or optional for Christians. Reference to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and the three practices: praying, giving, fasting (“when you pray… when you give… when you fast,” not “if”). Reading/summary of Matthew 6:16–18: Do not fast to impress others; keep normal appearance; the Father sees in secret and rewards openly. Clarification: corporate fast cannot be fully secret, but the heart motive still must be God-centered, not people-centered. Cultural critique: problem of overeating and food addictions; fasting is needed, not optional. Why fast? Main reasons 1. Health and personal reset Fasting brings health benefits; warning about “digging graves with forks and spoons.” Pastor's personal testimony: fasting at the beginning of the year as a “reset” that affects months afterward and increases awareness of what is eaten. 2. Fasting gives more time for prayer Time normally used for preparing, eating, and cleaning up can be redirected to prayer. Acknowledgment of family responsibilities; encouragement to use available time for prayer. Biblical link between fasting and prayer: example from Acts 13 (worshiping, fasting, Holy Spirit speaks, Paul/Barnabas set apart). Explanation of the church's prayer schedule for the fasting week (Monday–Friday, 6:30–8:30 with personal prayer, worship, exhortation, and corporate prayer each night, plus guest ministers and special focuses). 3. Fasting shows the depth of desire in prayer Fasting demonstrates how serious and desperate a person is about a prayer need. Challenge to those struggling with addictions, family issues, or sin to get desperate enough to say no to food. Story of a former pastor who listed God's blessings and then asked, “What are you willing to do?” Scriptural support from Joel: Call a holy fast, sacred assembly; return to God with all the heart, with fasting and weeping. Teaching that fasting “turbocharges” prayer and reaches the core of one's being. 4. Fasting releases God's supernatural power Observation of revival signs: increased Bible sales, campus awakenings, baptisms, and renewed spirituality. Note that whenever God moves, the devil attacks (division, discouragement, defeat, depression, doubt). Emphasis that united prayer and fasting delivers decisive blows to the enemy. Scriptural examples: Ezra 8:23 (“we fasted and prayed… and he answered”). Isaiah 58:6 (fasting that loosens chains of injustice, breaks yokes, sets oppressed free). Testimony of church growth attributed to prayer and fasting (services, groups, leaders, missions). Warning: forward movement invites spiritual resistance, requiring vigilance and continued fasting. Importance of fasting in Scripture (examples) Often precedes major victories, miracles, and answered prayers. Examples listed: Moses fasting before receiving the Ten Commandments. Israelites fasting before miraculous victory. Daniel fasting for guidance and understanding God's plan (reading Jeremiah, receiving revelation). Personal example: pastor fasting over whom to marry and other major decisions (work, place to live, business partnerships, missions trips). Nehemiah fasting and praying before rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, completing a century-old problem in 52 days. Jesus fasting 40 days before public ministry and during temptation in the wilderness. First Christians fasting during key decision-making (Acts 13, etc.). Application: fast over important life decisions; don't rely on human wisdom alone. Precautions and heart posture in fasting Fasting is not: Earning answers or manipulating God. A hunger strike against God. Fasting is: Aligning with God's will and opening space for what God already desires to do. Health cautions: Fast only as health allows; consider partial fasts if on medication, etc. Warning against “sneaky” or superficial consecrations (e.g., trivial fasting windows that cost nothing). Encouragement to make fasting truly sacrificial and appropriate to one's work and physical capacity. Practical guidance: types and structure of fasting Types of fasts mentioned: Water fast (all food and juices abstained from; not recommended for everyone for five days). Partial fast (eliminating certain foods or meals). Juice fast (fruit or vegetable juices only). Counsel on nutrition and physical activity: Ensure nutrients; limit strenuous exercise; do not let exercise become an excuse to skip prayer/fasting. Guidance on breaking the fast: Avoid heavy foods immediately (e.g., burritos, large meals); ease back into eating with lighter foods like fruit. Corporate fasting and commitment Corporate fast provides structure, accountability, and mutual encouragement. Testimony of previous years: New believers and first-time fasters completing five days. Past 21-day fast (juice/soup only) and challenges met by the congregation. Value of structure: same as work or school schedules; helps people follow through. Mention of attendance statistics from previous years and desire to see increased participation (with the reminder that numbers represent people, not pride). Fasting as assumed biblical practice Jesus says “when you fast,” implying fasting is assumed for Christians. Note of a resurgence of fasting teaching in recent decades, including influence from African and global churches. Observation: when God prepares to move, he stirs people to prayer and fasting. Biblical reasons people fasted (summary list) Facing a crisis. Seeking God's protection and deliverance. Called to repentance and renewal. Asking God for guidance. Humbling themselves in worship. Dangers in the discipline Risk of empty ritual or fasting without meaning. Encouragement to start fasting and seek right motives as you go. Repeated call to hear the Good Shepherd's voice and recognize that God wants to speak, guide, and bless more than people often realize. Fasting as feasting on Jesus John Wesley quote: fasting must be done unto the Lord, with the eye singly fixed on Him, to glorify the Father.​ Story of an Indian orphanage that fasts every Friday and calls it “feasting on Jesus,” praying specifically for the American church. Call to fast and leadership responsibility Fasting starts with spiritual leaders and elders; leaders must model what they preach. Fasting often arises from spiritual desperation and urgency: “turn to me now while there is time.” Warning about increasing end-time deception; need for discernment and closeness to God. Fasting and inner focus Fasting is more about focus than food; more about saying yes to the Spirit than no to the body. It is an outward response to an inward cry, an expression of brokenness and need. Calls to return to God with the heart, not just external religious acts (rending hearts, not garments). Fasting as response of a broken heart; God is drawn to the weak, broken, needy. Immense responsibility and mission Believers carry the immense responsibility to be salt and light, preaching the gospel to a lost world. Fasting is a humble response to this responsibility, seeking God's help and power to fulfill the mission. Closing exhortation and prayer Pastor expresses desire to communicate God's heart and encourage participation in the fast. Emphasis that God wants to speak and move, and fasting clears space in the heart. Call to fresh consecration and commitment for individuals and families. Prayer that God will bless and strengthen everyone who takes part, and closing invitation to join nightly prayer during the fasting week.

In this episode, the host interviews Brad Allen, an Amazon seller and entrepreneur, about his journey from eBay and retail arbitrage to building a successful Amazon FBA business. Brad shares how he sourced high-end European skincare products, overcame a major account suspension and $400,000 debt, and transitioned to private label. He highlights the importance of active business management, cash flow planning, and creativity. The episode concludes with actionable advice for Amazon sellers: stay hands-on, manage inventory and finances wisely, and innovate to stand out in the marketplace.Chapters:Introduction and Account Suspension (00:00:00)Brad is introduced; discusses his Amazon account suspension and overcoming $400K in debt.Early E-commerce Journey (00:00:33)Brad shares his start with eBay in childhood, selling household items, and his early exposure to e-commerce.Discovering Amazon FBA (00:01:11)Learns about Amazon FBA in 2012, transitions from eBay, and begins retail arbitrage with toys and other products.Corporate Career and Realization (00:02:19)Describes unfulfilling corporate jobs, getting fired, and joining a friend's epoxy flooring business in Ohio.Entrepreneurial Mindset Shift (00:03:34)Realizes he enjoys working for himself, which reignites his interest in e-commerce and Amazon.Deep Dive into Retail Arbitrage (00:04:36)Explores flipping products from eBay to Amazon, focusing on high-end skincare, and develops sourcing systems.European Skincare Arbitrage Strategy (00:06:45)Discovers sourcing high-end European skincare from overseas retailers, imports to the US, and sells on Amazon.Scaling and Living Abroad (00:08:54)Business grows; Brad moves to Buenos Aires and Africa, living a digital nomad lifestyle while running the business.Amazon Account Suspension Details (00:10:04)Explains the cause of his Amazon suspension—authenticity complaints and inability to provide manufacturer receipts.Lessons from Suspension and Financial Struggles (00:11:05)Discusses lessons learned: importance of active management, risk-taking, and not being complacent in business.Advice on Growth and Risk (00:11:48)Emphasizes reinvesting profits, financial planning, and the need for risk tolerance as an entrepreneur.Financial Intelligence and Risk Management (00:13:57)Stresses forecasting, living below means, and being prepared for the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.Three Actionable Takeaways (00:14:11)Host summarizes: 1) Active management and planning, 2) Cash flow and inventory management, 3) Creativity in the Amazon marketplace.Episode Wrap-up (00:16:43)Host thanks Brad, hints at a future episode, and closes the interview.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites  EZSniperActionable Takeaways  Set an Annual Plan for Your Business: 00:14:11  Cash Flow Management: 00:15:04  Bring Creativity to the Amazon Marketplace: 00:16:15Transcript:Josh 00:00:00  Today I am super excited to introduce you to Brad Allen. I met him at Kevin King's, $1 Billion Seller summit, and he's going to have a lot of knowledge to share with us. I'm going to dive in like immediately to what was mentioned in your bio. You had your account suspended. You had you ran into 400 K of debt and loans, but you've kind of come out the other end and you're you're crushing it right now on Amazon. So tell me, Brad, what happened with the account suspension?Brad 00:00:33  So I, I was doing, retail arbitrage and I got, I got really into it. it it was actually kind of unique. It started off, where I was, I, I was really into eBay growing up, so I was always selling stuff, just like as a kid throughout the house, whether it was mine or not. I was grabbing, like, antiques from the basement and, like, selling stuff out of the garage. And I think that's where I got kind of, you know, introduced to e-commerce and kind of obsessed so that that kind of was always on the side.Brad 00:01:11  And I was doing that through grade school, high school, and then into college. And I learned about Amazon FBA and I think 2012. and as an eBay guy, it was like blew me away because I was, you know, the guy waiting in line at the, at the post office and having to deal with customers. So the fact that you could just send a bunch of items in and Amazon will ship it and take care of customer service was very appealing to me. So I started, I just started watching videos and the easiest way to start, which I don't know how many people really started out like this, but I'm sure some. But I was going into, you know, odd lots and Walmarts and just buying toys or whatever I could find. And essentially I was just kind of learning that process. so, you know, that was a good way to, like, get my feet wet into Amazon FBA. and then, you know, life kind of happened where that was put off to the side.Brad 00:02:19  I was in the corporate world for a while. not doing very well. I just, was not very passionate about what I was doing, and, I got a call from a buddy. I was living in South Florida. I'm from Ohio originally, and, I got fired from one job. You know, I was working for good companies. They were, like, fortune 500 companies. And I kind of noticed right away that the people that were successful were extremely passionate about the company, and they had just drank the Kool-Aid. And I just did. I just didn't care, really. I thought our products were overpriced, which is not the mentality that you want to have when you're trying to sell something. so I was just kind of, just doing enough not to get fired. And my friend, in Columbus had called me and said, hey, I just bought this epoxy coating company. So what we're doing is we're installing, like, showroom floors in garages. You know, the the garages in Columbus or the Midwest are all cracked and spoiled.Brad 00:03:34  so, you know, this was December and he was like, hey, I can't pay you that much, but, you know, this will be our company. and I'll share profits with you. So I wasn't really doing much. You know, in terms of growing personally or professionally, although I was in South Florida, which was pretty cool for for an Ohio guy. Sure. I took him up on it, and I remember it was December. I go from this cushy sales job in South Florida. Even though I didn't like it. And then all of a sudden, I am installing, garage floors in the suburbs of Columbus. In December, we're using, like, heaters to keep ourselves warm. And the funny thing was, I actually was enjoying it more, because it was ours. So that kind of, like, turned on the light that, you know, the way that I'm going to be successful is if I'm doing something for myself, like, or as a team. And that kind of drew me back to this e-commerce stuff.Brad 00:04:36  and like I was saying, I had learned about, the Amazon FBA and I had a this background in eBay. So I just kind of I remember in one of your podcasts, you were talking about how after work, you would go home and just watch videos. yeah. Because you, you know, you kind of saw that as a way out. But, you know, what you have to do is you have to put in the time. You know, even after a long day of work when most people are just watching TV or they want to decompress. I was just drawn to just scanning eBay, you know, looking at Amazon. And I was like, I was wondering if there was an opportunity for products that I could buy on eBay and flip on Amazon. And I kind of just somehow stumbled upon this, category of high end skincare. And I was noticing that there was these really, like, high end brands that were selling for, you know, almost nothing on eBay because, li...

Understanding the Tax Trinity: Basis, Realization, and Non-RecognitionThis conversation delves into the fundamental concepts of property taxation, focusing on the tax trinity of basis, realization, and non-recognition. The discussion outlines how tax basis serves as the foundation for calculating gains or losses, the significance of realization events in triggering tax liabilities, and the implications of adjusted basis over time. It contrasts the treatment of gifts and inheritances, highlighting the stepped-up basis rule, and explores various non-recognition rules that allow for tax deferral. The conversation concludes with a reflection on the policy implications of these tax rules, particularly the stepped-up basis at death.In the complex world of tax law, understanding the foundational concepts of basis, realization, and non-recognition is crucial. These principles form the bedrock of property taxation and are essential for anyone studying tax law or preparing for the bar exam.The Foundation: Basis Basis is your investment baseline for tax purposes. It's the starting point for calculating gain or loss when you sell an asset. While it sounds simple—basis equals cost—the reality involves numerous exceptions and adjustments. For instance, the Uniform Capitalization Rules (Unicap) require businesses to capitalize production costs, adding complexity to the calculation.Realization: The Tax Trigger Realization is the event that triggers tax calculation. It's not just about cash transactions; exchanges of property or debt relief can also constitute realization events. The legal definition, as established in landmark cases, emphasizes the need for a transaction to lock in gains.Non-Recognition: The Escape Hatch Non-recognition statutes allow taxpayers to defer gains under certain conditions. The like-kind exchange rule under IRC Section 1031 is a prime example, allowing deferral of gains when swapping investment properties. However, the rules are strict, and missing deadlines can result in immediate tax liability.Mastering these concepts is not just about passing exams; it's about understanding how wealth moves through the tax system. The step-up in basis rule, for instance, allows billions in unrealized gains to escape taxation annually. As you delve deeper into these topics, consider the broader policy implications and the ongoing debates surrounding these rules.Subscribe now to stay updated on the latest in tax law and gain insights into the intricacies of the tax code.TakeawaysTax basis is the starting point for calculating gain or loss.Realization is the event that triggers tax liability.Adjusted basis changes over time due to improvements and depreciation.Gifts carry over the donor's basis, while inheritances receive a stepped-up basis.Non-recognition rules allow for tax deferral in certain transactions.Like-kind exchanges allow deferral of gains when swapping similar properties.The dual basis rule prevents gifting losses.The stepped-up basis rule at death excludes unrealized gains from taxation.Realization and recognition are distinct concepts in tax law.The policy debate around the stepped-up basis rule is significant.tax law, property taxation, tax basis, realization, non-recognition, gifts, inheritances, tax deferral, IRS, tax code

Understanding Gross Income: The Foundation of Tax LawThis conversation delves into the intricate world of gross income and its foundational role in tax law. It explores the expansive definition of gross income as outlined in Section 61 of the Internal Revenue Code, the judicial interpretations that have shaped its understanding, and the critical importance of realization in determining taxable income. The discussion also covers common categories of income, statutory exclusions, and the administrative choices made by the IRS that impact taxation. Additionally, it addresses timing rules and the claim of right doctrine, emphasizing the tension between inclusion and exclusion in tax law.In the world of tax law, understanding the concept of gross income is crucial. It's the bedrock upon which the entire tax system is built. This blog post explores the intricacies of gross income, drawing insights from landmark cases and statutory provisions.The Broad Net of Section 61: Section 61 of the Internal Revenue Code casts a wide net, defining gross income as "all income from whatever source derived." This expansive definition ensures that nearly every form of economic gain is captured, from wages and business income to unexpected windfalls.Judicial Interpretation and the Glenshaw Glass Test: The Supreme Court's decision in Commissioner v. Glenshaw Glass established a three-part test for determining income: an undeniable accession to wealth, clearly realized, and under the taxpayer's complete dominion. This test has become a cornerstone of tax law, guiding the inclusion of various forms of income.Navigating Exclusions and Exceptions: While the presumption is that all accessions to wealth are income, there are statutory exclusions, such as gifts and inheritances under Section 102. The Duberstein case highlights the importance of the giver's intent in distinguishing between a gift and compensation.The Role of Realization: Realization is a critical concept in tax law, determining when income is recognized. The Eisner v. McComber case illustrates that mere appreciation in value is not enough; a specific event, like a sale, must occur to trigger taxation.Understanding gross income is essential for navigating the complexities of tax law. By mastering the principles of inclusion, realization, and statutory exclusions, one can effectively analyze and apply tax rules. As the IRS continues to adapt to new economic realities, the definition of gross income will undoubtedly evolve, shaping the future of tax law.Subscribe now to stay updated on the latest insights in tax law and beyond.TakeawaysGross income is the foundation of tax law.The definition of gross income is expansive and includes all accessions to wealth.Judicial interpretations, particularly the Glenshaw Glass case, have shaped the understanding of income.Realization is crucial; income is only taxed when it is realized through a specific event.Gifts and inheritances are excluded from gross income under Section 102.Illegal income is still considered taxable income.The claim of right doctrine allows taxpayers to deduct repayments in the year they occur.Administrative choices by the IRS can lead to non-taxation of certain accessions to wealth.Timing rules are essential for understanding when income is recognized for tax purposes.The tension between inclusion and exclusion reflects the policy goals of the tax system.gross income, tax law, judicial interpretation, Glenshaw Glass, realization, income categories, tax exclusions, administrative choices, timing rules, general welfare exception

In this episode, you will hear a daily reminder from Ji Kwang Dae Poep Sa Nim about Buddha's realization and the truth of the entire universe.Thank you very much, Ji Kwang Dae Poep Sa Nim.Much joy and good insights of your own,all my love,Your Gak Duk,

The Yard of Hard Drives Episode: Throwing Hands with Backlogs, The Literal Yard, Drives Cast Out, The Grind of Pain, Survivorship Bias, The Success and the Failure, The Arcane Nature of Repair, The Realization of Entropy, The River Styx.I find myself staring down many, many hard drives left in the yard, and try to find value and rescue in what I can get. It's going fine! But it's noisy.

Join host Wade Leaphart, Chair of the Sports Business Chapter at Silicon Slopes, as he sits down with Rob Cornilles, founder and CEO of Game Face Inc. Rob is a pioneer in modern sports sales training and has transformed the way organizations approach ticket sales and customer engagement.In this episode, Wade and Rob dive deep into the evolution of ticket sales, from the early days of paper lead lists and phone books to the sophisticated CRM systems and results-based selling approaches of today. Rob shares his journey from working with the LA Clippers in the 90s to founding Game Face and coaching tens of thousands of professionals across major sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB.00:13 - Podcast Introduction00:23 - Guest Intro: Rob Cornilles00:34 - Rob's Background00:55 - Wade and Rob's Connection01:18 - Evolution of Ticket Sales01:38 - Early Sales Methods01:49 - Founding Game Face02:05 - Rob's Start with Clippers02:25 - Challenges with Clippers02:46 - Realization in Sales03:07 - Competing LA Teams03:29 - Observing Fans03:50 - LA Riots Impact04:13 - Enthusiasm in Sales04:35 - New Sales Approach04:56 - Sharing Sales Secrets05:16 - Results-Based Selling05:32 - Selling Relationships05:55 - First Game Experience06:06 - Fan Motivations06:27 - Reasons Fans Attend06:48 - Business Outcomes07:09 - Results-Centered Selling07:30 - Value Beyond the Game07:52 - Business Initiatives08:14 - Expanding to Other Industries08:39 - Selling Results09:07 - Transferable Skills09:28 - Modern Sales Challenges09:49 - B2B Sales Shift10:01 - Results-Focused Messaging10:22 - Role of Technology10:43 - Personal Interaction11:01 - Timeless Sales Skills11:22 - Open-Ended Questions11:43 - Sales Education Gap12:04 - Rob at BYU12:24 - Sales Skills for Executives12:46 - AI in Sales13:05 - Human Interaction in Service13:25 - Frustration with AI13:47 - Personal Touch in Service14:08 - Training on Service Calls14:30 - Customer Service Skills14:51 - Tech and Sports in Utah15:14 - Professionalization of College Sports15:36 - Innovation in Fan Experience15:59 - Breaking into Sports16:22 - Starting in Sales16:47 - Wade's Career Path17:08 - Sports Media Realities17:29 - Practical Experience17:50 - Value of Sales Skills18:14 - Networking in Premium Sales18:36 - Sales Training Benefits18:59 - Sports as Conversation Starter19:20 - Upcoming Utah Sports Events19:42 - Utah's Sports Recognition20:00 - Innovation in Utah Sports20:27 - Customer Service Importance20:48 - Industry Conversations21:10 - 30 Years of Game Face21:30 - Game Face's Impact21:51 - Expansion Beyond Sports22:13 - Conclusion and FutureIf you enjoyed this video and want to support us please leave a LIKE, write a comment on this video and Share it with your friends. Subscribe to our channel on YouTube and click the icon for notifications when we add a new video. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. Our website: https://www.siliconslopes.comShow Links: https://gamefaceinc.com Social:Twitter  https://twitter.com/siliconslopes  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/siliconslopes/  LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/company/silicon-slopes/  YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8aEtQ1KJrWhJ3C2JnzXysw  

In this episode of Dating Intelligence, host Christopher Louis welcomes Mike Radoor, a successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker, who shares his incredible journey from a chaotic lifestyle filled with parties and excess to a path of self-discovery and transformation. Mike discusses the importance of confronting one's inner demons, the duality of the self, and practical steps he took to regain control of his life, including the concept of ego mastery and the significance of self-discipline. This conversation is a deep dive into personal growth, recovery, and the lessons learned from a life lived on the edge. In this conversation, Mike Radoor and Christopher Louis delve into the complexities of modern masculinity, the impact of the dopamine economy on behavior, and the importance of accountability and self-improvement. They discuss the significance of letting go of ego to foster genuine confidence, the necessity of facing consequences in life, and the journey of personal growth through Mike's coaching program. The dialogue emphasizes the need for men to embrace their vulnerabilities while also cultivating strength and resilience.  Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Sponsorship 02:19 Meet Mike Radoor: A Life of Transformation 05:06 Mike's Journey: From Success to Chaos 11:11 The Party Lifestyle: A Double-Edged Sword 16:21 The Turning Point: A Father's Realization 18:05 Rebuilding Life: The Path to Recovery 21:30 Ego Mastery: Understanding the Self 23:42 The Battle Within: Higher Self vs. Lower Self 26:27 Confronting Self-Sabotage: A Six-Step Model 29:57 Breaking Patterns: The Power of Routine 31:50 The Importance of Identity and Self-Image  35:24 Resisting Temptation: The Dopamine Economy  40:01 The Comfort Crisis: Survival Mechanisms in Modern Life  41:41 Ego Control: The Key to Attractiveness 46:01 True Confidence: Being Authentic and Self-Aware 47:45 Self-Discovery and Personal Growth 50:21 The Importance of Self-Sacrifice 51:44 Confronting Insecurities and Fears 54:35 Accountability and Consequences  01:01:01 Truth and Honesty in Relationships 01:07:14 Future Aspirations and Closing Thoughts Sponsors: BeFreed: https://bit.ly/44zcBkV Men.tality: https://www.datingmentality.com  

In this episode of the Crux True Survival Story Podcast, host Julie Henningsen delves into the harrowing survival story of Taylor Pajunen, a NOLS mountaineering course participant. On April 20, 2023, an avalanche hit Taylor's mountaineering camp at 14,000 feet in the Garhwal Himalayas, burying their tents and leaving the group to face terrifying conditions. Taylor recounts the moments leading up to the disaster, the immediate aftermath, and the incredible teamwork and luck that helped them survive. The episode highlights the importance of quick thinking, the unpredictability of nature, and the deep impact the experience had on Taylor's life. Time Stamps: 00:50 Meet the Hosts: Kaycee and Julie 01:11 Avalanche in the Garhwal Himalayas 01:44 Interview with Survivor Taylor Pajunen 02:39 Taylor's Journey to NOLS 06:02 Challenges and Group Dynamics 10:53 The Avalanche Strikes 18:38 Surviving the Avalanche 28:13 Instructors' Struggle and Superhuman Feats 29:44 Realization of the Seriousness 31:24 The Pep Rally Poem 32:27 Survival Strategies and Challenges 36:44 High Altitude Farting Explained 38:33 Morning After the Avalanche 41:05 Self-Rescue Decision 42:43 Reaching Zero Camp 43:59 Debrief and Reflection 45:17 Returning to Civilization 46:54 Post-Rescue Reflections 54:43 Podcast Conclusion and Listener Engagement Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pastor Dru Rodriguez emphasizes Jesus' message that the kingdom of heaven is present here and now, encouraging believers to recognize and live in this reality through a relationship with Jesus.

In this episode, host Brian interviews Kitty Bloomfield and Craig McDonald to explore the transformative benefits of pro-metabolic nutrition. They delve into Kitty's journey from restrictive dieting and health issues to adopting a balanced approach focused on carbs, protein, and fat, emphasizing real, whole foods. Craig provides insights into metabolic health, explaining the significance of carbohydrates for energy and the importance of strength training for muscle building and metabolic optimization. The discussion also covers overcoming binge eating and finding a sustainable, enjoyable way to eat while improving health markers like sleep, energy, and hormonal balance.    SHOW NOTES:       01:03 Kitty Bloomfield's Journey: From Restriction to Realization 03:13 Discovering Pro Metabolic Nutrition 04:45 Building a Business and a New Life 07:30 Craig McDonald's Perspective on Nutrition 11:10 The Importance of Individualized Health Metrics 25:41 Debunking Common Nutrition Myths 39:20 Balancing Competing Diet Worlds 39:55 Influencers and Health Issues 40:41 Personal Health Journey 41:31 Carbohydrates and Weightlifting 42:30 Understanding Carbohydrate Limits 46:36 Importance of Strength Training 57:59 Vegetables and Thyroid Health 01:06:06 Tracking and Eating Disorders   BEEF TALLOW PRODUCTS: NosetoTail.org Preorder the film here: http://indiegogo.com/projects/food-lies-post    Film site: http://FoodLies.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FoodLies   Follow along: http://twitter.com/FoodLiesOrg http://instagram.com/food.lies http://facebook.com/FoodLiesOrg    

Struggles with Self-Worth: Rosalie's Journey from Abuse to Healing Through Faith In this episode host Diana welcomes Rosalie Janelle, host of 'The Good News' podcast, to share her powerful survivor story. Rosalie opens up about her journey from an abusive relationship to finding faith and beginning her healing process through therapy and a closer relationship with God. The discussion covers Rosalie's background, the signs of abuse, the harrowing experiences she endured, and how she was ultimately saved, both physically and spiritually. This episode aims to provide hope and encouragement to those in abusive situations, emphasizing the importance of faith, support systems, and professional help. 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message 00:47 Welcome to the Podcast 01:26 Introducing Today's Guest: Rosalie Janelle 02:31 Rosalie's Background and Upbringing 04:42 College Years and Faith Struggles 07:21 Entering an Abusive Relationship 09:40 Escalation of Abuse 18:16 Struggles with Self-Worth and Infidelity 19:40 A Violent Turning Point 23:39 Realization and Rock Bottom 24:27 The Violent Incident 26:10 Aftermath and Legal Proceedings 26:56 Spiritual Awakening 30:39 Healing Journey 35:19 Therapy and EMDR 40:30 Advice for Those in Abusive Situations 43:31 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Website: www.thegoodnewspodcast.org Email: genaor@gmail.com Social media links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rosellygenao Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zealouzlysweet/ My podcast: The Good News Podcast www.thegoodnewspodcast.org Available on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Cast, Radio Public Bio: Roselly Genao is a podcast host, spiritual coach and an operations supervisor in the emergency services industry. Roselly has been serving God faithfully since November 2019, shortly after she survived a traumatic attack on her life. Roselly's affinity is drawing people nearer to Christ through encouragement and inspiration. She currently is the host of The Good News Podcast and is a certified emotional first aide provider. With these means she helps bring people closer to God daily in conjunction with serving God.   Website: https://dswministries.org Subscribe to the podcast: https://dswministries.org/subscribe-to-podcast/ Social media links: Join our Private Wounds of the Faithful FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603903730020136 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DswMinistries YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgIpWVQCmjqog0PMK4khDw/playlists Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswministries/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSW-Ministries-230135337033879 Keep in touch with me! Email subscribe to get my handpicked list of the best resources for abuse survivors! https://thoughtful-composer-4268.ck.page #abuse #trauma Affiliate links: Our Sponsor: 753 Academy: https://www.753academy.com/ Can't travel to The Holy Land right now? The next best thing is Walking The Bible Lands! Get a free video sample of the Bible lands here! https://www.walkingthebiblelands.com/a/18410/hN8u6LQP An easy way to help my ministry: https://dswministries.org/product/buy-me-a-cup-of-tea/ A donation link: https://dswministries.org/donate/ [00:00:00] Special thanks to 7 5 3 Academy for sponsoring this episode. No matter where you are in your fitness and health journey, they've got you covered. They specialize in helping you exceed your health and fitness goals, whether that is losing body fat, gaining muscle, or nutritional coaching to match your fitness levels. They do it all with a written guarantee for results so you don't waste time and money on a program that doesn't exceed your goals. There are martial arts programs. Specialize in anti-bullying programs for kids to combat proven Filipino martial arts. They take a holistic, fun, and innovative approach that simply works. Sign up for your free class now. It's 7 5 3 academy.com. Find the link in the show notes. Welcome to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast, brought to you by DSW Ministries. Your host is singer songwriter, speaker and domestic violence advocate, [00:01:00] Diana . She is passionate about helping survivors in the church heal from domestic violence and abuse and trauma. This podcast is not a substitute for professional counseling or qualified medical help. Now here is Diana. Hello everyone. How are you doing ? I'm glad you joined me today on my podcast. We have a survivor story today. I think you'll be really blessed by her story. Rosalie. Janelle is on the show today. And I hope that you'll listen closely to what she has to share with you. She's the host of the Good News podcast. She's going to bring a raw and honest story of how she got into an abusive relationship and how she got out, how she found the Lord, and how she has started her healing journey. So without [00:02:00] further ado, here's Rosalie. Welcome, Rosalie Janelle to the show. Thank you so much for coming on. No problem. I'm happy to be here. Diana, thank you for inviting me on. Now the tables are turned , you're in the guest chair today? Yes. My first time too, so I'm not used to it. I was just on her podcast, the Good News podcast. Mm-hmm. And uh, that's what podcasters do. We go on each other's shows. Yes. Amen. Absolutely. I'm happy to be here. So tell the audience a little bit about your fine self. Yes, absolutely. So as Diana mentioned, my name is Rosalie Genow. I go by Rose, by trade. I'm a manager of an operation center. And, by night I'm a podcast host of the Good News podcast and, full-time. I'm a believer for Jesus. I love, spreading the gospel, talking to others about the gospel, and what he has done in my life. So that's why I'm here. Awesome. So let's start from the [00:03:00] beginning. What was your family upbringing like? Were you raised in a Christian home? Oh, this question from the beginning. I wasn't, I was raised in a Catholic home. And I say that very loosely because my parents weren't practicing when I was growing up. They mostly like practice, up until the point I was born. And then I got baptized as a baby into the Catholic. Church. But I still went to Catholic school, so we weren't practicing at home, but I went to Catholic school, so that kind of shaped, you know, gave me a little bit of foundation as I was growing up. But weirdly enough, I still, I didn't know God and not when I was younger. So what was, your home like growing up? I mean, it was typical. I don't think that it was, abnormal. I had both my parents, I have, I'm one of three, I have two siblings and I. I don't know. I don't, I wouldn't say it was atypical. It was a loving home. I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities growing up in [00:04:00] school. I was, involved in, pretty much every group that you could think of. I was a good academic kid. My siblings, they did, have their children, a little on the younger side, so. Towards like my teenage years, I was growing up in the home alone. 'Cause my siblings moved out and started their families. And at that point in time when I was a teenager, I was a little bit of a, I was trouble, I was definitely trouble. I was not making great decisions. I started dating really young. Oh gosh. Probably younger than I should have. And, I think that really started, in my early college years, I really started to make some pretty bad decisions. So it started in my teenage years. So when you went off to college, you said that you had a collapse of your faith. What was your relationship with God like then in your life? Yeah, when I got to college, I wasn't really practicing any kind of religion or [00:05:00] even praying to God. My life was, like I said, I started a tr a path on my life where I was making da bad decisions almost daily. Now looking back, I think it was, the lack of having a relationship with God. But I would say that in the beginning of my college career, I had no relationship with God. I actually was very confused, because I had graduated from a Catholic, high school, and then I went to a Catholic university and I was seeking answers. So I was going to the Catholic mass, almost weekly, but it was kind of like just going through the motions of my, that was in the first year of my, of. The first semester of college and then I went to a girlfriend's church. And it was a non-denominational Christian Church, probably second semester of freshman year. And, that kind of started to change my perspective. On, God and who he was and who Jesus is because, it was so different than the Catholic church. So, mm-hmm. It sparked us an interest, but I would [00:06:00] say not enough for me to do anything about it. Not at the time. Yeah. I can relate. I was raised Catholic. I know it means to go through the motions on the outside and nothing happening on the inside really. So you mentioned you made some bad choices in life. Why do you think that happened? I mean, for me at the time there was definitely, I was definitely going through a lot of stuff, just on the inside because I didn't have any kind of foundation. I didn't have any, belief and a higher power at that point in time. So I kind of saw life for what it was. It felt worthless, it felt like, so I made some pretty bad choices based off that root feeling of just feeling like, you know, there was no purpose for life. And I actually fell into depression. And during college, I was mixed up in bad relationships, through college. And then ultimately I ended up dropping out of college because. I was just making horrible decisions. I was partying all night and all of those things stemmed from the fact that I [00:07:00] viewed life as purposeless and therefore I didn't give myself enough self-worth. Mm-hmm. So, mm-hmm. So it sounds like you were prime target for an abusive relationship that you got into. Would you be able to talk about that? Were there any red flags beforehand? Yeah. So, let's backtrack a little bit. Mm-hmm. So, after college, I actually, was with, a man who was semi abusive. Like we, we had really toxic, arguments. There was a once or twice where there was, physical fights between him and I. And ultimately when I left college, I walked away from that, you know? Mm-hmm. And I left college and I had to move back to Massachusetts. So I went to Seton Hall in New Jersey. And obviously after dropping out and not being able to afford living in New Jersey by myself, I was 20. I had to come back home to Massachusetts. And so when I did come back home to Massachusetts, I kinda just walked away from that relationship in college and I thought that, I didn't [00:08:00] think anything of it, I didn't see that it was an abusive relationship, my college relationship. I didn't think that it was anything outside of the normal. I thought I was like, oh, I'm 20 and I'm passionate. Fast forward probably. Let's see, I don't know how old I was , let's go back, let's go to 2016. Fast forward 2016. I dropped outta college in 2014 and I met a guy. He was actually a friend of a friend, so I met him through my friend and one of my closest girlfriends, honestly. And, and he came highly recommended. She thought she knew him. So she was like, yeah, you should give him a try. You know how to try going out with him, he seems like a good person. And so I did, to your question, and this is like late 2016, we started dating and within the first three months there were certainly red flags. I didn't see them then. Mm-hmm. Or maybe I did and I chose not to, but there was certainly a lot of, things that he didn't like about me. That [00:09:00] he ma he was vocal about from the very start, he, did not accept me for who I was. I come from a really small town, in Massachusetts. That's. Pretty ghetto. And he, often used to refer me to me as like a statistic of that same, city because a lot of people don't, they don't make it out of that city with a college degree or anything like that. And I had dropped out and so he used that, that oh, education target on my back, like to really make me feel bad. And that was only in the first three months. So there was definitely red flags. Did I listen? No. Yeah, I was guilty of ignoring red flags in my abusive relationship too. The relationship progresses, so when did you know the real abuse start? Mm-hmm. What kind of abuses did you endure? Yeah, like I said from the beginning, I feel like even three months in, even though, he wasn't physically, or even at that point, maybe emotionally abusive, but he [00:10:00] was definitely verbally abusive in the way he spoke to me. So I would say as early as those, it took me a really long time to actually understand that was abuse too. So as early as three months in, he was degrading me with words. And oftentimes, I would cry myself to sleep because I didn't know, I believed what he was saying, because I had, such a low self-esteem, such a self, a low self-worth. I believed everything that he said because I was like, well, it must be true. It's silly. But, i'm sorry, I kind of backtracked very common thought process that we deserve being treated this way. That's very common. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But one thing led to another and, eventually the relationship became, emotionally abusive. Like he was very manipulative. He wanted to kind of just. Make every decision for me. And I didn't know he was doing it. He would do it. He was very persuasive. He was very charming. And I actually, when I started [00:11:00] dating him, I started my walk with God. Mm-hmm. And I didn't know that he would be the one thing to deter it because I thought he was a Christian. I thought that he was in the church too. So we would go to church together. Oh, we had the whole deal together. Like it was just a front, and because I was like, oh, well he's, you know, obviously, I didn't marry him, but I also, the fact that I grew up in a Dominican household also played a part to it. I'm sorry if I'm jumping all over the place. No, you're fine. But, yeah, it played a role into the way I viewed men in my life because I thought that they always needed to be the, I'm Dominican, that culture's very, you know, the man is the head of the household, very machista, very, they gotta be the strong leader. And, so because I grew up in that setting, or with those examples, I would say. Not setting because my father was very different. But I saw that all around in the rest of my family. I definitely felt like I needed to have that in my life and I needed to follow [00:12:00] his lead, even though the lead was horrible. And so, I was like, all right, he's leading me anyways. We're going to church together. We're strengthening our faith together. This can't be that bad. That's what I used to tell myself. And there was a couple times that our verbal arguments got physical where he would pin me down. At times he would push me. It was a number of things. I tell myself all the time, I'm not even sure that I remember every single incident because there were so many at this point. And so ultimately. Towards the end of the relationship, he tried to kill me and oh, that's when I had to leave. Well, I didn't have an option. So it, it was a lot of physical, I'm sorry, a lot of verbal. And then ultimately physical abuse. So he was definitely faking it with the church stuff. And yeah, I mean, I don't, I didn't, I don't know. I would say definitely faking it, but also probably struggling on his own, and you mentioned your [00:13:00] background, but. I didn't even have that background of being Dominican or Spanish, but that seems to be a prevalent mindset in American culture, that the man is in charge and you're supposed to do what you're told and put up with it. Yeah, and that's why we don't fight back is because of the society that we are raised in, and then some of us have. An empathetic personality that results in wanting us to help people or maybe fix people. Was that true with you? Oh yeah. Absolutely. Especially by nature. I'm just like a, I'm a helper by nature. I want to help improve anything. I'm a manager, that's what I do. So I, with, when it came to my ex there was, he definitely had some, things internally going on that I thought. I was the answer to that I thought that I could help him with. There was definitely some anger stuff, and some unresolved trauma, so I was like, well. I'm pretty good at this stuff because I didn't, [00:14:00] at that point in my life, I hadn't really gone through much trauma. But I worked in the behavioral health field, so I'm like, I can help, I also love him so I can help. Mm-hmm. So each time that we had an issue I would focus on fixing either myself or trying to plead with him, see my side if I really thought that I was true, but oftentimes I was trying to fix him or I to be. Perfect for each other. For lack of better words. And you mentioned the word love. You loved him. What was your definition of love then? Yes. Well, I definitely, certainly did not know what love was then. Because, and I will say like it has a direct co correlation with the fact that I didn't know Jesus yet. Because I don't truly believe you can experience love without knowing Jesus. My definition of love back then was very, temporal. It was very, I don't even know what's the best word to explain it, but it was shallow. It was just based off of [00:15:00] appearances and what, what you can do for me and what I can do for you type of love. So not at all anything like what the love of God offers us. And I can say that now. I definitely know that I didn't know Jesus then. So I didn't know how to love or be properly loved. You were how old again? Whew. I didn't think about that. Let's see. Early in the twenties, right? Yeah. Yeah. I was 20, 24, 25, 24 when I started dating him. And then 20, oh gosh, I don't know. Yeah, I'm 27 now, so that was two years ago. So I was about like 22 to 26 when I was dating him, or 25. I think all the young people, including myself, when I was in my twenties, I was very gullible and innocent and trusting and yeah, I didn't know what love was and my mother made it very clear that, oh, well you don't, you have no clue what love is [00:16:00] and no mom, I, maybe I don't, but I'm gonna find out. And. You learn as you get older. You learn by experience. You learn when you meet Jesus, you learn how he loved us and how we are to love others. So, don't be too hard on yourself. Right? Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. I hear you. Yeah. No, my mom said the same thing growing up. You don't know. I love is, I think we often hear that and we don't actually understand what it is until we either lack, real love or we experience it for the first time. Yeah, because our parents, they see the people that we date and they're like, oh no, not for my kid. That's not a good choice for you, but we don't listen. Yeah. It actually, it's so funny you mentioned that it actually was different with my ex in that accord because my entire family actually loved him. Really? My entire family actually. Did not. Well, for two reasons. I was never vocal about the abuse. I never actually told everybody the real [00:17:00] truth about what was going on behind closed doors. So that was the first thing. And like I said earlier, he was charming. He would, he was persuasive. He got along with just about everybody. And when I tell you, like most of my family, I'm probably to this day, they still say the same thing. They said, we were shocked. We were surprised 'cause they did not see it coming. Well. Mm-hmm. I think my dad and my stepmother didn't really know the extent of the abuse. They saw some things. And they didn't like him, but they would never interfere out of respect for me. My mother and my sister were a little more vocal about, I don't like him. He, he pushes you around, he bosses you around. He's, he is arrogant and he is rude and. All those things, but mm-hmm. No, I didn't, I didn't listen. So at this point in your relationship you suffered a lot up to this point. Mm-hmm. Would you say that you were an angel at that time? No, I [00:18:00] definitely would not say that. And, before it was really difficult for me to explain this portion of my story because I couldn't do it without guilt or shame because that's what the enemy tries to, ki tries to keep us in shame and secrecy. Mm-hmm. But I mean, in my relationship with my ex, I have, I, I became unfaithful and little. Did I know then because I didn't understand then why I was seeking other men, and I was see, , seeking attention from other guys. It all ties to, for me, it all ties to the fact that I, I had a really low self-esteem and my self-worth was probably on the ground again. I didn't know God, I didn't really have a relationship with him. I, like I was saying I was going to church, but I was just going through the motions 'cause it's what I used to do and I was going to a Christian Church at this time. But it's just based on the foundation that I had from growing up in that Catholic church and I was, I just knew to go through the motions. I didn't really understand that I needed [00:19:00] to practice a relationship with God. So even though I was going to church while I was in this relationship, I didn't know God enough to know the love that he had for me and therefore make better decisions. So I saw other men, I saw, attention from particularly this one other guy, and I got really involved with him while I was with my ex. And ultimately the, that was something that made the abuse worse. Mm-hmm. Because my ex found out about it, and he, there was two occasions where on one occasion, the first time that he found out about the other guy, it was, oh, it was tough. He dragged me outta my bed. I was sleeping and he, Ooh. Just woke me up and dragged me outta the bed because he saw the text messages from the other guy. And I remember in that morning, so me and my ex used to live with a roommate at that time. And I remember in that morning, my, [00:20:00] our roommate, our third roommate, she was at her boyfriend's house. Mm-hmm. So I, but I completely forgot. And when. He dragged me outta bed and I saw how violent he was about to get with me. He had pinned me down to the ground. I started to yell. I started to, well, I tried to start to yell her name out. And then a, like a voice was like, no one's here. In my head, oh, and I felt so abandoned, Diana. Oh, I felt so alone. I was like, oh my goodness, I'm alone. No one's going to know what happened to me if this man does something to me today. And so, the rest of that day was. Horrifying. He got, he was violent, but then also he was violent towards himself. He tried to he tried to hold me hostage by basically selling. Me that he was gonna kill himself. He took a, a knife and mm-hmm. And we were in the kitchen for over an hour [00:21:00] and I was trying to try and deescalate the situation. I must have called his, well his family's not, wasn't in Massachusetts at the time. So they were far. So I, I must have called his sister, his cousin, like everybody trying to get them on the phone too, just. Reason with him. 'cause he wouldn't reason with me at that point in time. And he was also scared. He was scared that he knew, like he had, abused me before and that I was kind of at that breaking point, he's like, I think you're gonna turn me in because it got so bad. And I. At the end of the day, his brother who lived at State over got there. He probably drove down like an hour, which is unheard of. Mm-hmm. And. He deescalated the situation he got, he got him out of the house. He moved everything out that day. So I left to my sister's house so that he can get everything out. And I ultimately went to the police station. I got a restraining order that [00:22:00] day, but that wasn't the end, a for me, I couldn't. I don't know. My definition of love was messed up back then, so I thought that I was still in love with him. So it wasn't even like four days or five days later that I went back to the courthouse and I dropped a restraining order so that I could be with him again, because I thought that, it was a mistake and he was, and I was guilt, I was feeling so guilty because of my my unfaithfulness. So I was like, I felt like I hurt him. I didn't even, I disregarded all the, everything that he did to me. And I just was like, well, I hurt him. I have to go back and help him and want to tend to his feelings. 'cause, he felt betrayed and not loved by me at the time. So. It just blows my mind. It just yeah. That you would go back to fix his problems. Which I think, and I'm sure you agree with me, this just makes it worse. [00:23:00] You going back after all of that. Because you felt guilty, which was misplaced guilt. Okay. That's, it's great that you acknowledged that you made a mistake, but, that doesn't cancel out his abusive behavior. Absolutely. And I thought it did. That's it. I love the word that you used, canceled. For me, that's what I thought it was like, all right, well I did this. So he did that. And, and of course, like I said, going back to what I said earlier, I believed all the things that he told me about me. Mm-hmm. I believed that I, that's what I deserved. And so I didn't see it as, I didn't view it as an issue or a problem. Now, when did you finally come to your senses and say, I've had enough. I'm at rock bottom. I've got to get out of this relationship. I mean, for good. Yeah. It didn't come by my own, choice. And I say that because a lot of people think that, you always just get to walk out of a [00:24:00] abusive a relationship or you just choose to go, and that's not the case. I went back to him and ultimately we had a lot of issues up until the last time that I saw him. And I was still being unfaithful. I was still seeking attention from other men. And so again, at this point, he's not trusting of me. He's still looking through my phone. He's following me at this point to everywhere that I go. And, on the last. Occasion, we went to a party and we went back to his house after the party and we were both drunk. And he went through my phone and he saw a text message from the other guy. And basically that's when he, that's the night that he tried to kill me. He, it was the most violent he had been with me, throwing me around the room, really just using me. As a punching bag. Mm-hmm. And, up until the point where he tried to strangle me and I don't really know how I got out of the str out of his choke [00:25:00] hold. But I did. And then ultimately I ran outside after that and the neighbors were there and the neighbors, they didn't even want to get involved. We lived in an apartment building in a three story apartment building, and I didn't knock on anybody's door because I was afraid. I just didn't know what to do. He took my phone, well he threw my phone out the window. It was just a bad situation, you know? And I was just trying to run out of the building. And when I was trying to run out of the building, there was neighbors coming inside the building. Mm-hmm. And they saw both of us. They saw that his shirt was ripped, they saw me, I had blood, I had, I was probably looking all crazy. Wow. And they. Like, well, we don't really wanna get involved in this. This seems like a, I don't know, I don't even know the words that they use. But instead of calling the police they asked him, they got involved. They said, oh, can you just give her phone back? That's basically what they told him. And I'm like, no, I need you guys to call 9 1 1 because he tried to kill me. He's not going to call [00:26:00] 9 1 1. And so ultimately after some push and pull, whatever. They gave me their phone. I called nine one one. And the ambulance showed up. The police showed up and they detained him. And so back to the question that you asked, when did I choose to leave? Or when did I have enough after this incident? The fact that the Lord delivered me from death because mm-hmm. I don't know how I got out of his choke. He was much stronger than me. He went, we went to through the court, he went to jail. We did all of that. I didn't really have a choice. The relationship had to be over at that point. Mm-hmm. It didn't feel like that for me. Even for months after that. It didn't feel like I, I wanted to leave. And that's the crazy part. That's the part that I was so deep into his manipulation, into his tricks, that even at that point, I felt like I still owed him something. It wasn't until maybe about six [00:27:00] months later that I gave, when I truly gave my life to Christ that I knew. That everything that I had felt about guilt and everything that he had done to me, that it was all wrong. It was so wrong. And I, that's when I knew, but it, it didn't happen immediately. Even I was at the point of death and in the hospital waking up all that. It wasn't the point where I said I had enough. I didn't have a choice at that point to be with him because of the situation, but I would say when I found Jesus was when I really knew that. I deserve so much more. It sounds like you had a lot of codependency going on there. Mm-hmm. And that is a real stronghold. That's almost like brainwashing from a cult. Mm-hmm. If somebody trying to kill you and you're in the hospital and you don't think that, well, I need to get out of this relationship. And everybody would talk to me and everybody would ask me like, what do you wanna [00:28:00] do? I had to sit through court proceedings where he was present and. I was going, I've always been a person who has like, pretty strong morale, even though I didn't mm-hmm. Like I said, like I grew up knowing right from wrong. Mm-hmm. And I knew at the time that the right thing to do was to continue going to court, cooperate so that he would be sentenced and everything go through the trial so that he wouldn't do this to other women. Mm-hmm. I knew that was the right thing to do. I didn't wanna do it though. I didn't wanna be a part of that. I didn't wanna be a part of something that could con particularly like, follow him around for the rest of his life. It was really sick in the beginning. But ultimately I did the right thing, and I look back and I know that it was the correct thing. Because you just have to do it because you just never know if somebody like that is gonna change. You can pray. But you don't know and you [00:29:00] don't want anyone else to fall into that trap. Just looking back at your story, it looks like the Lord intervened in your life. Maybe that was an angel that he sent to get you outta that choke hold. Maybe it was him that put your abuser in jail so you could get out. Did you have anybody else that was on your side or anybody else who helped you? Absolutely. When my family, became aware of what happened because I called them that night and, everybody showed up at the hospital. My mom was there, my aunt, my sister, they all came to the hospital. They just didn't know. They didn't, my sister had guessed a couple things 'cause she had seen him follow me. She had noticed him in the last month or two before that. So she had known something was up, but she didn't know that it was this bad. And, so she was right there. They all of them were right there, but had they known, they, I think they would've been there, before and they would've tried to get me out before. But like I [00:30:00] said, because of my own doing and my own wishes of wanting to be there, I just stayed. I. Without telling them. But my family was, they were really supportive after and during the court and the trials and everything, they were very supportive. And there was one person in particular who was probably key in getting me to go back to the church. Mm-hmm. And, yeah, I consider him an older brother and he, I grew up with around him and he had a church. He has a church in Massachusetts. Well. He goes to a church in Massachusetts and he always invited me. And so, that really was what helped me turn my life around at that point. So tell us how you, found the Lord Jesus as your savior For real now? Yeah. Yeah, for real. And I always tell people, I'm like, I think I got saved in thousand 15, but, and I used to say that before, but now I know that, he really saved me in 2019, not only because of what he delivered me from, but because I knew, I felt it. I [00:31:00] felt his love. I felt. Everything I felt redeemed. So I would say like June of 2019, I, which was only about six months after the incident and I. Was after, after the incident, I was going to church still. I was, like I said, I, there was not really a period of time that I wasn't going to church. I was always going to church, but it was always a through the motions kind of deal, and I never really prayed and I never really, I didn't even read the word I, the only word that I got was on Sundays. And mm-hmm. Then ultimately on, in June of 2019, I said. Something's gotta change because I knew mm-hmm. That everything that I had experienced up until that point and all of my feelings of like still wanting to be with my ex even after everything were, so, they were, they came from a place, an evil place, right? Because I just knew that the Lord wouldn't send me back to that type of relationship. So I. [00:32:00] I started being intentional. I started just like saying, okay, God. I would sit with him in the morning and just say, God, I need you to show me why I'm here. And I kept on asking that question, why I am here and why I'm here. And he didn't answer that question. He answered a DA different question that I didn't even know that I had in my heart. He answered like the questions about. My feeling, my not feeling abandoned. Sorry, how do I say this? He answered my questions about me. Being loved by him. Mm-hmm. And I didn't know I had those questions because I was just like, well, I just, I'm a fixer by nature, so I just wanted to fix all the, I was like, I need my pur, I need my purpose and I need to walk into it. That's it. Yeah. That's what I wanted to do. And I was like, I need to learn how to do this. But by spending time with him daily. And really just getting into his word and learning his character, I learned his love. I learned that he loved me beyond every single thing that I had done. And I was able to walk out of the shame and [00:33:00] fear and guilt that I had wa I had walked in for so long because I, at that point I felt like I had made too many. Bad decisions, too many, just things that I was ashamed of. But when I was spending that time with him, he was like, I don't care about all that. He's like, I love you the way you are. I made you and I'm going to love you no matter what. And slowly but surely, he started to reveal his character to me. He started to reveal my purpose on this earth. And that's when I say that, I really got saved, but there was no like, aha moment. There was no, none of that. It was just like I, I had to start being intentional about it. I had to, if I wanted to see a change, I knew that something different, I had to do something different. Yeah. The Lord's been pursuing you your whole life. He was just waiting for you to Absolutely. Turn around and see him. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. So I say that healing is always a journey. There is no I've arrived [00:34:00] or I'm healed a hundred percent. It's a journey throughout our life. How did you start the healing process and what steps did you take besides church? I mean, I really changed my decisions. In my social life I reduced the amount that I was drinking. I used to drink a lot of alcohol that mm-hmm. I remember there was times that I drank alcohol to the point of blackout. So I reduced the amount of drinking I was doing. I reduced I increased the amount of times that I was in church a week. I was in church twice or three times a week rather than just on Sundays. And then. I told my family, I'm making a decision to make church a priority in my life. God, the priority, not just not the church, God, a priority in my life. So ev everything that did not serve that purpose, I tried to just remove out of it. I was in a job that I was unhappy, so I left it. I pursued a job that was. Quiet it, it just allowed me to take a step back from management. It wasn't in the limelight. I [00:35:00] didn't have a lot of pressure, so I could spend a lot of time with God. And then most important, next to God, I took, I started therapy. I did therapy. Mm-hmm. And I did a trauma specific therapy. I did EMDR and I. But that's the second thing next to Jesus that changed my life. So explain what is EMDR for those that don't know what that is? Yeah, I haven't had to explain this in a while, but I'll try my best. It's called, lemme see if I can get this right. It's called eye movement. Desensitizing reprocessing, I think it is. Yes. And it's a yes. I tried. And it's a type of therapy that specifics on specifies on like if you have had childhood trauma or any kind of trauma really, and you use physical movements like tapping or eye movements to walk you through the memories and reprocess those memories and desensitize them. The emotions that are attached to it. So I [00:36:00] did that with the entire experience that I went through with my ex up until the point where he tried to kill me. And a lot of stuff was brought up during that during that year that I did therapy. It was very intense. It was hard work. It is hard, but I believed the Lord. For bringing me to that therapist because it was a very godsend, like it was a referral. And I knew that if I saw it through that on the other side, I was gonna come out the person that the Lord wanted me to come out. And that's exactly what happened. So I tell the listeners that are, there are many different tools for healing. Not everybody chooses the same tool. It's whatever's. Helpful for them and their situation. So you thought that therapist and that technique was really helpful for you, it sounds like. Yeah, because something that I noticed like I said, a lot of. Yes. I wasn't an abusive relationship, but there was some decision making in [00:37:00] my past choices that obviously weren't rooted out of that abusive relationship that came out of a different place. And I had done talk that I, I mentioned I was depressed in 2014 and when, mm-hmm. When I left college, I had. Done talk therapy. I had done all of that and it didn't work. CBT kind of stuff. And so I was like, I need something that's gonna be specific. Look at me just being a fixer and a planner, right? I was like, I need something that's gonna be specific and it's going to target this trauma that I just went through and help me come out a better person. And EMDR is truly if you are, that, if you're looking for results, that's what. You'll get if you apply yourself. I like what you said about there were issues that you had that were not related to the abuse. A lot of people, they wanna ignore those things and blame. Mm-hmm. Everything on the abuse. Well, we are complex creatures, aren't we? Absolutely. Oh. It's not always black and white, cut and dry. There are, aspects [00:38:00] of our personalities, our upbringing that are separate from the abuse that also need to be. Dealt with and healed. Yeah, too. So I'm glad you mentioned that 'cause that is important. But you're admitting that yes, you found the Lord and you're on your journey of healing, but it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows. There were some struggles and that we are going to struggle. Absolutely. Or we just keep going forward, right? Absolutely. It was not a, walk in the park after I made that decision. And especially for me, who was somebody who was battling, I was battling, just sexual temptation, lust desiring to just be in the world, drink alcohol, those things, those were not easy decisions to make. But. I had the strength of the Lord because I was with him and he was with me. Amen. And so I did it. Yeah. But it was not easy because there was, and especially I'm still young. I'm, I was what, 25 when I started making that, those choices. Mm-hmm. To turn to the Lord and. It's [00:39:00] just, it goes against everything that a natural 25-year-old wants. Yes. And you're being honest here, and I'm sure the listeners appreciate that you're being real with us. Yeah, absolutely. You're not pretending that, everything is hunky dory and you're perfect. No, absolutely not. So what is your relationship with God like right now? I think it's awesome. He's my best friend. I talk to him daily. I go to church. I'm involved in my church. I'm a spiritual coach. I have the good news podcast. I don't know. I don't find anything more gratifying than using every aspect of my life to glorify God and to glorify his holy name. And that's what I do every single day. I try at least. Amen. You're definitely different. The new rose looks different than the old rose. Oh my gosh, yes. And I laugh because this is something that. I am still experiencing with people that know me, that have known [00:40:00] me for many years. They're like, you're different now. Mm-hmm. And I get this so often now within my family, friends, they're like, oh, the old Rose wouldn't do this. Or the old, or the old rose was you. I get this a lot was fun. And I'm like, your definition of fun and my definition of fun now is completely different because I no longer want the things that the world has to offer. Yep. The things I used to do, I don't do them anymore. There's a song I put away My child. Just things. Yes. We have a lot of listeners who are listening to your powerful story today, and they're in an abusive situation right now. What advice would you give them right now? Oh, this is hard. I think I, I have so many. We still got 10 more minutes left on. Okay. So I got it. Well, if you don't know, God, that's my first piece of advice is to get to know him. I don't think that I could have gotten out [00:41:00] of my situation without him. I know that. I know that, like I said, my hand was forced because I. Was at the hospital and he was in jail. And it was no other choice, but I think that was God. God really delivered me from death and deliver, delivered me from that situation to get me to the place that I am now. So if you don't know God, it's so important that you have a relationship with him because he's gonna guide you the best. And secondly, trust somebody. Trust any someone in your life and talk to them about it. I didn't. And it made me feel so alone. It made me feel abandoned. Mm-hmm. And I know now that I have a. Army of people who love me and will, go to war for me. And I didn't think that, you think that oftentimes because of the choices that you make and ultimately for me, like, I thought all of my decisions was what warranted that abuse. So we get to a place where we don't wanna reach out for help because we're like, people are gonna look at me and say well, you [00:42:00] did that to yourself, but that's not. I learned that wasn't true. That the people that are there for you, that love you will help you out of it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I tell my listeners all the time, I'm available to help people. I'll help. I'll help you any way I can, and I'm sure that you would say the same thing. Absolutely. Yeah. You would help anybody that reached out to you for help. Yes. I'm always happy to be an a listening ear. I literally, like I said, I'm a spiritual coach, so my phone is on twenty four seven. I answer calls, texts, voice notes, whatever. Yes. Awesome. Rose has her good news podcast. Yes. So you can hear her putting me in the hot seat for a change. And so you can listen to that on her show. How can the listeners connect with you? Absolutely. I am on, well, the Good News podcast, you could go to ww dot the good news podcast.org. You could find it on [00:43:00] iTunes and Spotify, but I'm also on Facebook, Instagram, and I'll have all that stuff in the show notes for everybody. Mm-hmm. Was there anything we left out that you wanted to tell the good folks listening? No, other than just thank you for having me. This has been awesome, and I just hope my prayer is that this, episode blesses somebody and gives them the strength and the courage to, to do what I, to do what I didn't get to do, leave. So, amen. Mm-hmm. Amen. Yes. This has been great. I've enjoyed listening to you tell your story again, and how the Lord's brought you to where you're at now. Thank you. God bless you. God bless you too. And all your listeners, wow, wasn't she great folks? It's an amazing story. So you be sure to reach out to Rosalie and listen to her podcast. I hope this encouraged you. It [00:44:00] sure encouraged me. So thank you so much everybody for tuning in today. We're going to see you next week. God bless you everybody. Thank you for listening to the Wounds of the Faithful Podcast. If this episode has been helpful to you, please hit the subscribe button and tell a friend. You could connect with us at DSW Ministries dot org where you'll find our blog, along with our Facebook, Twitter, and our YouTube channel links. Hope to see you next week.

Become Unbeatable!Join The Unbeatable Leader Challenge: https://unbeatableleader.com/products/two-day-opt-inIn this deeply honest conversation, Mark Divine sits down with entrepreneur, consciousness leader, and author Scott Britton to explore the missing link between success, fulfillment, and awakening.Scott shares his journey from building and selling a venture-backed tech company to Salesforce to confronting the inner emptiness that achievement alone could not solve. Together, they unpack the intersection of spiritual practice, discipline, identity, leadership, and purpose—and why true growth requires integration, not escape.This episode challenges the belief that spirituality means retreating from life, ambition, or responsibility. Instead, it reveals why awakening is meant to deepen your engagement with the world, sharpen your leadership, and align you with your true dharma.If you're a founder, leader, high performer, or seeker who feels called to more—but doesn't want to abandon excellence, discipline, or impact—this conversation will meet you exactly where you are.In this episode, you'll discover:Why success without awareness leads to burnout and emptinessThe danger of using spirituality as an escape instead of an integrationHow achievement can become a path to awakening—not a distraction from itThe difference between ego-driven ambition and aligned purposeWhy warriors, leaders, and builders are needed more than everHow meditation, discipline, and embodiment support real spiritual growthWhy life itself is the practice—not retreats, substances, or titlesUnlock your full potential and lead with courage, clarity, and purpose—join The Unbeatable Tribe and become truly unbeatable in life and leadership.Join for free for 7 days: The Unbeatable Tribe → https://www.skool.com/unbeatable-mastery-tribe/aboutJoin The Unbeatable Leader Challenge: https://unbeatableleader.com/products/two-day-opt-inRob Links:Website: https://scottbritton.me/Book: https://a.co/d/1JT8D84LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jscottbritton/X: https://x.com/brittonSubstack: https://blog.scottbritton.me/Mark Links: Website: https://markdivine.comUnbeatable Leader Challenge: Join The Unbeatable Leader Challenge: https://unbeatableleader.com/products/two-day-opt-inThe Unbeatable Tribe: https://www.skool.com/unbeatable-mastery-tribe/aboutDivine Inspiration Newsletter: https://markdivine.com/newsletterSubscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@markdivineofficial for more inspiring conversations on leadership, growth, and impact.Rate and review the show to help us reach more listeners.Share your thoughts and takeaways in the comments!#MarkDivine #ScottBritton #ConsciousLeadership #SpiritualGrowth #HighPerformance #PurposeDrivenLife #Awakening #EntrepreneurMindset #SelfMastery #MentalToughness #ConsciousAccomplishment #LeadershipPodcastTimestamps:00:00 Introduction to Spiritual Practice00:53 Sponsor Message: Indeed02:15 Welcome to the Mark Divine Show02:53 Guest Introduction: Scott Britton04:29 Scott Britton's Entrepreneurial Journey09:49 Unbeatable Leader Challenge Announcement10:46 Scott's Spiritual Awakening14:19 Mark Divine's Psychedelic Experience17:43 Unbeatable Leader Challenge - Join Now23:44 The Power and Risks of Psychedelics34:51 Join The Unbeatable Tribe43:11 Exploring the Purpose of the Soul43:53 The Teacher Archetype and Personal Journey44:17 The Realization of Worthlessness and Awakening46:08 The Importance of Dharma and Karmic Duty48:06 The Warrior's Path and Spiritual Practice52:41 The Integration of Body, Mind, and Spirit01:05:52 The Role of Conscious Accomplishment01:16:45 The Future of Consciousness and Leadership01:20:27 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Does it feel like you're constantly investing time and money into your business - without seeing any REAL return or progress?If your growth efforts always seem to fall flat, no matter how much energy you put into them, the reason may not be what you expect. It may have nothing to do with whether you're following the right strategy or posting the right content.In fact, it may have nothing to do with ANY of the decisions you've made in this lifetime. We all carry money wounds from our past lifetimes - and many of these wounds create a deep-rooted, subconscious fear of wealth.My dear long-term soul client Laura Michelle Wolff is a ghostwriter, publisher, and Human Design Specialist who has overcome many money wounds throughout her life, but frequently finds herself pulled back into a feeling of lack and scarcity. You'll discover:How we can continuously rewrite our money stories in healthier ways How ‘little-t' traumas snowball into something that feels like ‘big-T' trauma How the wrong coaches can wound us terribly - often without realizing it!About Laura: Laura Michelle Wolff is a ghostwriter, publisher, and Human Design Specialist who helps entrepreneurs create non-fiction books that sound authentically theirs. Using advanced interviewing skills from her FBI and trauma-therapy background, she unlocks an author's true voice and turns it into a book that builds credibility and attracts aligned clients. Blending marketing strategy, SEO, intuitive insight, and energy work, she transforms what someone feels into resonant, high-converting copy. Her body-first, spirit-aligned process helps writers finally get their book onto the page.Timestamps:00:56 Welcome01:31 Introducing Laura Michelle06:23 Exploring Past Lifetime Trauma11:58 The Coaches Who Wound Us13:54 Healing Money Wounds20:23 Exploring the Chiron Wound21:03 Uncovering a Past Life Vow21:42 The Impact of Wealth and Power23:53 The Realization and Vow of Poverty27:13 Healing and Rewriting the Story33:46 Practical Steps for Transformation38:58 Final Thoughts and ResourcesConnect with Laura:Connect with Laura on LinkedInSend her a publishing inquiry or learn about her ghostwriting capabilitiesOrder the book STAY CONNECTED: Soul Guide Circle: JOIN the Soul Guide Circle closed Facebook Group Facebook: FOLLOW on Facebook Instagram: FOLLOW on Instagram YouTube: Follow in YouTube Ready to grow a prosperous soul-guided business? BOOK a free Intuitive Consult Leave a review for Soul Guide Radio (and we'll read it on the air!)

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"It can be scary to examine spiritual messages we've heard all our lives, but it sometimes can also be the path to experiencing God more truly, deeply, and biblically. Steve Cuss is an author, speaker, and pastor who has a passion for understanding what drives Christians to feel anxiety, fear, and exhaustion about their faith & relationship with God. He has written books that examine the role anxiety plays in leadership (Managing Leadership Anxiety), and the troubling gaps we notice in our spirituality (The Expectation Gap).In an illuminating conversation, Steve talks about the importance of...Leaders and caregivers being spiritually and emotionally healthy.Realization that not every dramatic spiritual story is meant to be an exact template for exactly how all Christians should react.Understanding that self-condemnation about lack of spiritual progress actually keeps us stuck and frozen.Discovering gentle steps we can take to increase resilience and move in the directions we desire.#stevecuss #expectationgap #managingleadershipanxiety #humansized #spirituality #growth #change #curiosity #kindness #selftalk #spiritualpractices #therapy #healing #trauma #vulnerability #recovery #grace #gospel #transformationSteveCussWords (Steve's website)Steve's books (Amazon)Five Steps to Christmas Sanity PDF (signup download) Support the showAwaken websiteRoots Retreat Men's IntensiveRoots Retreat Women's WorkshopAwaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

Fluent Fiction - French: A Heartfelt Noël: Élodie's Christmas of Love and Realization Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/fr/episode/2025-12-09-08-38-20-fr Story Transcript:Fr: Sur la Côte d'Azur, l'hiver enveloppait tout de douce magie.En: On the Côte d'Azur, winter wrapped everything in soft magic.Fr: Les rues étaient décorées de lumières brillantes et de sapins ornés de guirlandes.En: The streets were decorated with bright lights and fir trees adorned with garlands.Fr: Les vagues bleues s'échouaient doucement sur le rivage.En: The blue waves gently broke on the shore.Fr: À Nice, Élodie préparait la soirée du réveillon de Noël avec son frère Clément qui venait d'arriver.En: In Nice, Élodie was preparing Christmas Eve with her brother Clément who had just arrived.Fr: Élodie était une passionnée d'art.En: Élodie was passionate about art.Fr: Elle avait une galerie lumineuse au centre-ville.En: She owned a bright gallery in the city center.Fr: Elle semblait toujours joyeuse et pleine de vitalité.En: She always seemed joyful and full of vitality.Fr: Mais sous cette apparence, Élodie avait un secret: une condition cardiaque qui la fatiguait de plus en plus.En: But beneath this appearance, Élodie had a secret: a heart condition that was tiring her more and more.Fr: À l'approche de Noël, elle s'inquiétait davantage.En: As Christmas approached, she worried more.Fr: Les visites chez le docteur Mathieu, son ami d'enfance désormais cardiologue, étaient devenues fréquentes.En: Visits to Docteur Mathieu, her childhood friend now a cardiologist, had become frequent.Fr: Elle ne voulait pas inquiéter Clément ou gâcher leur Noël.En: She didn't want to worry Clément or spoil their Christmas.Fr: Pourtant, ce matin-là, Élodie sentait son cœur battre plus vite que d'habitude.En: Yet that morning, Élodie felt her heart beating faster than usual.Fr: En fin d'après-midi, Clément était impatient de commencer la fête.En: By late afternoon, Clément was eager to start the celebration.Fr: La table était prête avec toutes sortes de mets délicieux.En: The table was set with all sorts of delicious dishes.Fr: Les lumières scintillaient, et l'odeur des marrons rôtis remplissait l'air.En: Lights twinkled, and the smell of roasted chestnuts filled the air.Fr: Mais Élodie devait cacher son malaise.En: But Élodie had to hide her discomfort.Fr: Elle souriait pendant que Mathieu, invité aussi, observait discrètement.En: She smiled while Mathieu, also a guest, observed discreetly.Fr: La tension monta au moment du dessert.En: Tension rose at dessert time.Fr: Les rires retentissaient quand soudain, Élodie sentit une douleur intense.En: Laughter echoed when suddenly, Élodie felt an intense pain.Fr: Elle vacilla.En: She wavered.Fr: Avant que quiconque ne puisse réagir, elle s'effondra.En: Before anyone could react, she collapsed.Fr: Le silence tomba sur la salle à manger.En: Silence fell over the dining room.Fr: Clément et Mathieu se précipitèrent vers elle.En: Clément and Mathieu rushed to her.Fr: Mathieu vérifia ses signes vitaux.En: Mathieu checked her vital signs.Fr: "Appelle une ambulance," dit-il à Clément, concentré mais calme.En: "Call an ambulance," he said to Clément, focused but calm.Fr: Élodie respirait difficilement, mais Mathieu, avec son professionnalisme, entreprit de stabiliser son état.En: Élodie was breathing with difficulty, but Mathieu, with his professionalism, began to stabilize her condition.Fr: Les minutes passèrent interminables, puis l'ambulance arriva.En: The minutes dragged on endlessly, and then the ambulance arrived.Fr: À l'hôpital, Élodie, faiblement consciente, se tourna vers Mathieu.En: At the hospital, Élodie, barely conscious, turned to Mathieu.Fr: "Je suis désolée," murmura-t-elle.En: "I'm sorry," she murmured.Fr: "Je pensais pouvoir gérer cela seule."En: "I thought I could handle this alone."Fr: Il lui prit la main.En: He took her hand.Fr: "Tu n'es pas seule, Élodie.En: "You're not alone, Élodie.Fr: Nous sommes là pour toi."En: We are here for you."Fr: Clément, les yeux pleins de larmes, s'approcha d'eux.En: Clément, his eyes full of tears, approached them.Fr: "Je suis tellement inquiet... pourquoi ne m'as-tu rien dit?"En: "I'm so worried... why didn't you tell me anything?"Fr: Élodie baissa les yeux.En: Élodie lowered her eyes.Fr: "Je voulais que Noël soit parfait.En: "I wanted Christmas to be perfect.Fr: Sans soucis."En: Without worries."Fr: Les jours suivants, Élodie resta à l'hôpital pour des tests.En: In the following days, Élodie stayed in the hospital for tests.Fr: Elle réalisa combien elle avait besoin de ses proches.En: She realized how much she needed her loved ones.Fr: À son retour chez elle, elle trouva Clément et Mathieu, une équipe prête à l'épauler.En: When she returned home, she found Clément and Mathieu, a team ready to support her.Fr: Ensemble, ils discutèrent des prochains pas et de l'importance de la santé.En: Together, they discussed the next steps and the importance of health.Fr: Finalement, bien que Noël eût été différent de ce qu'elle avait prévu, Élodie comprit qu'elle avait reçu le plus beau cadeau: le soutien indéfectible de ceux qu'elle aimait.En: In the end, although Christmas had been different from what she had planned, Élodie understood that she had received the most beautiful gift: the unwavering support of those she loved. Vocabulary Words:the coat: le manteauthe shore: le rivagewrapped: enveloppaitthe heartbeat: le battement de cœurto decorate: décorerthe garland: la guirlandeadorned: ornéthe wave: la vaguethe gallery: la galeriethe condition: la conditionbeneath: sousthe cardiologist: le cardiologueto whisper: murmurerthe discomfort: le malaisethe celebration: la fêtethe dish: le platto hide: cacherdiscreetly: discrètementthe laughter: les riresthe dessert: le dessertthe ambulance: l'ambulancebarely: faiblementcollapsed: s'effondrato stabilize: stabiliserto approach: s'approcherconscious: conscientendless: interminablethe tear: la larmeto realize: réaliserunwavering: indéfectible

On this episode of RNT Fitness Radio, I'm joined by Krishna Sonegra who joined RNT to get into the best shape of her life for her wedding. After being proposed to, she realised she didn't look, feel or perform at her best. After seeing the success at RNT, she wanted to build a brand new lifestyle through this journey. Over the course of the year, she's managed to drop almost 30kg and hit her checkpoint just before her wedding, allowing her to fulfil her dreams of looking at her best on her white dress!   Chapters: 00:00 The Journey Begins: Krishna's Transformation Story 01:34 Trigger Moments: The Engagement and Realization 04:33 Finding Support: Discovering RNT Fitness 06:21 Commitment to Change: The 12-Month Journey 07:33 Identifying Bad Habits: A Personal Reflection 09:32 Navigating Work and Travel: Strategies for Success 14:28 Overcoming Initial Challenges: The Detox Phase 17:41 Wedding Preparations: Strategies and Mindset 20:21 Reflecting on Success: The Wedding Day Experience 22:21 Shifting Perspectives: A New Outlook on Life 22:57 The Discipline of Change 24:45 Social Interactions and Alcohol Choices 27:42 Motivation and Lifestyle Changes 30:09 Health Improvements and Medical Checkups 31:53 Confidence and Social Engagement 33:12 Overcoming Initial Doubts 34:59 Advice for Beginners 36:45 Future Aspirations and New Ventures   Next steps:  1) Apply for 1-1 coaching: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/pro/   2) Take our quiz to see if you're ready for a transformation: http://www.rntfitness.co.uk/transform   3) Get our free book shipped to your door: https://bit.ly/tybtylform   4) Try our free 28 day fat loss accelerator: https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/transformation-accelerator  5) Optimum Nutrition: RNT20 for 20% off Connect with RNT Fitness:  Website  Facebook  Instagram  YouTube  Email  Connect with Akash:  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn 

Welcome to the Change Your Thinking, Change Your Lifepodcast with your host, Michelle Burkhard. Today we complete our series on the Five Belief Tools with the most advanced one yet: Realization.Tool #5 is something different. It's a way of beingwhere your very presence, awareness, and observation begin to change things around you.In a powerful closing moment, Michelle shares aliving affirmation–turned–decree–turned–realization of who she is for you:“I am a professional rememberer of your greatness.I am an unconditional lover and supporter of you.I am a teacher, a guide, and a people developer…”This final episode in the series is both a blessing and a loving challenge: to remember who you are, to grow into what you say you want, and to know you are profoundly supported along the way.Michelle@GrowBy1.com

Join Nick Zei and Hitesh in Rishikesh for a long-form conversation on the Bhagavad Gita and the hidden mechanics of consciousness. This is not a religious discussion. It is a direct exploration of how Krishna's dialogue with Arjuna reveals the structure of human experience, choice, and purpose.Most recent “What If with Nick Zei” episode (Bhagavad Gita episode currently in solo production):https://youtu.be/9efBN-qWxEQFind Hitesh on YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/@UC3wxPA1Sph–HxKGdOGVjrgSupport the podcast and the work:Direct contribution:https://donate.stripe.com/bJe3cn61Ic486iE1Q1fIs0821 Day Shadow Integration Challenge:https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ3cndua6JOayU7alfIs09Black Stuff:https://www.black-stuff.com/nickzeiAll other links:https://linktr.ee/nick.zeiThe Bhagavad Gita is presented here as a living manual for the modern seeker. The discussion moves through its core teachings:Dharma and action with clarityKarma Yoga and the mechanics of choiceBhakti Yoga and devotion as intelligenceJñāna Yoga and the unity of Self and SourceEquanimity, surrender, and flow as a mode of masteryNick and Hitesh connect the Gita with broader philosophies, the biblical tradition, and the modern creator's path. Expect exploration into identity, death, devotion, and navigating life with purpose.Filmed on the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh, this episode weaves Eastern philosophy with modern consciousness studies. It reflects on the art of living and the practical structure of the Human Game.Host: Nick ZeiGuest: HiteshLocation: Rishikesh, IndiaChapters00:00 – Opening Context in Rishikesh03:25 – The Nature of Reality and Consciousness07:42 – Why Humans Feel Confused About Purpose12:36 – The Game of Life as a Spiritual System18:44 – Identity, Ego, and the Search for Clarity26:01 – The Inner War Between Thought and Awareness34:58 – Dharma and Aligned Action Explained42:17 – Karma Yoga and the Mechanics of Choice49:06 – Hidden Structures of the Mind55:38 – How Conditioning Shapes the Player01:03:24 – The Roots of Suffering and Self-Misunderstanding01:12:10 – True Spiritual Practice in the Modern World01:21:53 – How to Discern Truth from Illusion01:30:40 – Direct Experience and Inquiry01:37:58 – Vedic Knowledge and Universal Principles01:46:22 – What the Gita Suggests About Human Nature01:55:41 – The Path of Inner Mastery02:04:12 – The Field, Subtle Perception, and Awareness02:12:54 – Why Humans Fear Change02:20:33 – Consciousness Expanding Through the Player02:29:18 – Realization and Higher Intelligence02:37:06 – Integrating Teachings into Daily Life02:45:42 – The Journey Toward Self-Knowledge02:53:33 – Reflections in Rishikesh02:59:41 – Closing Message

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueledA bland building that blended in… turned bold brand that brought in business. That's the real story behind this episode featuring Kelly McCart from McCart's Auto Center. If you've ever wondered whether the look and feel of your shop actually matters, you'll want to hear how a full-on rebrand, from paint to logo to online presence, transformed Kelly's shop from invisible to impossible to miss.We talk about why aesthetics are marketing, how design can literally drive in new clients, and what it means when someone walks in just to say, “Wow, this looks amazing.” Kelly breaks down the “why” and “how” behind his shop's renovation, how he pulled it off with DIY design (yes, scissors and Elmer's glue were involved), and why rethinking your image might be the smartest move you make this year.He'll also share how this shift doubled his staff, improved the quality of clients, and continues to make his business stand out, both to customers and future employees.This episode isn't just about fresh paint. It's about positioning. It's about pride. And it's about the kind of shop that people recognize, remember, and respect.Listen now and get inspired to rethink how your shop shows up.Show Notes with TimestampsIntroduction and Sponsor Acknowledgment (00:00:00) Brian introduces the podcast, guest Kelly McCart, and thanks sponsors.Background: The Nondescript Shop (00:01:09) Discussion of McCarty's Auto Center blending in and being overlooked by passersby.Realization and Decision to Renovate (00:02:23) Kelly describes the moment she decided a change was needed and the process leading up to it.Design Process and Early Attempts (00:03:02) Kelly explains her design journey, including failed ideas and the involvement of her graphic artist nephew.Logo Creation and Selection (00:06:11) The story behind the new logo, its design process, and how it was chosen.Impact of the Makeover on Visibility (00:07:51) How the new look made the shop stand out and attracted attention from the community.Business Impact and Clientele Changes (00:08:16) The effect of the renovation on customer buzz, quality of clients, and local recognition.Interior Renovation and Staff Growth (00:09:31) Details about the interior revamp and the subsequent doubling of staff.Name Change and Brand Consolidation (00:12:21) Merging two business names, legal steps, and unifying the brand and online presence.Timing: Remodel and the Onset of COVID-19 (00:14:31) The remodel's completion just before the pandemic and initial concerns about the timing.Business Resilience During COVID-19 (00:15:27) How the shop thrived during the pandemic despite initial fears.Comprehensive Rebrand: Lessons and Surprises (00:17:35) Kelly reflects on the thoroughness of the rebrand and whether anything unexpected arose.Results and Return on Investment (00:18:35) Immediate positive results from the rebrand and personal satisfaction.Staff Response and Branded Merchandise (00:19:10) Staff enthusiasm for the new brand, uniforms, and promotional items.Recruitment and Professional Image (00:19:54) How the makeover improved recruitment and elevated the shop's professionalism.Advice and Reflections on the Process (00:20:29) Kelly's advice for others considering a similar project and what she might have done differently.Cost Recovery Timeline (00:21:22) Estimated time to recoup renovation costs: 6 to 8 months.Industry Image and...

In this important conversation, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless, talks with Diane Strand, CEO of JDS Studios, who has built her career on the belief that opportunities aren't found, they're created. Diane discusses her signature DREAM framework (Direction, Realization, Evaluation, Action, Momentum) and explains how clarity, consistency, and courage fuel lasting success. She encourages leaders to present themselves as the person they aspire to be, to show up even when it feels uncomfortable, and to fully embrace being seen and heard. A powerful conversation for anyone ready to make an impact. Diane is the CEO of JDS Studios, a multi–award-winning video production company, the Executive Producer of Spirit of Innovation, the Festival Director of DigiFest Temecula, and a bestselling author. While she firmly believes there's no such thing as overnight success, Diane has spent more than 30 years creating, developing, and boldly carving out her place as a producer, educator, and visionary in the visual, performing, digital arts, and entertainment industries.   MORE ABOUT DIANE STRAND: Website: JDS Studios LinkedIn: Diane Strand DigiFest Temecula TedTalk Temecula Book: Show Business: Breaking into the Industry as an Actor ABOUT SWEET BUT FEARLESS: Website - Sweet but Fearless LinkedIn - Sweet but Fearless

Welcome back to The Plant Healer's Path — Episode 20. In this episode, Jesse Wolf Hardin explores one of the deepest inner tensions faced by healers, activists, caregivers, and culture-shapers alike: the longing to create real, visible change — and the emotional weight of what we cannot control. Through poetic reflection and grounded wisdom, Wolf speaks to the outcome-oriented heart that lives inside so many of us — especially herbalists, healthcare providers, parents, justice workers, and environmental advocates. He explores our shared desire to relieve suffering, to fix what is broken, to bring about lasting cures and total solutions — and the quiet harm that can arise when we measure our worth solely by what we can "successfully" change. You'll hear why it's both beautiful and perilous to carry the world's pain on our shoulders, how unrealistic expectations can quietly drain our vitality, and why a truly sustainable healing practice depends on learning the difference between what we can influence and what we must release. Wolf offers a compassionate framework for shifting from impossible cures toward meaningful, tangible, day-to-day impact — without abandoning our deeper ideals. If you've ever felt discouraged by outcomes you couldn't control, burned out by constant striving, or torn between big visions and personal limits, this episode offers a powerful reminder: your small, steady, real-world efforts matter more than you may realize. This audio was extracted from the beautiful video version available on the HerbRally YouTube channel. This episode is brought to you by The Good Medicine Confluence October 12–15, 2026 Ghost Ranch, New Mexico Join herbalists, healers, wildcrafters, visionaries, misfits, and medicine makers for four unforgettable days of learning, celebration, connection, ritual, and more than 100 classes from over 40 teachers. You're warmly invited to gather, study, celebrate, and dance under the stars in the Land of Enchantment.

Check out this weeks commitment go podcast as I explain the story of 3 feet from gold to my seven-year-old son and initial takeaways for us all. As always if you need help or support reach out to me at Dr.troy@ commitandgo.com.

The Realization That God Loves You Whole Hearted Essential Church November 23, 2025

Bringing to Realization the Promise of AI On this episode, host Goel Jasper sits down with David Lazerson, Co-founder and CEO of Briya. David discusses the vision of Briya, a company committed to improving and accelerating the research process with an AI-based platform. While 2025 was a year of discovery, David believes 2026 will be the year when AI in healthcare will see dramatic progress and growth. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen

In this conversation, Matthias Thommen shares his transformative journey from struggling with pornography to finding freedom through the Deep Clean program. He discusses his background, the pivotal moments that led him to seek help, and the significant changes he experienced in his life, including improved confidence, financial breakthroughs, and a deeper connection with God. Matthias emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and the hope available for those facing similar struggles. Know more about Sathiya's work: Join Deep Clean Inner Circle - The Brotherhood You Neeed (+ get coached by Sathiya) For Less Than $2/day Submit Your Questions (Anonymously) To Be Answered On The Podcast Get A Free Copy of The Last Relapse, Your Blueprint For Recovery Watch Sathiya on Youtube For More Content Like This   Chapters:   (00:00) Introduction and Background (03:05) The Journey to Deep Clean (05:52) Rock Bottom and Realization (08:54) Financial Hurdles and Support (11:54) Life After Deep Clean (14:47) Transformation and Growth (17:55) Powerful Moments in Deep Clean (20:49) Advice for Others Struggling

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Amazon and Microsoft getting hit on lingering concerns over AI's sky-high valuation. What analysts are flagging about the buildout, and what it all means ahead of Nvidia's earnings report tomorrow. Plus Why one analyst says the weakness in health care stocks is a major buying opportunity, the sports betting drama between Draftkings, Fanduel, and the American Gaming Association, and the next move for nuclear stocks after a rough month for the group.Fast Money Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Friends. This week we are talking to Mory Fontanez about her book, "Higher Self: Reclaiming the Power of Your Intuition" and, let me tell you - this book is scratching me right where I itch. I was raised in a world where I was told to DISTRUST the voice inside. Heck, I was even told it was a DEMON that needed to be CAST OUT and sent to the pits of hell. You too? Just me? Anyways - Mory helps those of us who have been disconnected from that voice to reconnect with it so that we can hear and live from the deep wisdom it has to share. We cover a lot of ground in this one - buckle up and ENJOY. SHOW NOTES: MORY FONTANEZ: https://www.moryfontanez.com/ HIGH SELF: https://a.co/d/gtoc8os  MY BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Emerging-Rubble-Stories-Shattered-Relationships/dp/B0C7T5TJD4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2B051GGV2WCSI&keywords=glenn+siepert&qid=1700157759&sprefix=glenn+%2Caps%2C399&sr=8-1 SUBSTACK / BLOG: https://whatifproject.substack.com/ ART STUDIO: https://www.whatifproject.net/art EBAY ART: https://www.ebay.com/usr/what_if_project SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.whatifproject.net/support

The Winds of Realization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Compairson happens in all areas of life and score keeping can become a pitfall. But when we actually take a moment to look around what do we see? In this episode we dive into the idea that even when things aren't working out on "our timeline" we are never not right where we need to be even if we can't see it yet. So grab your cup and settle in for an episode with Amanda that will encourage you to be reminded there is no need to measure where you are or what others are doing where you are right where you need to be.

• "Time for a bath" parody song filled with daily-life jokes • Talk about wanting a tax refund and inventing "tax-a-tude" • Imagined gas station purchase and March of Dimes donation bit • Self-image jokes comparing to Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé • Playful "sassy" expressions celebrating confidence • Comedic rap about women's breasts and mock "National Titties Day" • Show intro for "A Mediocre Time with Tom and Dan" • Hosts joking about AI-generated intro music as "AI slop" • Outkast's Stankonia 25th anniversary and evolution of their sound • Dan naming Outkast as a father-daughter favorite • Guest Ross Patchett joins; talks discovering Daft Punk at Pollo Tropical • Discovering Kraftwerk through The Simpsons • Tom recalling Outkast and Wu-Tang in high school and UCF choice • First concerts: NSYNC, Slightly Stoopid, Rush, and Primus • Discussion of Primus' humble new drummer and musicianship • Complaints about watching concerts seated and feeling old • Preview of Bad at Business Beerfest Nov 22—free event, noon start • 600 gift bags, ID required, $20 Yellow Brick Road charity glasses • Gift bag misprint panic with "Uncle Ben" image and Moe sticker fix • Chat calls fiasco classic Tom & Dan chaos; "collector's item" jokes • Full sponsor rundown: breweries, THC seltzers, coffee, plumbing, and Moe's cigar lounge • DJ noon–2, live music after, free Supervillains show at West End • Invite to bring families, pets, strollers—photo ID required to drink • Emphasis: sponsors fund it, no profit, listener thank-you • Tease of Sofas & Suds races the next day • Ross's viral Halloween Labyrinth costume and "Bowie bulge" gag • Sock-stuffing debate and hygiene tangent—feet vs. genitals cleanliness • Viral video ethics: featuring kids, monetization, and consent • Ross reflecting on family content making money and audience judgment • Reminder to enjoy creative recognition without exploitation • Story of spontaneous Halloween leading to contest win and joy • Bowie music tangent and favorite songs shared • Ross's toddler now walking; childproofing procrastination • Talk about inherited performance traits and parenting approaches • Ross preferring sports to teach resilience; golf as "jiu jitsu with clubs" • Dangers of child stardom and peaking too early • Plug for Ross's "Good Sauce with Ross and Joel" podcast • Reflection on doing shows with spouses and oversharing • Dan mentions recent health tests and medical oversharing jokes • Watching WWII documentaries for perspective and comfort • Curiosity toward darker historical footage and preserved WWII stories • Call to talk to living veterans for firsthand history • Tease: performing at Secrets Hideaway; "funny while horny" topic • Tease: Jaguars possibly playing at Camping World in 2027 • Tease: Farmer's Almanac ending after 208 years • Music break: Drain – "Living in a Memory" • Infinity documentary discussion—nausea, awe, and humility • Speculation about AI understanding infinity and multiverse theory • Reading comprehension talk—losing focus on dull paragraphs • Agreement that boredom, not intellect, causes zoning out • Shift to "funny and horny" talk—Ross performing at Secrets Hideaway • Debate over comedians mixing sex and comedy successfully • Examples: Sam Kinison, Rodney Dangerfield, Andrew Dice Clay • Secrets Hideaway's wild, nude comedy atmosphere described • Story of crowd energy and guessing a Lockheed employee onstage • Comparison to 1990s shock comedy style • Curiosity about Oz Perlman's mind-reading with Tom Brady • Discussion of mentalists reading cues and using "outs" in tricks • Reference to hypnotists like Jay Medicine Hat and suggestibility • Candy trick example showing layered outcomes • David Blaine's humility after cursing on radio; redemption performance • Joke about arrogant magician behavior and performer psychology • Blaine handshake trick—card under watch, "under his spell" feeling • Realization that such feats use reading skills and preparation • Comparison of magicians and scam psychics using cold reading • Admiration for Penn & Teller, Kostya Kimlat, and their precision Social Media: https://tomanddan.com/ | https://twitter.com/tomanddanlive | https://facebook.com/amediocretime | https://instagram.com/tomanddanlive Where to Find the Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-mediocre-time/id334142682 | https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2FtZWRpb2NyZXRpbWUvcG9kY2FzdC54bWw | https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Mediocre-Time-p364156/ The Tom & Dan Radio Show on Real Radio 104.1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-corporate-time/id975258990 | https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2Fjb3Jwb3JhdGV0aW1lL3BvZGNhc3QueG1s | https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy/A-Corporate-Time-p1038501/ Exclusive Content: https://tomanddan.com/registration Merch: https://tomanddan.myshopify.com/

From the moment the youngest child was born, strange things followed wherever they went. A shadow in a Halloween mask watched from the closet. Doors slammed in empty rooms. Toys moved on their own. But every time they moved houses, the same spirits came too. The haunting didn't belong to the walls—it belonged to them. In one home, a bubble of light appeared from nowhere, floating in midair before vanishing. Soon after, the family's fortune collapsed. In another house, the youngest saw a black figure standing at the end of the hall, a faceless silhouette they called “The Old Man.” Around him, shadow animals appeared—cats that purred, dogs that brushed against their legs, unseen but somehow alive. But when a voice finally whispered “Help me” and words appeared in a notebook—home, boy, 1914—the truth came clear. The spirits weren't haunting them. They were reaching out, asking to be remembered. This isn't just another real haunting—it's proof that some bloodlines are born between worlds, bound by memory, mystery, and love that refuses to die. #realhaunting #trueghoststory #hauntedhouse #paranormalexperience #ghoststories #supernatural #creepyencounters #ghosts #psychicfamily #shadowfigure #spiritcommunication #unexplained Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

From the moment the youngest child was born, strange things followed wherever they went. A shadow in a Halloween mask watched from the closet. Doors slammed in empty rooms. Toys moved on their own. But every time they moved houses, the same spirits came too. The haunting didn't belong to the walls—it belonged to them. In one home, a bubble of light appeared from nowhere, floating in midair before vanishing. Soon after, the family's fortune collapsed. In another house, the youngest saw a black figure standing at the end of the hall, a faceless silhouette they called “The Old Man.” Around him, shadow animals appeared—cats that purred, dogs that brushed against their legs, unseen but somehow alive. But when a voice finally whispered “Help me” and words appeared in a notebook—home, boy, 1914—the truth came clear. The spirits weren't haunting them. They were reaching out, asking to be remembered. This isn't just another real haunting—it's proof that some bloodlines are born between worlds, bound by memory, mystery, and love that refuses to die. #realhaunting #trueghoststory #hauntedhouse #paranormalexperience #ghoststories #supernatural #creepyencounters #ghosts #psychicfamily #shadowfigure #spiritcommunication #unexplained Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story: