Podcasts about reformers

Witness Weekly | WW001 | Kickoff Episode!0:00 Intro0:15 Mario Andrew – News6:26 Discussion of the Week21:05 James St Simon – Book & Film Recommendations / Review26:28 Michael – Redlines (Philosophy & Politics)30:25 Jeremy Jeremiah – Viewer Comments & Questions“Smells and bells” vs “bare walls” misses the point. We debate beauty, Scripture, continuity, and why people say they met God at the Divine Liturgy.A bishop detained under murky circumstances. A fresh call for Orthodox unity a decade after the Council of Crete. A study that claims part of a papal encyclical reads like it was AI assisted. We kick off the first Witness Weekly by moving fast through the headlines, then slowing down where it matters: what these moments reveal about religious freedom, public pressure on clergy, and the real stakes for Christians trying to live faithfully in a tense political climate.We launch Witness Weekly with Orthodox news, a deep dive on why evangelicals convert to Orthodoxy, and a candid look at how rhetoric and assumptions can flatten real theological differences. We close with Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, a challenge to political fixes for evil, and listener questions on worship music, conversion, and parish life.• Metropolitan Hilarion's detention in Lithuania and why prayer for clergy matters• Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's renewed call for Orthodox unity and what changed since Crete• A study suggesting AI assisted writing in a papal encyclical and where the line might be• Archbishop Elpidophoros' hospitalization and continued prayers for his recovery• Common conversion motives and why “aesthetics only” is an unfair summary• Purgatory as a Roman Catholic doctrine and why Orthodoxy gets mislabeled• Institutional continuity versus doctrinal continuity and how Reformers argued their case• The catechumen process as evidence that conversion is usually slow and deliberate• Book of the week The Brothers Karamazov and why it speaks to believers and skeptics• The problem of evil, the Grand Inquisitor, and the limits of political solutions• Listener comment on worship music, tradition, standards, and Christian art• Advice for Protestants navigating hard conversations when exploring OrthodoxyPlease let us know your thoughts in the commentsFrom there, we take on a question we keep seeing everywhere: why are evangelicals converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy? We challenge the lazy take that people switch churches because they got dazzled by “smells and bells” or seduced by a vague sense of history. We talk about the long, prayerful process most converts go through, the catechumen journey, and the way outsiders often lump Orthodoxy and Catholicism together, especially around doctrines like purgatory. We also dissect the rhetoric behind “continuity” claims, including how Reformers like John Calvin argued they were the true heirs of the ancient Church.We pivot into culture and formation with our book of the week, The Brothers Karamazov, and why Dostoevsky still feels uncomfortably current. We connect the problem of evil, the Grand Inquisitor's political temptation, and the hard truth that there is no ideology that can substitute for personal responsibility and repentance. Finally, we respond to listener comments on worship music, tradition, and standards, and we offer practical advice for Protestants navigating difficult conversations while exploring Orthodoxy. Can worship music be “frozen in time” and still alive? We respond to a tough listener critique, talk standards, lyrics, and the difference between church worship and Christian art. Mario Andrew  ⁨@AndrewStMercy⁩ James St Simon  ⁨@jamessaintsimon⁩ Michael  ⁨@redlineshq⁩  Jeremy Jeremiah Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

fWotD Episode 3321: Types Riot Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Monday, 8 June 2026, is Types Riot.The Types Riot was the destruction of William Lyon Mackenzie's printing press and movable type by members of the Family Compact on June 8, 1826, in York, Upper Canada (now known as Toronto). The Family Compact was the ruling elite of Upper Canada who appointed themselves to positions of power within the Upper Canadian government. Mackenzie created the Colonial Advocate newspaper and published editorials in the paper that accused the Family Compact of incompetence and profiteering on corrupt practices, offending the rioters. It is not known who planned the riot, although Samuel Jarvis, a government official, later claimed he organized the event. On the evening of June 8, nine to fifteen rioters forced their way into the newspaper offices and destroyed property. During the event, Mackenzie's employees tried to get passersby to help stop the rioters. Bystanders refused to help when they saw government officials such as William Allan and Stephen Heward were watching the spectacle. When the rioters finished destroying the office, they took cases of type with them and threw them into the nearby bay.Mackenzie sued the rioters for the damage to his property and lost business opportunities. The civil trial attracted substantial media attention, with several newspapers denouncing the government officials who failed to stop the riot. A jury awarded Mackenzie £625 to be paid by the defendants, a particularly harsh settlement. He used the event to highlight abuses of the Upper Canada government during his first campaign for election to the Parliament of Upper Canada, for which he was ultimately successful. Reformers viewed Mackenzie as a martyr because of the destruction of his property, and he remained popular for several years. Historians identify the event as a sign of weakening Tory influence in Upper Canada politics.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:41 UTC on Monday, 8 June 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Types Riot on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Nicole.

The Office of the Keys, the power to forgive and retain sins, has been given to the Church. This is why the Church has the right to elect and ordain qualified ministers. When one decides that the Church no longer has this authority, no matter their position, they are outside of the Lord's calling and are not to be followed. The Reformers began to elect and ordain their own ministers to assure that the pure Gospel was preached and souls received a clear conscience in Christ. Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Overland, MO, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to continue our study of the Power and Primacy of the Pope. To learn more about Our Redeemer Lutheran, visit ourredeemerstl.org. Find your copy of the Book of Concord - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org. Study the Lutheran Confession of Faith found in the Book of Concord with lively discussions led by host Rev. Brady Finnern, President of the LCMS Minnesota North District, and guest LCMS pastors. Join us as these Christ-confessing Concordians read through and discuss our Lutheran doctrine in the Book of Concord in order to gain a deeper understanding of our Lutheran faith and practical application for our vocations. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org.

In this opening episode of In the Lane of Contrology, PAA Podcast host Bruce Hildebrand begins a new conversation series with Classical Pilates teacher and PAA Committee member Sharon Michau by asking whether the industry is still teaching Pilates, or simply using Pilates equipment. Sharon draws a clear line between the apparatus and the method, arguing that the Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, barrels and small apparatus are not Pilates by themselves, but tools within a complete system that relies on intention, progression, breath, control, body organisation and discovery.Bruce and Sharon explore how the Reformer has become the public face of Pilates, expanding awareness while also narrowing understanding. Sharon explains that equipment-based fitness may still be enjoyable and beneficial, but it is not necessarily Pilates if it lacks the deeper internal logic of the method. The conversation highlights the importance of the full system, where the Mat, Reformer, Chair, Cadillac and Barrels each teach the body something different and “speak to each other” in ways that are lost when Pilates is reduced to rows of Reformers.Rather than dismissing modern studios or group formats, this episode invites teachers, studio owners and clients to ask more honest questions about what is actually being offered. Sharon encourages the profession to educate without arrogance, distinguish between Pilates and fitness on Pilates equipment, and return to the work with curiosity rather than defensiveness. The central message is that Pilates lives not in the machinery, the exercise names or the visual appearance of a class, but in the method: the intention, progression, control, breath, system and discovery that happen inside the body.PAA Course Competency Criteria standardsVisit the PAA website Find us on  Facebook Join the PAA Member Forum (Members  only)Find us on InstagramEmail us at support@pilates.org.au

fWotD Episode 3316: Ancaster incident Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Wednesday, 3 June 2026, is Ancaster incident.The Ancaster incident was an attack on the Upper Canadian government official and politician George Rolph on June 3, 1826, in Ancaster, Upper Canada. Members of the Tory elite, motivated by suspected adultery and dislike of Rolph, dragged Rolph from his home and proceeded to tar and feather him. At the subsequent trials, government officials such as the solicitor general Henry John Boulton and the attorney general refused to prosecute the cases; instead, they recused themselves or acted as counsel for the accused. This led to several proceedings, in which Rolph was represented by his brother John Rolph, to determine which judges and court proceedings would be used for the trials. None of the defendants were criminally prosecuted, and Rolph received a verdict of £20 from two of the defendants; his appeal to increase the amount paid was unsuccessful.Reformers, the political opponents of the Tories, cited the incident as evidence of the Tories engaging in political violence to maintain their power, contributing to the Reformers' victory in the 1828 elections for the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. The Gore county magistrates dismissed Rolph from his position as their clerk, leading to a legislative inquiry into the dismissal and Rolph's reinstatement to the role. John Walpole Willis, a judge in the civil lawsuit's appeal, admonished government officials for not pursuing criminal charges. This incident contributed to the legislative assembly investigating the abuse of power perpetuated by public prosecutors. Historians have cited the incident to highlight the tensions between the ruling elite and the growing agrarian society in Upper Canada, resulting in the Tories using violence in an attempt to retain their political and social influence within the province.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:03 UTC on Wednesday, 3 June 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Ancaster incident on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Niamh.

Segment 1 • Dr. Jason Lisle argues that the strongest case for creation isn't fossils or geology—it's something far more fundamental. • If information always comes from a mind, where did the instructions inside DNA originate? • Carbon-14 findings in diamonds and dinosaur remains continue raising uncomfortable questions for deep-time assumptions. Segment 2 • A secular psychotherapist asks a startling question: What if therapy is actually tearing people apart? • Why does every difficult relationship now seem to involve someone who is "toxic," "narcissistic," or "traumatized"? • Todd examines whether modern therapy culture is helping people heal—or teaching them how to stay offended. Segment 3 • Young evangelicals aren't abandoning religion—they're searching for something they believe is missing. • Incense, liturgy, church history, and ancient traditions are attracting a generation raised on seeker-sensitive Christianity. • Were churches so focused on relevance that they accidentally stripped away transcendence? Segment 4 • The answer isn't copying Rome or importing Eastern Orthodoxy into Protestant churches. • What did the Reformers understand about worship, discipleship, and church life that many churches have forgotten? • From catechesis to church history to reverent worship, Todd outlines what may be needed to rebuild depth before more young people leave. ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

In Episode 2 of the series Mary in the Dock: Ordinary or Extraordinary?, host Greg Smith puts the Catholic doctrine of Mary as Mother of God (Theotokos) on trial. Many modern evangelicals recoil at the title, calling it blasphemous or idolatrous and unknowingly echoing the ancient Nestorian heresy that split Christ in two. Greg gives the strongest Protestant objections a full, fair hearing — the lack of an explicit Bible verse, the risk of deifying Mary, and the historical cautions from Calvin — then delivers a robust Catholic defense rooted in Luke 1:43 (“mother of my Lord”), the Council of Ephesus (431 AD), and the affirmations of classical Reformers like Luther (“she is rightly called… the Mother of God”), Zwingli, and the Anglican Articles. Far from Marian excess, the doctrine safeguards the full reality of the Incarnation and the infinite value of Christ's atonement. Listeners serve as the jury in this conversational yet intellectually sharp courtroom discussion that asks the key question: is Mary simply an ordinary woman God used for a moment, or the extraordinary God-bearer the Church has proclaimed for two thousand years? Perfect for curious non-Catholics, Protestant pastors investigating Catholicism, and cradle Catholics deepening their faith. SUPPORT THIS SHOW Considering Catholicism is 100% listener-supported. If this podcast has helped you on your journey, please become a patron today! For as little as $5/month you get: • Every regular episode ad-free and organized into topical playlists • Exclusive bonus content (extra Q&As, Deep-Dive courses, live streams, and more) • My deepest gratitude and a growing community of like-minded listeners ➡️ Join now: https://patreon.com/consideringcatholicism (or tap the Patreon link in your podcast app) One-time gift: Donate with PayPal! CONNECT WITH US • Website & contact form: https://consideringcatholicism.com • Email: consideringcatholicism@gmail.com • Leave a comment on Patreon (I read every one!) RATE & REVIEW If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating (and even better, a review) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — it really helps new listeners find us. SHARE THE SHOW Know someone who's curious about Catholicism? Send them a link or share an episode on social media. Thank you! Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat.

In this message, Peter explores the heart of the Protestant Reformation and why its key convictions remain vital for Christians today. Tracing the Reformers' return to Scripture, he highlights the authority of God's Word, the seriousness of sin, and the gospel truth that we are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. More than a lesson in church history, this is a reminder of the hope, assurance, and freedom found in the gospel.

Segment 1 • Why do churches split over doctrine when everyone claims to follow the same Bible? • Todd traces modern church confusion back to a little-known Jewish revolt that changed Christian history forever. • Could the loss of a “plain sense” reading of Scripture be why Christians can't agree on basic truths anymore? Segment 2 • The Bar Kokhba revolt didn't just crush Jerusalem — Todd argues it reshaped the entire trajectory of biblical interpretation. • Jewish Christians were squeezed out from both sides, leaving Gentile leadership to redefine how Scripture was read. • What happens when “hidden meanings” become more important than what the Bible actually says? Segment 3 • Todd explains how allegorical interpretation opened the door to wildly different doctrines and endless theological confusion. • Did replacement theology grow out of bad hermeneutics instead of sound biblical interpretation? • Early church leaders began treating the “literal” meaning of Scripture as inferior — and the consequences still linger today. Segment 4 • The Reformers fought to recover a grammatical-historical reading of Scripture after centuries of allegorical dominance. • Todd compares ancient allegorical methods to modern deconstruction: “It's not what the text says — it's what it doesn't say.” • If your church doesn't share the same hermeneutic, are division and doctrinal chaos inevitable? ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

Are you building with conviction and clarity or are you running on pride, impatience, and ego?   In this episode, we break down one of the most important distinctions in business and leadership: the difference between a Reformer and a Rebel. The side you're operating from will determine whether you build something lasting or blow it up.   3 Key Takeaways Meekness is not weakness. Reformers are submitted, coachable, and spirit-led. Rebels resist correction the moment it challenges their ego. Your fuel source is revealed under pressure, not in the highlight reel. Check what's actually driving your conviction and calling, or pride and proving people wrong. If you can't be examined, you can't be trusted with what you're trying to build. Reformers invite scrutiny. Rebels deflect it. Make sure your notepad is ready. This one hits differently. Keep taking action, pursuing personal excellence, and impacting lives!   In This Episode, We Discuss: The Reformer vs. The Rebel Two types of leaders. Two very different outcomes. Nehemiah was called to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem; he faced opposition, ridicule, and threats, and never reacted in anger. He kept building. King Saul was given a kingdom and lost it through pride, impatience, and self-will. Same pressure. Completely different response. Which one are you? The Reformer: Meek, spirit-led, purposeful, and submitted. The Rebel: Arrogant, self-willed, flesh-driven, prideful, stubborn, and impatient. Reformation is not about tearing down it's about restoration, repentance, renewal, and alignment. In business, it means aligning your work with your calling, your values, and a vision bigger than yourself.   5 Keys To Becoming a Reformer In Business Key #1  Know Your Sphere (Don't Fight Outside Your Lane) Nehemiah didn't try to reform everything he was called to one wall, one city. Rebels scatter their energy fighting battles they were never assigned to. When you work on your actual assignment, you become unstoppable.   Key #2  Meekness Is Not Weakness (Submit Before You Lead) Meekness is strength under control. Reformers are submitted to God, to mentors, to a process. Rebels are coachable until the coach challenges their ego. In business, are you building under authority or building around it?   Key #3  Check Your Fuel Source (What's Driving You?) Both reformers and rebels work hard. The difference is why. Rebel fuel is anger at the system, pride in proving people wrong, and impatience with the pace. Reformer fuel is conviction, calling, and the people they're serving.   Key #4  Patience Is a Strategy (The Long Game Wins) King Saul couldn't wait; he moved before he was supposed to and it cost him everything. Nehemiah faced 52 days of opposition and ridicule. He didn't quit. He didn't retaliate. He built. Rebels mistake urgency for anointing. Just because you feel it strongly doesn't mean it's time.   Key #5  Reformers Invite Scrutiny, Rebels Deflect It Nehemiah was transparent to the king, to the people, to God. Rebels hide from accountability, feedback, and the full picture. Do you have real financial accountability? A coach, a mastermind, a mentor who sees your actual numbers and decisions?   Follow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisandericmartinez/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Dynamicduotraining Website: https://www.liveadynamiclifestyle.com/     Attention Nutrition & Fitness Coaches: "Join our Free Dynamic Fit Pros Community Skool Group Where we help you Discover, Develop, & Deploy your skills, gifts, and greatness to help others."  See HERE   Attention Nutrition & Fitness Coaches: "Enrollment is Open for our Accelerator Mentorship to build a 6-Figure Online Fitness Coaching Business"  See HERE     See the full Show Notes to this episode here: https://www.liveadynamiclifestyle.com/podcast/the-reformer-vs-the-rebel-the-nehemiah-standard-for-business/  

Is a conservative reform wave about to flip the Southern Baptist Convention? In this episode of the Center for Baptist Leadership Podcast, William Wolfe sits down with pastor and writer Michael Clary to unpack his now-famous “taxonomy” of SBC factions—Platform, Loyalists, Reformers, Normies, and Absentees—and why Orlando 2026 could be a make-or-break moment.   They dive into: Why the reformers are actually winning (ERLC, Brent Leatherwood, and beyond) The battle over women pastors and the Truth & Unity Amendment led by Dr. Al Mohler Why Willie Rice may be the SBC president reformers have been praying for How normies and absentees can decide the future of the SBC in Orlando and Indianapolis   If you care about Baptist identity, institutional reform, biblical complementarianism, and the future of the SBC, this is your pre-Orlando briefing.  

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and a little Aramaic. But if we have so many good English translations today, do the original languages still matter?In this episode, we argue that Greek and Hebrew are not just academic extras for pastors and theologians. They are deeply connected to the health of the church, the clarity of Scripture, and the preservation of sound doctrine.We'll look at why the Reformers cared so much about the biblical languages, especially Martin Luther and John Calvin. We'll also consider what happens when churches, pastors, seminaries, and Christians begin to downplay the importance of returning to the original text of Scripture.Even if you never personally learn Greek or Hebrew, this episode explains why you should still care whether your pastors and teachers value them.Article mentioned: The Reformers and the Original Languages (https://petergoeman.com/papers/reformers_and_original_languages.pdf)Timestamps0:00 — Introduction3:22 — When Christians downplay the biblical languages5:15 — The dumbing down of theological education6:27 — Biblical languages as a barometer of church health8:20 — Before the Reformation: Latin and the average churchgoer9:47 — Wycliffe and the groundwork for reform11:27 — Luther, Bible translation, and the languages24:20 — Luther's warning about neglecting the languages27:29 — Modern examples of being swayed by attractive false teaching29:44 — Calvin and the importance of literal interpretation34:02 — Calvin's Geneva Academy and language training40:38 — Why English alone can sometimes limit interpretation42:27 — Do modern translations and commentaries make languages unnecessary?47:49 — Three problems when teachers lack biblical language tools52:34 — Machen and Princeton Seminary56:33 — Three benefits of studying biblical languages1:04:32 — Final appeal: be strong advocates for the biblical languagesIf you have found the podcast helpful, consider ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leaving a review on Itunes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rating it on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can also find ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Bible Sojourner on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Consider passing any episodes you have found helpful to a friend.Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠petergoeman.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information on the podcast or blog.Visit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ shepherds.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more on Shepherds Theological Seminary where Dr. Goeman teaches.

Did Latter-day Saints get the Protestant Reformation wrong? In this eye-opening episode of Ward Radio, Luke Hansen from Doctrine & Governance joins Cardon Ellis to challenge common LDS narratives about Martin Luther and the Reformers.Using a detailed doctrinal comparison chart, they explore surprising alignments between LDS theology and Catholicism — and major disagreements with Evangelical Protestantism — on topics like the Godhead, priesthood authority, one true church, faith & works, and more.Is the Reformation a "massive leap for mankind" or a continuation of the Great Apostasy? Should we celebrate Reformation Day? This is must-watch for anyone interested in church history, apologetics, and deeper gospel understanding.Featuring humor, charts, and thought-provoking discussion as always.#WardRadio #LatterDaySaints #Reformation #MartinLuther #LDS #Catholic #Protestant #GreatApostasy #BookOfMormon #Christianity #ChurchHistoryVideo Chapters:

Title: God's Call To Glory Text: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 FCF: We often struggle comprehending the scope and sequence of God's Redemption of His people. Prop: Because God calls and oversees our redemption to glory, we must be counted and walk worthy of the call of God. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. In a moment we'll read from the English Standard Version starting in verse 5 and going through verse 12. Last week, Paul began addressing some of the concerns of the Thessalonians regarding the Day of the Lord and the persecution they were enduring. Paul assured them that God's justice is perfect. That He is reordering their lives and will reward all men according to what they have earned, either punishment for wickedness or reward for Christ's righteousness. As terrible as His punishment is for those who disobey the gospel, for those who obey, His reward is even more wonderful. We finished last week with the reward of meeting Christ in the air and His people glorifying Him and marveling at His splendor. But Paul wants to close out this section of his letter both by elaborating on the nature of the redemptive path God has put them on and also praying that God would see them to the end reward that he has just described. Stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Gracious God who gives abundantly to us so that we may be Your people, we humbly ask that You would send Your Spirit among us today to teach us from Your Word. Help us to see the depth and richness of Your grace today. Help us to understand just how miserable of a state we were in prior to Your grace interrupting our travels to hell. And perhaps, You would call others this morning with the interrupting power of Your grace to cease their pursuit of their own destruction and obey the gospel by believing on Your Son, Jesus. Meet with us, for we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “Perfection demands perfection; that is why salvation must be by grace and why works are not sufficient.” Donald Grey Barnhouse. “We can never be blessed until we learn that we can bring nothing to Christ but our need.” Vance Havner [Slide 3] “Whatever contribution men make to their salvation they make by the grace of God. And that makes salvation the work of grace a hundred percent.” R.B. Kuiper “A man is not a Christian unless he can say with Paul, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones [Slide 4] “The grace of God does not find men fit for salvation but makes them so.” Augustine of Hippo “The sinner, apart from grace, is unable to be willing and unwilling to be able.” W.E. Best “Grace is not a reward for faith; faith is the result of grace.” John Blanchard [Slide 5] “Grace is omnipotence acting redemptively.” Geoff Thomas “Grace is power. It does not instruct, it energizes, and what dead men need is energizing, such energizing as raises the dead.” B.B. Warfield “Grace is but glory begun, and glory is but grace perfected.” Jonathan Edwards And on and on they go. I could have included many more. But that is enough for now. Let these words about God's grace prepare you to see it in the text today. I.) All who meet the Lord in the air are counted and walk worthy of the call of God, so we must be counted and walk worthy of the call of God. (11) a. [Slide 6] 11 - To this end we always pray for you, i. Paul begins these closing thoughts on God's righteous judgment pointing back to the rest and reward given to those who obeyed the gospel by believing what the apostles spoke to them concerning Jesus. ii. What is that rest and what is that reward? It is the glorifying of Christ and marveling at His splendor. iii. Paul reveals that it is “to this end” or more literally, “in this” that they continue to pray for them. iv. This gives this entire passage a distinct eschatological perspective of all that it has to say. Now that may be obvious now, but if we forget this it may make our interpretation of the text more difficult as we go forward. v. Paul and his companions are always praying for them that they would make it to that day when Christ returns and they can glorify Him in His presence. vi. Paul is not suggesting, necessarily, that this is uncertain. vii. Some Christians wrongly conclude that if God has promised something to us that to pray for it is either a waste of time or even showing distrust in His promises. viii. However, we are commanded to pray in the will of God. Paul shows us what that looks like. ix. Paul is confident, based on their growth in faith and love and endurance amid affliction and persecution, that God will count the Thessalonians worthy of His Kingdom. x. But just because Paul is certain of that, and just because God has promised to do that for those who believe, doesn't mean there is no need to pray for it to come about. xi. Quite the opposite actually. xii. To suggest that praying for something somehow implies that it is uncertain is simply unfounded. xiii. Imagine if we applied this to the Lord's prayer. xiv. Is it uncertain as to whether God's kingdom will come? Yet we are told to pray for it to come by Jesus Himself. xv. Paul praying for the Thessalonians to reach that glorious gathering in the air with Christ, is not suggesting, at all, that they might not make it. It is praying that God's promises come true. xvi. But what is necessary if they are to make it to that glorious day when we meet Christ in the air? xvii. What is the content of their continued prayers for the Thessalonians? b. [Slide 7] that our God may make you worthy of his calling, i. There are two translational concepts here that we should briefly address. ii. Many scholars debate the Greek word the ESV translates here “make worthy.” This is a very old debate. It is at the heart of the divide between Protestant and Roman Catholic doctrine. 1. As a reminder Official Roman Catholic Dogma believes that God actually makes you righteous at baptism. That original sin is washed away in those waters of baptism and the remainder of your life is the process of trying to keep yourself in that state of grace. Something you can only do in the confines of the Roman Catholic Church. 2. Through rigorous study, the Reformers demonstrated that the most common way to translate this word is “counted worthy.” 3. This word in the New Testament is consistently used to express someone or something being counted as worthy which is not actually worthy of the honor being given to them. It is in fact a legal declaration rather than something you are made into or have earned. 4. In fact, this is the same root word that Paul used in verse 5 where the Thessalonians are counted worthy of God's Kingdom. Since the context was speaking of God's righteous Justice, a legal verdict makes much more sense than some kind of God-infused act. 5. But since this context has an eschatological emphasis, the meaning could, conceivably be “make worthy.” 6. We know that Jesus will present us faultless before the throne of God. He will make us worthy and righteous. 7. But even if that is true, two things are absolutely certain. 8. The idea of God making us worthy prior to Christ's return, whether that be that we reach a state of perfection and never sin again, or that we reach a state of perfection and have to strive to keep ourselves there – both of these are not only not supported in this text, but they are repudiated. 9. Being truly worthy of God's Kingdom is definitely something God must do, but per Paul, that occurs at the coming of Christ. 10. However, in my opinion, counted worthy is the better translation here. And I will explain that in a moment. iii. The second translational concept here is concerning the same word but from a different angle. 1. The mood of the verb “count worthy” is in the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood is used to express a wish or hope, and sometimes has conditions. 2. As understanding grows on the Greek language, particularly the Greek trade-language that was used in the writing of the New Testament, more has been understood about the subjunctive mood to understand that it is actually very RARELY used in the New Testament to express something that is possible if the right conditions are met. 3. Instead, the subjunctive mood is almost exclusively used to express something that is either probable or intended. 4. Why does this matter? 5. Well, if we read this and Paul prays that our God “might” count them worthy of their calling… our mind automatically imports the possibility that God might not do that. We start wondering what the conditions are that God might have to not count someone worthy of the calling HE CALLED THEM WITH. 6. But here, Paul uses the subjunctive mood because He is praying that God's calling producing the verdict of worthy for these Thessalonian believers. Prayers are hopes or wishes. 7. But as we've already said, prayers are not necessarily a hope that implies it may not happen. 8. In fact, there is a HUGE correlation here between God calling someone and counting them worthy of that calling. And the key to unlock that is another letter that Paul will write from Corinth, possibly at the same time that he is writing to the Thessalonians. 9. In Romans 8:29-30, Paul says that whom the Lord calls He also justifies. Justify is to be “counted righteous” or “declared righteous” in a legal sense and would be synonymous with being counted worthy of God's Kingdom. Paul puts a necessary and unbreakable connection between the ones whom God calls and those whom He declares righteous. 10. There is no uncertainty here. If God called them, He will count them worthy of that call. And Paul is praying for that end. iv. With both those translational issues out of the way we better understand what Paul is praying. v. Paul wants them to make it to that day when we glorify Christ in the air. vi. So, he is praying that what is necessary for that to be the case is found in the Thessalonians. vii. First, that they be counted worthy of the saving call of God. viii. But our justification is not the end. Just because we are justified does not mean we are ready for the day we stand before Christ face to face to give Him glory. c. [Slide 8] and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, i. Paul also prays that God would fulfill or complete or provide every resolve. ii. The ESV translates this word well. It means something hoped for or desired or something resolved to do or have. iii. Paul's prayer is that God completes in them every resolve. What resolve? iv. The resolve has two sides. 1. First, for good. a. Good here is of the moral quality. b. It is to be good. To be righteous. To be holy. c. It is to please God. d. It is to care for one another. e. It is to love God and others. f. Paul's prayer is that God completes the resolve for them to be morally upright. 2. Second, a working out of their faith. a. So beyond moral uprightness, that they would do what pleases God out of a belief in Him and the gospel. b. The resolve to work out their faith in acts of obedience to God. v. And notice that all of this is done by or with God's power. God is doing the completing of these resolves by supplying everything necessary. vi. In this we see another close correlation between another letter that Paul will write several years later. vii. In Philippians 2, Paul commands the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” viii. The word in Philippians 2 for “good pleasure” is… resolve. ix. Here Paul prays that God completes the resolve for them to be morally upright and work out their salvation, and in Phillippians he assures them that God provides the desire and the power to accomplish His resolve. x. Paul's prayer is for them to make it to that meeting in the air to glorify Christ. xi. Therefore, he prays for the necessary process for them to get there. xii. They must not only have been counted worthy of the calling of God, but they must also walk worthy of that calling. xiii. A divinely given faith that is effective to save, is a faith that must also be worked out with divine assistance. d. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: Paul is praying, as any loving pastor should, that the church in Thessalonica makes it to that day when all believers will be gathered together to glorify Jesus in the air. And if they will make it to that day, they must follow the necessary process to get there. All who will meet the Lord in the air on that day will be counted worthy of God's effectual call. They will also walk worthy of that call by living morally upright lives, working out their faith as God completes this in them by His power. So, what is the application for us? Well, we must be counted and walk worthy of the effectual call of God. That application requires a good deal more explanation, but let's save that for later. Transition: [Slide 10 (blank)] So, after this necessary process is complete in them, what will be the result? II.) All who are counted and walk worthy of the call of God will glorify Christ and be glorified, so we must be counted and walk worthy of the call of God. (12) a. [Slide 11] 12 - so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, i. Paul, probably alludes to Isaiah 66 as he mentions the name of the Lord being glorified. ii. In our time and in this time to a much greater degree, a person's name meant much. In paganism and witchcraft, there is power in knowing and using names of demons. In the Old Testament, oftentimes it is considered a great shame on a person who is never named. In the New Testament we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. iii. A name represents the fame and reputation and the authority of the person who bears it. iv. It would also be good for us to understand what being glorified means as we move through this verse. v. To glorify is to be positively acknowledged, recognized, or esteemed for one's own character, nature, or attributes. vi. To be glorified is to be honored and appreciated for who you are. vii. Therefore, the purpose of the Thessalonians being counted and walking worthy of God's call is so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be given the proper honor, praise, recognition, and esteem it deserves… how? viii. Paul says - in you. In the Thessalonians. When? ix. When they are all delivered safely to Christ's glorious presence having been counted worthy of God's call and having walked worthy of God's call, by their existence as a people conformed to Christ, and by their actions, as a people who marvel at His splendor, they will give glory to Jesus. x. The question arises, of course. Don't we bring glory to God NOW by the way we live? xi. Certainly! Paul isn't debating that point, nor is what he says here somehow in conflict with that. xii. Remember this passage is eschatological. Paul has his eyes fixed on that meeting with Christ in the air when He is revealed from heaven. xiii. Why? xiv. Because that is where the Thessalonians' concerns are. xv. They are concerned that the Day of the Lord has come and they are actually living their best life now… under great persecution. xvi. But that isn't the end of this redemption plan of God… b. [Slide 12] and you in him, i. One aspect that we must understand is that salvation is NOT just about getting out of hell. ii. It is NOT just about avoiding eternal death. iii. Being counted worthy and walking worthy of this name means not only that we bring glory to His name… but that the one who bears His name is also… glorified. iv. We are called children of God. A kingdom of priests. We are called the bride of Christ. v. This is all imagery and language to suggest that we become, in a very real way, part of God's family. We become sons of God. vi. We, in this entire redemptive story arch, go from created Image bearers to part of His royal court. vii. We inherit glory from one who has stamped His name on us. A name above every other name. viii. That same name… has been given to us in a similar way to a surname being given to an adopted child or a bride. ix. We inherit all the rights, privileges and responsibilities that comes with the name we were given. x. How can this be? How did this happen? How did we go from wretches to sharing in His glory? c. [Slide 13] 12 - according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. i. It is all grace my friends. ii. Once again, I implore you to step away from the correct but often misunderstood definition of grace as God's unmerited favor. iii. A better definition might be the acronym grace… God's Riches At Christ's Expense. iv. But even that is a bit narrow. v. So here is the best definition of grace that I can give you. vi. It is God's power which he grants to people according to His free will, to enable them to be, receive, or do something which they are unable to be, get, or do on their own. vii. And indeed, we could not be worthy of God's call on our own. We could walk worthy of that call on our own. viii. And we certainly were not able to take His name or be in His family by the strength of our own efforts or will. ix. Who among us chose their name? You may have had an opportunity to change your name. But none here chose their name. x. Our salvation, from beginning to end, is all a work of God's grace. d. [Slide 14] Summary of the Point: And so, Paul reveals that after the necessary process of being counted worthy and walking worthy of God's effectual call, not only will the Thessalonians glorify the name of Jesus but they will also be glorified by bearing His name. Paul summarizes that all of this saving work from beginning to end is the work of God and His grace. Therefore, we must be counted worthy and walk worthy of the effectual call of God. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basic Concepts of Faith and Practice: [Slide 15] Paul's prayer starts at the end, where those rewarded for obeying the gospel are glorifying Christ. So, his prayer is that they would walk the only path that leads to them glorifying Christ in the air at His return. He prays that God counts them worthy and that they walk worthy of God's effectual call on their lives. So that they can glorify Christ and in His name be glorified themselves. Of course, all of this is according to the grace of God and Jesus Christ. Since this is the only path that delivers believers to His side, and since all true believers will meet Him in the air, this is the path all true believers must walk. So, we too must be counted worthy and walk worthy of the effectual call of God. But what does all this mean, and how do we do it? 1.) [Slide 16] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that all of salvation is by the grace of God. a. Understanding God's grace is perhaps one of the greatest personal lessons the Lord has taught me since being your pastor. b. Ten years ago, I understood God's grace to be, mostly, kindness. c. But I now realize how cheap my understanding of grace really was. d. I heartily affirmed the definition, unmerited favor… but truthfully didn't comprehend exactly what that meant. e. And even understanding the words can lead us right back to… kindness. God is kind to us and we don't deserve it. f. But as I studied, I realized that this is really a drop in the bucket of what God's grace really is. g. Others have said, God's Riches At Christ's Expense. A fine definition. But, alas, it could simply mean… kindness. God gives His riches through Christ's sacrifice to us because He is kind to us. h. But all these definitions fall short of a biblically consistent view of the word… grace. i. Let me define it with a word picture. j. Imagine you are sailing in an motorless sailboat on the Mediterranean Sea. While heading for your destination, the wind suddenly stops. No matter how many sails you unfurl and in which direction, there is no wind to catch. You are stranded. In this position, you are completely subject to the wind. Nothing you do can actually affect your progress toward your destination. Suddenly, a strong wind kicks up and pushes you, not to the destination you wanted to go, but to another. When you land you find out that the destination you desired was overrun by bandits and everyone there was killed. k. This is a great illustration of God's grace. e. God's grace is His power which He grants to people according to His free will, to enable them to be, receive, or do something which they are unable and unwilling to be, get, or do on their own. l. Since we are sinners from birth, children of wrath, and sons of our father the devil, we are not righteous and we do not even seek God. The destination we wish to go is toward a city destined for destruction. m. God's grace fills our sails and propels us toward a destination of His own choosing. We don't seek Him, He seeks us. n. Now, there are certainly aspects of human agency. We are commanded to repent. We are commanded to believe on Christ and what He has accomplished. We are commanded to walk worthy of the calling we've been given. o. But we must recognize that no matter what we are commanded to do, without God's power which He gives when and to whom He chooses, we can never obey any of those commands. We cannot even obey the command of the gospel to believe on Christ, without God's grace first enabling us to do so. p. That is what Paul means when he says that salvation is by grace, through faith, not of ourselves, but a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. q. Grace comes first, like a wind, unseen and not in our control. Then once we are moved by grace, we can believe in Christ, and we are saved. r. In this way, as Paul makes clear in this passage, all glory goes to God for our salvation. For even our belief would not be possible if He did not enable us to believe. s. And since salvation is by grace, it produces a predictable trajectory of every single believer's salvation, which leaves no room for interruption or uncertainty. 2.) [Slide 17] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the events of salvation are an identical unbroken chain beginning with God's foreknowledge and ending with our glorification. a. This passage, as I have already said, has a lot of similarities to both Romans 8:29-30 and Philippians 2:12-13. Since Paul wrote all three of these texts and one around the same time as he wrote 2 Thessalonians, I took the liberty of cobbling together the sequence of salvation according to Paul. b. [Slide 18] On the screen behind me, Romans 8 is in blue, 2 Thessalonians 1 is in red, and Philippians 2 is in purple. The italicized words in black are merely words I have filled in to help connect the contexts together. c. This is the redemptive story of every single person who God has elected for salvation. And not only does every single believer follow this sequence, there is no interruption or break. Meaning if the sequence is truly started by God, it will not end until it is completed. d. Let's look… e. Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined... and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (counted worthy of His call and His Kingdom) and those whom He justified, He also… conformed to the image of His Son by completing in power their resolve for good and every work of faith to work out their own salvation in fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in [them} both to will and to work for His good pleasure and those whom He conformed to the image of His Son, The name of the Lord Jesus will be glorified in [them] and He also (will glorify) glorified [them] in Him so that all His salvation from beginning to end is according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. f. From God's foreknowledge or His foreordination, to His glorifying us in Christ, and everything in between, it is one unbroken chain. g. Those whom God foreordained will be glorified. h. Since this is true… what must we do? 3.) [Slide 19] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must pray that God completes our salvation. a. Just because He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it, does not mean we don't need to pray for our own and one another's salvation. b. Oftentimes when we talk about praying for others to be saved, we mean for them to be justified. c. Certainly, from what we just saw, this is not a bad thing. For if they are justified, they will be glorified. d. But Paul provides a pattern for us. He is reasonably sure that the Thessalonian church is elect of God because He saw the gospel come upon them in the power of the Holy Spirit. He has seen them grow. He has seen them mature. e. And yet, both his letters to them are FILLED with prayers for them to be saved… ultimately. f. We are often tempted to stop praying for someone when they profess Christ. Because, try as we might, we still think of salvation as a one-time, check box experience. g. My friends… Our salvation is ongoing. We are still being saved. We are still being reordered. We are still being redeemed. h. God has more for us in this great salvation. i. So let us continue to pray for one another. That we would continue to be saved, and that God would save us fully and completely one day. j. Pray through the member directory. Pray through the prayer list. Pray that God would keep saving everyone on that list who has made a profession. k. Just because we believe that God will preserve all those whom He has elected to salvation… doesn't mean we stop praying when we see one event of that salvation occur. l. Indeed, our salvation isn't done… In many ways – especially for us – it has only just begun. 4.) [Slide 20] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must walk worthy of God's effectual call. a. Since God has us on this new path, a path we are guaranteed to walk if we are truly called by Him… b. Then we must walk the path! c. The certainty of our salvation does not produce passivity… it produces action! d. And the greatest part is… God supplies our desire and our ability to be what He wants us to be! e. He doesn't leave the tending of or progression in our salvation to our passions or power. He supplies that to us! f. So with an assured outcome of success – RISE UP CHRISTIAN and walk worthy of the name of Jesus Christ. g. It is a name above every name… and He has given it … TO YOU! h. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings… and He has given YOU His name. i. So get off the bench! It is time to live uprightly. It is time to obey His commands. It is time to make disciples. It is time to serve each other. It is time to share the gospel. It is time to grow in the knowledge of Christ. j. GET IN THE GAME! There is no fear of failure. k. In fact… 5.) [Slide 21] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” When God calls us, He is faithful to complete us, and glorify us. a. Is there a greater comfort available? b. We often talk about salvation in reference to sin. And we should. That is a message that often gets neglected in many churches today. c. We are saved from sin's power, penalty, and eventually its very presence. d. And I still believe that one of the greatest parts of heaven is never dealing with temptation again. e. But listen… f. God's plan for your salvation is not so narrow. g. He will honor you. Not because you deserve it. Not because you've earned it. But because CHRIST has earned it and given you HIS NAME! h. We will reign with Christ. i. We will be part of a council where we contribute to the rule of His eternal kingdom. j. We will judge angels. k. We will be in the royal court. Dukes, duchesses, princes and princesses. l. My friends. We went from children of wrath… to royalty. How? The King left heaven and sought for Himself a bride. He purchased Her with His precious blood. And He will come back for Her and take Her to His Kingdom. m. Is there a greater comfort available my friends? n. If there is… I don't think my heart could take it. For this comfort… leaves me… speechless. 6.) [Slide 22] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” You can't do anything to save yourself or force God to save you. You must be called. a. This is a difficult message for you to hear. b. Why? c. Because even though it is something you should do… ultimately, you can't do it. d. God must do it. e. The application… is humility. f. In order to be called of God, you must be counted worthy of the call… by God. g. Again, counted worthy is not something you earn or something you inherently have. Counted worthy is a legal verdict implying that you are not actually what you have been counted to be. h. And indeed, the first step of obeying the gospel… the first step in any person who is being called of God, is to recognize your wickedness and unworthiness. i. As a negative example, the rich young ruler came to Jesus wanting to know how to enter the Kingdom of heaven. He called Jesus a good teacher, to which Jusus asked, why do you call me good, there is none good but God. An interesting statement designed to get the young man thinking about whether or not he understood what goodness really was. Of course this goes right over his head, so Jesus answers his original question. Jesus told him that he must keep the law. Jesus even gives examples of some of the laws that it is impossible to break secretly, like not murdering, committing adultery, lying, or loving others as he loves himself. Really this is the last 6 commands of the 10 emphasizing human relationships to one another. It is true, in the sense that a person must perfectly keep the whole law to be worthy of God's Kingdom. But, again, this was a gambit, a riddle designed to get the young man to consider how sinful he really was; to humble him. But again, it goes right over his head, because he assures Jesus that he had kept all of these laws from his youth. So, Jesus applies the first half of the 10 commandments and tells the young man to sell all that he has and follow Him. Thus, showing that he loves God with all of himself. Of course, the young man goes away sorrowful because he realizes that he does not love God more than he loves his money. ii. Interestingly, some scholars think that this rich young man was actually Saul of Tarsus. The author of this book we are studying now. i. What the rich young man needed, and what Paul received on the road to Damascus, was the sudden and abrupt understanding of how far from God they actually were. j. And that is the real application here. k. My friend… there is NOTHING you can do to force God to save you from His own wrath. He is just to send you to eternal death away from His mercy and His saving power. l. There isn't a prayer you can pray, a list of facts you can believe, or a lifestyle you can live that will force God to call you to be His child. m. You must be counted worthy of His call. That is the position you are in. Utterly… and completely… helpless. n. And the interesting thing about that… is that those who arrive at this conclusion. When you are truly convinced that there is nothing you can do… that is usually the first evidence… that God is calling you. o. Why? p. Because natural man never concludes that he is helpless. Natural man always assumes he is able to do something. How do I know that? q. Out of every single movie where mankind faces an insurmountable enemy that cannot be beaten, how many movies do you know where mankind goes extinct and that is the end of the story? r. Every single religion in the world and even some strands of Christianity teach that you can earn by works what God is offering. If you just do X,Y, and Z then you will get what God offers. s. Christianity teaches that the thing you must do… is be perfect. And since you can't do that… there is nothing you can do to get salvation from God. t. No… He has to do it all. u. Perhaps, today, you are realizing this for the first time. You, unlike the rich young ruler, have recognized how helpless you are to get salvation from God. v. This friends, is evidence that God may be calling you. How does He link you to the verdict of “worthy”? When He enables you to obey the gospel, abandon your sin, and believe on Jesus Christ as your Savior and your King. w. Won't you step out and obey the gospel today? Won't you fall on His mercy and hope in His grace? Won't you believe on Christ? x. If that is you today – don't leave without talking to an Elder or someone you know to be a Christian. [Slide 23 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Phillip Doddridge. Ever-blessed fountain of natural and spiritual life! I thank you that I live, and that I may live a faith-filled life. I bless you that you breathe into me your own living breath. Though I was once dead in my sins, now I have become a living soul, in a sense that is unique to your own children. But I do not just want to live. I want to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). So I beg you to form my mind in the image of faith. Do not let me misunderstand grace, measuring my growth in grace by a natural yardstick. Let me experience your love even more, with unreserved resignation to your wise and holy will, and a greater care for others. Strengthen my soul as you help me grow in patience, in humility and zeal, and in a heavenly attitude. Give me a concern to be accepted by you (2 Corinthians 5:9). Whether I live or die, let everything I do be for your glory. You know I hunger and thirst after righteousness. Make me whatever you want me to be. Draw your image on my soul. By the gentle influences of your Spirit, trace every feature which your eye, o Heavenly Father, may enjoy, and which you may see as your own image. I know I am not yet where I should be. I am far from being already perfect. But after the great example of the apostle, I forget what lies behind, and strain forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13). Feed my soul by your word and by your Spirit. …As a newborn babe, I desire the sincere milk of the word, that by it I may grow 1 Peter 2:2). And may my progress be obvious to all (1 Timothy 4:15) until I finally reach maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). And after having enjoyed the pleasure of those that flourish in your courts below, I will come to live in the paradise above! I ask and hope this through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ-to whom be glory, both now and forever. Amen. Benediction: And now hear from the God Who dwells in the heavenly Zion: Blessed is the one Who He chooses to dwell in His courts, For He will satisfy your house with goodness and by awesome deeds, Answer all who trust in Him with a hearty Amen! Until we meet again, Grace and Peace to you.

I ran into a former promising local politician yesterday, and he's as disillusioned as I am.Where is the Rams money?How is the former St. Louis Mayor a star scholar?Who is going to come through for the tornado victims??

Church discipline is one of the most neglected—and misunderstood—teachings in modern Christianity. But what if avoiding it is actually harming the church? In this episode of Take Heart, Cory Wing walks through the biblical case for church discipline and why it has always been considered essential to a healthy church. Drawing from Scripture and the Reformers, this teaching revisits the three historic marks of a true church—and the one many churches quietly ignore. You’ll see how church discipline is not about control or punishment, but about love, restoration, and faithfulness to Christ. This episode covers: • What church discipline actually is (and isn’t) • Why so many churches avoid it today • The three marks of a true church • How discipline protects both the sinner and the church Key passages: Matthew 16 & 18 Acts 5 (Ananias and Sapphira) 1 Corinthians 5 Revelation 2–3 If you’ve struggled with this topic—or seen it misused—this episode brings clarity rooted in Scripture and hope grounded in the gospel.

Church discipline is one of the most neglected—and misunderstood—teachings in modern Christianity. But what if avoiding it is actually harming the church?In this episode of Take Heart, Cory Wing walks through the biblical case for church discipline and why it has always been considered essential to a healthy church. Drawing from Scripture and the Reformers, this teaching revisits the three historic marks of a true church—and the one many churches quietly ignore. You'll see how church discipline is not about control or punishment, but about love, restoration, and faithfulness to Christ.This episode covers:• What church discipline actually is (and isn't)• Why so many churches avoid it today• The three marks of a true church• How discipline protects both the sinner and the churchKey passages: Matthew 16 & 18 Acts 5 (Ananias and Sapphira) 1 Corinthians 5 Revelation 2–3If you've struggled with this topic—or seen it misused—this episode brings clarity rooted in Scripture and hope grounded in the gospel.Watch all of our videos and subscribe to our channel for the latest content >HereHere

Church discipline is one of the most neglected—and misunderstood—teachings in modern Christianity. But what if avoiding it is actually harming the church? In this episode of Take Heart, Cory Wing walks through the biblical case for church discipline and why it has always been considered essential to a healthy church. Drawing from Scripture and the Reformers, this teaching revisits the three historic marks of a true church—and the one many churches quietly ignore. You’ll see how church discipline is not about control or punishment, but about love, restoration, and faithfulness to Christ. This episode covers: • What church discipline actually is (and isn’t) • Why so many churches avoid it today • The three marks of a true church • How discipline protects both the sinner and the church Key passages: Matthew 16 & 18 Acts 5 (Ananias and Sapphira) 1 Corinthians 5 Revelation 2–3 If you’ve struggled with this topic—or seen it misused—this episode brings clarity rooted in Scripture and hope grounded in the gospel.

Preorder McCune's Systematic Theology of Biblical Christianity here. What's the difference between justification and sanctification — and why does it matter? In this episode of Theologically Driven, host Phil Cecil sits down with Dr. Mark Snoeberger of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary to unpack two of the most important doctrines in Christian theology and explore how different traditions relate them to one another.Dr. Snoeberger begins by carefully defining each term. Justification is the one-time, legal declaration that a sinner is righteous before God, grounded in the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ and received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Sanctification, by contrast, is the experiential process of being made holy — typically described in three phases: definitive (or initial) sanctification at conversion, progressive sanctification throughout the Christian life, and final sanctification or glorification.From there, the conversation turns to the central question: how are justification and sanctification related? Dr. Snoeberger lays out three major positions:The Roman Catholic view, which absorbs sanctification into justification through an ongoing process of infused grace, sacraments, merit, and a final justification at the end of life.The Holiness/Keswick view, which divorces the two by inserting a "second work of grace."The Reformation view, which treats them as parallel, simultaneous benefits flowing from the believer's union with Christ.This episode focuses on a thorough examination of the Roman Catholic position — including baptismal regeneration, the role of the sacraments, venial and mortal sins, purgatory, and why the Reformers' insistence on sola fide (faith alone) was such a watershed moment. Dr. Snoeberger also explains the "hopeful and causal relationship" Catholic theology draws between sanctification and final justification, and why this framework leaves believers without assurance.Whether you're a pastor, student, or curious listener, this episode offers a clear, accessible introduction to a doctrine at the heart of the gospel and the Protestant Reformation.Topics covered:Definitions of justification and sanctificationImputed vs. infused righteousnessDefinitive, progressive, and final sanctificationUnion with Christ and the duplex beneficiumRoman Catholic soteriology, sacraments, and purgatoryVenial and mortal sinsWhy Luther opposed the sale of indulgencesTheologically Driven is a podcast of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at dbts.edu.

In this episode, Dave and Autumn discuss Protestant identity, tracing its roots in the Reformation and the call to be a church “always reforming” in light of Scripture. They examine core convictions like sola scriptura and sola fide, the rejection of institutional exclusivism, and the Reformers' vision for “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church” shaped by both truth and mission.Resources mentioned in this episode:What It Means To Be Protestant by Gavin OrtlundThe Missionary Movement in Christian History by Andrew Walls

Lee Christoffels was ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in 1970. He has been preaching ever since — in Worthington, Minnesota, where his congregation has held services in four languages and watched the community around it change week by week; in Edgerton, where he now serves part-time in retirement; and in pulpits across the region whenever someone needs a preacher on a Sunday morning. Fifty-two years in, he still loves it. This episode is a conversation with a man who has seen everything the CRC has been through since the 1970s and has something clear to say about what holds. Lee traces the drift that has shaped the denomination's current crisis back to a single question: what is Scripture, and does it have final authority? That question surfaced seriously in the 70s, when debates over biblical infallibility began to fracture the clarity the CRC had inherited. From there, Lee argues, the line runs directly through the battles over women in office in the 90s to the tensions surrounding Synod 2022. The problems were never sudden. They were the slow consequence of decisions made decades earlier, each one loosening the anchor a little further. The conversation turns on one of the most misused phrases in contemporary church life: semper reformanda — always reforming. Lee insists the historic qualifier was never optional. Always reforming according to the word of God. Reformation is not evolution. It is not the church adjusting to its cultural moment. It is the church being called back — daily, personally, institutionally — to what Scripture actually says and what the church of the ages has always confessed. As Jason points out, the original Reformers did not see themselves as innovators. They quoted Augustine and Irenaeus and said: we are standing where the church has always stood. It was Rome that moved. That same logic applies now. The episode ends where every episode ends: this is Christ's church and he bought it with his blood. Wolves will come. Keep a close watch on your life and on your doctrine. Preach the word in season and out of season. Lee Christoffels has been doing exactly that for 52 years. It is worth hearing from someone who has stayed the course that long. Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro 2:08 — Lee's background: 52 years in ministry, Worthington CRC, family 4:20 — Multi-cultural ministry: 30 languages, four-language worship services 6:33 — Joys of ministry: seeing people grow in faith over decades 8:29 — The case for long pastorates; Piper, Begg, and leavening a congregation 11:48 — The CRC in the 1970s: Scripture authority questioned, infallibility debates 14:11 — Women in office and the fractures of the 90s; confessional subscription 16:01 — Two competing visions of what "reformed" means post-Synod 2022 17:20 — Semper reformanda: what "always reforming" has always meant 19:11 — Willy: the dividing line between the two groups 19:47 — Confessional unity as the CRC's real strength; Edmund Clowney 21:29 — "Doctrine unites": pushing back on a progressive slogan 21:54 — The Reformation's claim: "they left, we stayed" 23:26 — The only way to be reformed is to be Catholic (small c) 24:29 — Reform vs. evolution: prone to wander, always called back 25:44 — John 3: something in every believer's heart still hates the light 27:08 — Scripture authority as the primary issue facing the church today 28:48 — The Catechism and the fullness of Scripture 29:01 — The unity of Old and New Testaments; the case for Old Testament preaching 31:47 — Catherine Vos's Child Story Bible as a model of redemptive-historical discipleship 34:27 — Expositional preaching and where authority lives in the pulpit Join and support us on Substack: https://themessyreformation.com/ Intro music by Matt Krotzer

Most professing Christians today hold to Arminian views, often assuming the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism is merely a secondary issue or a sort of "family squabble." But is it much more serious than that? In this episode of The Conquering Truth, we explore why the Reformers saw the doctrines of Arminianism not just as a mistake, but as a fundamental rejection of the biblical Gospel.When Martin Luther debated Erasmus, the core issue wasn't the corruption of the papacy—it was the nature of God's election and the bondage of the will. Does God choose man, or does man choose God? We dive into the outline of Arminianism to show how it changes the very nature of God, turning the Creator into a "slave" to man's choices and stripping Him of His glory.We also want to be very clear that this does not mean that everyone who has been taught or who holds to some form of Arminian doctrine is an unsaved heretic. But it does not help anyone to treat these doctrinal differences as if they are minor. There are wolves in and among the church who use these heresies to divide the church and to weaken the gospel. While our desire should always be unity, it should always be unity through truth, with the expectation that the spirit of Truth will guide those whom He indwells. Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NCPermanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua HornTechnical Director - Timothy KaiserTheme Music - Gabriel Hudelson

Most professing Christians today hold to Arminian views, often assuming the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism is merely a secondary issue or a sort of "family squabble." But is it much more serious than that? In this episode of The Conquering Truth, we explore why the Reformers saw the doctrines of Arminianism not just as a mistake, but as a fundamental rejection of the biblical Gospel.When Martin Luther debated Erasmus, the core issue wasn't the corruption of the papacy—it was the nature of God's election and the bondage of the will. Does God choose man, or does man choose God? We dive into the outline of Arminianism to show how it changes the very nature of God, turning the Creator into a "slave" to man's choices and stripping Him of His glory.We also want to be very clear that this does not mean that everyone who has been taught or who holds to some form of Arminian doctrine is an unsaved heretic. But it does not help anyone to treat these doctrinal differences as if they are minor. There are wolves in and among the church who use these heresies to divide the church and to weaken the gospel. While our desire should always be unity, it should always be unity through truth, with the expectation that the spirit of Truth will guide those whom He indwells. Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NCPermanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua HornTechnical Director - Timothy KaiserTheme Music - Gabriel Hudelson

Resurrections After Death (1) (audio) David Eells, 4/19/26   Faith That Resurrects B. A. - 10/20/2012 Mat.10:1 And he called unto him his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease and all manner of sickness. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. I dreamed I was in bed, sleeping, when, in my sleep, I sensed a presence in my bedroom. I opened my eyes, and an angel of the Lord was standing at the foot of my bed with his arm stretched out toward me. I immediately reached out my arm, and the angel took my hand, and we were immediately outside my house. In what seemed like just a few seconds, we were outside a farmhouse in the woods. As I was taking in my surroundings, the angel lifted me up, and we went through the outside wall of the house, into a couple's bedroom as they were sleeping. Shortly upon the entrance into their bedroom, the wife awoke and reached over to give her husband a kiss on the forehead, like she did every morning. As her lips touched his forehead, she felt the icy coldness of his lifeless body. Without fear or alarm, she calmly got out of bed, reached over on the nightstand, and took up her Bible. Php.4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. She went over to her husband's side of the bed and took his hand in hers. I thought to myself, how could she take hold of his hand if his body had already grown cold? Wouldn't rigor mortis have already set in? The Lord showed me that she wasn't walking by sight but by faith; she knew her husband wasn't dead, but only sleeping. Luk.8:52 And all were weeping, and bewailing her: but he said, Weep not; for she is not dead, but sleepeth. Mar.11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God (have God's faith). 23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. So with her Bible in hand (trusting and believing in the promises of the Word of God), she knelt down beside the bed and began to pray. I watched as she read scripture after scripture; she would only stop reading scripture when she stopped to sing, worship, and praise the Lord. Psa.118:1 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. 2 Let Israel now say, That his lovingkindness endureth for ever. 17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of Jehovah. 18 Jehovah hath chastened me sore; But he hath not given me over unto death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto Jehovah. Psa.150:2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness. 6 Let everything that hath breath praise Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah. Then, the angel of the Lord opened a window down at my feet, and I was able to see the wife's husband standing in what appeared to be Hell. He was crying out for the Lord to forgive him for putting off surrendering his life to the Lord, as he was a healthy man and believed he had more time. Pro.14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; But the end thereof are the ways of death. Isa.55:6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near ... Amo.5:6 Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el. Deu.4:29 But from thence ye shall seek Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt find him, when thou searchest after him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Isa.45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else. One day, while passing by their bedroom door, he overheard his wife praying, “There's not much time left, Lord, for us to get things right with You, Lord. Help us, Lord, to walk in Your ways; draw us closer to You, Lord”. Jas.4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. “I know, Lord, that You have saved my husband and have brought him into Your kingdom to be a mighty warrior in Your army. Thank you, Lord, for Your goodness and mercy and Your grace”. Act.16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. Gen.18:19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. As the husband stood in Hell, he recalled the words of that prayer his wife had prayed for him, interceding on his behalf. He cried out with such sorrow and pain as he realized he had put off his salvation. I watched as he put his hands over his face and sobbed uncontrollably. It was heartbreaking watching the husband in such anguish and agony, as he believed he had missed the Lord and Hell was his lot. Luk.13:28 There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without. Suddenly, the window to Hell closed, and I was again watching the wife praying for her husband at his bedside. His wife then stood back up on her feet and commanded her husband to get up in the name of the Lord. Joh.11:43 And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (Could it be that Jesus was commanding the spirits of death to loose Lazarus because death no longer had a hold on him? Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.) Act.9:40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down and prayed; and turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up. I looked at the husband's fingers and toes, which began to move, and his eyes opened. He rolled over and sat up on the bed for a moment, then he stood on his feet in front of his wife. 1Jn.5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. His wife had a broad smile on her face, as she looked lovingly into her much ALIVE husband's eyes. He reached out and took her small hand into his, and they both knelt down together as he, right then and there, gave his heart to the Lord.   Apostates Resurrected from Death M. L. - 10/11/2013 (David's notes in red) I dreamed of a woman (Bride) who gave birth to stillborn twin sons. (Israel and Judah representing non-Spirit-filled and Spirit-filled Christianity who are dead in their sins and bondage to their beastly flesh.) I did not see her face, nor did I see her pregnant. She had given birth at home. Her husband was not with her (in Heaven), nor was anyone else in the room. She wrapped her babies tightly in identical white blankets and took the upper corner and covered each of their faces. A nice soft blanket would be expected to be used, but these blankets were made of a coarse texture (Tribulation). And a plan was forming in her mind. This woman showed no sorrow, nor any kind of emotion. She was going through her days as if guided by her plan. She would anticipate when each would need to be fed, changed, etc. So she acted out the part only for the benefit of others. (Walking by faith for the resurrection of true Israel. The tares will not be resurrected.) Her husband saw her attending them from time to time and was relieved she could do this without his help. She'd make up excuses whenever anyone wanted to see them, or she would not be available herself. One day, she took them for a walk in the old-style baby buggy; the kind that had the top that could be brought up or folded down. Needless to say, the top was up and both babies had their faces covered, laying side by side. (Acting her faith for the resurrection of these baby bodies of fallen Christians. Men would point out that these babies are dead but someone in faith would not have their faith on their sin but see them as alive and righteous.) That way, neighbors would see that she was “out and about”. However, when anyone came out to take a peek, she would always say, “Not now; they are sleeping”. (As Jesus said of Lazarus, by faith, He was not dead but just slept.) She kept up the act for some time until she noticed the baby on the right. There was a yellow stain on the blanket at the forehead area, almost the size of her hand. Now people would know that something was wrong with the one baby and become too curious. (In these days, Judah, representing Spirit-filled Christianity, is showing the corruption more than ever before. They are more guilty than their brother because they have experienced and seen the power and gifts of the Spirit.) There was no odor of death with either baby. (To the world, they are not dead because they would stink, but the world stinks too, so they cannot discern the difference.) What should she do? Then I woke up, and I asked some questions: Who is this woman? (She represents the Bride, for the babies are her children to raise. Psa.45:9 Kings' daughters are among thy honorable women: At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir... 13 The king's daughter within [the palace] is all glorious: Her clothing is inwrought with gold. 14 She shall be led unto the king in broidered work: The virgins her companions that follow her Shall be brought unto thee. 15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be led: They shall enter into the king's palace. 16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, Whom thou shalt make princes in all the earth.) Why didn't she show any emotion? (The Shunammite woman whose son died told her husband, “It is well” by faith, and so Elisha, the Man-child, resurrected him in 2 Kings 4:17-37.) Where was her husband? (With this faith her true husband is In Heaven, He will use the Bride as He did Esther to save the chosen ones of apostate Israel from the Beast, Haman.) Couldn't people see that, with all her excuses, that something was off? (No, because these babies are just like the world: persecution is against the Christ-like.) Why wasn't she honest? (Meaning: why did she hide their death from the worldly? Speaking faith before the worldly Christian is like casting pearls before swine; they will turn and rend you for it, as Jesus said.) I asked for a verse from the Lord. Taking markers out of my Bible, I closed it tightly. I really wanted to know. With eyes closed and opening up to where my finger was on the page, I read the following verse: Eze.37:8 ... but there was no breath in them. (A perfect answer. This text spoke of the valley of dry bones. Of ALL Israel, meaning Ephraim and Judah, who were dead in their sins, but were then resurrected in the following verses of Ezekiel 37, when the Man-child called forth the breath of the Spirit into them. 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four winds, O breath (same Hebrew word for spirit), and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off (repentance). 12 Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah. (We know this is for a large cross-section of apostates who are dead in their sins and as we just saw sometimes physically dead. This text continues below in M.L.'s original writing.) Then continuing verses 15 through 23: 15 The word of the Lord came again to me saying, 16 And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions'. 17 Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. (Jesus said we would be one flock with one Shepherd, and Ezekiel 34 confirms this will be with Jesus in and through the David Man-child company.) 34:11 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country ... 23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I, Jehovah, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Jehovah, have spoken it. 25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. Back to our text in chapter 37:18 When the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?' 19 say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand. 20 The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. 21 Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; (The apostates are scattered among the world and in bondage to the Beast but all of the elect among them will be resurrected to stand on their land of promise. The two main divisions in the Church is the Spirit filled and the non-Spirit filled. Now notice:) 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. (This happens when Jesus comes in the Man-child through the fruit of the Word and anointing of God to lead them through the wilderness Tribulation to know God. At the beginning of the wilderness the Israelites were baptized in the water and the cloud, which is Spirit baptism. This will happen with the true Church.) 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. (What an awesome end-time promise that has never been fulfilled to the larger body.)   Davids Must Die for Man-children to Come  Eve Brast - 09/08/2008 (David's notes in red) I had a quick dream about David coming to 100-fold maturity. I was in a large building that housed UBM. It had a school with two kindergarten classes and a playground behind it at the back, and two radio station control rooms with sound equipment and control panels in them. One was in the hall that led from the school to the front lobby, and the other was enclosed in glass with a glass door in the front lobby -- both on the right from the school to the front. There were also glass windows all across the front of the entrance. It was sunset outside. I started out in the back of one kindergarten class, learning how to teach the children all the UBM materials from the kindergarten teacher who was in charge of that class. The next moment, I was teaching the kindergarten class next door on my own. Then, in the next moment, I was working the sound booth in the radio station that was located on the right side of the hallway that led up to the front lobby. (This speaks of the maturing of the Bride and her responsibilities for the rest of the church, as the Book of Esther shows. Eve, who had this dream, was the wife of Adam and represents the wife of the last Adam, Jesus.) The next moment, I was standing in the lobby with my husband, and we were looking through the glass booth at Bob Aicardi, who was running the front radio station sound booth. Bob was announcing to all the listening audience that David Eells had a very important announcement to make. (I am being used here as a type of the David man-child ministries to come.) We were all waiting to hear what David had to tell us. He wasn't there in person; he came on over a speakerphone. I was shocked when I heard his voice! He sounded like he was Howard Pittman. (A type is fulfilled here because Howard is a man who went to heaven through death and returned to share heaven's message with God's people.) His voice sounded like he was in his 90s! I knew in my spirit that he was in his 90s. He sounded so old and feeble, like he could die at any time! He made an attempt three times to announce that he was retiring, but every time he got to the word “retiring,” he would choke up and couldn't complete the sentence! (The old man David is retiring to pass the kingdom on to Soloman.) Then, after the third attempt, Bob helped him to finish his announcement with a little chuckle. He was very joyful and happy for David. (Bob could be a type of the out-resurrection) I thought it was strange that David waited to retire until he was almost 100 years old!  I was sad and couldn't figure out why Bob was happy, other than the fact that David had passed the mantle of the ministry over to him. (Bob/Robert means bright fame.) But then I realized that this was David's OLD MAN! He was finally almost dead!  Then I was very excited and happy for him too. Then I woke up. (The David ministry was followed by the Soloman man-child ministry, meaning peaceful, which we are about to see. PTL! More of the cause for joy and passing on of the mantle is below.) As David was the spiritual father of God's people, so was Abraham. Just as above, Abraham was “almost 100 years old” too when he was promised that the fruit of the Man-child would be born unto him in Gen.17:17: “Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old?” Abraham's flesh was cut off at 99, and he no longer sowed the flesh because he was circumcised in 17:24: “And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin”. Then at 100 years old he had the promised man-child in 21:5: “And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him”. Isaac, the promised seed, was the man-child through whom all the true seed of God's people would be born, just like Jesus the Man-child was and the end-time Man-child will be. As Eve said, this “100” could represent the old man being 100% dead, which would mean the new man would take over. “As the outer man is decaying, the inner man is being renewed” (2Co.4:16). The new man was Soloman. This is a work that only the anointing of God can do. Abram, meaning “high father”, had to die and have a name change, meaning a nature change, to become Abraham, meaning the “father of a multitude” through his Man-child born unto him. Gen.17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. Notice the Man-child and all of his spiritual seed, to whom is “passed the mantle of the ministry” of David, will possess all of the Promised Land of this life, meaning they will stand on and receive all of the promises that Joel said would be restored in the latter rain. In Hosea 6:3 Jesus comes as the latter rain to empower His people. Notice also that the covenant will finally be fulfilled in and through them, meaning that they will have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ will live in them as Paul taught us to confess in Galatians 2:20. This is a cause for great joy in all “wise men”, for Jesus is going to be birthed through the woman of Revelation 12 in a corporate Man-child body of the spiritual seed of David, to minister to His people. Mat.2:10 And when they saw the star, they (the Wise Men) rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. No doubt the gifts enabled Jesus and his mother to flee the beast, Herod, and dwell in the wilderness of Egypt, just as gifts were given to Moses and the mother church when going into the wilderness. Also, worship will only go to the one who gives the anointing, who is Jesus. True shepherds like Bob above will have great joy first because the mantle of Jesus through the Man-child will be passed on to them in a repetition of His-story, just as Jesus passed it on through the disciples. Luk.2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: 11 for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this [is] the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased. Abraham and Sarah, the bride, laughed at hearing of the birth of the Man-child and they called him Isaac, meaning laughter. The first-fruits Man-child company will have no claim to fame, for this will come to pass through grace.   Pray for the Coming of Jesus in the Man-child V. W. - 4/3/23 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was in the UBM house with some others. The house was beautiful and clear of clutter. The floors were all polished and shining. There was a lot of room because everything we needed was against the walls. (This means all we need will be within our walls, which represent sanctification.) This was also a multi-story house, and I knew we were working on doing something with the teachings, but it was different from what it is now. (Getting the Word out by many methods, including supernaturally, as the angels have told us and done.) Matthew (meaning Gift of God) and I were standing in a small room with white walls (meaning sanctification), when David came in through the door. (I believe David represents the Man-Child reformers.) The three of us were standing together, with David in the middle. David said he felt weak. 2Co.12:10 Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.) (Weakness precedes death to self, and this precedes the resurrection life of Jesus.) And then David started to fall, so Matthew and I helped lay him down on the rug. Matthew lowered David's feet, and I lowered his head onto the rug. Matthew went to get help, and I thought David was dying or was already dead, and I thought to myself, “This can't be happening.” (Death to self must come before resurrection power.) I knelt by David, took his hand, and prayed something like, “Lord, let David live.” (The Lord wants us to pray this now. Lord, bring your resurrection life in the Man-child Davids.) I remember praying fervently, “Lord, there is much You promised David. (I asked the Lord for a word about a promise to David and received by faith at random “feet” in Rom 10:15 and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!) (The Gospel will go out in a much stronger way like it came out of Jesus.) I also prayed, “Lord, there is much You said You would do through him, and You are not a liar.” When I said, “Lord, You are not a liar,” David became conscious, leaned on his left side, and put his right hand around me and agreed with my prayer and said, “Yes, Amen.” Then he jumped up and was gone, and I thought he went to the next room to show the nurses who were dressed in white that he was alive and well. (Resurrection life is in Solomon, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, in the Man-child. He will be shown to be superior to those who seek to heal in the natural.) Then, at least a day went by, and I did not know where David was. I was sitting on a metal bench outside, in a courtyard of a college campus. (The Man-child went to the school of higher education, as in Gabe's dream, where he saw the Man-child go to college. The Lord is giving us Bible colleges for the Man-childs to teach in beside their evangelistic tours.) Everything seemed new as I looked to my left and saw a lady with long blond hair, who knew David and was a believer. She was standing against a gray building and holding some books. (I think the lady represents believers who are submitted to the light of Christ and dying to self, but lack understanding. Gray represents not white and not black. It is time to go on to white. She represents those who come to get our books to grow in the Lord. Many immature or new believers in the Middle East and Africa and elsewhere are reading our books.) I wanted to tell her what happened to David and how God raised him up. I knew she would be happy as I was. Just then, a man dressed in a black robe (Judges of others) with yellow religious symbols (Feigning to be Christian) and wearing a black hat (Representing being submitted to darkness), walked past and in between us very quickly. (The faction has tried to separate us from those who need our teachings, but the Man-child David's will scatter them as the Edomites.) So, then I went to her and joyfully told her about God raising up David. (The wicked will not be able to stop those who want truth from finding their reformation through the Man-child Davids empowered by Jesus as the latter rain.) Then some of us from UBM were standing in a small room, and I saw David. He looked like a different man, and about Matthew's age, but I recognized him. (He is about the age of Jesus when He started His ministry.) I told him he looked better now, and he laughed. (This will be the beginning of the restoration from the curse in Joe 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first month. 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. (These represent the curse on God's crop.) Act 3:21 (Jesus) whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all (Things is not numeric), whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old. After I woke up, I asked the Lord for a word in line with this dream and received by faith at random Acts 2:36 on “him both Lord and Christ”. (In context vs. 29-36). Act 2:29 Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. (The spiritual death of the Man-child Davids will bring many more like him. Joh.12:24-25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it dies, it beareth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.) Act.2:30 Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne; (David sowed a seed that brought forth many like him to dominion over the enemy. This represents the Man-child caught up to the throne in Rev.12:4 And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered, he may devour her child. 5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. This throne represents dominion over the powers of darkness, the curse, and the people of God. The reason this text looks like Jesus is because it is, walking in the spiritual sons of David as He did.) 31 he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. (The resurrection of Christ in us will be seen in the Man-child Davids and then in many disciples.) 32 This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses. (Jesus came in the body of a son of David. This will be repeated in our day on a corporate body scale.) 33 Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear. (This was the former rain, but represents the far greater latter rain in a much larger body. Hosea 6:1-3 shows that Jesus “will come to us as the latter rain” and on the morning of the third thousand-year day from him, where we are now. Hos.6:1-3 Come and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. 3 And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.) Back to: 34 For David ascended not into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (Jesus said in Rev.3:21 He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. This is the throne of dominion authority.) Back to: 35 Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. (Jesus, in the Man-child and in all of us will bring dominion over our enemies. Rev.2:26 And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations.) Back to: 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified. (This foreshadows Jesus manifested in the Man-child reformer body through death and resurrection. Php.3:10-15: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; 11 if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. (Notice that we are to lay hold of the resurrection life of Jesus, which is being called, perfect.) 13 Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before. (This is why you must see Jesus in the mirror now by faith.) 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: (He will show you how to walk this life of faith.) The most vivid part of this dream was when I prayed for David, and I think it is what the Lord is emphasizing. (Amen! We have been content to wait for God's perfect timing, but He's saying NOW we are to pray in the Man-child ministry. So, we say, “Come Lord Jesus!!”) This dream below speaks of the resurrection of the Man-child Reformers after the completion of death to self.   Christ Triumphs in Resurrection I. P. - 3/26/23 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I was in the spirit, witnessing a field that did not have a lot of grass. It was a mixture of dirt and grass. As I stood gazing at the field, I noticed a casket sitting in the center. The casket was the focal point, and there was no grass growing around the casket. (No grass means no flesh left.) (The grass represents the flesh according to 1Pe.1:24 For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth. The dirt is what man's flesh is made from.) As I continued to stare at the casket, I realized it was Jesus Who was in this casket. Instantly, it dawned on me that I was witnessing the resurrection of Jesus after His death and burial in a modern-day burial procedure. As I was watching intently, suddenly, a brilliant light began to form and illuminate from inside the casket. Then the casket could not contain the brilliant illumination of light, and it was overtaken by this orb of pure white light. (Joh.1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.) This light was outstanding and began to reverberate as if it were a heartbeat, pulsating. I knew this brilliant orb was Jesus. (Jesus is the heart of God manifested in flesh.) (I don't feel my vocabulary can describe the brilliant white light. However, if you compared the color white to His brilliant white, the color white would look dingy and tinted. Also, imagine the size and color of the sun reduced to a brilliant white, but having the same power as the sun, and you tried to contain it all in a box. It would be an unstoppable and uncontainable force, obliterating all darkness. It was as if it bleached out all colors in the spectrum, disposing of any darkness that forms within any individual color to create the aspects of that color, thus producing the absence of color into a brilliant white. This is what I saw.) While witnessing Jesus as the reverberating brilliant white orb, suddenly, as a fireball, He shot downward into the earth. As I looked at the aftermath of this powerful phenomenon, I saw there was a hole in the shape of a perfect circle, going from the surface of the earth all the way to the center of the earth. The hole was formed almost instantaneously, and all the layers of the earth completely disintegrated with a fervent heat, going down to His destination, which was in the center. Still witnessing the aftermath, the edges of the circular hole were like molten lava due to the intensity of the heat. (Eph.4:8-10 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now this, He ascended, what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. What happened here in the natural represents something that has happened and is going to happen again. Because of sin, demons have been given authority on earth as they have in hell. Many have experienced a living hell, but Jesus came, and is coming, to set the captives free. Isa.61:1-4 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.) It then dawned on me that the Stronger has gone to spoil the goods of the strong man and set the captives free. Then I woke up. (Mat.12:28-30 But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong [man], and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong [man]? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Christ conquered, so we can conquer All of our promised land! Heb.2:14-16 Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham. Psa.16:9-10 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; My flesh also shall dwell in safety. For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. And Joh.8:36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (I was reading “Delivered from Dark Powers” by David Eells and came across these pages, and it really spoke to me about this dream. Here is an excerpt from Delivered from Dark Powers, pages 10-12:) “Jesus made us able to be partakers in whatever we need. He made us able to plunder the devil's kingdom, and the devil's kingdom is wherever the devil rules or his curse reigns. Wherever the devil has ability, we have the ability to take it away from him. The devil has no power. Do you remember Joshua and Caleb were seeking to bring the children of Israel into the Promise Land? After spying out the land, these two said that their enemies defense was removed from over them. (Num 14:9) Only rebel not against the lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. All that the other ten spies could see were the giants, but Joshua and Caleb saw that the enemy had no armor. That's the way we must see the enemies of God's Kingdom. It makes no difference whether those enemies are lusts of the flesh, works of darkness, demons, the devil, or whatever. Their defense is removed from over them. They have no power against the Word of God. Jesus was the “Stronger” Who came and took away their whole armor. (Luke 11:22) Those “spoils” of the devil's kingdom are all the places where he has taken advantage of your life or taken authority over the things or circumstances that God has put in your hands. All these add up to “spoils.” When Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38), He was spoiling the devil's kingdom. If you are being oppressed of the devil, Jesus destroyed this oppression. He broke this power everywhere He went. Whether it was hunger, sickness, demonic possession, or mental need, it didn't make any difference; Jesus broke the oppression, and He told us to do the same thing because in (Mat. 12:30) He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. The devil's power over God's people rests in the fact that God's people don't know that his power has already been broken, and they don't know the authority that has been given to them. Although the Word speaks it plainly, it still has to be a revelation that you pick up and do something with. The Bible says of Jesus that (Col. 2:15) Having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. “Triumphing” is celebrating the victory that has already been won. Jesus triumphed over the devil, and He rubbed the devil's nose in what He had accomplished on the Cross. The victory was at the cross; what came after the Cross was the triumph. (2 Co. 2:14) But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. We need to simply celebrate His victory. What we need to do is repeat what the Word says about our circumstances or situation, and we do that by stating what the Word says about our authority and righteousness. All we must do is believe that. The devil wants us to look at ourselves and our failures and the curse around us, but we just need to remember that we have authority over the curse. We've been crucified with Christ, and we're not alive anymore; now it's Christ Who lives in us. (Gal. 2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we remember what the Word of God says about us and about our circumstances, we can celebrate. A prayer from an Editor: [Father, this seems too easy, but help me to start right now to believe that the devil is crippled. As I read Your Word, I see the devil has been defeated. Help me to believe when my eyes have seen different results. Forgive my unbelief. As I read on, please put in my heart the victory You are bringing to my life and the lives of my loved ones. Thank You for helping me to believe that I've received victory over every demon.]” Let me share more revelations with you.   The Trumpet Bill Burns - 12/26/2005 You shall be astonished as you walk forward from this day. I tell you that I am going to build My house. It is a house that no man can build, and I will build on the mountain tops, and I will build in the places that people will flow into. I will build a house of power, for indeed this is the season of the horse (of power) when the sons of My right hand shall arise to their positions. I shall dispel the lies that I no longer move in power. I shall break through the darkness, for I am the Light of this Day. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Truth is going to be revealed in an unprecedented way as I come forth in power and build My house. It will be a house that I can dwell in, a place of healing and resurrection life, a place of revelation knowledge. You, My people, will see that house. Arise and rejoice, for I come, says the Lord!   Small Straws in a Soft Wind  Marsha Burns - 12/26/2005 There is a rumbling; it is My power in the earth. It is resurrection power. I have been touched with the feeling of your infirmities. I have been touched by your grief and sorrow. Come forth. Rise up and come forth. You have been bound in grave clothes, but I call to you to come forth! I will bring you up and loose you from your bondages. I will cause you to overcome and to be victorious even over the death in the things you have experienced, says the Lord.   Resurrection of UBM M.Y. - 07/16/2012 (David's notes in red) In a dream I was walking into a restaurant (UBM was serving spiritual food of the Word and he came here.) and as I walked up to a table, I had a sense that my sister was sitting there with another woman (sister fellowships joining in the feast). I think I was trying to get some electronics working and mentioned as much to my sister. (He needed a rewiring, a spiritual repair to be able to see and hear the Word, the spiritual food in this restaurant.) Finally, I got what appeared to be a phone working, so I walked a few steps from the table with the phone to my ear and asked, “Can I speak to the boss?” (I had the impression the boss was the Lord.) (He needed to talk to the Lord and found encouragement here.) I do not remember a conversation on the phone, but I started walking through the restaurant (UBM). I walked through an archway where a couple was sitting at a table and staring at something broken on the floor. (I had the feeling it was some type of container or pitcher.) (Representing the breaking of the vessel of his fleshly man. He got the understanding of these things at UBM. Ecc.12:5 yea, they shall be afraid of [that which is] high, and terrors [shall be] in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom (first-fruits), and the grasshopper shall be a burden (devouring judgments to crucify the old man, as in Joel), and desire (lusts) shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6 before the silver cord is loosed (the soul is separated from the flesh), or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken (the old man of the flesh dies) at the fountain (of the waters of life - the living Word), or the wheel broken at the cistern (breaking the downward cycle of sowing and reaping death. 7 and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it. (The results are totally born from above sons of God. This crucifixion is certainly happening with UBM and the larger true church. God is separating the carnal from the spiritual.) I walked around the broken item (this represents being separate or sanctified from the fleshly; in the Law, whoever touched the dead man was defiled) and left the room through another archway on the other side. (All will not leave UBM as they came. The Word brings responsibilities. The priest entering the temple in Ezekiel 46 could not leave through the gate that he entered.) I was wondering why I walked around the broken thing and did not attempt to pick anything up. (Because the flesh man must be broken irreparably for the spiritual man who is created by the Word to live -- and everybody needs to see this.) After leaving the UBM room he said: I walked into a bigger room (This is like the broad road where most are.) and up to a man whom I thought was the owner standing by a big floor freezer with several solid doors on top (similar to what you would see in an ice cream shop, except the little door hatches were solid stainless steel.) (The flesh choses the flesh pleasing sweets that are not healthy.) There was something big and broken on the floor at his feet. I just reached down and started putting the broken pieces, which appeared to be thick, broken white glass or porcelain, into a large bag. (The broken or crucified life must be a part of our learning, or the teaching will be leavened.) I then raised the bag up, and we tilted the lower freezer so the contents would go into the bag (Flesh pleasing spiritual food will lead to the broken vessel. We must chose the crucified life with the teachings of the Word), and I told him I should have done that first and then picked the things off the floor (The teaching of the Word must be first so the crucified life can be possible.) I never noticed the bag after filling it up. It was trashed. “When that which is perfect is come” everything that is disconnected pieces, “shall be done away”, as Paul said: 1Co.13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 10 but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part (pieces) shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. This is the vessel that the perfect Word can flow through, as it did through Jesus. When the Man-child Jesus came, everything before Him was old order, and so it will be today. PTL! The New Order is about to begin for many. The latter rain on the Man-child will bring it.) There were two different levels for the freezers, and one was right above the one we were emptying. (A sanctified vessel full of food from above will never be broken.) I think we replaced the lower freezer with a new one or repaired the old one. (The broken vessel receives resurrection life in UBM.) I was thinking that the new one would keep the Bibles in good shape. (Preserving the spiritual man of the Word in a new wineskin. The Word is incorruptible in this new vessel, for the old vessel of flesh has been broken or withered: 1Pe.1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: 23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. 24 For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth: 25 But the word of the Lord abideth for ever. And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you. There were now a lot of people inside doing a lot of work. (After spiritual resurrection, many of like nature will join us in getting the Gospel out.) I noticed that the second-level freezer was gone, and just a ledge high up remained. I was leery of climbing up on the ledge because I am scared of heights. (The Word will be from the throne of God, from Heaven above.) I think I was wondering how well the music or sound system would sound in the building once it was done. (This building represents an even larger born-again UBM, and the music and sound system will be going out over different forms of media and through multitudes of witnesses by word of mouth.) I looked up, and there were large, white PVC-type pipes coming through the top-left side of the wall and attached to the ceiling. The pipes were dripping water at first, and then the volume of water just started increasing until all the drips were streaming. (I later had the feeling that the water was the Word growing louder and stronger as time went on.) (A great outpouring of the Word of the Spirit to the world.) That is all I remember. My impression after waking and pondering on it was: There was an earthquake. (The spiritual resurrection of the Man-child body as it was with Jesus, with a great earthquake. Also, a separating of the land, the carnal from the spiritual.) And / or something that caused change in the building. (A restructuring of UBM with much more help with gifts.) We were made into a fellowship/warehouse, and the Word went out slowly at first and increased over time. (As it was with Jesus) It was the Word of God because it came from up high. (After Father has separated the carnal, the Word will go out in abundance. The tribulations that UBM has gone through are bringing it into the eternal kingdom under our King David, Jesus.) Let me now share:   A portion of M. C.'s Dream of Resurrection Life Given to UBM David was directing my attention to the sky in anticipation of a lunar eclipse. Gradually, the moon became obscured briefly by the Earth passing between the Sun and the Moon. (As with a lunar eclipse, there is a death and resurrection of the glory, symbolizing UBM, and its reflection of the Sun/Son to the world. Eventually, it became entirely hidden under the Earth's shadow and remained that way for about what seemed like five minutes or so. Then a slight sliver of the Moon became visible and began very rapidly to be increasingly unveiled as the Earth continued on its path. (The Moon, as a type of UBM, is being born again as it reflects more and more light of the Son. The evil will have been purged by this baptism of death and resurrection.) I was commenting to David how the Moon seemed to be instantly illuminated entirely, even though technically the shadow had not yet fully passed. The moon continued to grow brighter. (The glory manifested after this baptism unto death will be greatly multiplied so that even the first-fruits of UBM will be as bright as the whole was before.) The Lord led me to: (Eze.36:11) And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (This is an awesome promise of the resurrection life that will be given to UBM.) Friends, Satan has had permission from God to test every one of us to see who individually needs to be a part of UBM for it to be unleavened. Therefore, cast down every thought and reject words from others that are unscriptural to receive, so that you may overcome to escape the coming judgment. And do not judge or criticize others unscripturally or while you are in sin, or you will be judged. 2Co.10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh 4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; 6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.

Orthodoxy Ended Church Shopping: When Church History Won My Heart.  Special Uncut Edition.What if the ache you feel on Sunday isn't a lack of passion, but a hunger for roots? Tony Nektarios Vasquez joins us to share how a Pentecostal upbringing, a non-denominational season, and eventually a Calvinist-leaning church plant still left him asking where the first 1,500 years fit in. His story is not a theory lesson—it's a family saga: a praying father discovering the Desert Fathers, a brother slipping out to Vespers, a wife and children encountering reverence for the first time, and a co-pastor who realized that history, Scripture, and worship belong together.We trace Tony's path from Pentecostal roots and a non-denominational church plant to a sober look at church history, liturgy, and apostolic succession. Family doubts, online study, and the beauty of Vespers turn hesitation into conviction as Scripture and tradition align.• questioning charismatic altar practices and emotionalism• moving from Reformers to the first 1,500 years• parish visits to St James and first Vespers• answers on icons, relics, and intercession from Scripture• liturgy as continuity with Old Testament worship• apostolic succession and the promise that the Church endures• closing a young church to enter Orthodoxy• finding healing and stability in the sacramentsWe walk through the uncomfortable questions most avoid. Are altar manifestations genuine or coached? Does sola fide stand when held beside James and the early Church? How do relics, icons, and the intercession of the saints square with the Bible? Tony takes us inside St. James Orthodox Church in Modesto, where incense and chant weren't novelty, but a doorway to Christ-centered prayer. He shares the moment his daughter said the hymns made her want to cry, the way Revelation reframed prayer as a communion of heaven and earth, and how apostolic succession answered the authority problem that haunted his independent church.This conversation is a guided tour from system to story, from proof texts to a living tradition. We touch on the continuity between Old Testament worship and the Divine Liturgy, the claim that the Church Christ founded never paused or rebooted, and the quiet courage it took to close a young church for a faith that felt both ancient and alive. If you've wondered where the dots connect—Scripture, history, and sacrament—this is an honest map drawn in real time.If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more thoughtful journeys into the ancient faith, and leave a review to help others find the show. Your questions and stories shape future episodes—drop them in the comments and say hello to Tony.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

This Day in Legal History: Seventeenth Amendment RatifiedOn April 8, 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution became part of the Constitution after receiving the necessary number of state ratifications. This amendment fundamentally changed the method of selecting U.S. senators, shifting the power from state legislatures directly to voters. Prior to its adoption, senators were chosen by state lawmakers, a process that had increasingly drawn criticism for corruption and political deadlock. Reformers argued that legislative selection allowed special interests to exert undue influence over Senate seats. The amendment emerged during the Progressive Era, a period marked by widespread efforts to make government more democratic and transparent. By mandating direct elections, it aimed to increase accountability and restore public trust in the federal government. The change also reduced the frequency of vacancies caused by legislative gridlock in the states. Supporters viewed the amendment as a necessary correction to a system that had strayed from democratic principles. Critics, however, warned that it weakened the role of states within the federal structure. The ratification process itself reflected strong public pressure for reform across many states. Over time, the amendment reshaped the political dynamics of the Senate, making senators more responsive to public opinion. It also aligned the Senate more closely with the House of Representatives in terms of democratic legitimacy. Today, the Seventeenth Amendment remains a cornerstone of how Americans participate in federal elections, illustrating the enduring impact of Progressive Era reforms.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that Donald Trump has both the right and responsibility to influence federal investigations, including those involving people Trump views as adversaries. Speaking publicly for the first time since taking the role, Blanche rejected claims that the Justice Department was improperly targeting Trump's opponents. He argued that a president is expected to guide national priorities, even when that includes investigations tied to personal or political conflicts.The Justice Department has recently pursued multiple investigations involving individuals connected to past inquiries into Trump, as well as political opponents and donors. Some of these efforts have faced resistance in court, with judges and grand juries limiting or dismissing certain cases. Blanche pointed to past prosecutions against Trump as justification, saying the president is seeking accountability for what he views as misuse of the legal system.Blanche's appointment followed Trump's firing of former Attorney General Pam Bondi, reportedly due to frustration over the pace and results of investigations. Blanche did not say whether he wants to remain in the role permanently, emphasizing that the decision rests with Trump. He also indicated he would step aside if asked, expressing loyalty to the president.Acting DOJ chief Blanche says Trump has ‘right' to influence investigations | ReutersYale Law School lost its long-held No. 1 position in the latest U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, marking the first time in 36 years it has not topped the list. Stanford Law School now holds the sole No. 1 spot, while Yale is tied for second with University of Chicago Law School. A slight drop in Yale's employment rate for graduates appears to have contributed to the shift, though other metrics like bar passage and LSAT scores remained stable.The rankings also saw broader changes among the traditionally top 14 law schools, known as the “T-14.” University of California, Berkeley School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center both fell out of that group, while Cornell Law School and Vanderbilt University Law School moved up in the rankings. Other schools, including University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Virginia School of Law, saw smaller gains, while Harvard Law School remained steady.These fluctuations reflect changes in the ranking methodology introduced in recent years after several top schools, including Yale and Berkeley, criticized the system. The updated approach relies more heavily on data reported to the American Bar Association, making small differences in employment and bar passage rates more influential.Yale loses longtime No. 1 spot on latest US law school ranking | ReutersAI startups are increasingly targeting law students as part of a broader effort to capture the legal services market. Companies like Harvey AI and Legora are offering free access and training at top law schools, hoping students will continue using their tools once they enter law firms and corporate legal roles. This strategy comes as the legal AI sector expands rapidly, fueled by advances in generative AI since the rise of ChatGPT.These startups compete with established providers like LexisNexis and Westlaw, which have long dominated legal research and are now integrating AI into their platforms. While legacy companies rely on proprietary legal databases, newer entrants build tools on large language models and focus on tasks like drafting, research, and litigation preparation. Some partnerships have even emerged between startups and traditional providers to combine strengths.Law students are already using these tools for exam preparation, memo writing, and simulating legal arguments. Schools and companies also view this exposure as a way to teach both the benefits and risks of AI, including issues like inaccurate or “hallucinated” outputs. The broader goal is to create familiarity early, making future lawyers more likely to adopt these tools in practice.Other legal tech companies, including Clio and Spellbook, are pursuing similar partnerships, expanding access across hundreds of law schools. As competition grows, early access and training are becoming key battlegrounds for shaping the next generation of legal professionals.AI startups court law students in fight for lawyer market | Reuters This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

In this episode Pastor Raef looks at the Roman Catholic teaching of the Lord's Supper and considers why the protestant Reformers so vehemently disagreed with their theology.

Did the Reformers believe civil rulers should promote Christianity? In this episode of The Magistrate, James Baird responds to the claim that “magisterial Christian nationalism” ignores the reality of human sin and promotes a utopian political vision.Drawing on the writings of the Protestant Reformers, historic Reformed political theology, and the ideas of the American founding, James examines the historic concept sometimes called the “Christian prince.” Did figures like Calvin, Knox, and the early Protestants believe civil magistrates had a duty toward true religion?Does human depravity make Christian governance impossible, or does it simply require wise limits on power?This episode returns to the original sources to explore what historic Christianity actually taught about civil authority, the role of the magistrate, and the relationship between church and state.

Did the Reformers believe civil rulers should promote Christianity? In this episode of The Magistrate, James Baird responds to the claim that “magisterial Christian nationalism” ignores the reality of human sin and promotes a utopian political vision.Drawing on the writings of the Protestant Reformers, historic Reformed political theology, and the ideas of the American founding, James examines the historic concept sometimes called the “Christian prince.” Did figures like Calvin, Knox, and the early Protestants believe civil magistrates had a duty toward true religion?Does human depravity make Christian governance impossible, or does it simply require wise limits on power?This episode returns to the original sources to explore what historic Christianity actually taught about civil authority, the role of the magistrate, and the relationship between church and state.Watch all of our videos and subscribe to our channel for the latest content >HereHere

Did the Reformers believe civil rulers should promote Christianity? In this episode of The Magistrate, James Baird responds to the claim that “magisterial Christian nationalism” ignores the reality of human sin and promotes a utopian political vision.Drawing on the writings of the Protestant Reformers, historic Reformed political theology, and the ideas of the American founding, James examines the historic concept sometimes called the “Christian prince.” Did figures like Calvin, Knox, and the early Protestants believe civil magistrates had a duty toward true religion?Does human depravity make Christian governance impossible, or does it simply require wise limits on power?This episode returns to the original sources to explore what historic Christianity actually taught about civil authority, the role of the magistrate, and the relationship between church and state.

In this episode Jon Harris tackles the growing wave of distorted teachings online about the Bible, the church, and the nation of Israel. Amid rising errors like dishonest portrayals of Jewish people, rejection of Gods promises to ethnic Israel, and even questions about Jesus Jewish identity, Harris offers clear biblical and historical guidance.Drawing from the unconditional Abrahamic covenant in Genesis and echoed in Romans 9 through 11, he shows that God still has a sovereign plan for ethnic Israel including a coming ingathering and salvation. This hope held by church fathers, Reformers, Puritans and theologians like Edwards Spurgeon and Lloyd Jones strengthens Gentile believers confidence in Gods faithfulness.Harris warns against letting politics shape theology or sliding into unjustified anti Jewish rhetoric emphasizing instead the call to bless Israel through prayer and evangelism while upholding Christ as the Jewish Messiah and the unity of Scripture. A timely defense of Gods irrevocable promises.PowerPoint Download: https://www.patreon.com/posts/153863146Essay Format: https://jonharris.substack.com/post/192036690Our Sponsors:* Check out Mars Men: https://mengotomars.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As we discuss Articles 19-24, we see our Reformers' definition of the Church, the authority of the Church and its limits, our Reformers' understanding of ecumenical councils, proper ministerial authority, and the need for ministering in the languages that are understood by the people. My review of the modernization of Books 2 and 3 of Richard Hooker's “Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity,” which discuss the Regulative Principle of worship

March 14, 2026Strength to Strength welcomed Philip Hess to critique the reformer's views of soteriology.Did the Protestant Reformers restore the true Apostolic doctrine to the church? Or did they fall short of this goal? Join us as we talk about how the Reformation teaching of “faith alone” did not represent the New Testament's picture of faith. To support “faith alone”, the Reformers had to promote forensic justification and monergism. Their alliance with the state church kept them from understanding the New Testament vision for the church as a body of the faithful, and led them to make all kinds of compromises with the teachings of Jesus. In this talk, we will discuss “How the Reformers slipped in Soteriology”.An interactive question-and-answer period follows.https://strengthtostrength.org/sacred-roots-how-the-reformers-slipped-in-soteriology/

Join the show with a TEXT here!The finale is here! We've reached the point of the Reformation that truly makes or breaks the gospel: How is a person justified—made right before a holy God?Throughout this mini‑series we've explored the clarity and sufficiency of Scripture, the canon of Scripture, and the doctrine of grace. Now we arrive at the heart of it all: justification by faith—and by faith alone.Eastern Orthodoxy teaches that our works is the cause of what makes us right before God. But what does Scripture actually say? The Reformers aimed to recover this reality, this gospel—the only gospel—of justification by faith in Christ's finished work and nothing else.I hope you've enjoyed the journey up to this point, and I pray this finale strengthens you in your walk. If this episode encourages you, leave a comment and share it with a friend. God bless.

Evening Prayer for Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (The Second Sunday in Lent; John and Charles Wesley, Priests and Reformers of the Church, 1791, 1788).Psalm and Scripture readings (60-day Psalter):Psalms 3-4Proverbs 2Romans 15⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to access the text for the Daily Office at DailyOffice2019.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to support The Daily Office Podcast with a one-time gift or a recurring donation.

Morning Prayer for Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (The Second Sunday in Lent; John and Charles Wesley, Priests and Reformers of the Church, 1791, 1788).Psalm and Scripture readings (60-day Psalter):Psalms 1-2Exodus 10Matthew 13:44-59⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to access the text for the Daily Office at DailyOffice2019.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to support The Daily Office Podcast with a one-time gift or a recurring donation.

March 1st, 2026

In this week's episode, I take a historical digression to look at the four major Thomases of the English Reformation - Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragonskull series at my Payhip store: QUEST25 The coupon code is valid through March 9 2026. So if you need a new ebook this winter, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 292 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is February 27th, 2026. Today we are taking a digression into history by looking at the four Thomases of the English Reformation (with one bonus Thomas). We'll also have Coupon of the Week and a progress update on my current writing and publishing projects. First up, let's do Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragonskull series at my Payhip store. That coupon code is QUEST25 and as always, the links to the store and the coupon code will be available in the show notes of this episode. This coupon code is valid through March 9th, 2026. So if you need a new ebook this winter, we have got you covered. Now for an update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. I am very nearly done with Cloak of Summoning. As of this recording, I am 35% of the way through the final editing pass. This episode should be coming out on, let's see, March the 2nd. I'm hoping Cloak of Summoning will be available a few days (hopefully like one or two days) after this episode goes live, but we'll see how things go. In any event, it should be out in very early March, which is not far away at this point. I'm also 14,000 words into Blade of Wraiths, the fourth book in my Blades of Ruin epic fantasy series. Hopefully that will be out in April, if all goes well. That's my secondary project right now, but once it gets promoted to primary project once Cloak of Summoning is available, my new secondary project will be Dragon Mage, which will be the sixth book in the Rivah Half-Elven Thief series. I'm looking forward to that since it is going to bring to an end a lot of ongoing plot threads. So it should be quite a fun book to write and hopefully to read. That should hopefully be out in May or possibly June, depending on how things go. In audiobook news, Cloak of Titans, the audiobook narrated by Hollis McCarthy, should be available in more audiobook stores than it was this time last week, though it's still not on Amazon, Audible, or Apple. Brad Wills is working on recording Blade of Storms and I think the first six chapters are done. Hopefully we should have those audiobooks available to you before too much longer. So that is where I'm at with my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. 00:02:18 Main Topic: The Four Thomases of the English Reformation Now without further ado, let's get to our main topic and it's time for another of my favorite topics overall, a digression into obscure points of history. I've mentioned before that Wolf Hall (both the TV show and the book) is a lot easier to understand if you are at least passingly familiar with the key figures of the English Reformation, which happened during the reign of King Henry VIII. But who were these key figures? I had a history professor who said that to understand the English Reformation, you need to know about the four Thomases of the English Reformation: Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer, since each one of them altered events in a major way. Fun fact: only one of the four died from natural causes and right before he was about to go on trial for treason, which would have likely ended with his execution. The English Reformation was a tumultuous time and the Tudor court was not a place for the faint of heart or the morally scrupulous. So let's talk about the four Thomases and one bonus Thomas today. But first to understand them, we should look at three background trends that converged and boiled over during their lifetimes. #1: Henry VIII needs an heir. King Henry VIII was quite famously married six times and executed two of his wives in his quest for a male heir. To the modern era, this sounds odd and chauvinistic, but one of the errors of studying history is assuming that the residents of the past had any interest in 21st century standards of behavior. By the standards of Henry's time, having a male heir to assume the kingdom after his death was absolutely vital. In fact, an argument could be made that Henry was attempting to act responsibly by going to such lengths to father a male heir, though naturally he went about it in a spectacularly destructive and self-absorbed way. Remember, Henry's father, Henry VII, came to the throne after a 30-year civil war, and there were noble families that thought they had a better claim to the throne than Tudors and would be happy to exercise it. A good comparison is that the lack of a male heir for Henry VIII was as serious a crisis as a disputed presidential election in 21st century America would be. You can see evidence for this in Henry's famous jousting accident in 1536. For a few hours, people were certain that he was dead or was about to die, and this incident caused a brief constitutional crisis. If Henry died, who would rule? His daughter, Mary, who he had just declared a bastard? His young daughter Elizabeth from Anne Boleyn? His bastard son, Henry FitzRoy? A regent? One of the old families who thought they had a claim to the throne? Now, these are the sort of questions that tend to get decided by civil wars, which nobody wanted. So Henry needed a male heir and it weighed on him as a personal failure that he had been unable to produce one, which was undoubtedly one of the reasons he concluded that several of his marriages had been cursed by God and needed to be annulled. Though, of course, one of Henry's defining traits was that his self-absorption was such that nothing was ever his fault, but a failing of those around him. #2: The Reformation is here. At the same time Henry was beginning to have his difficulties, the Protestant Reformation exploded across Europe. The reasons for the Reformation were manifold. There was a growing feeling across all levels of society that the church was corrupt and more concerned about money than tending to Christ's flock, a feeling not helped by the fact that several of the 15th and 16th century popes were essentially Renaissance princelings more interested in luxury, money, and expanding the power of the papal states than in anything spiritual. Many bishops, archbishops, abbots, and other high prelates acted the same way. The situation the early 16th century church found itself in was similar to American higher education today. Many modern professors and administrators go about their jobs quietly, competently, and diligently, but if you want to find examples of corruption, folly, and egregious waste in American higher education, you don't have to try very hard. Reformers could easily find manifold examples of clerical and papal corruption to reinforce their arguments. Additionally, nationalism was beginning to develop as a concept, as was the idea of the nation state. People in England, Scotland, Germany, and other countries began to wonder why they were paying tithes to the church that went to build beautiful buildings in Rome and support the lavish lifestyle of the papal court when that money might be better spent at home. For that matter, the anti-clericalism of the Reformation was not new and had time to mature. At the end of the 14th century, Lollardy was a proto-Protestant movement in England that challenged clerical power. In the early 15th century, the Hussite wars in Bohemia following the teachings of Jan Hus were a preview of the greater Reformation to come. Papal authority had been severely damaged by the Great Schism at the end of the 14th and the start of the 15th century when two competing popes (later expanded to three) all tried to excommunicate each other and claim control of the church. In the aftermath, Renaissance Humanists had begun suggesting that only the Bible was the proper source and guide for Christianity, and that papal authority and many of the church's practices were merely human traditions that had been added later and were not ordained by God. A lot of the arguments of the Reformation had their earliest form from the writers of the 15th century. Essentially, the central argument of the Reformation was that the believer's personal relationship with God is the important part of Christianity and doesn't need to be mediated through ordained priests in the official sacraments of the church, though such things were still important. Of course, all the various reformers disagreed with each other about just how important and what the nature of that relationship was, how many sacraments there should be, and what the precise relationship between the individual, the church, and the state should be (and that argument got entangled with many other issues like nationalism), but that was a central crux of the Reformation. So all these competing pressures have been building up, and when Martin Luther posted his statements for debate on church reform in October of 1517, it was the equivalent of lighting a match in a barn that had been stuffed full of sawdust and was suffering from a natural gas leak. #3: The printing press. So why did Luther's action kick off the Reformation as we know it and not the other proto-Protestant movements we mentioned? I think the big part of that is the printing pass, perhaps the biggest part. The printing press did not exist during the early proto-Protestant movements, which meant it was a lot harder for the ideas of reform to spread quickly. The Lollards in particular wanted to translate the Bible into English instead of Latin, but the Bible is a big book and that is a lot of copying to do by hand. In 1539, after a lot of encouragement from Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII decreed that an English Bible should be placed at every church in England. In 1339, that would have been an impossible amount of copying by scribes. In 1539, thanks to the printing press, it was essentially on the scale of the government embarking on a mid-sized industrial project, perhaps a bit of a logistical and organizational challenge and you have to deal with contractors, but by no means impossible. The printing press made it possible for the various arguments and pamphlets of the Reformers to spread quickly throughout Europe. Luther published tracts on a variety of religious and political topics for the rest of his life, and those tracks were copied, printed, and sold throughout Europe. In fact, he had something of a flame war with Thomas More over Henry VIII's "Defense of the Seven Sacraments". Kings and governments frequently tried to suppress printers they didn't like, but the cat was out of the bag and the printing press helped drive the Reformation by spreading its ideas faster than had previously been possible. AI bros occasionally compare modern large language model AIs to the printing press as an irreversible technological advancement, but one should note that the printing press of the 16th century did not require an entire US state's worth of electricity and an unlimited supply of water. So those were some of the undercurrents and trends leading up to the English Reformation. With that in mind, let's take a look at our four Thomases. #1: Thomas Wolsey. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was Henry's right hand man during the first 20 years of his reign and essentially the practical ruler of England during that time. He started his career in Henry's reign as the almoner, essentially in charge of charity, and it ended up becoming the Lord Chancellor of England. Since Henry was not super interested in actually doing the hard work of government, Wolsey ended up essentially running the country while Henry turned his full enthusiasm towards the more ceremonial aspects of kingship. Wolsey was an example of the kind of early 16th Century church prelate we mentioned above, more of a Renaissance princeling than a priest. However, as Renaissance princelings went, you could do worse than to have been ruled by someone like Wolsey. And if you were a king, you would be blessed to have a lieutenant as diligent in his work as the Cardinal. Granted, Wolsey did amass a large fortune for himself, but he frequently patronized the arts, education and the poor, pursued some governmental reforms, and deftly maintained England's position in the turbulent diplomacy of the time. He was also much more forgiving in questions of religious dissent than someone like Thomas More. Wolsey was the most powerful man in England at his apex, and the nobility hated it for him because his origins were common. So long as he had Henry's favor, Wolsey was untouchable and the nobility couldn't move against him. But the royal favor came to an end as Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon was unable to produce a son. Since Catherine had previously (and briefly) been married to his older brother Arthur before Arthur's death, Henry became convinced (or succeeded in convincing himself) that his marriage was cursed by God for violating the prohibition against sleeping with your brother's wife in the book of Leviticus. His eye had already fallen on Anne Boleyn and Henry wanted an annulment and not a divorce in his marriage with Catherine. In the eyes of God, he would never have been married at all, and then he could marry Anne Boleyn with a clear conscience. Here, Wolsey's gift for diplomacy failed him, but perhaps it was an impossible task. Catherine of Aragon was the aunt of Emperor Charles V, who at the time was the most powerful man in Christendom. All of Wolseley's efforts to persuade the pope to annul the marriage failed, partly because the pope had already given Henry VIII dispensation to marry his brother's widow. Wolsey's failure eroded his support with the king. Anne Boleyn likewise hated Wolsey partly because she believed he was hindering the annulment, and partly because he had blocked her from marrying the Earl of Northumberland years before she had her eyes set upon Henry. Finally, Henry stripped Wolsey of his office of Lord Chancellor, and Wolsey retired to York to take up his role as archbishop there. Wolsey's popularity threatened Henry and Anne, so Henry summoned him back to London to face treason charges. Perhaps fortunately for Wolsey, he died of natural causes on the journey back to London. His replacement as Lord Chancellor was Thomas More, the next of our major for Thomases. #2: Thomas More. More was an interesting contrast-a Renaissance Humanist who remained a staunch Catholic, even though Renaissance Humanists in general tended towards proto-Protestantism or actual Protestantism. He was also in some ways oddly progressive for his time. He insisted on educating his daughters at a time was considered pointless to educate women about anything other than the practical business of household management. Anyway, More's training as a lawyer and a scholar led him to a career in government. He held a variety of posts under Henry VIII, finally rising to become the Lord Chancellor after Wolsey. In the first decades of his brain, Henry was staunchly Catholic and despised Protestantism, in particular, Lutheranism in general and Martin Luther in particular. In 1521, Henry published "Defense of the Seven Sacraments" against Luther, and More helped him write it to an unknown degree. In their dislike for all forms of Protestantism, More and Henry were in harmony at this point. More was involved in hunting down heretics (i.e. Protestants) and trying to convince them to recant. During his time as the Lord Chancellor, More ended up sending six people to be burned at the stake for heresy, along with the arrest and interrogations of numerous others. This rather clashes with his "humanist man of letters" aspect, but More was undoubtedly convinced he was doing the right thing. And while he might have believed in education, he most definitely did not believe in freedom of conscience in several areas. To be fair to More, in the view of many at the time, Protestants, especially Anabaptists, were dangerous radicals. Likely More viewed hunting heretics in the same way as some modern politicians view hunting down covert terrorist cells or surveilling potential domestic terrorists. Harsh measures true, but harsh measures allegedly necessary for the greater good of the nation. However, the concord between More and Henry would not last. Henry wanted to set aside Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, which More staunchly opposed. More especially opposed Henry breaking away from Rome and becoming head of an independent English Church. At first, More was able to save himself by maintaining his silence, but eventually Henry required all of his subjects take an oath affirming his status as head of the church. Thomas Cromwell famously led a deputation to try and change More's mind, but he failed. More refused, he was tried on specious treason charges, and beheaded in 1535. Later, the Catholic church declared him the patron saint of politicians. This might seem odd given that he oversaw executions and essentially did thought police stuff against Protestants, but let's be honest-it's rare to see a politician even mildly inconvenience himself over a point of principle, let alone maintain it until death when he was given every possible chance to change his mind. Probably the most famous fictional portrayals of More are A Man For All Seasons and Wolf Hall. I would say that A Man For All Seasons was far too generous to More, but Wolf Hall was too harsh. #3: Now for the third of our four Thomases, Thomas Cromwell. After Wolsey's fall and More's refusal to support Henry's desire to either annul his marriage to Catherine or to make himself head with the church so he couldn't annul the marriage, Thomas Cromwell rose become Henry's new chief lieutenant. Cromwell is both a fascinating but divisive figure. For a long time, he was cast as the villain in Thomas More's saga, but Hillary Mantel's Wolf Hall really triggered a popular reevaluation of him. Like A Man For All Seasons was too generous to More, I would say Wolf Hall was too generous to Cromwell. Nonetheless, I suspect Cromwell was and remained so divisive because he was so effective. He got things done on a scale that the other three Thomases of the English Reformation never quite managed. Cromwell's origins are a bit obscure. It seems he was either of non-noble birth or very low gentry birth and his father Walter Cromwell was a local prosperous tradesman in a jack of all trades with a reputation for litigiousness. For reasons that are unclear, Cromwell fled his birthplace and spent some time in continental Europe, possibly as a mercenary soldier. He eventually made his way to Italy and started working for the merchant families there, gaining knowledge of trade in the law, and then traveled to the Low Countries. When he returned to England, he became Cardinal Wolsey's right hand man. After Wolsey's fall, Cromwell went into Parliament and defended his master whenever possible. This loyalty combined with his significant talent for law and administration caught the eye of Henry and he swiftly became Henry's right-hand man. Amusingly, Cromwell never became Lord Chancellor like More or Wolsey, but instead accumulated many lesser offices that essentially allowed him to carry out Henry's directives as he saw a fit. Unlike More and Wolsey, Cromwell had strong Protestant leanings and he encouraged the king to break away from the Catholic Church and take control of the English Church as its supreme head. Henry did so. His marriage to Catherine of Aragon was nulled. The rest of Europe never accepted this until Catherine died of illness and it became a moot point. In 1533, he married Anne Boleyn. Like Cromwell, Anne had a strong Protestant bent and began encouraging reformers to take various offices and began pushing Henley to make more reforms than he was really comfortable doing. For example, Cromwell was one of the chief drivers behind the English Bible of 1539. This, combined with Anne's inability to give Henry a son, contributed to Anne's downfall. Unlike Catherine, she was willing to argue with Henry to his face and was unwilling to look the other way when he wanted a mistress, and this eventually got on Henry's nerves. Events are a bit murky, but it seems that Henry ordered Cromwell to find a way he could set aside Anne and Cromwell complied. Various men, including her own brother, were coerced and confessing to adultery with Anne on charges that were most likely fabricated and Anne's "lovers" and Anne herself were executed for treason in 1536. Cromwell had successfully used a technique that many modern secret police organizations and dictatorships employ- if you want to get rid of someone for whatever reason, accuse them of a serious crime, coerce them to a confession, and then have them executed. Joseph Stalin did basically the same thing when he purged the Old Bolsheviks after Lenin's death. Henry married Jane Seymour shortly after Anne's execution, and she finally gave Henry his long-waited son, though she died soon afterwards of postpartum complications. Cromwell also oversaw the dissolution of the English monasteries in the 1530s. Monasticism had become quite unpopular even before the Reformation, especially among humanist writers. The concentration of property in the hands of monasteries made for a ripe target. Using Parliament and with Henry's approval, the monasteries of England were dissolved, the monks and nuns pensioned off, and the various rich properties held by the monasteries were given to the king and his friends. Cromwell himself profited handsomely. This was essentially legalized theft, but there was nothing the monasteries could do about it. Cromwell pushed for more religious reforms, but that combined with the dissolution of the monasteries caused "The Pilgrimage of Grace" in 1537, a rebellion that Henry was able to put down through a combination of lies, stalling, outright bribery, and brutal repression under the Duke of Norfolk (more about him later). Cromwell was at the zenith of his power and influence, but his reformist bent and made him a lot of enemies. For that matter, Henry was increasingly uncomfortable with further religious changes. He wanted to be head of his own church, but essentially his own Catholic Church, not his own Reformed or Lutheran one. Cromwell's alignment with the reform cause gave his more traditionalist enemies a tool to use against him. Cromwell's foes had their chance in 1540 when Henry married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Cromwell had heavily pushed for the match, hoping to make an alliance with the Protestant princes of Germany against the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor. For whatever reason, Henry took an immediate dislike to Anne and never consummated the marriage, which was swiftly annulled and Anne pensioned off. Henry blamed Cromwell for the failed marriage and Cromwell's enemies, particularly Duke of Norfolk and Bishop Gardiner of Winchester, were able to convince Henry to move against him. Cromwell was arrested, stripped of all the titles and property he had amassed, and executed in July of 1540. The sort of legal railroading process he had born against Anne Boleyn's alleged lovers and numerous other enemies of Henry's was used against him. This was one of the very few executions Henry ever regretted. Within a year, the French ambassador reported that Henry was raging that his counselors had misled him into putting to death the most faithful servant he had ever had. Once again, nothing was ever Henry's fault in his own mind. The fact that Henry allowed Cromwell's son Gregory to become a baron and inherit some of his father's land shows that he likely changed his mind about the execution. For once in his life, Henry was dead on accurate when he called Cromwell his "most faithful servant". He never again found a lieutenant with Cromwell's loyalty and skill. The remaining seven years of Henry's reign blundered from setback to setback and all the money Henry obtained from the dissolution of the monasteries was squandered in indecisive wars with France and Scotland. I think it's fair to say that the English Reformation would not have taken the course it did, if not for Cromwell. As ruthless and as unscrupulous as he could be, he nonetheless did seem to really believe in the principles of religious reform and push such policies whenever he could do so without drawing Henry's ire. #4: Now the fourth of our four major Thomases, Thomas Cranmer. If Thomas Cromwell did a lot of the political work of the English Reformation, then Thomas Cranmer wrote a lot of its theory. Cranmer was a scholar and something of a gentle-minded man, but not a very skillful politician. He seemed happy to leave the politicking to Cromwell. I think Cranmer would have been a lot happier as a Lutheran pastor in say, 1950s rural Nebraska. He could have married a farmer's daughter, had a bunch of kids, and presided at weddings, funerals, and baptisms where he could talk earnestly about Jesus and Christian virtues, and he probably would have written a few books on obscure theological points. But instead, Cranmer was destined to play a significant part in the English Reformation. He started as a priest and a scholar who got in trouble for marrying, but when his wife died in childbirth, he went back to the priesthood. Later, he became part of the team of scholars and priests working to get Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled. While he was at university and later in the priesthood, he became fascinated by Lutheran ideas and became a proponent of reform. As with Cromwell, Henry's desire to marry Anne Boleyn gave Cranmer his great opportunity. Anne's family were also in favor of reform, and they arranged for Cranmer to become the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The new archbishop and the like- minded clerics and scholars laid the legal and theological groundwork for Henry to break with Rome and become head of the English church with Cranmer and the rest of the reform faction wanted to be used to push for additional church reforms. He survived the tumults of Henry's reign by total loyalty to the king – he mourned Anne Boleyn, but didn't oppose her execution (though he was one of the few who mourned for her publicly), did much the same when Cromwell was executed, and personally sent news of Catherine Howard's adultery to the king. Because of that, Cranmer had a great chance to pursue the cause of reform when Henry died and his 12-year-old son Edward VI became King. Edward's uncle Edward Seymour acted as the head of the King's regency council, and Seymour and his allies were in favor of reform. Cranmer was at last able to steer the English church in the direction of serious reform, and he was directly responsible for writing the Book of Common Prayer and several other key documents of the early Anglican church. But Cranmer's of luck ran out in 1553 when Edward VI died. Cranmer was part of the group that tried to put the Protestant Lady Jane Grey on the throne, but Henry's daughter Mary instead took the crown. Mary had never really wavered from her Catholicism despite immense pressure to do so, and she had last had a chance to do something about it. She immediately brought England back to Rome and started prosecuting prominent reform leaders, Cranmer among them. Cranmer was tried for treason and heresy and sentenced to be burned, but that was to be commuted if he recanted his views in public during a sermon, which he did. However, at the last minute, he thunderously denounced his previous recantation, asserted his reformist faith, and vowed that he would thrust the hand that signed the recantation into the flames first. Cranmer was immediately taken to be burned at the stake, and just as he promised, he thrust his hand into the flames, and his last word is that he saw heaven opening and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Cranmer had spent much of his life trying to appease Henry while pushing as much reform as possible, but in his final moments, he had finally found his defiance. When Mary died and Elizabeth took the throne, she returned England to Protestantism. Elizabeth was much more pragmatic than her half siblings and her father ever were, so she chose the most expedient choice of simply rolling the English church back to as it was during Edward VI's time. Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer and religious articles, lightly edited for Elizabeth's sensibilities, became the foundational documents of the Anglican church. So these four Thomases, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer were central to the events of the English Reformation. However, we have one bonus Thomas yet. Bonus Thomas: Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk. Thomas Howard was a powerful nobleman during the reign of Henry, and the Duke of Norfolk was frequently Henry's lieutenant in waging various wars and putting down rebellions. He was also the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, Henry's second and fifth queens. He was also involved in nearly every major event of Henry's reign. So with all that, why isn't Norfolk as remembered as well as the other four Thomases of the English Reformation? Sometimes a man would be considered virtuous by the standards of the medieval or early modern age, yet reprehensible in ours. For example, for much of the Middle Ages, crusading was considered an inherently virtuous act for a knight, whereas in the modern age, it would be condemned as war mongering with a religious veneer. However, by both modern standards and Tudor standards, Thomas Howard was a fairly odious character. For all their flaws and the morally questionable things they did, Wolsey, More, Cromwell, and Cranmer were all men of conviction in their own ways. More and Cranmer explicitly died with their faith. Cromwell's devotion to the Protestant cause got him killed since he insisted on the Anne of Cleves match. Even Wolsey, for all that he enriched himself, was a devoted servant of Henry after his downfall never betrayed the king. By contrast, Norfolk was out for Norfolk. This wasn't unusual for Tudor nobleman, but Norfolk took it to a new level of grasping venality. He made sure that his daughter was married to Henry's bastard son, Henry FitzRoy, just in case FitzRoy ended up becoming king. He used both his nieces, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, to gain power and lands for himself, and then immediately turned against him once he became politically expedient. In fact, he presided over the trial where Anne Boleyn was sentenced to death. After the failure of the Anne of Cleve's marriage, Norfolk made sure to bring his young niece Catherine Howard to court to catch Henry's eye, and to use the Anne of Cleve's annulment as a lever to get rid of Thomas Cromwell. Both stratagems worked, and he attempted to leverage being the new Queen's uncle to bring himself to new power and riches, as he had with Anne Boleyn. Once Henry turned on Catherine Howard, Norfolk characteristically and swiftly threw his niece under the bus. However, as Henry aged, he grew increasingly paranoid and vindictive, and he had Norfolk arrested and sentenced to death on suspicion of treason. Before the execution could be carried out, Henry died, and Norfolk spent the six years of Edward VI's reign as a prisoner in the Tower of London. When Edward died and Mary took the throne, she released Norfolk since she was Catholic and Norfolk had always been a religious traditionalist suspicious of reform. He spent the remaining year of his life as one of Mary's chief advisors before finally dying of old age. As I often say, history can be a rich source of inspiration for fantasy writers, and the English Reformation is full of such inspiration. Wolsey, More, Cromwell, and Cranmer can all make excellent inspirations for morally ambiguous characters. For that matter, you can see why the reign of Henry VIII has inspired so many movies, TV shows, and historical novels. The real life events are so dramatic as to scarcely require embellishment. So that's it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show and thank you for listening as I went on one of my little historical digressions. I hope you found the show enjoyable. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy, and we'll see you all next week.

A recent poll has good news for Montana Sen. Steve Daines' re-election chances. A longtime Democratic legislator enters the eastern district Congressional race. A new nonpartisan political group forms to elect "principled candidates." And past and present Montana politicians have opposing takes on the State of the Union

A recent poll has good news for Montana Sen. Steve Daines' re-election chances. A longtime Democratic legislator enters the eastern district Congressional race. A new nonpartisan political group forms to elect "principled candidates." And past and present Montana politicians have opposing takes on the State of the Union

This week, Keaton Paul explains the mechanics of medieval theology and how that theology influenced the Reformers and the theology we study today.For questions and feedback, reach out to keaton.paul@pcazion.orgFor more about Zion Presbyterian Church, visit zioncolumbia.org.

Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell unpack what having a “Pilates body” actually means, diving deep into the misconception that health has a specific aesthetic. They explore why moving for health matters more than chasing a look, how confidence is built through action, and what it takes to stop shrinking your own story. Through honest reflection and real examples, this episode challenges the narratives that keep people playing small. Listeners are invited to redefine strength from the inside out. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why “Pilates body” was never meant to describe a physical aesthetic.Moving for health instead of chasing shape or size outcomes.Reframing “fake it till you make it” as a confidence tool.How luck narratives keep people from owning their grit.Why having the right people in your corner matters long-term.Episode References/Links:Agency MINI - https://prfit.biz/mini Poland Contrology Pilates Conference - xxll.co/poland Brussels - xxll.co/brussels POT London - https://xxll.co/pot Spring Training - How to Get Overhead - https://opc.me/events The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063337163The Great American Spit Out - https://beitpod.com/americanspitoutRethinking Thin by Gina Kolata - https://a.co/d/0djq9K9pHysteria Podcast - https://beitpod.com/hysteriaButts: A Backstory - https://a.co/d/gHqMk8vSend your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  We have to cut to the bullshit of like, what a healthy body looks like. We just have to. Like, I am massively impressed by these strong women and strong men. They are not tiny people, they are big people, and what they can do is fucking insane. Lesley Logan 0:14  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 0:54  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the redefining convo I had with Brooke Siler and Maria Earle in our last episode. And if you didn't listen to that one, you fucked up, you missed, you messed up. Brad Crowell 1:09  Game over. Lesley Logan 1:09  I'm sorry. I hate to say it that harshly, but you gotta, you gotta listen. I mean, what are you doing? How are you missing the Tuesday episode? No, I'm kidding. Listen to this. Sometimes people like to listen this, and then they go listen to that one. So if that's you, I'm not harping on you, you're gonna go listen to it, because you are gonna be so intrigued if you missed it. It was so good. It was so fun. Brad Crowell 1:28  Yeah, it was good. It was actually a lot of fun. And there were, like, some great moments in there that I started taking notes. Lesley Logan 1:35  Whoa, whoa. 643 episodes later, friends and he is taking notes. Oh, my God. Well, today is February 19th 2026, it's a Great American Spit Out. We observe Great American Spit Out on the Thursday of February's third full week every year. So complicated. This year it takes place. I have a really funny side note, I listened to this podcast. Brad Crowell 2:01  Third full week. Thursday of the.Lesley Logan 2:04  Yeah, The February's third full week every year. Yeah. So there's this one podcast I listened to, and those, I won't say the podcast name, because if you listen to it, you'll know what I'm talking about. And she always says the date, and she'll say 2000 2026 and it's taken forever for her to go, what I'm not saying it right? They're like, No, you're not, anyways. And that just made me think of it like, let's make it as complicated as possible. Thursday of February, third full week of every year. So would it be the third Thursday of the fullest week in February? Brad Crowell 2:37  Why would the third week of February not be full? Lesley Logan 2:39  Well, because you could start on a for the first could start on a Thursday. Brad Crowell 2:40  Oh, I see. Lesley Logan 2:41  And so that's not a full week. Brad Crowell 2:43  So it's not, technically, the third Thursday, because if the if the week start, if it starts on a Wednesday, the first Thursday is not a full week.Lesley Logan 2:54  The third Thursday of February's fullest week. Brad Crowell 3:00  I think this is hilarious. Moving on.Lesley Logan 3:02  Anyways, they're like, dying to know what this is. So this year, it takes place on February 19th. It's a day to encourage people, especially veterans, to stop using smokeless tobacco products. The important mission of the day. I mean, honestly, this is for everybody. I appreciate that we're encouraging our veterans.Brad Crowell 3:19  All tobacco products, but right now we're talking about the Great American Spit Out, which is clearly talking about dipping, yeah, dipping and other things. Lesley Logan 3:27  Dipping and other things. I guess there's other things. So the important mission of this day is to provide users with enough resources to help them stop using such products that tobacco plant is cultivated for its leaves. Tobacco leaves are rich in nicotine, which is an addictive chemical people can use tobacco to smoke, chew or sniff. The Great American Spit Out as the perfect day to start, to start fighting the addiction caused by tobacco products and nicotine. Smokeless tobacco users are encouraged to quit, even if just for one day. Hey, you know what? You know around here, we are here for just one day. Anything to start. I actually really picked this day because a few other days were quite boring. But my family has a history of smokers and it and all of them had to have surgery, and all of them did not die on an easy in an easy way. So my grandfather, he had a part of his lung removed, like a huge part back in the day when they did those surgeries, it looks like a shark bit him. And they would show us, this is this is our hooked on trucks. This is our dare campaign. My family would pull up a shirt and show us the shark attack. Oh, this is gonna happen to you if you smoke. And then, yes, but your parents did a more, kinder.Brad Crowell 4:25  Yeah, we didn't have any shark attack smoking shark attack (inaudible).Lesley Logan 4:29  Everyone was able to learn, like the way I was raised. And then my mom had another because of the blood, the way his blood coagulated, and his tobacco use started losing limbs. And to the day he died, he still smoked. Because at one point he was like, Well, if I have no feet or legs or fingers, I should at least continue to smoke. And then his wife died of secondhand smoke. She died of emphysema. So yeah, so at any rate. So I also looked up because we are hearing that tobacco products are back on the rise again, partly because, like, you know, the hooked on drugs is your brain on drugs and and and things like that aren't working. But also the youth today, the youth, the younger people today, the youths, they are actually they're they actually don't they have a deeper sense of fatalism, like they actually don't think that they'll be alive as long as the rest of the world has been or in a world that is going to be healthy and clean for them. So why not smoke? Which I get that? Here's the deal. Brad Crowell 5:25  Aren't they drinking less though?Lesley Logan 5:28  They don't drink as much, they also have sex later, so that's cool, or less. Do you know today, the day that we're recording this, I heard that 40 year old women are having more babies than teenagers, and that's huge. That is a huge deal Because, like.Brad Crowell 5:43  That's not what I don't think I would have expected that, but that's great.Lesley Logan 5:46  Well, because now IVF has gotten better and kids are having less sex. So, you know, so I think, but here's the deal. Like, look, we all have our vices. We all have our addictions. And there's just something about cigarette smoke that just and if you're a smoker who listens this, I'm not judging you. I feel bad that you got hooked on that you got hooked on it, and it bothers me, and I understand, like you could be addicted to alcohol and other things that are as bad. But there's just about cigarette smoke that I fucking can't stand. I can't stand walking by a doorway and smelling it. I can't. So if, if, if me wanting to stand next to you outside matters, maybe you quit today, and I know you're like Lesley, this is chewing. Well, chewing causes jaw cancer, you know, so tongue, not not sexy, not sexy. In fact, one of our friends fathers had jaw cancer from smoking, from chewing tobacco, and so we all got to see that. That was my parents way of making sure we never started chewing. Brad Crowell 6:43  The Shark Attack of the jaw cancer. Lesley Logan 6:45  Well, it's not sexy. I'm gonna tell you right now, even if you're fatalistic, you definitely want your teeth you do. So stop smoking, even for today. Okay, let's get into it. So oh gosh, my goodness, babe. Agency Mini kicked off today.Brad Crowell 6:59  Today. This morning. We are, we are, while you're listening to this, we're probably live on a webinar. Lesley Logan 7:05  Yeah? So you can, I think you could still sign up today, but. Brad Crowell 7:08  You sure can. Lesley Logan 7:07  But it's gonna move quick, so and you don't want to wait till the next one, because I know you're like, Oh, I'll wait till the next one. You'll forget about it. So you should just sign up for today. prfit.biz/mini it's for Pilates instructors and studio owners who work for themselves or want to. We are going to get you clarity. We're gonna help you with your business. Brad and I have been around a lot of different fitness business coaches out there, and one thing that they all have in common is treating you all the same and encouraging your business to follow certain templates. And we want you. We've I believe that your business will ride any recession wave if you are differentiated and your services are diversified, and it follows your goals and your life, and that's what we coach. Brad Crowell 7:31  That is. But, so go to prfit.biz/mini. That's profit without the O slash mini, and then in March, we're hitting the road, y'all, in a different way than normal when we when we say we're hitting the road, usually means we're hopping in the van. This time, we are hopping on a plane. We are going to be skipping across said pond. Lesley Logan 8:07  We're going to be in Poland. Yeah, Poland first for the Controlology Pilates conference with Karen Frischmann. That's gonna be a couple of days of epicness. And there's a day where you can get some sessions, and it's just a lot of fun. If you didn't, if you missed us the last time was a couple years ago. Don't miss this one. We don't know when we're coming back, and that's just because the world is really big, and I've got to start going to new places. You know, we need to go to Australia and stuff. So xxll.co/poland and then we'll, we'll venture over. I don't really know if it's I have, you know, when I look at the map, I'm so confused. I don't know. I clearly forgot how to study the map of Europe. So we're gonna go over to Brussels. I'll just say that, because I don't really know if it's up or down, or east or west. We're going to Brussels. xxll.co/brussels, we'll be at Els Studio. P li tells which I just love. I love NFL is listening to this one of my Oh, whenever I hear what else I always think of? What else? Yeah, yeah. From our time with Jay, we would start going, what else? What else? Anyways, xxll.co/brussels that's, when we meet Karen, again. Brad Crowell 9:11  Let's just say that again, xxll.co xxll.co/brusselsLesley Logan 9:17  What you can't you can't hear this fast you can hear. And that's just giving out the fine print. It's Karen and I again, also our friend Ignacio is going to be there. Oh my gosh, I love him so much I can't even wait. So definitely snag your spots to that before it's sold out. And then we're gonna do our second honeymoon and make our way over to London to POT London, and I have some information for you folks. My Saturday workshop is sold out. Brad Crowell 9:45  What already? Holy mackerel. Lesley Logan 9:47  Yeah, it is. It is at max capacity. And there's only a few spots left in my Sunday workshop. So if you are wanting to add classical concepts to your contemporary classes, then you're going to want to go xxll.co/pot xxll.co/pot I'm super excited. We'll have our decks there. Those workshops will happen, and you definitely want to stick around, because there's also going to be a little hangout session that we're doing for our members and our listeners. And then there's a really cool documentary that they are doing. The release, Pilates Anytime is doing the release of at that POT event. Yep, you'll want to be there. Then we're gonna come back. Brad Crowell 10:25  Then we're coming home. Lesley Logan 10:26  And we're doing some fun stuff at home. We have eLevate weekend, we have eLevate retreat. We have business retreat. You know those things you can't come to unless you can, and you'll know if you can. So you got an invite, but what you can come to is something we're doing in May. And believe it or not, May is still springtime. Brad Crowell 10:49  Believe it or not. Lesley Logan 10:49  It's still springtime. And so. Brad Crowell 10:51  News flash. Lesley Logan 10:48  News flash. Well, some people think it's the summer because of the weekend, the holiday weekend, but it is still spring, and we're doing spring training, and it's how to get overhead so this is our overhead exercises. We have a lot of requests for people struggling with Overhead, Jack Knife, Control Balance, High Season, Bicycle Headstands. So what I'm super excited about is that we're going to do a whole week long on all these different classes with different teachers from the OPC platform, so that no matter your body size, height, age, experience, you are going to have a class. It's going to give you tips for for your life, for your practice. I mean, we even have a teacher who's removing overhead exercises from her practice, and so you don't let fear stop you from this one or, Oh, I'm a beginner, or I can never do that. I have contraindications. We will have versions and variations for you. And our goal is it's kind of like. Brad Crowell 10:51  Look, it's how to do it, not necessarily having to do it, right? How to do it, not have to do it. Lesley Logan 10:54  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And at OPC, we're really big fans of like you you learn the variations and the versions replacements for your practice, and then we believe it's brave and courageous that you do that. So we're super excited about it. You're going to want to go to opc.me/events, to get on the waitlist for that, because you'll, you'll, if you're on the waitlist, you'll hear about Early Bird and all that good stuff, and so you won't miss out on that information.Brad Crowell 12:08  Yeah, totally. Well.Lesley Logan 12:10  I'm excited we have. I mean, hello, welcome to the new year. I know it's February 19th, everyone. Brad Crowell 12:14  Busy busy year already. Lesley Logan 12:16  But we just got home. This is our first day in the office. Brad Crowell 12:18  This is literally the first full day in the office, and it's already January's almost done.Lesley Logan 12:23  I know, I know I kind of like it, though I feel very I felt ready to come back to work today. So anyways, we have to get into this episode before that. We have a question from audience. Would you like to share it with me, babe? Brad Crowell 12:35  Yeah. So IG, from IG, Pilates_Rosi is asking, Hey, someone told me that you should always gear out on the Reformer to do the short box series. Yes, no. Do you agree? Lesley Logan 12:48  Isn't always such a strong word? Brad Crowell 12:50  Always. This is why I failed all personality tests, because there's always an exception. So the answer would be fucking no, but.Lesley Logan 12:57  Yeah, I don't always do anything. Brad Crowell 12:58  Oh, right. We don't always do anything ever come on. Lesley Logan 13:00  And also not every Reformer gears out. So then what? Right? Brad Crowell 13:04  Then, what are you supposed to do? Should you be gearing out? Maybe that's a better way to ask the question. So we're not getting into our ADHD-ness.Lesley Logan 13:12  All right, so in an ideal world, your some people call it a sitting box. I call it a short box, goes over your shoulder blocks on the carriage, like a hamburger side, like it's, I guess. Anyways, I'm trying to describe how it goes on the Reformer for visual. But anyways, the short box goes on the carriage over the shoulder rest. That's the goal. So most Reformers will have a peg or some sort of post that is on there, and then there's space, and then there's your shoulder block. And so the box would, one side of the box would fit between that and lock it into place, lock in air quotes, right, would sit in there.Brad Crowell 13:44  So it's not sliding off easily. Still can if you're not paying attention. Lesley Logan 13:44  I mean, you could. You know, people have done funny things, but in an ideal world, you just sit on it, and it's not going to move forward or backwards. It's going to be in place. And then from that position, your feet go underneath the strap and they should. Brad Crowell 14:01  You're facing the foot bar. Lesley Logan 14:06  You're facing the foot bar. Brad Crowell 14:08  Feet go in the strap. Lesley Logan 14:03  In an ideal world, your feet do not rest on anything. That said, sometimes they touch things. There's a difference between touching and resting, right? However, I have noticed in our tours that there are a lot of new rules out in the world, and so there are some people who put the box in front of the shoulder rest. And I think this is because people aren't really paying attention to how they put the box on.Lesley Logan 14:09  So you're saying in front, as opposed to over the shoulder, okay. Lesley Logan 14:10  Over exactly in front. So they put them in front of the shoulder rest. Because I think the boxes are getting damaged because people aren't paying attention to what they're putting the box on. Or some equipment has, like, different things back there on their blocks. They have to go in front of the shoulder blocks. So if you're going in front of the shoulder blocks, most of the time, you're going to gear out. Unless someone is fun size and your box is really big, you're going to gear out. What does that mean? It means you're going to move the carriage away from the strap a little bit so that you can actually have straight, non resting legs when they're under the strap. Now, can the legs be slightly bent, of course. Should they be forced to bend? I wouldn't, because then it makes it really difficult to get into your seat. Makes it really difficult to get into your center. Your hip flexor start pulling you up. So here is the thing that I would agree with.Brad Crowell 14:10  When you say the thing you're talking about now we're talking about the actual gearing. Lesley Logan 14:10  We're going to talk about the exercise. In an ideal world, you place the box on the equipment where the body needs it, so that their legs can be reaching as long as possible without locking out, and their feet are underneath the strap flex without resting. That's the goal. Brad Crowell 14:10  Okay.Lesley Logan 14:10  That's the goal. So it's going to be different for everyone. Some people are going to be in front of the shoulder blocks. Some people are going to be over the shoulder blocks. Some people are gonna be front geared out. But if you are putting the box in front of the shoulder blocks, because that's a rule, most often, you're gearing out. Brad Crowell 15:27  Yeah, because it's now shifting the box forward like four inches. Lesley Logan 15:35  And then, by the way, you have to gear back in, because the straps are measured with the carriage geared in, and so in my opinion.Brad Crowell 15:52  So it's really a pain, that's a pain in the ass. Lesley Logan 15:54  Yes, thank you so much. Just put the box over the shoulder blocks. Why are we doing why are making this harder? Oh, because we don't want just teach people, you have to. I remember my trainer saying, hey, when you put the box on, make sure this part of the leather is underneath the box. Otherwise it will curl in and it will break and it will hurt against someone's neck. Okay, great. Just tell people. This is why we have a weird rule, you know, Hey, you think polite is expensive. Don't damage the box. How about that? Okay? Brad Crowell 16:21  Yeah, don't damage my damn box. Lesley Logan 16:24  So anyways, I just think that like I get, I get, I get why some people make funny up rules, but we are when you change the exercise placement, you change the exercise, and when you change that, it affects the cueing that people are giving, and then teachers are giving out weird ass cues that make no sense to the person doing it, because they're like, well, how do I get my butt on if my hip flexors are overworking, you know? So it's just hard. So anyways, hopefully, Pilates_Rosi, this gives you some ideas to think about. Definitely check out my videos on the short box, and in my flashcards, you can see where the box is placed. You can see how long my legs are. And if you're an OPC member, you can send in a video. Brad Crowell 16:57  You can see how long her legs are. Lesley Logan 16:59  Oh, my God, they're so long. But if you're an OPC member, you can send in a video of your setup for your short box, and I'll give you personalized feedback on where your box goes. There you go. If you have a question, you can send it in.Brad Crowell 17:13  Yeah, send it in. You can text us, 310-905-5534, or hit us up. At beitpod.com/questions, beitpod.com/questions, where you can leave both a win or a question. Lesley Logan 17:25  I want your wins. Brad Crowell 17:26  Yeah. Lesley Logan 17:27  I want your questions and your wins. I want all. I want it all. Brad Crowell 17:30  We want them all. All right, stick around. We're going to talk about Brooke Siler and Maria Earle. Brad Crowell 17:34  All right. Welcome back. Let's talk about Brooke Siler and Maria Earle. Brooke and Maria are internationally respected Pilates educators with over 50 years of combined teaching experience. Brooke, the author of the best selling The Pilates Body dropped in 2000 y'all, has spent decades teaching and researching Joseph Pilates' original writings, photos and archival materials which deeply inspired the new 25th anniversary edition of her book and its expanded chapter on internal sensing and natural movement. Maria, who began teaching in 1997 and previously owned a Pilates studio in Manhattan's Upper East Side, now runs a global education practice from Barcelona, where she moved, I think she said, about 15 years ago, she appears as the model in Brooke's new edition of the book, and was chosen for her grounded, internal, authentic approach to movement, rather than an her aesthetic performance. Together, they're redefining what a Pilates body really is.Lesley Logan 18:34  Okay, so I have to say, and I did say this on the episode, but I had, I have many Pilates people pitched to be on this podcast, and while we talk about Pilates a lot, it's not a Pilates podcast like I know it's for Pilates listeners. But to me, Pilate is a mind body, you know, practice, and sometimes our mind is a little fucked up, and we need help from these Be It guests that we have so we can get into our body around our practice. So, but I really wanted to interview them, because what a e it till you see it story and just how the book came about, how the second edition came about, how Maria jumped in on the second edition. I mean, she was so vulnerable and authentic about all about that, about joining the book. And I love that Maria said, let's celebrate the body as it is. Let's cut to the bullshit of what it means to have a Pilates body. And I here's the thing that's really interesting, right? Like, when I bought the book, The Pilates Body, I wasn't like, Oh, I'm going to look like this after I do this book. Like, that's not how I interpreted the book. It's kind of like, like a runner, like, you know what I mean? Like, what do these things mean.Brad Crowell 19:31  That'd be weird to pick up, like, a Gold's Gym muscle book and be like, Oh, if I do these exercises, I'm gonna look like Arnold.Lesley Logan 19:37  I'm gonna have the Gold's Gym body, you know? And like, I mean, I guess like people, I guess people do, but I think this all stems from just terrible media information on what a healthy body looks like. And so I couldn't agree more with like, with the cut through the bullshit of what a Pilates body means, because we have to cut through the bullshit of like, what a healthy body looks like. We just have to. Like, I am massively impressed by these strong women and strong men. They are not tiny people. They are big people, and what they can do is fucking insane. Brad Crowell 20:07  Yeah like, the dudes who pick up the boulder and carry it down the thing, or those, like weird, like rock that are, like, shaped like, kind of like a diamond, like those, and there are hundreds of pounds. Those people who are in those bodies, those are huge bodies. They're not, they're not. Lesley Logan 20:23  They are stronger than anybody I know. Brad Crowell 20:25  Yeah. Lesley Logan 20:26  Literally any, any of the bodies that we work out with, that we're friends with, that we're connected with, stronger than any of the bodies I know. Remember when we watched, what was that Korean show?Brad Crowell 20:36  The one the 100, the 100, the physical doc.Lesley Logan 20:39  Oh, physic, Physical 100. Brad Crowell 20:42  The Physical 100. Lesley Logan 20:42  Didn't translate well, which is why. But like, it was interesting because, like, they brought on all these different athletes, or pseudo athletes and trainers, and they had all these different bodies, and depending on the challenge, certain bodies did better, right? Like, the mountain climbers certainly slayed the first challenge over the strong men, but then when it came down to the end, you had an equal amount of people who were in bigger bodies and endurance bodies at the same challenge. And so what it comes down to is like, on average, most of us, if we are paying attention to our body and balancing out our strength and flexibility and our endurance, can do a fuck ton of stuff, but so many of us are, like, obsessed with getting smaller, and it's boring. Anyways, I could keep going, but she for Maria, you know, she there was an internal struggle because, of course, like, she was excited about the conversation, and then she's still a human being. So we got to talk about, like, when you look at yourself in those pictures and you go, yeah, I'm a proud of my body. I'm proud to be part of this, but ooh, that's what I look like, and I resonate with this so much. I was, I was doing a photo shoot yesterday, and I was just like, Okay, guys, this is not a sitting outfit. This is a standing outfit. So can you like because, because also it's like, how much of it do you want to be as a just, how much of it is a distraction versus like, the point or, or do we just do it so that people feel real, see real bodies more often? Like, it's, it's such a complicated thing, and your your mind messes with you based on how you were raised. And these stories take a long time, but she said for her, it was bigger than the photos. She said it became about reframing what is in our bodies, to be embodied and to celebrate all the different phases. And I love this so much because, you know, Maria, Brooke, and I, and many people listening, our bodies are in a different part of our journey. So it's just we're, you know, we're not going to look like 20 year olds, nor should we. And then Brooke also was conscious of this issue because in 2000 she had wrote in that issue that she said she hopes, in earnest that the models in the book inspire and don't intimidate, because she chose the original models for their strength and endurance, and also because they knew the work, I think that that's, you know, really hard when you're trying to pick it out and not because of their size and it. And I think even though her heart was really, you know, in there about inspire and not intimidate, like people just have a really hard time reading all the words and applying that to themselves. And so I'm excited for this additional chapter.Brad Crowell 22:57  Yeah, I also just wanted to say I'm glad you grabbed this as your topic, because I when I said I started taking notes, I actually was quoting you. As much as I appreciate the interview, you said something that really stuck out to me. You said we should have always been moving for the health of it and not for the shape of it. Move for the health of it and not the shape of it. In fact, I thought it was kind of quippy little, like, tagline, you know, for the health of it, because it's almost like, for the hell of it. Lesley Logan 23:29  Isn't it so great that I can come up with these things?Brad Crowell 23:33  Also, it's so great that I can hear them and be like, we should clip that. Lesley Logan 23:36  That's your job. Brad Crowell 23:37  Be It Till You See It, baby.Lesley Logan 23:39  Well, and I think that comes from like, I don't know if I mentioned on this episode or a different one, but I read a book called Rethinking Thin and at the same time that I picked up The Pilates Body book, I picked up that book because I was thinking about becoming a personal trainer, and I was doing this personal training stuff. And it was this history. It's a history of dieting and, like, where dieting came from and where the ideal woman's body came from. And it's two fucking things that'll fuck and piss you off. One, it's a cartoon drawing. So that's annoying, because it's not even fucking real. And then the other was on the statue, Norman. So the Norman statue. Brad Crowell 24:12  Is it the one holding the earth? Lesley Logan 24:13  No, but it's just a man. It's just a man. And then what they did for Norma. Brad Crowell 24:14  Oh, Norman, Norman, versus Norma. Lesley Logan 24:19  Norma, or nor woman, from what I understand from it, a book about butts it's, they basically took. Brad Crowell 24:27  I really hope that was the title, A Book About Butts.Lesley Logan 24:29  I think it is. I'll look at while you're talking about your favorite thing, I'll look it up. They basically put boobs on Norman. Well, Norman does not have estrogen. His pelvis is a different shape, like, oh my God, he doesn't even have.Brad Crowell 24:42  Oh I see. So you're they took, they took sculpture of a man and just put boobs, and then said, this is what the ideal woman should look like.Lesley Logan 24:50  This is what a woman looks like. And so I think ideal, I think it might have been average, right? But it's not that's not even a thing, not even impossible. So, anyways, like, because of the book Rethinking Thin, I learned about all the different diets that came around, all the different things that were obsessing about, and also how genetics plays such a massive role on the size that your body is determined to be. And then there's and then you go into the history of, like, when being heroin chic is in and it's always when they're trying to take rights away from women. Like, literally, if you take all the different times heroin chic was in and then you take all the different times they're trying to oppress women, they literally line up at the same time. So it's like, it's a cultic behavior of like, ladies stop eating so you your brain isn't functioning and you're not able to hear how we're taking your rights away. Anyways, what did you love?Brad Crowell 25:41  Well, I just wanted to say shout out to a podcast called Hysteria that I listened to that talks about this all the time, like the women's rights and. Lesley Logan 25:52  Oh, we love Hysteria, yeah. Brad Crowell 25:53  And, you know, like, it's a lot of politics as well, but it's two, you know, very powerful women who really dig in. And it's been really enlightening for me to see this from a different perspective.Lesley Logan 26:06  Yeah, the book is called Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke. Brad Crowell 26:12  By who? Lesley Logan 26:13  By Heather Radke. Brad Crowell 26:14  That's really funny.Lesley Logan 26:15  If anyone knows her, I want to interview her. But yes, it's about race, gender, control, beauty standards. It's, it's it's a lens of the human backside, and it's really great. But I also just want to say, if you're like, Oh, I get so annoyed when they get political. Ladies, being a woman in this world is political. Just, I hate to break it to you, but it is. Anyways, your turn. Brad Crowell 26:36  Yeah, you're not wrong. All right. Well, hey, look, back to Brooke and Maria. Maria also recounted how her mom often said, fake it till you make it. And I know that we've talked both times here about Maria, but I this really resonated with me, because I actually really wanted to hear you say, be it till you see it is the positive spin of fake it till you make it.Lesley Logan 27:02  I know, but, but I know, and I'm. Brad Crowell 27:03  We're not trying to take away from her. Lesley Logan 27:05  But also it works for her, like it works for her and it doesn't hold her back. So, like, I don't ever want to take something that works for someone away. And so I will let Brooke have fake it till you make it. That said. Brad Crowell 27:16  Maria. Lesley Logan 27:17  Oh, Maria said that, oh, yeah Maria said that. I will let Maria have that, because I think that's important. And also, if that is hard for you or inauthentic, then that's the be it till you see it reframe. That's all.Brad Crowell 27:28  Yeah and it is a reframe and, but it's obviously, you know. Lesley Logan 27:33  It's why always is a terrible word. Brad Crowell 27:36  Right. But she, she, so, Maria said she uses this when she's not quite sure what she's doing, or when she feels like she's not quite sure, helps her bypass the paralysis of starting where, you know, often starting things not 100% sure where they're going, but trusting that she's going to land on her feet. And, you know, I think it's really helpful. There's got to be, you know, it is a weird thing, right? This, this idea of having this internal dialogue of, like, your own internal like cheerleader versus like, you know, antagonist. And I think it's hard to sometimes be in the moment and see this is a time right now where I have to choose to fake it till I make it, right? You know, it's, it's hard to do that, but if you can, you know, being it until you see it is a win. You know, there's, there's a way to to at least get the ball rolling until, because confidence comes through action, right? It comes through doing and experiencing. So if you there's got to be a point where you got to get the ball rolling.Lesley Logan 28:39  Oh, couldn't agree more. And I like, I remember, like, you know, when I had a job in retail, one of the guys who worked for me, I was going through a lot, and I took him for his like, you know, monthly meeting. I said, Are you good? Like, I just know you got a lot going on outside of this. And he goes, Oh, none of that bothers me here, because when I cross the threshold of the store, sure, it's showtime. And that's another way of being it till you see it, or fake it till you make it, like, and I think that that's good mantra for us to have. And I also like, I think we are all putting too much pressure on feeling ready. You know, I don't know that I got to ask Brooke, like was, did she feel ready to like, add to this book? But also, like, this is a big endeavor to take a bestselling book and make changes to it. Like, like, the number of people like this book changed my life. I still have my book from 25 years ago. And then to go, Oh, I'm adding on. Brad Crowell 29:30  I'm just gonna make it better. Lesley Logan 29:30  I'm just gonna make it better. Brad Crowell 29:30  No big deal. Lesley Logan 29:31  And people didn't go, Oh, I'm just gonna keep the one I have. No. A bunch of our OPC members and our eLevate members all were like, Oh, I pre ordered the copy. I'm ready to go and, like.Brad Crowell 29:43  But, but I think this is, like, we're dancing around the word perfectionism, right? You know, like, the the idea of being ready to get started to do the thing, you know, that's, that's very much a perfectionism mentality, yeah. And it's, it creates this fear. That we're not gonna it's not gonna be right or done or perfect or whatever, and that that is debilitating, and also it is, like, the fastest way to go nowhere.Lesley Logan 30:10  Yes, it really is. And like, first of all, I think we, we're also blessed for the second edition of this book to be out, because the additional chapter isn't only a visual understanding of of what Brooke was trying to get in the first book, and also in the research she's done since. But, you know, she got to go through and, like, with 25 years of hindsight, and add into that, and it's, and I think that is a really beautiful thing, because it means the conversation continues, you know. And I think, like, going back to the word perfection, like, even though the book is it has hit print and you can all get it and you should, the conversation will continue. And I think that's what's really cool.Brad Crowell 30:47  Yeah, I think I'm, I'm excited for her, and also I love that she shared, that Brooke shared, oh yeah, I thought it was gonna get away with, like, the easy smack two books together and re release it, and be like, done. And then her publisher was like, No, no. Lesley Logan 31:02  Yeah, I know. I know. I actually really appreciated that, because when we redid the mat deck, we were like, Okay, we're gonna break these things out. And I think Meredith, I remember Meredith going, Oh, you edited every single card. And I was like, Well, yeah, because I thought we could just, like, pull these three out. But then once I did that, I was like, Well, I kind of got her through the whole thing like I now I know too much. I know too much about how it was used, and I.Brad Crowell 31:25  Well it would also have been five years, right? We got a tons of feedback. So I imagine that Brooke was similarly like, inundated with feedback for 25 years which is amazing.Lesley Logan 31:37  Probably, most unsolicited and some solicited.Brad Crowell 31:39  Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure. But hey, there's one more thing I wanted to talk about that Maria mentioned that really struck a chord with me. I really appreciate it. She didn't quite say it that way that I have said it, but the story she told herself, right? She, you know, was that, oh, she was just in the right place at the right time to be able to move to Spain, decide to live there and become an international educator, right? That's the story that she told her. She said it was she was spinning a narrative that kept her small, right? And so effectively, that was how she was viewing herself, (inaudible) well, and then when people would ask her, what did she do? How did she do it? She would say, I was just in the right place at the right time, which then allows them to go, oh, you lucked out, right? And she's like, but that takes away from all the hard work and the tough decisions, then the scary decisions that I had to make to get here. And that's not, that's not true. Yes, there's, of course, there's always some element of luck to it, but, you know, she was very intentional about that. And so she started to talk about the that that like addressing the narrative of playing small, you know, and, and I really appreciate that, because I remember when I was working for someone else. I, you know, why did I not go and ask for a raise? Oh, I'm just, I shouldn't even be here, was what I kept telling myself. I'm just the musician that, like I, you know, if I had ever gone through an interview process, they never would have hired me. These are all the things that I used to say to myself to justify the position that I was in, and that's 100% playing small. So I really resonated with this when she was talking about this. And she said today, she reframes her story. She said, you know, what got her here was her grit, persistence and tenacity, not luck, you know? And I just applaud her for I think it's really important that we identify that in our own lives. What story are you telling yourself that's keeping you small?Lesley Logan 33:31  Ooh, good question. Journal on that. Brad Crowell 33:33  Yeah. Well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to dig into those Be It Action Items that we got from Brooke and Maria right after this. Brad Crowell 33:42  Welcome back. All right. So finally, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Brooke and Maria? Brooke said the only way out is through. The only way out is through. She said she has a mentor who's a Buddhist, and their guidance has been helping her push through the fear, especially when it comes to like we talked about, how do you make something that's 25 years successful even better, and not jack it up? The only way out is through, right? She said, if I see fear, I'm going to head towards that fear so that I can make it through, right? She said, now, when she has an idea she wants to share, she reframes taking action as sharing, rather than doing a thing for others to react to, which I thought was pretty cool, because what she was talking about you asked her, like, how do you have the confidence to do this stuff? She said she started teaching, and three years later, wrote this book, three years later, wrote this book that has been an international success. Lesley Logan 34:45  Took me six years to get the fuck on YouTube.Brad Crowell 34:48  Right? So that's kind of amazing. And you asked her, like, how did you do that? And she said, Honestly, I just get so excited about the thing that I'm focusing on that I want to share it. And I didn't, don't approach it in the way that, like I'm the authority. Listen to me. No, she's excited about this thing. She's nerding about out about it, and then she's sharing it with others. And that's how you know, that's what gave her the confidence.Lesley Logan 35:12  Well, and also, do you know that, like fear and excitement, the difference is breathing like they're on the same energetic wavelength. But why don't you breathe? Yeah, so if you're afraid or nervous, exhale, and then you can enjoy excitement, because it's the same. Brad Crowell 35:29  That's amazing. Lesley Logan 35:30  According to Gay Hendricks, and you know he is, he is one of the lords around here. Him, by the way, on the day we're recording this, it's not the day you're listening to it. He's 81 today, so, he's an Aquarian. Of course, he is. Of course, that's why I love him.Brad Crowell 35:43  That's amazing. Well, what about you? What was your big takeaway? Lesley Logan 35:47  All right, so I took some of Maria's Be It Action Item as my takeaway. So make sure you have people in your corner. Fuck yeah. If you don't, if your people in your corner suck at life. I know it's hard, it's almost hard to, like, have nobody, but I'd rather you have nobody, and like, you've held a space open for somebody, rather than have people who are who are, like, actively bringing you down. So just keep that in mind. Make sure you have some people in your corner. And she said, it's important that we nurture those relationships that you've built. It doesn't have to be big, but it should be something you can hold on to. And this is interesting, like, I'm always just reflecting, you know, yesterday in our photo shoot like I'm used to having a lot of friends I only saw once a month because we live in LA and there's traffic. And I love those friendships. And they don't have to to me. It goes back to me. It doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be a weekly relationship, but it is something you have to have tangible. You have to hold on, to have some connections, and those are people you have in your corner. And so if you haven't yet, take some time go through your context, who's actually in your corner? Which nurture? Which relations do you want to nurture back and because in the hard moments, people who show up for you and see you for you are can reflect back to you all the good stuff that you are. And this has happened to me more times than I can imagine. And we have a friend who is recently going through something that's really quite frustrating and awful. And you know what? We don't talk to her very often, but we heard what happened. Someone else told us who's also in her corner. And a bunch of us are like, Oh, here's how we can support you. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and she didn't ask for that help. I'm sure she didn't even know what kind of help we can give. But when you have relationships, you nurture, even it's on a quarterly basis, people will show up for you, and they'll and you'll show up for them, and it's, and it's quite it makes life a lot more fun. Brad Crowell 37:17  Yes, yeah. I definitely agree. You know, I think that we've talked about it before, being intentional about who you let weigh in, you know, or how, how much weight you give to their feedback, you know. So that's important. But I think also too, you know, there was an element to this conversation about allowing life to life and for relationships to change, which I also really appreciated, because I have always had a fear of loss, of letting go, I don't know why, and I've always struggled with, like, friendships drifting apart. And it was really interesting to hear her say, hey, it's kind of okay that that happens, and it allows you to take stock of who actually is paying attention and, like, in your world and choosing to be in your world instead of you, you know, trying to drag people along.Lesley Logan 38:07  Well, and also, I think, like, if they're really meant to be in your life, and you run into them, or something comes up and you call them, it will pick back up. Maybe there might have to be a quick conversation, or, like, why there's been so much space, but it'll pick back up. You know, we recently saw someone I haven't talked to in years. They were a part of my life for quite some time, and I had reflected about, like, why I let that kind of fade out. And when I saw them, I was like, yeah, it's okay. Like, I'm still okay with that decision. And I think it's hard, because we go, should I have a whole conversation with them? Should we dialog? Should we have, like, a whole like, here's why our relationship didn't know you don't need to have those things. You just can move on, because no one is right or wrong in these instances. It's just the way life goes. And you evolve, and they evolve, and sometimes that evolution is together and sometimes it's apart, and you can still support them from afar. I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 38:56  And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 38:57  Go get The Pilates Body book if you haven't already, you should. It's so good, especially if you're into Pilates, it's, it's.Brad Crowell 39:02  The new one. Is the new one out? Lesley Logan 39:04  Yeah, the new one's been out since December. Brad Crowell 39:05  Great. So, so The Pilates Body 25th Anniversary Edition.Lesley Logan 39:09  Oh my God, if you want to see my reaction to my husband literally opening the package for me, instead of, like, every day for five days, watching me go to the mailbox to open this package, and then he just opened it. It's on my Instagram. It's in December. Brad Crowell 39:25  It would have been in November. It may or may not have happened. Lesley Logan 39:29  Yeah, yeah. It was, I was like, every day he's filming me check the mail for this book, and then the one day he gets the mail, he opened it. Anyways. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Lesley Logan. I'm just so grateful for you. Make sure you send this to a friend who needs to hear it. We want to hear your wins and your questions, so send them in to the Be It Pod, and until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 39:49  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 39:50  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod. Brad Crowell 40:32  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 40:37  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 40:41  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 40:48  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 40:52  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Pastor Keaton Paul and Seth Scruggs continue the story of the reformation by discussing the second generation of reformers including Philip Melanchthon and John Calvin.For more information about Zion Presbyterian Church visit zioncolumbia.orgFor questions and feedback, leave a comment or email Keaton Paul at keaton.paul@pcazion.org.

This week, Seth and Keaton discuss the first generation of reformers including Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and Thomas Cranmer. For more information about Zion Presbyterian Church visit www.zioncolumbia.org.For questions and feedback, leave a comment or email keaton.paul@pcazion.org.

In this episode of The Retreat Leaders Podcast, Shannon sits down with Bessie Refalo, a yoga and Pilates retreat leader who is carving out a unique lane in the wellness retreat industry - reformer Pilates retreats in Europe. Bessie shares the behind-the-scenes reality of creating retreats that require specialized equipment, including the challenges of finding venues with reformer Pilates machines and the creative solutions she's used to make her retreats possible. From transporting reformers by lorry in Portugal to discovering bespoke studios in Italy, this conversation is a masterclass in persistence, adaptability, and thinking beyond traditional retreat models. Shannon and Bessie also discuss the rapid growth of the wellness retreat industry, the realities of hosting retreats in Europe, and why networking, flexibility, and on-the-ground familiarity are essential for successful international retreats. This episode is a must-listen for retreat leaders who want to expand internationally, host niche retreats, or navigate complex logistics without giving up on their vision. Key Takeaways Niche retreats (like reformer Pilates) require creativity, persistence, and flexibility. Hosting retreats with specialized equipment presents challenges - but solutions exist. Europe offers strong appeal for US-based retreat guests due to accessibility and travel interest. Building relationships with local studios and partners is key to international retreat success. Logistics, cultural differences, and local business hours matter more than most hosts expect. Networking and in-person learning accelerate retreat growth and confidence. Fully booked retreats are built through clarity, demand, and aligned offerings - not shortcuts. About Bessie Refalo Bessie Refalo is a yoga and Pilates instructor and retreat leader specializing in wellness retreats that combine movement, travel, and intentional experiences. Known for her innovative approach to reformer Pilates retreats, Bessie creates immersive international retreats that prioritize high-quality instruction, thoughtful locations, and meaningful connection. Connect with Bessie here:  www.bessierefalo.com    The Retreat Leaders Podcast Resources and Links: Learn to Host Retreats Join our private Facebook Group Top 5 Marketing Tools Free Guide Get your legal docs for retreats Join Shannon in Denver at the Retreat Industry Forum  Join our LinkedIn Group Apply to be a guest on our show Thanks for tuning into the Retreat Leaders Podcast. Remember to subscribe for more insightful episodes, and visit our website for additional resources. Let's create a vibrant retreat community together! Subscribe:  Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Spotify ----- TIMESTAMPS Bessy's Background and Journey (00:01:36) Bessy shares her background, the Bessy Raffaello Method, and her entry into retreats. Launching Retreats with Limited Resources (00:02:21) Discussion on starting retreats without a clear blueprint or abundant resources. Personal Motivation and Reformer Retreat Challenges (00:03:04) Bessy describes her inspiration and the unique challenges of hosting reformer Pilates retreats. Finding Venues and Logistics of Reformers (00:04:03) Exploring the difficulty of finding venues with reformer machines and the logistics involved. Pilates Reformer Popularity and Industry Growth (00:06:15) Conversation about the booming Pilates and wellness industry and its opportunities. Venue Search and Forming Partnerships (00:07:36) Bessy details her search for venues, challenges with unresponsive owners, and finding her business partner in Portugal. First Retreat Execution and Overcoming Obstacles (00:09:12) How Bessy and her partner transported reformers and handled unexpected issues during their first retreat. Expanding to Italy and Other Locations (00:10:00) Bessy discusses finding a unique venue in Italy and her desire to expand to more locations. Retreat Industry Forum Announcement (00:11:36) Shannon announces the upcoming Retreat Industry Forum event in Denver. Venue Owner Mindset and Cultural Differences (00:13:27) Discussion about the challenges of working with European venues and cultural differences in business practices. Importance of Site Visits and Local Culture (00:15:19) Advice on visiting retreat locations and understanding local customs and schedules. Budgeting and Financial Realities (00:17:14) Bessy shares lessons on budgeting, accounting for lost income, and the importance of honest financial planning. Retreat Agenda Planning and Avoiding Over-Scheduling (00:19:21) Tips on not overpacking retreat agendas and allowing space for rest and integration. Group Energy and Audience Fit (00:21:32) The importance of group dynamics, attracting the right participants, and managing energy drains. Attracting and Repelling the Right Clients (00:23:27) Shannon and Bessy discuss the value of attracting ideal clients and repelling those who aren't a good fit. Investing in Training and Community (00:24:21) Bessy reflects on the value of attending workshops, investing in herself, and connecting with like-minded leaders. Upcoming Retreats and Availability (00:28:20) Bessy shares details about her upcoming Portugal and Italy retreats, including availability and unique features. Closing and Contact Information (00:31:16) Shannon and Bessy wrap up, discuss future collaborations, and share how listeners can connect.

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend and Early Church scholar Dr. Thomas Scheck to talk about his latest work, a translation of St. John Fisher's refutation of Martin Luther. The importance of this discussion can't be understated as we unpack one of those Catholic writers, theologians, and bishops who wrote against Martin Luther, and the Reformers, at the very time of the Reformation. Counter to what so many of us thought as Protestants, the Catholic response to Reformation era ideas was immediately, intense, and thorough. Our discussion this week digs into that response and how figures like Fisher called Luther to task – on some of his misquotations and misuses, too! – at the very inception of the Reformation.For more from Dr. Scheck check out his author page on Amazon.Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Catholics living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of Christ the Center, we welcome Josiah Leinbach to discuss William Whitaker's A Disputation on Holy Scripture—a monumental sixteenth-century defense of sola Scriptura, newly edited and republished by Prolego Press. Written in 1588 against leading Roman Catholic theologians such as Robert Bellarmine, Whitaker's work offers a comprehensive treatment of Scripture's authority, canon, clarity, and sufficiency. Leinbach explains how Whitaker combined Renaissance humanism with scholastic rigor, engaging Scripture, church history, and patristic sources to show that Protestant convictions about Scripture were neither novel nor reactionary, but deeply rooted in the catholic tradition of the church. The conversation also explores the modern relevance of Whitaker's work—especially amid contemporary debates over authority, tradition, and ecumenism. Leinbach reflects on how advances in historical and textual scholarship have confirmed many of the Reformers' arguments, while Rome's own positions have shifted over time. Whitaker's insistence on the perspicuity of Scripture, the singular infallibility of God's Word, and the Spirit's inward testimony offers not only apologetic clarity but deep pastoral comfort. This episode invites listeners to recover confidence in Scripture as God's clear and sufficient means of revealing Christ to his people. Watch on YouTube Chapters 00:07 Introduction 01:08 William Whitaker's A Disputation on Holy Scripture 07:25 Leinbach's Transition from History to Machine Learning 18:10 Whitaker's Polemical Approach 22:03 The Canon of Scripture 25:50 The Perspicuity of Scripture 28:29 Biblical Authority 32:02 The Testimony of the Holy Spirit 35:27 Ecumenical Dialogue Yesterday and Today 48:10 Future Works 52:25 Conclusion Participants: Camden Bucey, Josiah Leinbach

Albania was once the strictest and most isolated of the Communist countries and was sometimes called the “North Korea” of Europe. Saimir Braho was born in Albania during the Communist regime and witnessed the period of religious turmoil that came after the collapse of Communism. Saimir eventually embraced the truth of Christianity, despite living in a country in which talking about God had been grounds for imprisonment and believing in Christ had been illegal.The Reformers and Their StepchildrenYuriy Kravets' StorySpecial thanks to Credo Schloss Unspunnen for the filming location and hospitality. This episode was recorded at the Kingdom Connect Conference in Switzerland; find more information at https://kingdomconnecteurope.org.This is the 302nd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.