Podcasts about revitalization

The Osage Nation’s Daposka Ahnkodapi language immersion school in Pawhuska, Oklahoma announced it is closing one week before the start of the new school year. Tribal leadership closed the school citing dire budgetary problems. Teachers and parents were left scrambling to find a place for the nearly 100 students. For some, Daposka Ahnkodapi was the only school they'd known. We'll speak with parents about their next steps. We'll also speak with Richard Zane Smith, a Wyandot artist and language teacher who has spent years working to revitalize his tribe's language. He has been actively working to bring back traditional songs preserved on wax cylinders dating to the 1910s. Now, he's seeing renewed interest among younger people in his community who want to learn and study the language. We'll discuss Wyandot language revitalization efforts, as well as his thoughts on President Donald Trump's renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America”. GUESTS Geneva Horsechief-Hamilton (Osage and Pawnee), parent of a Daposka Ahnkodapi student Amy Shackleford (Osage and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), parent and homeschool teacher Whitney RedCorn Hall (Osage), Osage Nation congress member Richard Zane Smith (Wyandot), artist and language teacher Break 1 Music: Osage Sovereignty Pow wow song (song) unknown artist (artist) Break 2 Music: Mountain by the Sea (song) Various Artists (artist) Traditional Voices: Historic Recordings of Traditional Native American Music (album)

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Cleveland's Shaker Square is not just a place, it's a living piece of history. For nearly 100 years, Shaker Square has served as a community anchor and cultural destination. In 2029, it will officially celebrate its 100th birthday, providing a timeline to both honor Shaker Square's history and steward it for the future.rnrnBuilding on insights from a 2019 planning study, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. acquired Shaker Square and raised over $5 million for capital repairs, completed a market analysis, and embarked on an extensive community engagement process. The resulting 2025 Vision Plan offers solutions to retail vacancies, housing, safety, public spaces, pedestrian access, and more. What can we learn from the plan? And what will it take to make sure Shaker Square remains an inviting, inspiring, and timeless space for all residents to enjoy?

What does it take to make Wolf Point, and other small Montana towns a place where people want to stay, invest and build a future? Click on the podcast as we look at rural revitalization from the people actually doing […] The post Montana's Main Street Revitalization: Wolf Point first appeared on Voices of Montana.

Tune in to our weekly LIVE Mastermind Q+A Podcast for expert advice, peer collaboration, and actionable insights on success in the Probate, Divorce, Late Mortgage/Pre-Foreclosure, and Aged Expired niches! In this week's All The Leads Mastermind, the coaches and community explore why successful prospecting requires more than simply asking someone to sell their property. The discussion focuses on understanding each prospect's situation, offering useful resources, building trust, and staying connected until they're ready to make a decision. Members also share perspectives from the wholesaling side, reinforcing that agents, investors, and wholesalers can all succeed by putting the homeowner's needs first and creating solutions that work for everyone. The conversation also covers practical approaches to reverse mortgage outreach, using local revitalization and grant programs to create new opportunities, and developing partnerships that expand the solutions you can offer. The episode wraps up with advice for newer probate professionals on building a repeatable system and a discussion of upcoming appraisal changes that could significantly affect agents, appraisers, and real estate transactions.Key Takeaways Think beyond the immediate transaction. Many prospects aren't ready to sell today, making patience and long-term relationships essential.  Differentiate yourself by solving problems. Useful resources and trusted service providers give prospects a reason to remember and refer you.  Put the homeowner's needs ahead of the deal. Whether you're an agent, investor, or wholesaler, the right solution should depend on what works for the homeowner.  Approach sensitive leads with empathy. Reverse mortgage and late-mortgage conversations work better when you ask questions and avoid making assumptions about someone's financial situation.  Turn local programs into prospecting opportunities. Revitalization grants and similar programs can provide a compelling reason to contact and assist property owners.  Have a system and follow it. Consistent, scheduled activity remains one of the biggest differences between those who succeed with leads and those who don't.  Prepare for changes in real estate. The group discusses major upcoming appraisal changes and why agents may need to become more involved in providing property information.  #RealEstateProspecting #RealEstateInvesting #RealEstateWholesaling #RealEstateLeads Previous episodes: AllTheLeads.com/probate-mastermindInterested in Leads? AllTheLeads.comJoin Future Episodes Live in the All The Leads Facebook Mastermind Group:  https://facebook.com/groups/alltheleadsmastermindBe sure to check out our full Mastermind Q&A PlaylistSupport the show

Purchase tickets to Equip 2026 using discount code: MSD50 to get 50% off! (01:45) Coalition Ministries Introduced (Mile One, 20 Schemes, Church in Hard Places, Practical Shepherding)(04:00) Mile One Mission & Newfoundland Context(06:30) 20 Schemes: Church Planting & Revitalization in Scotland's Schemes(08:30) Church in Hard Places: Global Training for Indigenous Leaders(11:00) Why a Coalition? Shared Theology, Hard Places, and Cooperation(13:10) What Makes This Conference Different (Equipping Focus & Non‑Celebrity Speakers)(15:00) Main Sessions in Titus: Building Robust Leadership Pipelines(17:00) Working Together Across Contexts: “Landing the Plane in Different Airfields”(19:00) Exhibitors & Partners: Curated Ministries, Not Vendor Hall(21:30) Equipping Tracks Overview: Church Planting, Revitalization, Missions(24:00) Biblical Counseling Track: Addiction, Abuse, and Local Church Care(26:00) Additional Tracks: Women, Men, and Expository Preaching(28:00) Pricing, Group Rates, and Discount Code: MSD50(30:00) Friendship, Cooperation, and the Need for Pastoral Companionship(32:00) Invitation to Attend & Closing Prayer for the Conference

Purchase tickets to Equip 2026 using discount code: MSD50 to get 50% off! (01:45) Coalition Ministries Introduced (Mile One, 20 Schemes, Church in Hard Places, Practical Shepherding)(04:00) Mile One Mission & Newfoundland Context(06:30) 20 Schemes: Church Planting & Revitalization in Scotland's Schemes(08:30) Church in Hard Places: Global Training for Indigenous Leaders(11:00) Why a Coalition? Shared Theology, Hard Places, and Cooperation(13:10) What Makes This Conference Different (Equipping Focus & Non‑Celebrity Speakers)(15:00) Main Sessions in Titus: Building Robust Leadership Pipelines(17:00) Working Together Across Contexts: “Landing the Plane in Different Airfields”(19:00) Exhibitors & Partners: Curated Ministries, Not Vendor Hall(21:30) Equipping Tracks Overview: Church Planting, Revitalization, Missions(24:00) Biblical Counseling Track: Addiction, Abuse, and Local Church Care(26:00) Additional Tracks: Women, Men, and Expository Preaching(28:00) Pricing, Group Rates, and Discount Code: MSD50(30:00) Friendship, Cooperation, and the Need for Pastoral Companionship(32:00) Invitation to Attend & Closing Prayer for the Conference

Revitalization rewards found in this episode:1. Listen to the concerns of the member.2. Learn if what they are saying is true or has truth in it. 3. Let it or them go if there is no truth.

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What is hula really communicating beyond the movements you see on stage?For many, hula is something they experience at a luau, but there is a deeper story, tradition, and cultural practice behind every movement, song, and detail.

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst meet back up to discuss an article from Chuck Lawless on why some pastors aren't ready to lead their church through the revitalization process. Tune in to discover some common blind spots, misconceptions, and spiritual hurdles that may be keeping your church from experiencing true and lasting revitalization health. Some Highlights Revitalization requires a long-term vision for a church. It requires facing reality. It demands patience. It requires prayer. It might require asking for help. It requires “stick-to-it-ness.” It might mean hurting people you love. It requires taking a risk. Resources Related to This Episode: “8 Reasons Some Pastors Aren't Ready to Lead Through Revitalization” by Chuck Lawless Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Spence Shelton, Lead Pastor of Mercy Church, a rapidly growing multisite church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since launching in 2015, Mercy has expanded to multiple campuses while maintaining a relentless focus on reaching people, developing leaders, and sending them into ministry. In this conversation, Spence shares how churches can intentionally build a culture of multiplication by developing leaders from within, creating healthy sending pathways, and stewarding opportunities for church revitalization. Stop “plucking” leaders. Start growing them. // One of Spence’s biggest challenges to church leaders is resisting the temptation to solve leadership shortages by hiring talent from elsewhere. Just as churches prioritize reaching lost people rather than simply attracting Christians from other churches, they should approach leadership development the same way. Instead of constantly recruiting experienced leaders, churches should intentionally identify, disciple, and develop people already sitting in their congregations. This approach takes longer, but it creates leaders deeply shaped by the church’s culture and mission. The power of the shoulder tap. // Many future ministry leaders never consider vocational ministry simply because no one asks them. Spence encourages pastors to intentionally “tap people on the shoulder” when they observe leadership potential. Some of Mercy’s key leaders—including executive pastors and campus pastors—came directly from marketplace careers like banking, manufacturing, and physical therapy. Rather than waiting for seminary graduates to apply, Mercy helps people connect their existing gifts and experiences to ministry opportunities. Create a clear leadership profile. // To make leadership development intentional, Mercy created a “Lead Pastor Profile” built around three categories: character, competency, and calling. While designed for future church planters, the framework serves as a roadmap for developing leaders throughout the church. By clearly defining what healthy leadership looks like, staff members know exactly what qualities to identify, cultivate, and reproduce in others. Character matters before charisma. // Within the character category, Spence believes self-awareness is one of the most overlooked leadership traits. Effective leaders understand both their strengths and limitations and are secure enough in their identity in Christ to build teams around areas where they are weaker. Without self-awareness, talented leaders can make excellent first impressions while creating long-term organizational damage. Character requires observation over time and not just impressive interviews. Multipliers build movements. // When evaluating leadership competency, the ability to multiply is critical. Can this person develop other leaders? Have they demonstrated the ability to move beyond accomplishing ministry personally and instead equip others to lead? Churches often unintentionally hire capable “doers” rather than leader-builders, limiting long-term growth. Multipliers create healthy ministries because they reproduce leadership instead of accumulating responsibility. Alignment creates unity. // Calling isn’t simply about theological agreement, but also includes ministry philosophy. Spence stresses the importance of ensuring leaders share the church’s convictions about how ministry is carried out. When someone consistently wants to reshape the church into something fundamentally different, the healthiest response may be helping them pursue the ministry God is calling them toward elsewhere. Clear alignment creates healthier teams and stronger long-term partnerships. Let people discover their gifts by leading. // Churches shouldn’t expect to know someone’s leadership potential before giving them opportunities to serve. Mercy intentionally creates pathways where people can lead community groups, coach leaders, and gradually assume greater responsibility. Some will flourish as long-term small group leaders. Others will demonstrate broader leadership gifting and eventually plant churches. The key is creating a culture where trying, learning, and growing are celebrated rather than feared. Revitalization begins with humility. // Spence also shares lessons from Mercy’s experience helping revitalize struggling churches. Successful partnerships require patient relationships, deep humility, and genuine respect for the legacy of existing congregations. Rather than viewing church buildings as opportunities to expand Mercy’s influence, the team approaches every conversation as the stewardship of Kingdom resources. By honoring the faithfulness of previous generations, Mercy has seen older congregations joyfully become part of new seasons of ministry fruitfulness. Faithfulness compounds over time. // Spence closes with an encouragement for church leaders: don’t underestimate what God can do through long-term faithfulness. Leaders often overestimate what can happen in five years while dramatically underestimating what God can accomplish over twenty. Healthy multiplication isn’t built through shortcuts. It grows steadily through consistent obedience, patient leadership development, and a commitment to stay the course. To learn more about Mercy Church, visit mercycharlotte.com or follow Spence Shelton or the church on social media for additional leadership resources and updates. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you have decided to tune in. You know, this week is a great conversation and was recommended by one of my favorite church leaders in the country. And so you’re going to love this conversation. It’s going to be super helpful. And I do think it’s going to challenge you and provide you some steps forward. Rich Birch — Excited to have Spence Shelton with us. He is from Mercy Church, a multi-site church with three locations, if I’m counting correctly, in Charlotte, plus Church Online. God is leading Mercy Church into a season of a bunch of expansion and investment in ministry facilities and outreach over a two-year discipleship initiative called All to Him. They have a goal to launch the Mercy Family of Churches in in late 2025, which I think is maybe launched, or we’ll see where that goes, and is aiming to form their own collective within the next five years. Super excited to have you on the show today, Spence.Spence Shelton — Man, such an honor to be with you, Rich. Man, this is, I’m a big, going to say it, I’m a big fan of yours, man… Rich Birch — That’s kind of you to say. Spence Shelton — …because you have produced so much helpful content for me as a leader to lean into and grow little by little. And I can only hope that I can contribute a little bit more to the great work you’ve been doing, man.Rich Birch — Come on, that’s amazing. Honored to have you with us and to learn from you today, Spence. And mutual friend in Andrew Hopper…Spence Shelton — That’s right.Rich Birch — …who I love, fantastic leader. And so shout out to Hopper. Thankful for what God’s doing in his church as well. So Mercy Church started in 2015. Give us a picture of kind of where things are at today. If we were to come to the church, what would we experience? Kind of talk us through the last season, kind of the last couple of years. What’s that look like?Spence Shelton — Yeah, man. So if you came to Mercy today, what you’d find is a church, you might be surprised to learn how big it actually is because the church is, you know, a couple thousand people, but it’s across seven services and three campuses. And there’s some of some of that’s intentional. Some of that is, hey, we’re just kind of following the Lord where he’s led in this. And we didn’t really plan for it, you know, so. Spence Shelton — Our average service size is not that big, but we’ve the Lord’s been really gracious. If you came what you’d find is especially at our broadcast campus you’d find an old church building that you’d be thinking: wait are all these people how are they you know filling in here, you know. Rich Birch — Right. Spence Shelton — And you’d see cars parked uh all through a neighborhood and everything else and you’d see a retrofitted old church building, and that’s just the story of God’s grace on us – a building that was given to us and a church family that decided, hey we want to join you guys and they gave us their building. Really cool moment that like a legacy moment of faith in our church. And a couple other spots where we’re seeing similar sorts of things and it’s just it’s awesome, man. Spence Shelton — So we feel blessed. We feel like we are um doing what God has called us to do because we’re seeing that kind of momentum in the ministry that we’re doing. But none of our facilities are going to wow you, I promise. I actually love training church planters because, you know, so many times they come in and they’re like, Oh, ah we can do this. Rich Birch — Right. Spence Shelton — I’m like, yeah, you can do it. You know? Rich Birch — That’s normal like us.Spence Shelton — So we are praying and asking the Lord for better wins. Yeah. But you can do it, man. If you can do it here, you can do it anywhere kind of thing. So Lord’s been really gracious to us. And it’s a, it’s been a real joy these past 10 years.Rich Birch — It’s so cool. It seems like you guys are in a bit of a pivotal season or an inflection point season where you’ve got a bunch of things on the horizon, launching Mercy Family of Churches… Spence Shelton — That’s right. Rich Birch — …the 50 Missionary Goal by 2030, a collective. Talk me through those. What is the future look like? What’s driving the urgency? Help us understand kind of what the future looks like.Spence Shelton — Yeah, man, I think this happens for any church, both leader and in just the life of a church. You come to those milestone moments. We hit it last year with 10 years, and it was not only a milestone in terms of age. There was some just real growth that had been happening to the church that was forcing some good conversations around long-term you know expansion so that we can continue to facilitate what we believe God, actually, I should say we could steward what God is doing in our church.Spence Shelton — And so we launched an initiative that we called All to Him. I was teaching through the book of Romans all year last year. And so it comes out of Romans 12:1 and 2, because Christ gave his all for us, we give our all to him. That is our living sacrifice that we do. Spence Shelton — And so we said, we got some goals as a church, man. We want to see our church, we got some reaching goals. We got some training up goals. We got some sending out goals. Because when I planted Mercy Church, one of the things that was on my heart: if we’re going to come to Charlotte, North Carolina, we were going to be a sending church. Which means we’re going to build a sending hub here where this thing’s going be like an aircraft carrier that just sends out missionaries all over the place into the battles that the Lord has for us across the world.Spence Shelton — That was just on my heart. Instead of going to, you know, a place that might be, might have a, I don’t know, like a north Pacific Northwest or Northeast, something like that. If we’re coming to the Southeast to the Bible Belt, we’re doing so intentionally. Very intentional.Spence Shelton — So that’s been on our heart um ever since day one and this All to Him initiative. You know, we were hoping that by 2030, we double the size of our church. That’s because Charlotte is growing by 150 people a day.Spence Shelton — So like, we’ve got to, you know, this isn’t like it’s just because it’s something we want to do. It’s a calling, a good stewardship of the moment that we’re in. And we want to we’re launching a seminary certificate program for our members of our church because we want to train them up. Right.Spence Shelton — And we got a goal to see 50 missionaries go on the mission field by 2030. We just planted a couple of weeks before the recording of this, we planted our next church here in Charlotte, and we’ve got plans for several more.Spence Shelton — We are a large family of churches about to become a collaborative. We’re, we’re ah you know, 2028, 2029, somewhere around there, we’ll officially form that collaborative if the Lord continues to do what he’s doing. All because, man, we are convinced that God has brought us here to reach people, train them up, send them out, which I hope does not sound novel to any church leader listening to this.Spence Shelton — I hope it just sounds like, yeah, man, that makes sense.Rich Birch — Right.Spence Shelton — It’s like, well, then what’s the the magic or what’s the the secret sauce? It’s just putting your hand to the plow. And now here we are 10, 11 years in, and we’ve been steadily doing that same work. And I think the Lord is, um you know, our buddy Andrew would use the flywheel. That’s his favorite version of that illustration. But you keep putting your hand to the same thing and eventually the Lord starts to bear fruit. And that’s what we’re seeing now.Rich Birch — Yeah, so good. And yeah, you know that and you’re a kind leader, you know that for some leaders, the reason why we’re talking to you today is unfortunately, that is more novel than it should be. And so we want to dig into that a little bit.Spence Shelton — Sure..Rich Birch — Particularly, let’s maybe start with that middle section, this training goals, you’re working on trying to train people up. When you’re thinking about the kind of leadership vision you have as a church, you’re thinking about, hey, we’re going to raise up leaders both you know here to and then also sending.Rich Birch — I think we we can fall into this dichotomy around, okay, so do we find these leaders from other places and attract them to come here? Or, do we grow them up internally?Rich Birch — Do we find a way to develop them internally? So it’s this idea of plucking talent rather than developing it. Talk to me through why is training so hard in so many churches? Why do we struggle with that? And we seem to default towards, let’s just find somebody from over there and have them come and help us here.Spence Shelton — Yeah, man, I think that mentality starts all the way down to the idea of reaching people that don’t know Christ versus just sheep swapping from one church to the other church. Right.Spence Shelton — So you can grow your church by transfer growth. Um, which I actually am one who, Hey man, if somebody on the sideline in one church and then they plug into your church, I I’m all for it And if the same thing happens with Mercy, all for it. Spence Shelton — But our aim, what we all know as pastors and ministry leaders is our aim is man, let’s reach lost people and then disciple them. Right. Rich Birch — Yes.Spence Shelton — The same thing I think should be true with leadership development. For some reason, when it comes into developing leaders, we tend to go a different direction and think, well, let’s just go find where some leaders are and get them to to plug in.Spence Shelton — It’s like, we don’t do that even with discipleship. Why are we switching our mindset? And so I want to just kind of, I have to, I was convicted and wanted to call our church and I would call others to the same mindset that you have with discipleship. Let that carry over into your leadership and your leadership development as well.Spence Shelton — And I think that’s how we’re going to grow, just as how we’re going to grow the kingdom by reaching lost people, how we’re going to grow the leaders in the kingdom, the number of leaders we have, it’s going to be developing them in our church. And I just… I don’t know that we’re even thinking that way and asking the question, is the guy who’s a 27-year-old physical therapist in my church, has anybody ever bothered to tap him on the shoulder and ask, hey, man, could God be calling you into ministry?Rich Birch — That’s good.Spence Shelton — Because I watch you and no we’re not doing the shoulder tap, man. And so um right now, I just I love it. Just a little bit of the story of our church… Rich Birch — Yeah. Spence Shelton — …our executive both of our executive pastors and two of our three campus pastors were all in the marketplace. One of our executive pastors was in banking. Another was a plant manager. We have two campus pastors who were both, I use physical therapists because they’re both former physical therapists. And you know, we’re sitting there having these conversations.Spence Shelton — You know what makes a great pastor is someone who has sat with person after person told them, hey, you should do this to feel better. And then they come back to you later and say, hey, I don’t feel better. And you say, did you do the thing I told you to do? And they say, no. And you say, well, you should have done that.Rich Birch — Right.Spence Shelton — And a patient, long suffering physical therapist turns out to be a great pastor, but somebody’s got to tap him on the shoulder and say, hey, man, I think God might be calling you into this. And so my my encouragement to anybody who’s a in ministry right now, kind of in that leadership development role, and you’re like, I don’t know, we’re gonna have to go outside to find some talent.Spence Shelton — I promise it’s going to take longer the way I’m talking about. But if you will seek the Lord, ask the Lord, and then start shoulder tapping and giving some opportunities for guys to lead, for men and women to lead there in your ministry and whatever the leadership roles might be, I think there might be more people in there than you realize. Because I believe that God provides for the church that he’s growing, that he’s called you to lead. Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that. Spence Shelton — And so I think the same thing is true with leaders as well.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. I love that. And I you know I love the even the vision for, hey, maybe there are some people within your church. We see this statistically, like even if you’re thinking about campus pastors, 9 out of 10 campus pastors are coming from within, which means we’ve got which means we’ve got to get good at this. Spence Shelton — Yeah.Rich Birch — And yeah, if your church has any kind of unique slant on the world, you’ve got to find people who have come up through that culture to ah to ultimately push that culture forward.Spence Shelton — Yes.Rich Birch — I love this this marketplace to ministry transition. How do we help people do that? That’s a real key transition. I would imagine on your end, you’ve got to help connect the dots for somebody. I love that there, how you even with the physical therapist, we’re able to connect the dots between, hey, here’s what you’re doing. Let me talk to you about the kind of role that we’re thinking about. How do you make that transition? Have you developed anything to try to help make that, you know could you know, connect those dots for people as you’re having those conversations?Spence Shelton — Yeah, I would say we don’t I don’t have a conversational map that I’m doing.Rich Birch — Sure.Spence Shelton — I don’t have that yet, though I think that’s just like many things, trial and error, and I’m still in the still cooking to formulate that map.Spence Shelton — But what I do have that we’ve worked through with our staff is something we call, it’s interesting, we actually call it the lead pastor profile.Rich Birch — Okay.Spence Shelton — The reason we call the lead pastor profile is because everything we’re doing, we’re building towards, developing towards planting more churches. And you’ve got to have a lead pastor to go and plant those churches. Rich Birch — Yeah. Spence Shelton — Now, the thing is actually when you when you look at it, it’s actually just a ministry leader profile, you know? Rich Birch — Right. Spence Shelton — Everything on there, but there may be a couple of things that are nuanced specifically to lead pastors, but it’s kind of like when you go into Timothy and you see what are the characteristics of an elder? Well, every single one of them is just a good Christian, except then you got this thing able to teach. You know what mean? Rich Birch — Right, right.Spence Shelton — So it’s a similar thing is like most of our profile, nine points on it and divided into three buckets, it’s mostly just what makes a good ministry leader. Well, then what I’m doing is what we are doing is we’re taking that and we’re training our whole staff through it and saying, Hey, here’s what we are looking for. Here’s what we’re trying to develop. And then here’s everything. So I do a training monthly with our staff on these points. Rich Birch — Right.Spence Shelton — And then I do it and I say, yeah, I have to verbally say it, never underestimate or never overestimate, I guess just that it’s going to happen without you saying it, always say what you want them to do, you know, just good old preaching point there. But man, Hey, I want you guys to take what I’m teaching you and go teach your volunteers. Rich Birch — That’s good. Spence Shelton — And go teach those that. And I want you to teach your leaders. And then I want your leaders to be able to teach them. And if it doesn’t work, I want you to come back and tell me so that we can get better at making this a multiplying thing. Right. Spence Shelton — So we just got to have a lot of checks and balances along the way. So we’re hopefully training. And it took a while to pull this together in a way that it makes sense to all of us. And now that we’re kind of running it, we can see the value in it of, hey, this is what we’re looking for. And now you can go shoulder tap and say, I know what I’m looking…So the the kids director can go, I know what I’m looking for.Spence Shelton — Now I can go and start shoulder tapping because I know what, you know what i mean? Now that know what I’m looking for, it’s…Rich Birch — Totally.Spence Shelton — Those are probably the the beginnings of a conversational map to to walk somebody through, but at least you know what you’re looking for. You can start to have those conversations. And if you have the relational equity, those conversations can really go somewhere.Rich Birch — Love it. I’d love to double click on that. I love this lead pastor profile idea. I think working to get the clarity I think is in is a great, you know, a great task for all of us to wrestle through.Rich Birch — We think, well, we want to develop our leaders, but then we don’t have any definition of what do we mean by a leader, like at its more most basic level.Spence Shelton — Yes.Rich Birch — So we don’t need to get into all nine, but are there a couple of them that are either counterintuitive or maybe we miss, or you find yourself coming back to time and again, that are like real dividing points or like ones that kind of stick out to you in the in the framework?Spence Shelton — Yeah. All right. So obviously all nine matter to me or I wouldn’t have had them all. So I’ll do my best.Rich Birch — Yes, exactly.Spence Shelton — I’ll do my best.Spence Shelton — So we divide him into three buckets, character, competency, and calling. So each one of those has three points under it. And I’ll click on one of them, maybe in each, and you can tell me if you want to go further.Rich Birch — Sure. That’s great. Yeah.Spence Shelton — But in character, the one that I find to be the most overlooked is self-awareness.Rich Birch — So true.Spence Shelton — I find that to be the most overlooked characteristic of a good leader is one who is aware of their strengths and aware of their weaknesses and is settled in their identity in Christ so that their weaknesses don’t crush them.Rich Birch — That’s good.Spence Shelton — You know, they can instead build a team around them, you know. Because the classic thing with a lead pastor is to say, well, I’m good at vision and bad at details. It’s like, OK, man, maybe we need to do something a little more thoughtful than that, because that resonates with me for sure… Rich Birch — Right. Right. Spence Shelton — …that you ask the guys around me for sure. But what what? what about are you better at vision casting or vision creating? And what are the evidences of that in your ministry? You know, so for me, I’m better at vision casting than I am vision creating. That’s probably my my 9 to 10 is actually sharing it.Spence Shelton — But I got to have some help and and love having help in the other side of that. And so there are plenty of other things like that. But when we have someone who’s not aware of their strengths and weaknesses, usually that’s that’s like a stop point for us.Spence Shelton — And so if we’ve got someone we think, oh, man, they they come across because here’s the thing. Unless you have these points, somebody will can make a great first impression and a lot of long term damage in your ministry. Rich Birch — That’s good. Spence Shelton — Not because they have bad intent, but because they’re not aware of what they’re… And you give them a lot of responsibility and maybe they’re not actually, they don’t have the eyes of Jethro in Exodus 18 to know how to build out a ministry.Rich Birch — Right. Right. Spence Shelton — You just thought they did because they gave off a good first impression.Rich Birch — Right. Spence Shelton — So that’s my biggest biggest one in that character, or not biggest one, but that’s a key one, I think, in the character is…Rich Birch — Right. A key one that sticks out.Spence Shelton — …man, are you self-aware? And so whatever we use, we love different, whether it’s the personality assessments, leadership assessments, but we also, and we just, we wanna develop from within because that gives us the ability to see.Rich Birch — Right.Spence Shelton — We can see what their strengths and weaknesses are. Rich Birch — Yes. Spence Shelton — Because we’ve had people eyes on them for months and years and you can’t really trade that out.Rich Birch — Yeah, and character takes a long time of up-close observation to really get a sense of where where people are at.Spence Shelton — Yes.Rich Birch — Because, and you know we know this is, this is you know we don’t have to think long. There are lots of examples of leaders who—and all look great—but there’s like a 2% you know, problem in their character that ended up showing itself in the most kind of ugly of ways.Spence Shelton — That’s right.Rich Birch — So I know all nine are super important. I get that. appreciate that. But we can’t be here for three hours. So competency, what was what’s one in there that that that tends to say we’re just trying to whet people’s appetite to kind of help them think through it a little bit.Spence Shelton — Yeah, man. For competency, the one that I would, the the one that, yeah, that spend a lot of time on when it comes to competency, what I would say is the multiplier. Rich Birch — That’s good.Spence Shelton — I want someone who is a proven multiplier before I move them into an increased um level of leadership and responsibility. I want to see it, man. And if we, otherwise, again, what I’m trying to weed out is someone that talks a good game or someone that just has a, there may be someone I think a lot of leaders that might actually be really strong in the gift of hospitality have found themselves in the arena of administration simply because they are, like generous, kind, easy to talk to people. And they’re great. You want to be around them. They’re probably encouragers, that kind of thing. Spence Shelton — And it’s like, wait a minute, have they multiplied? Do they actually understand what it takes…Rich Birch — That’s good.Spence Shelton — …to take someone from leading self, to use the old Ramsharan leadership pipeline, from leading self to leading others, have they actually, do they understand what it takes? Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Spence Shelton — And do they understand what it takes to go from leading others to leading leaders? And have they, let’s let’s just look behind them. If you wanna go the the Bible route, you just take 2 Timothy 2:2…are they able to train up faithful teachers who can then teach others also? That to me is, especially when we get into who’s going to go out and plant a church…Rich Birch — Right.Spence Shelton — …and I’m not sending somebody out that’s not a builder. Another way to say multiplier would be builder, but I say multiplier because I’m specifically thinking around leadership and leading those who will lead others. Rich Birch — Yeah. Spence Shelton — If we want to build a movement of churches for the sake of the glory of God, and we want these churches to go and continue to build, there’s got to be multipliers leading this. Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Spence Shelton — You know, gotta be. So when it comes to competency, that’s like a a deal breaker for me for who we’re going to send out the plant. And so I want to develop it starting in our student ministry, you know, and working our way through or starting in our college ministry, working our way through.Spence Shelton — I don’t want to wait until we just try to, otherwise we’ve got to go pluck out from the, you know, ether, somebody that we hope is a multiplier. And I don’t want to do that. I’d rather raise them up.Rich Birch — Well, and we see this temptation in churches when they get to, say, 1,000, and then they’re they’re growing you know they’re they’re eyeing 2,000 beyond. There’s a there’s a dangerous temptation that can come in, particularly for our staff teams. I know we’re talking broader than just staff teams, but particularly for our staff teams, we can ah we can forget the Ephesians 4 call to equip others to to ministry.Spence Shelton — That’s right.Rich Birch — And we just become doers. We hire doers rather than multipliers… Spence Shelton —Yes. Rich Birch — …because they get stuff done. And we’re like, oh man, they’re solving problems for us. But that is can then erode a church long-term very quickly. I’ve seen that so many times where they end up with, you know they slow down.Spence Shelton — That’s right.Rich Birch — They’re like, why are we slowing down? It’s well, because you’ve stopped multiplying. You’ve stopped doing what we’re called to do. I love that. Rich Birch — So then the third category calling anything in there that would, that steps that kind of is similar. Again, I know all nine are are really important, but, but any of those that that kind of jumped to the, to the front.Spence Shelton — Maybe I’ll give you one that has we’ve learned through some some painful trial and error, Rich Birch — Okay. Sure. Spence Shelton — And that is, we call it alignment. And what we mean by that is: as you develop a leader, when it comes to their long-term place in your church and leading maybe even beyond your, so in our case, beyond our church to going in and leading ah a church that’s going be a part of the family of our churches, it’s really important that not only are they theologically aligned, but they are philosophically aligned in terms of how we do church.Spence Shelton — So no shade on any other way of doing church. What I’m saying is so that we can continue to be united in one voice internally, so at Mercy Church with how we do discipleship, and then so that we can be united in how we can help and train one another as a family of churches, we got to be aligned not just around our theological convictions, but on our ministry convictions, how we do it.Spence Shelton — I would say to those of you out there who have a promising young leader, but it seems like they just don’t want to do, they want to change your church into their, a different kind of church.Rich Birch — Right.Spence Shelton — The best thing you can do is set them free. Rich Birch — Yes. Spence Shelton — And I don’t mean like, that’s not like code for firing, by the way, that genuinely that genuinely is like, help them find a way, an off ramp to whatever it is they sense God calling them to. If they’re not, you know, they might be just, they need more season of development. That might be all it is. But when it comes to appointing people towards and, and, setting people into key leadership. So take an elder role at Mercy Church, community group coaching, shepherding, that kind of thing where you’re in now, you are shaping, not just participating. You’re really shaping the DNA of our church. Spence Shelton — We’ve got to be aligned with what we’re doing. It also makes for a much more enjoyable experience. I’m not saying we’re not thinking. We’re always thinking over here about how to do it better and trying to be faithful and everything else.Rich Birch — Yes.Spence Shelton — Of course. But I’m saying, man, you want to feel like you’re locked arm and arm going together. And when conviction comes that goes a separate way, it’s like best to separate. So we’ve we’ve learned that the kind of the hard way. I think a lot of lessons are hard.Rich Birch — Sure.Spence Shelton — And so I offer this as our missions pastor likes to say, we have paid some dumb tax. Rich Birch — True. Spence Shelton — And so wherever we can save another person from paying it, we’d love to do that for you.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. I love that. and And yeah, I think alignment’s a massive deal and and calling it out. And I would think being in a church that is um so focused on sending, you’re you’re hoping that that’s a big part of what’s kind of the outcome of the church. Spence Shelton — That’s right.Rich Birch — That, you know, having an an outlet for that sending in a way that makes the most sense. Hey, here’s a leader who seems to have the skills and, you know, and and and then you can celebrate, hey, they seem to have some unique ideas that they want to go and see happen somewhere else.Spence Shelton — Yes. Yes.Rich Birch — That’s fantastic. Rather than having to like fight that. I think that’s cool. That’s really good. Rich Birch — So, you know, help me ah pick this apart a little bit. So one of the interesting things I find in this whole kind of leadership pathway, leadership pipeline conversation is there are, so I think we all can be influential. I think in one way we are all called to be leaders, but not necessarily everyone that we’re discipling is necessarily going to be a lead pastor. They’re not all necessarily going to. Rich Birch — Now I understand we’re kind of discipling towards that, but help me understand what are you doing internally with folks that you’re like, I just, they’re just not going to make that jump eventually. How do you have that conversation? I know that’s a hard conversation. What does that look like?Spence Shelton — Right.Rich Birch — Or am I just looking at this wrong? Which could be the case too. Happy to be wrong. Help help me think through that.Spence Shelton — Well, we’ve got to have some freedom that comes from distinctive categories. This will help us a great deal. Helps me in pastoring a great deal. First, we got to have the category of spiritual gift. The Lord has given everyone a spiritual gift… Rich Birch — Yep. Spence Shelton — …and we got to celebrate that. Rich Birch — Right. Spence Shelton — And we got to be careful not to turn the leadership pipeline into, or that concept of leader development, turn that into a a grading of gifts. Like you’ve got a, you know, you’re, you need to graduate from one gift. Maybe that’s a better way to say it. Graduate from one gift to the other, to the other. It’s like, no, no, no. Rich Birch — That’s good. Spence Shelton — What we’re not talking about is graduating out of your gift set. God has given you that. And the best thing for you and for his church is to get really good at how he’s given you or how he’s gifted you. Rich Birch — That’s good. Spence Shelton — And when we when we conflate those, when we only talk about just you know getting better, it’s like, man, we got to watch out. Instead, let’s say, how can we get better at the giftings God has given us so that we can steward it really well?Spence Shelton — And then we find ourselves able to say, and when it comes to leadership, and here we are as church leaders, we’re now inside of a category. We’re inside of a category of leadership. And how can we develop leaders who are gifted by God as leaders? Well, the good news is maybe take some pressure off everybody, you’re not really going to know if someone’s gifted in leadership until you let them try to lead. Rich Birch — True, yes. Spence Shelton — So you got to let them try to lead, man. And then as they lead and you give them a couple of swings, two, three, four, whatever, and you coach them along the way, hey, here’s what we’re looking for in a leader. Here’s how you can grow from leading self leading others. Take the pressure off. Spence Shelton — This might be how God has gifted you, we don’t know. But the best way to see, based on what we’ve seen so far, is to let you try. So here’s a community group, and here are the things you’re gonna need to be a good community group leader, and we’re gonna coach you and support you.Spence Shelton — Let’s go. And let’s see what the next six months brings, right? Rich Birch — Yep, that’s great.Spence Shelton — Hey, this went really well. We wanna take you out of this community group leader seat and put you in as a coach. Now there’s a different set of skills you’re gonna need to be a coach, but man, it seems like your people responded to your leadership. What do we think about you as a coach? Spence Shelton — Each set of the way, man, do I have the, the way I always say it to our staff—they’re sick of me saying this, so it’s great to talk to you because…Rich Birch — I’m not sick of it. Yeah.Spence Shelton — …[inaudible] fresh person to say this too—is that clarity in expectations creates confidence in execution. The clearer you are with what you are asking someone to do, the more confident they will be in doing it. Another way to say it.Rich Birch — That’s good.Spence Shelton — So that’s just my my big thing there on on this. Let’s get over now that we’re, and what we’re going to find is some people are going to lead a community group faithfully for 20, 30 years at our church. Rich Birch — Right, right.Spence Shelton — Praise the Lord. What we can’t see is that we can’t see that a failure. Rich Birch — No. Spence Shelton — Others are going to lead for six months to two years. And we’re going to man, this, this person’s a leader and, and we’re seeing it. They already, they’re planting. Spence Shelton — I had someone come up to me the other day at church and tell me, Hey man, I just wanted to tell you, we’re so excited. You challenged me about five years ago to lead a community group. And we just planted our fifth group. And I went, like I went, I was, my mind went so far. I didn’t even have time to be, to be celebrating. Rich Birch — Right. Spence Shelton — Cause I was like, does anybody know that there’s a guy out here… Rich Birch — Right. Yes. Who’s just cranking out groups. Spence Shelton — …with the with an apostolic gift just planting groups every year what’s going so so. Rich Birch — Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That’s great. Spence Shelton — I was like hey, but so that that was a a great moment the Lord gave me just of, hey this is this is going really well and there will be some that will lead a group and things won’t go well and they won’t go well and you’ll keep trying different efforts. So to my community group leader friends, hey once someone tries and tries and tries, would you maybe tap their shoulder and say hey can we try something else. You know. Rich Birch — Good. Spence Shelton — Like you are not a failure. We just got to find the gift that God has given you. Rich Birch — Right. Spence Shelton — And the more that’s in the conversation of your church, that’s in the atmosphere of your church—We’re just looking for the way God’s gifted you. And we’re going to try and make you the best you can be at how he’s gifted you.—The easier the conversation is going to be of, I don’t think it’s community group leadership. I don’t think it’s this. I don’t think it’s that. Because we have a culture of, Hey, trial and error, you know?Rich Birch — Right. That’s good. That’s so good. I love that. And I love this has been a great kind of look under the hood of this whole multiplication issue. I think a lot of church leaders out there have the desire. They have the like, oh, we, man, I would love to be a church that has that kind of vision. But then what are the mechanics underneath of that? How do we actually do that?Spence Shelton — Yeah. Yeah.Rich Birch — Super helpful. Pivoting in this totally, well, it’s a related but different direction. Your church has been involved in a number of revitalizations. You talked about on the you know top end, you had a you know facility given to you. And I this is like a super inappropriate, with just a few minutes left, curveball to throw in there. What’s your shorthand thing for us to learn about that? Rich Birch — You know that we’ve seen, particularly from a multisite point of view, this area has grown hugely in the last 10 years. It was 10 years ago, 5% of new campuses came about because multiple revitalization. The most recent study showed showed it was 40%. Spence Shelton — Wow.Rich Birch — I suspect Warren’s out talking right now. I suspect the number is even going to be higher. What are the few things that you’ve learned about, you know, those kinds of conversations and relationships that have allowed it to work for you? And it’s been helpful. It’s been a joy giving part of the story at Mercy. Talk us through that.Spence Shelton — I’m going to do so using another point in my lead pastor profile just to have some fun here.Rich Birch — Love it.Spence Shelton — So one of the things we look for in a leader is confident humility. Rich Birch — That’s good. Spence Shelton — Confident in terms of, man, they believe God has called them to something. You know there’s a there’s a settled confidence there. But the humility to be patient and wait on the Lord and see what he has and to consider others, Philippians, to consider others more important than yourself. Right? This matters a great deal when it comes to this area of revitalization.Spence Shelton — What a leader needs to know that there’s this temptation, and I had it, of why would you not give us your church building? Rich Birch — Right.Spence Shelton — Things are going well for us and struggling for you. Why would you not do that?Rich Birch — Yes.Spence Shelton — Well, it’s that there’s an unintentional, I’m call it a holy ambition that may be a little bit creating some blinders. Okay, let’s use the positive side of that. The the negative side would be there’s some arrogance there. Rich Birch — Right. Yeah.Spence Shelton — But the positive would be holy ambition. But what you gotta know is, man, often these facilities that are housing these churches, the ones that are remaining, a lot of the times that there are people that have been there for decades and for a generation or two, and they put blood, sweat, tears and money into where they are. Spence Shelton — And we had to take the the approach of slow by my standards, still fast by theirs… Rich Birch — Yes. Spence Shelton — …slow by my standards. Conversation after conversation that began with , in both of these cases, began with the church that needed revitalizing coming to us. We didn’t go to them. Spence Shelton — They came to us and said, hey, we’re trying to figure out what’s next. We hear you might be able to help. How can you help?Spence Shelton — And we had to present them. We had to consider that a stewardship process. of a kingdom resource, not a how do we advance the name of Mercy Church.Spence Shelton — And so it’s happened two different ways for us right now. One is a campus of our church. You know, we it took months and months, but they wound up voting to hand us the keys, join our congregation, and we held their hand the whole way through. And it was a really beautiful thing. And it’s where our broadcast campus meets today. Spence Shelton — There’s another one that happened where we decided the best thing was for that to be a, because of the neighborhood it’s in in East Charlotte, to be a church planting incubator where we could plant a church every 18 months to two years. Rich Birch — Love it. Yeah.Spence Shelton — And so that’s what we’re doing right now. And there’s a church plant in there. And that was the best stewardship of that building. And after the conversation with their people, but we kind of, we basically put that with them and say, I had a lot of lunches and dinners that I just I’m going to tell you, if you want to get into this game and you want to do it in a way that’s going to honor the Lord, you got to be ready for the patient handholding that I would say is honoring a legacy of faith these folks are are taking.Spence Shelton — In many ways, the greatest step of faith taken in our church has been a couple of other churches handing us keys…Rich Birch — Yeah, 100%.Spence Shelton — …to something that the Lord was an outpost for the gospel at one point. And now in both of those cases for us and in the others that we’re starting to see that are still too soon for me to talk about, it’s just, man, now there’s an outpouring happening in both of those places. And you got like, man, there’s a couple of folks that are from the original congregation of what is now our, where our broadcast campus now is. And they, they, they’re greeters. They have tears more mornings than they don’t on Sunday mornings.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, for sure.Spence Shelton — It’s beautiful, man. Rich Birch — Yeah, it is.Spence Shelton — I mean, they’re all in. They are way bigger fans of Mercy Church than I am. And I’m the lead pastor of the church. Rich Birch — Yes, right. Spence Shelton — You know what I mean? And they just, they are like, they love, because what they actually are is they, they took a step of faith, a huge step of faith, trusting the Lord. And the Lord has blessed them and renewed a a vigor in their ministry. Spence Shelton — I saw a couple of them, mid 80s, and it was about 11 a.m. weekday and they were leaving the church building. I was pulling up. I just put windows down. Hey, what are you doing? It’s like, well, we just finished prayer walk in the neighborhood a couple of times…Rich Birch — Wow.Spence Shelton — …and it’s getting too hot now. We’re going inside. And I’m like, these are the people I want, man. Rich Birch — Yes.Spence Shelton — Like just they’re retired and they have chosen they’re going their day prayer walking. It’s like, well, you told us to pray. And I’m like, yeah. Yeah. Rich Birch — That’s amazing. Yeah, that’s incredible.Spence Shelton — Thank you for leading the way you have the time and this is what you do with it. So, man, there are if if all we see is just, Oh a facility to advance my cause. And we miss what has actually been the sweetest thing for our church has been our very young church got some grandparents.Rich Birch — Yes. Spence Shelton — It’s beautiful, man. Beautiful. Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah. That’s so good. Spence Shelton — So that’s just a little bit I learned from that ah from those couple of runs we’ve had. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s amazing. And yeah, that underlines, so it’s definitely the majority—I think it’s three quarters, if I remember the most recent statistics on these sort of revitalizations—are coming about because the joining church is coming to the lead church, not the other way around.Spence Shelton — That’s right. That’s right.Rich Birch — And so you have to position yourself in a way that that confident humility is a great kind of benchmark to be thinking about, friends. How do we you know hold ourselves in a way that we’re here to serve other people, we’re here to care for them in a way. And I say to church leaders when we talk about these things, I’m like, you have to handle these relationships well enough so that then they’ll tell other people, hey, wow, we loved working with Mercy Hill.Rich Birch — Man, there we love working with Mercy Church. Well, we love working with mercy Mercy Hill too. Spence Shelton — Sure. That’s right.Rich Birch — We love working with Mercy Hill, Mercy Church, too many Mercies. Wow, what a great you know interaction that was been. And wow, that’s a life-giving thing.Spence Shelton — That’s right.Rich Birch — And I loved that. That is what ultimately we’ll see more of these happen long-term. Not because you did some, you know, so too many people have these like, You know, like they use merger and takeover and like this kind of aggressive language, which just doesn’t help in the conversation at all.Spence Shelton — No, it doesn’t help at all. Yeah, that’s exactly right. You got to have that humility. And if somebody’s sitting there wondering, okay, man, well, how do I how do I wait on that without, I want to go get it. I want to get started. I’d say two or three things to do if you’re looking and you believe your church might be a good church candidate for helping another church revitalize, whether that’s being a campus of yours or or something to that effect. Spence Shelton — I’d say first start praying and asking the Lord. And that if you’re not fasting, then you’re not praying yet. Rich Birch — Yeah. Love it.Spence Shelton — So I don’t want to hear that you’re praying if you’re not fasting on this. Secondly, man, this is why networks matter. So I would say whatever your denomination or stream is, whatever, however you’re kind of tied to other churches in your community. If you have no relationships with other churches in your community, and then you want to go and be the revitalizer, that’s going to come, that’s probably going to come across a certain way.Spence Shelton — So There are a number of—years and years and years—of meetings that I’ve gone to, conversations I’ve sat in, in order to genuinely try to say, how can we help? How can we help?Rich Birch — Yeah.Spence Shelton — Whether that’s sending a worship leader to go serve at a church one Sunday morning or helping one church with a a building fundy kind of like thing they got to upfit or something, you know.Spence Shelton — Basically, I’m trying to be a team player in the Kingdom here in our little corner of the world in Charlotte. And then that’s going to earn the respect and the trust for when those conversations can happen in the relational network, those conversations can happen. Spence Shelton — So I am one who just in my nature, I do not like meetings. I don’t like them. Rich Birch — Sure.Spence Shelton — They feel like necessary evils. Rich Birch — Love it.Spence Shelton — And I’m trying to get better about that. But they are actually what I do love and value is trust and relationships. And again, confident humility. I have to be more about the Kingdom than I do about my own church. And a rising tide lifts all boats, you know.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. Well, this been a great conversation today, Spence. I really appreciate that. And thanks for going with me there with that little you know detour at the end.Spence Shelton — Of course, the joy.Rich Birch — That was fantastic. But anything you’d love to share just as we wrap up today’s conversation?Spence Shelton — I would say too—I don’t know what’s spurring this, but something that has helped me so much in my ministry to the leader out there, especially the young leader, but maybe to all of them—you will always overestimate what you can do in five years and you will drastically underestimate what you can do in 20. Rich Birch — That’s so true.Spence Shelton — And there maybe a way to say it is you will overestimate what God will do and underestimate what God will do. So this is a little plug of me saying, stay the course, stay the course where you’re at. The Lord is going to do a work in honor of your faithfulness to the work. Stay in it, man. Stay in it.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. Just to add to that, I’m doing some research on working on a book on churches that break the 2000 barrier. And one of the interesting telltale signs are senior leaders and senior leadership teams that have been in the same church or the same community for 20 plus years. Spence Shelton — There you go. Rich Birch — So going into their third decade, it just takes time. Spence Shelton — There it is. Rich Birch — You know, it’s not it’s it’s not you know’s not overnight. Rich Birch — Well, I really appreciate this. This has been a great a great conversation. Spence, if people want to track with you or with the church, where do we want to send them online? Spence Shelton — Yeah, man, you can go to probably social media is the the day and age that we live in. So @SpenceShelton is my social media handle. It’s Instagram and and those kind of things. Our church is just @MercyCharlotte. And you can go on our website, mercycharlotte.com. Find everything you need there. Spence Shelton — We’re launching a podcast. Praise God, let’s go. You can find all of it, though, just through our Instagram handles, which is usually a good first landing point for folks. And however we can help, man, feel free to reach out. Nothing super shiny about what we got going on over here, but we love being in the game for the Kingdom. However we can help.Rich Birch — All the best as you serve in Charlotte. Thanks so much, man.Spence Shelton — Thank you, brother.

Trudie Mason is joined by political analyst Karim Boulos, and Akil Alleyne, reporter, commentator, and manager of the GemStar Circle of Excellence Scholarship Program. The Parliamentary Budget Officer will investigate potential cost overruns and revenue-sharing changes in the Gordie Howe Bridge agreement. Montreal unveiled a Chinatown revitalization strategy featuring dedicated cleaning brigades and infrastructure upgrades to boost local investment. Conservative MP Kyle Seeback defended opposition scrutiny, arguing that criticizing the Liberal government should not be labeled "Trumpian." A Canadian Taxpayers Federation report revealed Canadian provincial politicians earn significantly higher average salaries than US state legislators. Jetstar airline announced plans to charge fees for overhead cabin baggage space starting in February 2027.

Urban beekeeping is forging new paths in Detroit. Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule Jackson of Detroit Hives are generating a lot of buzz working to create sustainable communities for people and pollinators by transforming vacant lots in the inner city into urban bee farms, educational apiaries, #greenspaces. Doing so in a way that uplifts long-term residents and doesn't lend to furthering gentrification. With over 17 locations and 47 honeybee hives they proclaim DETROIT as the PLACE TO BEE! Through their conservation and awareness efforts, educational programs, and health based initiatives, Detroit Hives is creating a safe home for bees and the community to live, feed, and thrive. This interview was recorded in 2021. Nicole Lindsey and Timothy Paule Jackson are Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors of @DetroitHives [https://detroithives.org/] a 501c3 nonprofit organization working to create sustainable communities for people and pollinators by transforming vacant lots into educational apiaries and #GreenSpaces. Nicole is devoted to altering negative stigmas about bees by educating people of their crucial roles and benefits to the environment. She also loves teaching children about apiology. Timothy, comes from a background in advertising/photography. He is focused on educating the next generation of leaders on sustainability, while working to address food insecurity in Detroit.

What if one of the most important dates in Hawaii history is also one most visitors never learn about?For Hawaii travelers and people who love the islands, understanding July 31 helps explain why Hawaiian sovereignty is not just history, but part of a living conversation today.

Shamus Toomey, Editor in Chief and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. Shamus has details on: More Than 300 Apartments Coming To Former Mag Mile Office Building As Work Gets Underway: The project at 500 N. Michigan Ave. is slated to be complete in early 2027, bringing […]

Building the Future of Downtown Wahoo: Your Voice MattersWhat if you had the chance to help shape the future of Downtown Wahoo?In this episode of Chamber Chat with Kate & Kat, we're joined by Melissa Harrell, City Administrator for the City of Wahoo, and Kristin Ohnoutka, planner with JEO Consulting Group, to talk about the exciting Downtown Revitalization Plan currently underway. From the planning process to community surveys and future design concepts, this episode is all about how residents and business owners can help create the next chapter for downtown Wahoo.This isn't just about sidewalks and streets—it's about creating a downtown that's vibrant, walkable, welcoming, and a destination for both residents and visitors.In this episode: How Wahoo secured funding for its Downtown Revitalization PlanWhy infrastructure improvements had to happen before beautification projectsThe role JEO Consulting Group is playing in creating the community's visionThe three phases of the planning processWhy community feedback is essential to the project's successThe difference between the community survey and the downtown business surveyHow residents can share ideas—big or smallThe timeline for the project and when preliminary concepts will be availableHow public art, events, walkability, and local businesses all play a role in revitalizing Downtown WahooWhether you're a lifelong Wahoo resident, own a downtown business, or simply love seeing communities grow, this episode offers an inside look at one of the biggest projects shaping Wahoo's future and how you can be part of it.The planning team wants to hear from you! Community feedback will directly influence the future vision for Downtown Wahoo.We discussed:✔️ Complete the community survey before the end of September.✔️ If you own a downtown business, be sure to complete the business-specific survey.✔️ Visit the planning team at the Saunders County Fair or Experience Wahoo to ask questions and share your ideas.For the community survey, project timeline, maps, and additional information, visit the City of Wahoo's Downtown Revitalization page:https://www.wahoo.ne.us/vnews/display.v/SEC/Economic%20Development%7CWahoo%20Downtown%20Revitalization%20PlanIf you enjoy Chamber Chat with Kate & Kat, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who loves seeing small communities thrive.Keep it local, friends!

Buffalo Planning Board chair James Morrell after approving site plans for the revitalization of the Broadway Market full 275 Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:30:00 +0000 rbg1Sk37t6Aeq4VFyPOk9hkbhyAjZC4b buffalo,news,wben,east buffalo,broadway market,james morrell WBEN Extras buffalo,news,wben,east buffalo,broadway market,james morrell Buffalo Planning Board chair James Morrell after approving site plans for the revitalization of the Broadway Market Archive of various reports and news events 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News

Board chair for Broadway Market Management, Inc., Peter Cammarata after the Buffalo Planning Board approved site plans for the revitalization of the Broadway Market full 363 Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:30:00 +0000 szqCYsJezyhQd60gN6axBHyUqMxRoxCb buffalo,news,wben,east buffalo,broadway market WBEN Extras buffalo,news,wben,east buffalo,broadway market Board chair for Broadway Market Management, Inc., Peter Cammarata after the Buffalo Planning Board approved site plans for the revitalization of the Broadway Market Archive of various reports and news events 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Brandon Langley talks with Jordan Cobb about transitioning to a plurality of elders in a revitalization, including shepherding the congregation and deacons through the process, spending “leadership coins” wisely, and more. Jordan is a member of our network and the Senior Pastor of Standing Springs Baptist Church in Simpsonville, SC

Revitalization rewards found in this episode:1. Get out a notepad or a blank sheet of paper. 2. Draw a large square in the middle of the paper. 3. Divide the square into four smaller squares.4. Write in one box a piece the following: a. What is the church doing right? b. Where is the church weak? c. Where are the opportunities to move the church from decline to rebound? d. Where are areas that threaten decline and closure?

Revitalization rewards found in this episode:1. God's plans were bigger2. God knew who needed it 3. Adapting to God's leading 4. The mission never changes "While the circumstances of the original design have changed, the center of it all remains Christ. As we continue to trust Him, He will lead us into our best days." - Dr. Desmond Barrett

King Charles III and the Revitalization of the Royal Navy. Guest: Gregory Copley. Copley highlights King Charles III's personal connection to the Royal Navy and his efforts to revitalize the service. Despite budget constraints, the UK is building new capital ships and submarines to maintain maritime power. The King's involvement is seen as crucial for maintaining military morale and national defense during periods of governmental incompetence. 121871

SCHEDULE OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 6-30-261893 HMS INFLEXIBLEThe Sloppy Memo of Understanding and Iran's Control of the Strait of Hormuz. Guest: Jonathan Schanzer.Batchelor and Schanzer discuss a "sloppily" written Memo of Understanding that allows Iran to project control over the Strait of Hormuz. Schanzer notes that while shipping continues, markets remain anxious because Iran is effectively holding international energy hostage. He criticizes the international community's lack of response to this global threat. 1Indefinite IDF Deployments in the Levant and the Strengthening of Turkey. Guest: Jonathan Schanzer. Schanzer explains that the IDF will remain in Lebanon and Syria indefinitely to destroy Hezbollah's massive underground tunnel complexes. He notes that Marco Rubio negotiated a framework emphasizing Lebanese sovereignty. Additionally, Ambassador Tom Barrack is reportedly pressuring Israel while seeking to empower Turkey as Iran's regional influence weakens. 2Volkswagen Layoffs and the Debate Over German Military Conscription. Guest: Judy Dempsey and Thaddeus McCotter. Judy Dempsey reports on the crisis at Volkswagen, where 100,000 workers face layoffs due to the global shift toward electric vehicles and Chinese competition. These layoffs will ripple through Germany's network of small suppliers. Thaddeus McCotter and Dempsey discuss how these economic shifts compare to the American auto industry's transformation. 3The Ankara NATO Summit and Ukraine's Offensive Against Russia. Guest: Judy Dempsey and Thaddeus McCotter. Dempsey and McCotter preview the NATO summit in Ankara, which Donald Trump may attend to reward President Erdoğan with fighter jets. The conversation highlights Ukraine's successful drone strikes on Russian refineries and resupply lines. Putin faces pressure from both domestic hawks and a population suffering under war-induced rationing. 4The Escalating Persecution of Christians Within the Islamic Republic of Iran. Guest: Mariam Wahba. Mariam Wahba describes how the Iranian regime is using current regional tensions as a pretext to clamp down on domestic Christians. The regime specifically targets converts, labeling them as "Zionist" mercenaries and national security threats. Imprisonment of Christians has surged sixfold as the regime seeks scapegoats for its international military setbacks. 5Iranian Drones and the Proxy War in the Sudan Conflict. Guest: Mariam Wahba. Wahba reports that Iranian drones are fueling a stalemate in Sudan's brutal civil war. Iran sells these weapons for revenue and to gain potential port access on the Red Sea near the Houthis. Egypt is intervening to prevent Islamist victories on its border, while the conflict devolves into a multi-power proxy war. 6Critiquing the 14-Point Memo of Understanding and Operation Epic Fury. Guest: Peter Berkowitz. Peter Berkowitz analyzes the 14-point Memo of Understanding, contrasting Secretary Marco Rubio's "peace through strength" approach with Vice President JD Vance's "restraint." He argues "Operation Epic Fury" failed because it did not secure the Strait of Hormuz before the ceasefire. Berkowitz notes that the administration's goals for the Iranian people became confused during operations. 7Diplomatic Failures and the Unsuccessful Campaign to Quell Iran. Guest: Peter Berkowitz. Berkowitz criticizes the administration for failing to prepare the American public for the Iranian conflict through major policy speeches. He highlights a split between Vance's negotiations with Iran and Rubio's Israel-Lebanon framework. Finally, he compares the current MOU to failed Gaza deals, suggesting the IRGC will never abandon its core mission of war. 8The UK's Changing Guard: Andy Burnham and the Defense Budget Black Hole. Guest: Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley discusses the rise of Andy Burnham in Britain following Keir Starmer's "complete detachment" from the electorate. Burnham must address a massive 45-million-pound black hole in the defense budget. The discussion also covers the intractable problem of illegal immigration across the English Channel and the lack of cooperation from France. 9Chilly Conflicts and Fractured Leadership in the Strait of Hormuz. Guest: Gregory Copley. Copley describes the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz as a "chilly conflict" where Iranian leadership remains fractured and indecisive. While supertankers sail through, both the US and Iran are using the ceasefire to rebuild their depleted arsenals. Copley notes that the IRGC is increasingly taking power away from Iran's clerical leadership. 10Global Defense Shifts in a Multipolar World and the End of Intervention. Guest: Gregory Copley. Copley examines the shift toward a multipolar world as countries like Canada and Turkey reduce their dependency on US weapon systems. This "reversion to sovereignty" allows middle powers to play a more independent role. Copley observes that the US is stepping back from its role as the "cop on the beat" except in existential matters. 11King Charles III and the Revitalization of the Royal Navy. Guest: Gregory Copley. Copley highlights King Charles III's personal connection to the Royal Navy and his efforts to revitalize the service. Despite budget constraints, the UK is building new capital ships and submarines to maintain maritime power. The King's involvement is seen as crucial for maintaining military morale and national defense during periods of governmental incompetence. 12Disparate Impact, Merit-Based Admissions, and Federal Contracting Reforms. Guest: Michael Toth. Michael Toth discusses the historical use of "disparate impact" as a mechanism for discrimination in university admissions. He details the current administration's efforts to root out racial preferences in federal contracting. Toth argues for a return to merit-based standards to restore the principle of equal justice. 13The Mystery of Third-Party Litigation Finance and its Taxation. Guest: Michael Toth. Toth explains the emergence of third-party litigation finance, where external financial institutions fund tort cases against American companies. He notes this practice is uniquely American and creates a new market for legal conflict. Toth recommends that the Treasurytax these business gains at ordinary income rates rather than treating them as capital gains. 14Domestic Politics, Midterm Perils, and the SAVE Act. Guest: Thaddeus McCotter. Thaddeus McCotter analyzes the upcoming midterms, noting that Democrats have reframed "inflation" as "affordability" to distance themselves from economic policies. He discusses the internal "civil wars" within both parties, including the rise of Democratic Socialists and divisions within the MAGA movement. The "SAVE Act" is highlighted as the president's primary political solution. 15Affordability, Energy Prices, and the Short-Term Gains of Midterm Politics. Guest: Thaddeus McCotter. McCotter observes that all foreign policy eventually becomes domestic, especially through the lens of energy costs. He warns that the administration might prioritize short-term gas price relief over long-term strategic interests in the Middle East. Consequently, providing sanctions relief to Iran could allow the regime to continue funding global terrorism and its nuclear program. 16

Fluent Fiction - Danish: Søren's Muse: A Writer's Revitalization in Nyhavn Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/da/episode/2026-06-19-07-38-19-da Story Transcript:Da: Nyhavn glitrer i solen.En: Nyhavn glitters in the sun.Da: Farverige huse står som perler på en snor langs kanalen.En: Colorful houses line up like pearls on a string along the canal.Da: Duften af nyslået græs og blomstrende syrener blander sig med lyden af livlige samtaler og klirrende kaffekopper.En: The scent of freshly cut grass and blooming lilacs mixes with the sound of lively conversations and clinking coffee cups.Da: Det er sen forår, og det lille cafébord udendørs er Søren's tilflugtssted.En: It's late spring, and the small outdoor café table is Søren's refuge.Da: Men i dag er det også en kilde til frustration.En: But today, it is also a source of frustration.Da: Søren er en tænksom sjæl.En: Søren is a thoughtful soul.Da: Han er forfatter, men ordene undslipper ham.En: He is a writer, but the words evade him.Da: Hans notesbog ligger foran ham, blank og problematisk.En: His notebook lies in front of him, blank and problematic.Da: Cafégæsterne myldrer omkring ham.En: Café-goers swarm around him.Da: Kirsten, ejeren, smiler og deler en joke med en kunde.En: Kirsten, the owner, smiles and shares a joke with a customer.Da: Hun er sjælen i caféen og kender alle.En: She is the soul of the café and knows everyone.Da: Her er varmt, både i temperatur og stemning.En: It is warm here, both in temperature and atmosphere.Da: Ved et nabobord sidder Mikkel, en ung turist med store øjne.En: At a neighboring table sits Mikkel, a young tourist with wide eyes.Da: Han betragter med interesse den danske hverdag.En: He observes the Danish everyday life with interest.Da: Han drømmer om at lære mere om landet og dets historier.En: He dreams about learning more about the country and its stories.Da: Søren sukker.En: Søren sighs.Da: Kaoset omkring ham er forstyrrende.En: The chaos around him is distracting.Da: Han forsøger at koncentrere sig, men lydene bliver til en mur af forhindringer.En: He tries to concentrate, but the sounds become a wall of obstacles.Da: Noget ændrer sig, da han hører Kirsten introducere Mikkel som en opdagelsesrejsende i deres lille café-univers.En: Something changes when he hears Kirsten introduce Mikkel as an explorer in their little café universe.Da: En tanke rammer Søren.En: A thought strikes Søren.Da: Hvad nu hvis han kommer udenfor sig selv?En: What if he steps outside of himself?Da: Han henvender sig til Mikkel med en nysgerrighed han ikke anede han havde.En: He addresses Mikkel with a curiosity he didn't know he had.Da: "Hej, Mikkel.En: "Hi, Mikkel.Da: Hvordan er Danmark for en nyankommet?"En: How is Danmark for a newcomer?"Da: Mikkel lyser op.En: Mikkel brightens up.Da: "Fascinerende!"En: "Fascinating!"Da: siger han.En: he says.Da: "Jeg har set Vadehavet, smagt Rugbrød på Fyn, og nu, Nyhavn.En: "I've seen the Vadehavet, tasted Rugbrød on Fyn, and now, Nyhavn.Da: Historier lever overalt her."En: Stories live everywhere here."Da: Mens Mikkel taler, fødes billeder i Sørens sind.En: As Mikkel speaks, images are born in Søren's mind.Da: Strandene fyldt med muslinger, fiskernes fortællinger ved Vesterhavet, Påskeliljer i bølgende marker på Bornholm.En: Beaches filled with mussels, fishermen's tales by the Vesterhavet, daffodils in rolling fields on Bornholm.Da: Han ser det hele gennem Mikkels begejstrede beretninger.En: He sees it all through Mikkel's enthusiastic narratives.Da: Pludselig føles lydene omkring ham ikke som en mur, men en symfoni.En: Suddenly, the sounds around him don't feel like a wall but a symphony.Da: En symfoni af liv, der kan inspirere enhver skribent.En: A symphony of life that can inspire any writer.Da: Søren skynder sig at gribe sin penn, og notere ned.En: Søren hastens to grab his pen and take notes.Da: Ideen vokser som et frø, plejet af Mikkels historier.En: The idea grows like a seed, nurtured by Mikkel's stories.Da: Kirsten bemærker forandringen i Søren.En: Kirsten notices the change in Søren.Da: Hun smiler fra baren, hvor hun står med en cappuccino.En: She smiles from the bar, where she stands with a cappuccino.Da: Endelig ser hendes ven ud til at have fundet den gnist han mangler.En: Finally, her friend seems to have found the spark he was missing.Da: Caféen bruser videre, et hav af menneskekakofoni fyldt med historier.En: The café buzzes on, a sea of human cacophony filled with stories.Da: Midsommerens lys forsvinder langsomt fra Nyhavn, mens Søren, nu mere åben for omverdenen, forvandles af de ord, han tidligere kæmpede med.En: The midsummer light slowly fades from Nyhavn, while Søren, now more open to the world around him, is transformed by the words he previously struggled with.Da: Inspireret og genoplivet møder han skæbnerne omkring sig: dem, som Mikkel nu er en del af.En: Inspired and revitalized, he meets the destinies around him: those of which Mikkel is now a part.Da: Det er en ny begyndelse i hans forfatterskab.En: It is a new beginning in his authorship.Da: En begyndelse drevet af en uventet rejse gennem andres øjne.En: A beginning driven by an unexpected journey through others' eyes.Da: Kirsten, der holder øje fra afstand, glider ind i ly aftenen, velvidende at hendes café endnu engang har været stedet, hvor historier blev til.En: Kirsten, watching from a distance, slips into the shelter of the evening, knowing that her café has once again been the place where stories were born.Da: En dag på Nyhavn, der ikke blot bragte kaffe, men også fortællinger ind i en forfatters hjerte.En: A day at Nyhavn, which not only brought coffee but also stories into a writer's heart. Vocabulary Words:glitters: glitrerpearls: perlercanal: kanalblooming: blomstrendeclinking: klirrendefrustration: frustrationthoughtful: tænksomevade: undslipperproblematic: problematiskswarm: myldrerneighboring: nabobordenthusiastic: begejstrededistraction: forstyrrendeobstacles: forhindringerexplorer: opdagelsesrejsendesymphony: symphoninarratives: beretningerhastens: skyndernurtured: plejetrevitalized: genoplivetdestinies: skæbnerauthorship: forfatterskabshelter: lyeverywhere: overaltcuriosity: nysgerrighedintroduce: introducerechaos: kaosetcocoon: tilflugtsstedcacophony: menneskekakofonimidsummer: midsommeren

On this episode, we sit down with Emery Assiniboine, a Dakota social worker, artist, parent, educator, and cradle board maker from Long Plain First Nation.Emery shares her work helping in the revitalization of cradle boards, supporting Indigenous families, and reclaiming traditional parenting practices. Together, we discuss intergenerational healing, the impacts on native family systems, raising children in a good way, and the connection between healthy families, culture, and nationhood. This conversation explores parenting, kinship, identity, and the ongoing work of rebuilding Indigenous family systems for future generations.

At Tangle, we don't discriminate against good ideas based on where they come from. A person on our sales team can have a fantastic pitch for an editorial change we should make, and just because it came from the sales side and not a senior editor doesn't mean we're going to ignore it.I've learned over the years that I have the great privilege of working with a lot of brilliant people, with smart ideas, who have interesting things to say, who can also write even though they aren't on our editorial team.So when Candida Hall, our head of product (and featured employee in the October 2025 edition of Press Pass), pitched the idea for a story about small-town revitalization and her experiences in Appalachia, I was immediately intrigued. Over the last few months, Candida has been working on this story with our Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, and today, I'm thrilled to share it with our audience. I hope you all enjoy.Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!We're coming to the stage!In 10 days, Isaac and a panel of sharp thinkers are coming to West Virginia to discuss the societal effects of artificial intelligence. They'll tackle questions like, What would happen if AI disappeared today vs. five years from now? Who makes a stronger case between the cynics and the optimists? Could we ban AI even if we wanted to? It'll be a scintillating chat, and you can be in the room where it's happening if you get your tickets now.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast written by: Candida Hall and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Minnesota Now with Nina Moini recently recorded a program at the brand new Moorhead Public Library. The building is a cornerstone of a downtown that is currently being built up. Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson joined the program in front of a live audience to talk about how the city is looking to distinguish itself and to become a destination.

If you are looking to bring your congregation to be healthy and revitalized, first you need the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then there are five shifts that are needed in attitudes, assumptions and their related behaviors. The first shift may be found in the previous episode and the second shift as described here is shifting from the "I'll just do it myself" approach to intentionally involving others. The result is a healthy sharing of responsibility and leadership but even more than that a way in which people can participate and grow in their faith. Research and our own experience shows that those who are involved attend worship more often, invite people more often and give more faithfully. Reach out to us if you would like to continue the conversation: https://scottgress.com scottgress@me.com

How do you support your newborn during and after time spent in the NICU? What practices are deeply healing for you and baby? Are you aware of what it means to have a regulated nervous system? How can you and baby thrive towards wholeness? Special Guest Episode: Atara is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist and has been practicing in the field of mental health for 14 years. She's continued her education by becoming a certified integrative and somatic practitioner. Her current passions include holistic healing, supporting postpartum mamas, Brainspotting, therapeutic intensives and educating on the role of minerals for brain health and nervous system regulation. Revitalization and rebalancing clients are core goals in Atara's work. Contact her at https://www.ataraparkinson.com/ If you want to get YOUR healing communication going today---read up on--- Notes from a Spirit Baby Medium - Everything you need to know about spirit baby communication We are in a time of continuous evolution that is guiding us into owning our natural instincts over fear to be led by love and nature. Your child is in deep heart communication with you. Are you ready to create a conscious conception into a heart led pregnancy into birthing? You have called upon your dreams to manifest with creativity and in return your child is your daily mantra and an everyday prayer. You will experience a change when you enter this vibration of Notes from a Spirit Baby Medium- Everything you need to know about spirit baby communication. It is meant to take you into a fresh and healing connection with: transformative tools to use in your heart practices, build intuitive wisdom with your spirit baby, and share real stories about parents and spirit babies.  What is a spirit baby? What is spirit baby communication? What is a spirit baby medium? How do I communicate with my baby? How do I know I am communicating properly? How do I know it is not wishful thinking or just my imagination? Instagram: @spiritbabymediumFacebook: Spirit Baby Medium/Medical IntuitiveFacebook: SPIRIT BABIES: Conscious Conception, Intuitive Pregnancy, & MotherhoodFacebook: The After Life of Spirit Baby- Healing, Connections,& LoveTwitter: @SPIRITBABYRADIO YouTube: @spiritbabycommunication

Excited to see where this project goes!AzrenWebsite

Join us today as host Joe Epley interviews Sam Rainer, rural pastor and author, on the topic of revitalization. In this interview Sam breaks down what it takes to build a revitalization culture, talks about the right attitudes and mindsets in relation to a rural church, and ultimately provides many helpful do’s and don’ts of the revitalization process. As always, if you would like to reach out to the show with feedback or ideas, or to find encouragement, connect with our host Joe Epley at joseph.g.epley@gmail.com You can connect more with Sam as a pastor, author, and speaker, as well as see his full catalog of books at samrainer.com

Revitalization rewards found in this episode:1. Starting a relationship 2. Growing a relationship 3. Maintaining a relationship 4. Expanding a relationship

Patrick Tuohey, Show-Me Institute, On the Plaza Revitalization and More | 5-20-26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Key Outcomes Scott Sullivan and John Spencer (Discipleship Team Leader at Sherwood Baptist  Church in Albany, GA) introduced FORMED, A Discipleship Culture Blueprint, a new resource developed over 2.5 years to help Georgia Baptist churches create disciple-making cultures rather than programs. This resource addresses the core question: How do we reach new people, connect them to the church, move them to spiritual maturity,  and launch them to multiply. Resource Overview FORMED Structure: • Four core elements: Real Relationships, Transformational Teaching, Disciple Making Environments, and Intentional Multiplication • Built from dozens of pastor roundtables identifying common church struggles. • Developed by Scott Sullivan, Ray Sullivan (now Pastor at First Waycross), and PJ  Dunn (overseeing Revitalization at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board) • Will be taught through six regional cohorts led by trained leaders, including John. Key Definitions: • Culture: The shared expression of beliefs, values, and rhythms that define an  organization's identity; "how it feels" rather than just mission or vision• Disciple (Georgia Baptist definition): A committed, passionate follower of Jesus  Christ, based on 2 Timothy 2:1-7's four generations of disciples and three-word pictures (soldier, athlete, farmer) Critical Leadership Questions Three essential questions every pastor should answer: • Do we have a culture of discipleship, and is it working? • Do you have a definition of a biblical disciple for your people? • Does the culture and success of the ministry depend solely on you as the leader? Core Principle: "I hope so is not a strategy" - churches cannot keep running the same play if it's not helping them win. Real Relationships Framework Foundation: Jesus invited disciples into a relationship ("follow me"), not a program - discipleship happens best within relational contexts. The Rebar Principle:• Like rebar tied together before concrete is poured creates tensile strength,  intentionally tied relationships provide reinforcement when storms come • Without tied relationships, ministry cracks under pressure • You cannot pour ministry on top of relationships you never tied together 2:00 AM Friendships: • Deep, loyal, hesed-type Old Testament connections that never walk away • Many mature believers lack these foundational relationships Sherwood Church Model Disciple Definition at Sherwood: Know Christ, Love God, Unite with Believers, Serve the World, and Entrust the Gospel - visible everywhere (classrooms, atrium, new member materials) to maintain cultural focus. Sherwood on Mission Class: • Equips members to live gospel-centered lives daily, not just share gospel facts • Most valuable component: hearing stories of others interacting with people in their  zones (work, home, neighborhood) • Available to share with other churches upon request Practical Implementation: • Michael Catt established Wednesday morning Cracker Barrel group with 5-6 men  who could speak candidly into his leadership • Prayer walking neighborhoods with an online sign-up chart tracking coverage across  Albany • Daily Bible reading groups (using MacArthur Daily Bible) meeting at 6:00 AM Overcoming Barriers to Connection Common Church Barriers: • Poor or insufficient signage around campus • Greeters who overwhelm rather than read people appropriately • "Holy huddles" that look inward rather than outward • Inadequate nursery facilities that parents don't trust • Inefficient processes (coffee stations, check-in) that create frustration. Key Insight: Confused people don't move; they wander - clear signage and processes are essential. Cultural Shift Required: • People want to be noticed, not just noted (Luke 19 - Jesus didn't just see  Zacchaeus, he went to his house) • New member classes must set expectations: "Your job as a disciple-maker is to  welcome people to your life, not just your seat." • Tell stories constantly - in baptisms, classrooms, social media, pulpit - to inspire and  give ideas Intentionality Over RandomnessMinistry Trap Warning: The managerial trap of settling to manage people rather than shepherd and disciple them - easier to manage groups than invest intimately in messy lives. Personal Disciplines for Leaders: • Start with personal abiding - "I can't lead what I don't do." • Distinguish between being in the Bible for your people (sermon prep) versus being in  the Bible for yourself • Pray specifically: "Lord, who do I invite in?" • Most successful ministry comes from one-on-one, one-on-two investments over time. Example: John invested ten years in a man who came hungover most mornings; now that man is leading a college ministry. Multiplication Mindset: • Invite younger leaders into discipleship groups to pass the torch • Equip them to replicate: "Now you go find some guys." • Story: A man moving to North Carolina took extra MacArthur Daily Bibles to start  groups there Practical Opportunities Beyond Sunday Services: • Partner with existing community services (food banks, deliveries) • Prayer walks in neighborhoods • Student car washes • Leverage natural contexts (pickleball example: introvert wife built new friendships,  led couple to church, provided support during medical crisis) Church Facility Design: North Metro Church built a massive foyer/mall effect holding 500 people, transforming culture by giving space for pre-service connection rather than herding people like cattle. Action Items • Georgia Baptist Mission Board Discipleship Team: Launch FORMED resource by the end of April, release four podcast episodes every two weeks for cohesive learning • Regional leaders (including John): Prepare to lead cohorts using  an overview/introduction approach (Matthew Gibb's piece to be distributed) • Churches interested in Sherwood's On Mission materials: Contact John Spencer at johns@sherwoodbaptist.net for manual/digital copies Closing Principle "A church that is easy to attend but hard to connect in will always struggle to multiply.  Bet the farm on relationships - Jesus did."

Revitalization rewards found in this episode:What does a deep partnership look like in your local context:1. It provides volunteers on a regular basis between the church and the community partner.2. The church can leverage its resources (people, facilities, and financial resources) to become community- centered assets. 3. Develop a host joint community events.

Is your core values language compelling to your people and used as a tool for your culture? It might just be time to revitalize your core values.  For Full Show Notes Visit: https://www.jasonvbarger.com/podcast/revitalize-core-values/ Jason explores the strategic necessity of moving beyond "poster-on-the-wall" philosophy to turn core values into a living, breathing competitive advantage for your organization. Please rate and review the podcast to help amplify these messages to others! Summary: In a world where many organizational mission statements are resigned to dusty frames in breakrooms, elite leaders understand a fundamental truth: language drives behavior. In this episode of The Thermostat, Jason V Barger examines how to revitalize your core values to drive engagement and provide radical clarity for the future culture you are aiming to create. This conversation moves beyond standard corporate platitudes to address the "poster problem"—the cynicism employees feel when there is a visible gap between espoused values and actual behavior. Jason argues that core values are meant to be a functional tool for leadership in teams, not just a decorative element of corporate culture. He outlines a disciplined process for revitalization, emphasizing that while your soul as an organization shouldn't change, your language must remain precise, aspirational, and participatory to stay relevant in a shifting market. Essential listening for C-Suite executives, HR directors, and team leaders, this episode offers a tactical roadmap for anchoring your values in the "hard" systems of your business—from hiring and onboarding to performance evaluations and leadership development. Episode Notes & Timestamps: [00:00] Intro: Jason explains the importance and impact of revitalizing core values to calibrate the organizational thermostat. [00:03] Language Drives Behavior: A deep look at why we cannot be surprised when a desired culture doesn't exist if we haven't articulated it in terms of action and behavior. [00:05] The "Poster" Problem: Addressing the reality of "tainted" employees who have seen values ignored by leadership and why the best organizations treat values as tools. [00:07] Revitalization vs. Change: Why you don't necessarily need to change your values, but why the language needs a living, breathing update every 8 to 10 years to re-engage your people. [00:09] The Participatory Pillar: Moving values from "on high" (the CEO or Board) to a cross-functional vision created by the people who actually live the culture every day. [00:10] The Aspirational Pillar: Why values shouldn't just describe who you are today, but articulate the high-performance culture you need to cultivate for the future. [00:10] Precision in Language: Moving past abstract words like "integrity." How to define exactly what your values look like in action, interaction, and decision-making. [00:11] Values as a Functional Tool: How to anchor revitalized language in the daily operations of the business, including hiring, coaching, and performance assessments. [00:12] Culture as Strategy: A reminder that culture is a non-negotiable strategy—the air we breathe and the temperature we set for how we show up to work. Key Takeaways for Leaders: Tool, Not Poster: Move your values from decorative slogans to functional guides that dictate how your team operates and communicates. Participatory Visioning: Engage your people in the co-creation of your cultural language to ensure immediate buy-in and ownership at every level. Behavioral Precision: Increase your team's effectiveness by defining the specific actions that represent your abstract values, leaving no room for ambiguity. Listen to the full episode and access show notes at: https://jasonvbarger.com/podcast/revitalize-your-core-values/ Bio: Jason Barger is a husband, father, speaker, and author who is passionate about business leadership and corporate culture. He believes that corporate culture is the "thermostat" of an organization, and that it can be used to drive performance, innovation, and engagement. The show features interviews with business leaders from a variety of industries, as well as solo episodes where Barger shares his own insights and advice. Connect: Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JasonVBarger Make Your 2026 Effective! Book Jason with your team at https://www.jasonvbarger.com   Like or Follow Jason

San Diego County supervisors vote on city charter Changes, New study of cannabis on teen health, Revitalization  of Escondido Creek Trail with art

Dukes and Bell examine how journeyman Dominic Smith found success with the Braves after receiving hitting advice from Chipper Jones. They also welcome Gabe Vincent to preview the Hawks' playoff series against the Knicks and analyze rumors of the LIV Golf tour's potential collapse. 01:50 - Braves Unsung Heroes 05:45 - Austin Riley's Slump 09:20 - Hawks Playoff Logistics 16:20 - Gabe Vincent Interview 24:00 - Hawks Matchup Strategy 30:15 - LIV Golf Rumors 37:40 - NBA Play-In Drama

How do you stay focused when leading a struggling or declining church? In this episode of Revitalize and Replant, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst share a practical and biblical framework for maintaining strategic focus in church revitalization and replanting. They unpack “The 5 C's”—five essential leadership principles for pastors navigating dying churches, conflict, and spiritual resistance. Whether you're leading a church replant, revitalization effort, or simply trying to refocus your ministry, this conversation will help you lead with clarity, courage, and Christ-centered conviction. The 5 C's of Strategic Church Revitalization: Compassion for People in Dying Churches Shepherd with empathy and patience as you walk with hurting congregations.   Conflict Awareness Recognize and prepare for the inevitable tensions that come with change.  Courage for Spiritual Warfare Lead boldly, knowing revitalization is both practical and spiritual work.  Confidence in God's Work Trust that God is at work—even when progress feels slow.  Christ-Focus Keep Jesus at the center of every decision, strategy, and step forward.  Why This Matters: Church revitalization requires more than strategy—it demands spiritual resilience, wise leadership, and unwavering focus on Christ. These five principles will help you stay grounded when ministry gets difficult. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do you stay focused when leading a struggling or declining church? In this episode of Revitalize and Replant, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst share a practical and biblical framework for maintaining strategic focus in church revitalization and replanting. They unpack “The 5 C's”—five essential leadership principles for pastors navigating dying churches, conflict, and spiritual resistance. Whether you're leading a church replant, revitalization effort, or simply trying to refocus your ministry, this conversation will help you lead with clarity, courage, and Christ-centered conviction. The 5 C's of Strategic Church Revitalization: Compassion for People in Dying Churches Shepherd with empathy and patience as you walk with hurting congregations. Conflict Awareness Recognize and prepare for the inevitable tensions that come with change. Courage for Spiritual Warfare Lead boldly, knowing revitalization is both practical and spiritual work. Confidence in God's Work Trust that God is at work—even when progress feels slow. Christ-Focus Keep Jesus at the center of every decision, strategy, and step forward. Why This Matters: Church revitalization requires more than strategy—it demands spiritual resilience, wise leadership, and unwavering focus on Christ. These five principles will help you stay grounded when ministry gets difficult.

Send us Fan Mail0:00:00 Planet Talk, Aging Filters & Cold Open Chaos0:05:53 AI Space Pics, Social Media Lies & Critical Thinking for Kids0:08:51 Old Wax Cylinders, Cowboy Love Song & Language Nerding0:14:18 Salish Language Nerd-Out, Borderland Territories & Rodeo Lore0:24:43 Nonprofit Life Crisis: “Should an Org Throw a Potlatch?”0:36:28 Ethnography Addiction & the Intervention: Intent First0:40:12 What Ceremony Is Actually For: Survival, Thanks & Fixing Bad Luck1:20:21 How One Old Dance Came Back (and Why It Was Awkward)1:48:51 “No Audience Participation”: Designing a Real Cultural Hangout1:58:39 From Culture Critic to Culture Doer: Homework AssignedHosts: Aaron Brien (Apsáalooke), Shandin Pete (Salish/Diné). Guest: Jakob KnudsenHow to cite this episode (apa)Pete, S. H. & Brien, A. (Hosts). (2026, March 26). #70 - Don't Be an Analyst, Be an Indian: Cultural Revitalization, Armchair Expertise, and the Problem of Not Doing Anything [Audio podcast episode]. In Tribal Research Specialist:The Podcast. Tribal Research Specialist, LLC. https://tribalresearchspecialist.buzzsprout.comHow to cite this podcast (apa)Pete, S. H., & Brien, A. (Hosts). (2020–present). Tribal Research Specialist:The Podcast [Audio podcast]. Tribal Research Specialist, LLC. https://tribalresearchspecialist.buzzsprout.com/Podcast Website: tribalresearchspecialist.buzzsprout.comApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tribal-research-specialist-the-podcast/id1512551396Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1H5Y1pWYI8N6SYZAaawwxbX: @tribalresearchspecialistFacebook: www.facebook.com/TribalResearchSpecialistYouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCL9HR4B2ubGK_aaQKEt179QSupport the showInterested in some TRS Merch? Click here https://tribal-research-specialist-llc.square.site/Want to make a one time donation?https://buymeacoffee.com/tribalresearch

Arcand is joined by MassLive's Sean McAdam to discuss the latest surrounding the Red Sox. McAdam thinks the Red Sox rotation could be one of the best in baseball, and the lineup could be better than last year. ICE will reportedly join TSA agents during the government shutdown, but not in New England.

Lorena Sekwan Fontaine and Adam Muller, eds., The Erasure and Revitalization of Indigenous Cultures and Languages: A Special Issue of Genocide Studies International (Vol. 16., No. 2). A publication of the Zoryan Institute and University of Toronto Press. This special issue of Genocide Studies International examines the erasure and revitalization of Indigenous cultures and languages a crucial area of analysis within genocide and human rights studies. The collection explores how Indigenous languages function as both targets and tools of survival. It emphasizes that language revitalization is not simply about preservation but is part of a larger movement for self-determination, sovereignty and resistance. It features articles by authors of a variety of disciplinary and cultural backgrounds to survey the terrain of language erasure and revitalization as it understood in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Lorena Sekwan Fontaine and Adam Muller, eds., The Erasure and Revitalization of Indigenous Cultures and Languages: A Special Issue of Genocide Studies International (Vol. 16., No. 2). A publication of the Zoryan Institute and University of Toronto Press. This special issue of Genocide Studies International examines the erasure and revitalization of Indigenous cultures and languages a crucial area of analysis within genocide and human rights studies. The collection explores how Indigenous languages function as both targets and tools of survival. It emphasizes that language revitalization is not simply about preservation but is part of a larger movement for self-determination, sovereignty and resistance. It features articles by authors of a variety of disciplinary and cultural backgrounds to survey the terrain of language erasure and revitalization as it understood in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/native-american-studies

Lorena Sekwan Fontaine and Adam Muller, eds., The Erasure and Revitalization of Indigenous Cultures and Languages: A Special Issue of Genocide Studies International (Vol. 16., No. 2). A publication of the Zoryan Institute and University of Toronto Press. This special issue of Genocide Studies International examines the erasure and revitalization of Indigenous cultures and languages a crucial area of analysis within genocide and human rights studies. The collection explores how Indigenous languages function as both targets and tools of survival. It emphasizes that language revitalization is not simply about preservation but is part of a larger movement for self-determination, sovereignty and resistance. It features articles by authors of a variety of disciplinary and cultural backgrounds to survey the terrain of language erasure and revitalization as it understood in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies

This week we're talking about everything happening in downtown Seattle with the President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association. Jon shares the latest data on downtown recovery, plus what's coming next, including a $50 million investment in parks and changes to 3rd Ave. We also dive into how Seattle is preparing for FIFA 2026 with 700,000 expected visitors, watch parties across downtown, and new flexible alcohol laws. And we dig into the controversial public safety camera debate and why Jon believes they're working. Top Stories:1a. Downtown Seattle recovery update: office workers, residents, and visitor numbers1b. FIFA 2026 preparations and economic impact on Seattle businesses2. Public safety camera expansion debate and why DSA supports it3. Benaroya Hall $20 million renovation closing July-SeptemberAbout Jon Scholes - President & CEO, Downtown Seattle Association:Jon Scholes is responsible for the operations and programs of the DSA, an 1,100 member association formed in 1958 to create a healthy, vibrant downtown for all. He was appointed President & CEO of DSA in November 2014 following six years as DSA's Vice President of Advocacy and Economic Development. Jon serves on the boards of Visit Seattle, the International Downtown Association, and Downtown Emergency Services Center. He is the host of Seattle City Makers, a podcast launched in 2022. He is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and attended University of Texas in Austin before graduating form the University of Washington.About host Rachel Horgan:Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.Contact:Email: info@theweeklyseattle.comInstagram: @theweeklyseattleWebsite: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

Ralph welcomes Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson to discuss a wide range of topics, including NATO, Greenland, Gaza, and more. Then, Ralph speaks to Rabbi Alissa Wise (founding director of Rabbis for Ceasefire) about the “Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza" campaign. Finally, Ralph and the team address some current events.Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired U.S. Army colonel. Over his 31 years of service, Colonel Wilkerson served as Secretary of State Colin Powell's Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2005, and Special Assistant to General Powell when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993. Colonel Wilkerson also served as Deputy Director and Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia, and for fifteen years he was the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network, senior advisor to the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and co-founder of the All-Volunteer Force Forum.You aren't a newspaper, not really, if you don't have the guts to go out and get the news wherever it's happening. And you're reporting, nonetheless, to the American people [on the truth]. And it's nothing about the truth. It's as bad as what Netanyahu does in his own country in Hebrew. It's propaganda. And in many cases, it's not even accurate propaganda. It's falsified propaganda. You know, there used to be a law. And the law prohibited anyone in the Defense Department, for example, but any of the government agencies (Defense Department was the most guilty) that said: you cannot propagandize the American people. You can propagandize foreign audiences—even in wartime, you can propagandize those audiences, but you must not propagandize the American people. You have to tell them the truth or tell nothing at all. And if you're a media outlet, you should be telling them the truth, or the truth as you best can determine it. We don't honor that law anymore.Colonel Lawrence WilkersonI think [NATO and the EU are] gone, but I think the prospect for the future ought to be that we replace them. We don't just let them go and not have a replacement. And the replacement should be a European security architecture, which includes the Russians. And last time I checked a Rand McNally map, Russia (at least from the Urals inward) was a part of Europe. And it needs to be based not on spheres of influence, but on economic and financial and other needs that all of that group of people have. That's how you create something that will keep Europe and Russia together and not at loggerheads.Colonel Lawrence WilkersonI've said this a number of times (publicly I've said it) —the January 6th attempt to overthrow the United States government in favor of Donald Trump didn't fail because the system held. It failed because the coup plotters were incompetent, and their incompetence was most visible in not having the military (or a sizable segment thereof). They will not do that again.Colonel Lawrence WilkersonRabbi Alissa Wise is the Lead Organizer of Rabbis for Ceasefire, which she founded in October 2023. She was a staff leader at Jewish Voice for Peace from 2011-2021 and co-founded the JVP Rabbinical Council in 2010. She is co-author of “Solidarity is the Political Version of Love: Lessons from Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing”. She is also one of the organizers of the “Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza” campaign.I think there is a lot of support in the Jewish community for living up to core liberatory values that there are within Jewish tradition. This is true in every religious tradition and it's true in Judaism, where you can open the sacred text and find a justification for oppression or you could open a sacred text and find a pathway to liberation. And so what we're inviting people into is to pull the thread of liberatory Judaism. And making the conscious choice that those are the threads of the tradition that we want to pull on.Rabbi Alissa WiseThere's nothing Jewish about what the state of Israel is doing—about the state of Israel at all. It's not actually a fulfillment of Jewish practice or tradition or Torah. It's not a Torah-based government. It's government. It's a nation state. It's a military. And it uses—as I was saying before, one could open the Torah and identify justification for endless war or justification for freedom. And I think they often use their Jewishness as a fig leaf in order to shield themselves from criticism because “when you criticize them, you're being anti-Semitic.” And they pull on certain quotes or elements of Jewish teachings that either seem to uphold what they're doing while at the same time being palatable and accessible to the Christian Zionists that actually have for a long time been empowering US foreign policy.Rabbi Alissa WiseNews 2/6/26* Last week, we discussed the showdown in Congress over forcing Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify before the House Oversight Committee regarding the Epstein probe. Despite pressure from Democratic House leadership, many Democrats broke ranks to vote in favor of holding the former President and former Secretary of State in contempt of Congress. If this vote had gone to the full House, it is possible the couple could have been jailed until they agreed to testify. Instead, this week, Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed to appear before the Committee. Bill Clinton's relationship with Epstein is well-documented through the flight logs and photos that have emerged since the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Hillary Clinton claims never to have met or spoken with the late sex offender and financier, per the BBC. Former President Clinton will appear for a deposition on February 27th; the former Secretary of State will appear the day before. This piece notes that this will mark the first time a former president has testified to Congress since Gerald Ford did so in 1983 – marking a watershed moment for Congress reasserting its constitutional authority.* In more news of Congress asserting its authority vis-a-vis the Epstein scandal, Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie appeared on “Meet the Press,” this week and said that while the release of the latest batch of files is “significant,” it “is not good enough.” Khanna estimates that only about half of the Epstein files have been released so far. Given how much we have learned from the files so far, it is anyone's guess what lurks in the files they have yet to release. Crucially, withholding the files is in direct contravention of the law authored by the two lawmakers. Khanna stated plainly that “If we don't get the remaining files…Thomas Massie and I are prepared to move on impeachment,” of Attorney General Pam Bondi. This from CNBC.* The Epstein scandal has contributed to growing fissures in the MAGA movement. Perhaps the most notable defector from that camp is retired Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. This week, Greene sat for an interview with conservative radio personality Kim Iversen, and said that President Trump's Make America Great Again slogan was “all a lie…a big lie for the people,” adding “What MAGA is really serving in this administration, who they're serving, is their big donors,” per the Hill. Elaborating further, Greene said that Trump's financial backers are the real beneficiaries of the supposedly populist movement, saying “They get the government contracts, they get the pardons, or somebody they love or one of their friends gets a pardon.” While Greene has resigned her seat in Congress, she shows little sign of disappearing from the public eye. Many speculate she could seek political office in the future, even the presidency, charting a path forward for a post-Trump GOP.* Another major fight in Congress has to do with checking the out of control Department of Homeland Security. While congressional Democrats' response to the events in Minneapolis leaves much to be desired, Senate Democratic leadership is pushing for reforms to “rein in” ICE and Border Patrol, including “body camera requirements, an end to roving patrols, elevated warrant requirements and a measure to ban officers from wearing masks,” per the Hill. While these reforms fall far short of what is needed, they would go a long way toward checking the worst excesses of these out of control organizations that have come to resemble nothing so much as secret police.* At the state level, the New York Times reports New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office will “deploy legal observers to document raids conducted by federal immigration authorities across the state.” These observers, who will be outfitted with clearly identifiable purple vests, are intended to serve as “neutral witnesses on the ground,” and will be “instructed not to interfere with enforcement activity.” This piece highlights that California and New York have already “unveiled online portals for residents to upload photos and videos of misconduct by federal agents that could be used in state lawsuits against the federal government.” A similar effort is being launched by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. It remains to be seen whether these attempts to step up oversight of ICE and CBP activity will check the flagrant misconduct we have seen in places in Minneapolis.* In more state and local news, the Root reports the Gullah-Geechee people – descendants of enslaved Africans who formed unique communities including a distinct culture and even language on the coasts of states like Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas – have scored a victory against gentrification on Sapelo Island, the only surviving Gullah-Geechee community in Georgia. In 2023, developers came in and, with local commissioners in their pockets attempted to “eliminate special zoning laws… [and] double the maximum home size on the island…to 3,000 square feet.” In response, local activists and groups like Keep Sapelo Geechee collected thousands of signatures to force a community vote on the matter. This measure passed late last month by a margin of 85%. While small in scale, this victory shows that when residents organize to protect their communities they can win, even in the face of long odds.* A more disturbing story of the American periphery comes to us from Bolts Magazine. This story concerns a family from American Samoa, an unincorporated U.S. Pacific territory where residents are “American Nationals” but not citizens of the United States. This family – Tupe Smith, her husband Mike Pese and their children – moved to Whittier, Alaska in 2017 to be close to Pese's mother. Smith, a pillar of the local community, was recruited to run for the school board and won unanimously. However, because she is only a National and not a citizen, despite having a U.S. passport and Social Security number, she was in fact not eligible to run for office or even vote. Smith was arrested and indicted on two charges of felony voter misconduct. The irony of this story is that “The Alaska DMV, which doubles as a voter registration office…did not [even] include [the option to identify as a non-citizen U.S. national on official forms] until 2022” and the state has admitted that it “registered an unspecified number of non-citizens to vote between 2022 and 2024.” Now, because of Alaska's own mistakes, some Nationals are beginning to be deported over their erroneous registrations. Beyond the bureaucratic incompetence, this is a story about the American empire designating people outside of U.S. mainland second-class citizens, or more precisely, Nationals, for no discernible reason other than keeping them as a permanent colonial underclass.* Speaking of American imperial expansion, the Financial Times reports Trump administration officials held covert meetings with fringe separatist groups from Canada's oil-rich province of Alberta, such as the far-right Alberta Prosperity Project. According to this report, separatist leaders have met with US state department officials in Washington three times since April 2025, and the separatists are seeking another meeting next month with state and Treasury officials to ask for a $500 billion credit line to help keep the province afloat financially if an independence referendum is passed. This blatant undermining of Canadian sovereignty triggered outcry in the country, with British Columbia premier David Eby saying “To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old fashioned word for that, and that word is treason.” This from another story in the FT.* In more Trump news, after a slew of embarrassing incidents including composer Philip Glass pulling his new Lincoln symphony from the Kennedy Center in protest and the arts director resigning after just days on the job, NPR reports the president announced he will close the center for two years for “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding.” As the NPR piece notes, this announcement has sent ripples of confusion through the D.C. arts world, including everyone from performers in long running shows like Shear Madness, which is currently booked at the center through October as well as unions with Kennedy Center contracts, such as the musicians of the National Symphony and backstage crew. Moreover, technically Congress would have to approve of this overhaul, though considering how deferential Republican congressional leaders have proven, they would likely rubber-stamp any proposed changes. Regardless, a long-term closure of the Kennedy Center would be a tragic loss for the cultural landscape of Washington and a humiliating acknowledgment of Trump's own mismanagement of the venerable institution.* Finally, we turn to the tiny island nation of Cuba, which has held out against imperialist pressure from the United States for so many decades. This week, President Trump told reporters “Mexico is gonna cease sending [Cuba] oil,” though he did not explain why, per Reuters. At the same time, the Guardian reports Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to send humanitarian aid to Cuba adding that Mexico is “exploring all diplomatic avenues to be able to send fuel to the Cuban people,” despite the pressure campaign by the United States. She further claimed that despite Trump's comments, “We never discussed…the issue of oil with Cuba.” The Reuters piece however notes that “Trump has privately questioned Sheinbaum about crude and fuel shipments to Cuba,” and Sheinbaum “responded that the shipments are ‘humanitarian aid,'” and that Trump “did not directly urge Mexico to halt the oil deliveries.” On Sunday, the Hill reported Pope Leo XIV weighed in to beseech that the two nations engage in a “sincere and effective dialogue in order to avoid violence and every action that could increase the suffering of the dear Cuban people,” echoing a call by the Bishops of Cuba.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

This episode of Kosher Money is unlike anything you've ever seen.For the first time ever, our guest, Reb Binyomin Gringras, speaks publicly about the inner secrets he's uncovered after years of scouring hundreds of little-known seforim and speaking with thousands of Torah giants and hidden tzaddikim.Reb Binyomin dives deep into the mysterious world of segulos — ancient Jewish customs believed to bring blessing and success. He shares which ones are real and which are made up. We cover segulos for wealth, children, health, lost items, and much more — plus the power of visiting a tzaddik's kever and what to daven for there.He also reveals the story of a 19th-century tzaddik who died young but left behind a spiritual masterpiece — a book now being rediscovered that shares practical life advice with profound insights.By the end, you'll hear stories that will leave your jaw on the floor.Contact: gbinyomin@gmail.com• Inside Their Homes book: https://amzn.to/45i0bhH• Artscroll's Pele Yoeitz (Volume 1): https://amzn.to/4pQ2lf• Volume 2: https://amzn.to/45lXU• Volume 3: https://amzn.to/4quXmm5CHAPTERS:00:00 Intro01:53 Who to Go to for Advice07:24 People Paying Big Bucks for Frauds10:10 How to Find Authentic People to Get Help From13:24 Verifying Where the Money Is Going16:19 Giving When You Don't Want to Give19:25 All About the Ayin Hara Bracelet21:02 NQGRG23:24 Why People Go to Mystics25:44 What Is a Segulah?28:58 When to and Not to Do a Segulah30:05 Never Do One You Regret33:12 The Segulah Book35:00 Little-Known Segulahs38:57 Segulah for Wealth39:40 The Same Segulah Doesn't Work for Everyone41:32 Discussing Segulahs with Rav Chaim Kanievsky43:23 The Bonus App45:31 Segulah for a Deal to Go Well48:28 Making Deals with God52:05 Giving Tzedakah for a Segulah54:55 The Power of Praying by Graves58:03 The Hostages Praying at the Pele Yoeitz1:01:55 Colel Chabad 1:02:48 Who Was the Pele Yoeitz?1:04:33 The Special Book of the Pele Yoeitz1:08:48 Learning from the Holy Tzadikim1:10:23 The Revitalization of Certain Tzadikim1:12:46 What Is an Ayin Hara?1:16:13 How an Ayin Hara Works1:19:23 Be Careful with What You Share1:22:03 What to Do if You Think You Have an Ayin Hara1:25:50 Checking Your Mezuzos & Tefillin1:28:23 Contact Rav Binyomin1:28:41 Rav Binyomin's Book1:29:22 Give to Places You Feel Comfortable With1:29:50 Making Tzedakah and Business Align1:31:46 Halachos Regarding Deals1:32:16 Going to the Pele Yoeitz's Grave Near the Black Sea1:33:33 Honoring the Hostages with His Sefer1:35:50 Outro: Takeaways, Sponsors, and Giveaway