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Good Morning Nashville ☀️ We are excited to once again be a part of you guys listenership, and thank you for your continued support of our brand and platform being Black Men Vent Too. As we continue to grow in a many of ways, we always want to ensure to our audience that mental health has, and will remain as the “glue” behind each conversation we have on our show. Let's get into today's podcast, this one for sure is a good one!
In this episode of More to the Story, I sit down with Dr. David A. Croteau, professor of New Testament, to discuss his book Urban Legends of the New Testament: 40 Common Misconceptions. We explore how context, history, and Greek often get overlooked, leading to popular misinterpretations of Scripture. From the Gospels to Revelation, David shares insights on correcting these “urban legends” with careful exegesis—equipping listeners to read the Bible more accurately. A thoughtful conversation for anyone wanting deeper understanding.Youtube - https://youtu.be/UrapRu7KYz4Audio - https://andymilleriii.com/media/podcastApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-to-the-story-with-dr-andy-miller/id1569988895?uo=4Here is a link to David's book - https://a.co/d/3UMXLp3If you are interested in learning more about my two full-length video-accompanied courses, Contender: Going Deeper in the Book of Jude andHeaven and Other Destinations: A Biblical Journey Beyond this World , visit andymilleriii.com/coursesAnd don't forget about my most recent book, Contender, which is available on Amazon! Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching - Recently, I updated this PDF document and added a 45-minute teaching video with slides, explaining this tool. It's like a mini-course. If you sign up for my list, I will send this free resource to you. Sign up here - www.AndyMillerIII.com or Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching. Today's episode is brought to you by Wesley Biblical Seminary. Interested in going deeper in your faith? Check out our certificate programs, B.A., M.A.s, M.Div., and D.Min degrees. You will study with world-class faculty and the most racially diverse student body in the country. www.wbs.eduIf this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend and leave a review! For more from Andy Miller III, visit andymilleriii.com or follow @andymilleriii on X.Thanks too to Phil Laeger for my podcast music. You can find out about Phil's music at https://www.laeger.net
In this powerful and inspiring episode of More to the Story, I sit down with Garry Ingraham, founder of Love and Truth Network, for a candid conversation about his personal testimony. Garry shares his story of transformation—growing up in a Christian home, struggling with same-sex attraction, living in the LGBTQ community, and ultimately finding freedom and redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. We dive deep into themes of identity, grace, healing, and the intersection of love and truth in today's cultural conversations. Whether you're wrestling with similar issues or seeking to understand how God's love can change lives, this episode offers hope, compassion, and biblical insight. Don't miss Garry's raw honesty and the practical wisdom he imparts for those supporting loved ones on similar paths.Youtube - https://youtu.be/U_FaRuhfvhwAudio - https://andymilleriii.com/media/podcastApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-to-the-story-with-dr-andy-miller/id1569988895?uo=4Love and Truth Network - https://loveandtruthnetwork.com/If you are interested in learning more about my two full-length video-accompanied courses, Contender: Going Deeper in the Book of Jude andHeaven and Other Destinations: A Biblical Journey Beyond this World , visit andymilleriii.com/coursesAnd don't forget about my most recent book, Contender, which is available on Amazon! Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching - Recently, I updated this PDF document and added a 45-minute teaching video with slides, explaining this tool. It's like a mini-course. If you sign up for my list, I will send this free resource to you. Sign up here - www.AndyMillerIII.com or Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching. Today's episode is brought to you by Wesley Biblical Seminary. Interested in going deeper in your faith? Check out our certificate programs, B.A., M.A.s, M.Div., and D.Min degrees. You will study with world-class faculty and the most racially diverse student body in the country. www.wbs.eduIf this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend and leave a review! For more from Andy Miller III, visit andymilleriii.com or follow @andymilleriii on X.Thanks too to Phil Laeger for my podcast music. You can find out about Phil's music at https://www.laeger.net
The Two Bobs episode 302 for Monday, January 12, 2026: What are The Bobs drinking? Rob enjoyed a Flying Buffalo Root Beer Float from Griffin Claw. https://untp.beer/QB4MX Robert nursed an Airing of Grievances from Fat Orange Cat. https://untp.beer/qe1Vd Follow us on Untapped at @RobFromTTB and @lowercaserobert or we'll steal your ex's car and tell police it was you. We talked about the Lions and Packers, and the fact that the Bears still suck. This week's CRAZY NEWS needs Greenland, for defensive purposes. Florida Man® took his clothes off, naturally, and robbed a meat market. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/florida-man-arrested-robbing-meat-market-naked-b2891921.html Another Florida Man®, while working as a Salvation Army bell ringer, attacked a Publix manager with the tripod from his donation kettle. It appears this one kept his clothes on. https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-steven-scott-pavlik-salvation-army-bell-ringer-attacks-publix-stuart-manager-in-martin-county/ A Kentucky man watched his ex give birth, then stole her car from the hospital parking lot. https://townflex.com/man-watches-ex-give-birth-then-allegedly-drives-off-in-her-car-from-hospital/ Yet another Florida Man® is suing Outback Steakhouse after a restroom toilet shattered beneath him. We were just as surprised as you were….that people still eat at Outback Steakhouse. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2025/12/26/central-florida-man-sues-outback-steakhouse-says-toilet-shattered-beneath-him/ A recent—and totally legitimate—study found that 93% of murders are solved by the consulting the victim's pet parrot. https://theonion.com/study-finds-93-of-murders-solved-by-consulting-victims-pet-parrot/ Find us wherever you get your podcasts. Rate, review, and tell your equally twisted friends. Join us on all the social things: Follow us on Blue Sky Follow us on Twitter Check out our Instagram Find us on YouTube Follow Rob on Untappd Follow Robert on Untappd The Two Bobs Podcast is © The Two Bobs. For more information, see our Who are The Two Bobs? page, or check our Contact page. Words, views, and opinions are our own and do not represent those of our friends, family, or our employers unless otherwise noted. Music for The Two Bobs was provided by JewelBeat (which doesn’t exist anymore but we still put it here because we like to do the right thing)
FLORIDA FRIDAY - Naked Floridaman robs a meat market. Floridaman takes a sledgehammer to gaming machines inside a store after losing thousands. Floridaman arrested for trespassing at a construction site wearing red lace bra, g-string and holding a gun. Floridaman Salvation Army bellringer arrested for trying to impale a Publix manager with the donation tripod. // Weird AF News is the only daily weird news podcast in the world. Weird news 5 days/week and on Friday it's only Floridaman. SUPPORT by joining the Weird AF News Patreon http://patreon.com/weirdafnews - OR buy Jonesy a coffee at http://buymeacoffee.com/funnyjones Buy MERCH: https://weirdafnews.merchmake.com/ - Check out the official website https://WeirdAFnews.com and FOLLOW host Jonesy at http://instagram.com/funnyjones - wants Jonesy to come perform standup comedy in your city? Fill out the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvYbm8Wgz3Oc2KSDg0-C6EtSlx369bvi7xdUpx_7UNGA_fIw/viewform
Send us a textWhat does it take to lead at home when your day job means leading a locker room under stadium lights? We sit down with Coach, Mike Holmgren—legendary coach of the Packers, 49ers, and Seahawks—to talk about love, honesty, and what it really means to leave work at the door. From meeting his wife at 12 to raising four daughters and now cheering for nine grandkids, Coach Holmgren opens up about rhythms that kept his family grounded through late nights, missed holidays, and cross-country flights.Coach shares vivid stories: walking through Lambeau's tailgates, learning to respect a whole state's passion without letting it rule the household, and choosing faith over a city tennis final as a teenager. He breaks down the “coach-to-dad” switch with simple practices—family dinners, a five-minute huddle with his wife before the kids pile in, and a commitment to listen without turning feedback into pressure. We dig into youth sports, the infamous car ride home, and a better script: “I love watching you play.” Along the way, we revisit the sting of injuries and the quiet courage of getting back up when dreams bend, not break.If you're a parent trying to juggle ambition and presence, this conversation gives you a clear playbook: lead with love, tell the truth, ask better questions, and let your kids choose their passions. We also highlight causes close to Coach Holmgren's heart—the Salvation Army's community work and Circlewood's blend of faith and care for the land on Camano Island. Enjoy the stories, steal the habits, and pass them forward. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more families find tools that work.Support the showPlease don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts! Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!
As we begin a new year, we're sharing the joy of a new chapter in the Western Territory. Commissioners James and Sue Betts have stepped into leadership as the new Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women's Ministries for The Salvation Army's USA Western Territory. After nearly three decades of ministry together—in corps, divisions, the Adult Rehabilitation Centers, and most recently in national leadership—they bring a wealth of experience, a deep love for people, and a contagious joy for serving the Lord. Married for 33 years and officers for 29, they're the proud parents of three adult children—all active in ministry themselves—and grandparents to three energetic grandkids who keep them smiling. Sue holds degrees in psychology and intercultural studies, and Jim in communication, ministry, and business, plus three years of service in the U.S. Army Band. They're loyal Cleveland sports fans, passionate about raising up Christ-centered leaders, and committed to helping people experience the transforming love of Jesus. Today, we'll get to know the Bettses as leaders and as people—hear about the lessons that shaped them, their hopes for the West, and the vision they carry for 2026 and beyond. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. JOIN THE HOPEFULS. Get inside the group. WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.
In today's episode KJ and Jim bring you the week's trending crime related headlines including a Florida vacation that ended early for a mother who went into “mama” mode after her child was dunked in a pool. The is an update in the case against Melodee Buzzard and KJ is going to bring you all the details. 400K worth of Lobsters are stolen and may lead to a cost hike for consumers. In Florida a Salvation Army attempts to impale a store employee while drunk and a woman is murdered inside of a Barnes & Noble Bookstore, simply for being near the door. These stories and so much more are headed your way today.This is a preview for the full episode follow the link below or search Crime Wire Weekly wherever you listen to your podcasts.Links to Follow Crime Wire Weekly https://linktr.ee/crimewireweekly
In today's episode KJ and Jim bring you the week's trending crime related headlines including a Florida vacation that ended early for a mother who went into “mama” mode after her child was dunked in a pool. The is an update in the case against Melodee Buzzard and KJ is going to bring you all the details. 400K worth of Lobsters are stolen and may lead to a cost hike for consumers. In Florida a Salvation Army attempts to impale a store employee while drunk and a woman is murdered inside of a Barnes & Noble Bookstore, simply for being near the door. These stories and so much more are headed your way today.This is a preview for the full episode follow the link below or search Crime Wire Weekly wherever you listen to your podcasts.Links to Follow Crime Wire Weekly https://linktr.ee/crimewireweeklyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/exposed-scandalous-files-of-the-elite--6073723/support.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Os Guinness asks a sobering question: Will the republic renew its founding ideals or collapse under cultural conflict? In this episode, Os and I explore the key themes of his new book, America Agonistes: America's 250th and the Restoration of a Nation in Conflict with Itself and Its Past. We discuss the fragility of freedom, the crisis of identity, and why moral and spiritual renewal—not just political reform—is essential for America's future.Youtube - https://youtu.be/HxwDZbeKreEAudio - https://andymilleriii.com/media/podcastApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-to-the-story-with-dr-andy-miller/id1569988895?uo=4Get his book here! https://a.co/d/9tiThmSIf you are interested in learning more about my two full-length video-accompanied courses, Contender: Going Deeper in the Book of Jude andHeaven and Other Destinations: A Biblical Journey Beyond this World , visit andymilleriii.com/coursesAnd don't forget about my most recent book, Contender, which is available on Amazon! Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching - Recently, I updated this PDF document and added a 45-minute teaching video with slides, explaining this tool. It's like a mini-course. If you sign up for my list, I will send this free resource to you. Sign up here - www.AndyMillerIII.com or Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching. Today's episode is brought to you by Wesley Biblical Seminary. Interested in going deeper in your faith? Check out our certificate programs, B.A., M.A.s, M.Div., and D.Min degrees. You will study with world-class faculty and the most racially diverse student body in the country. www.wbs.eduThanks too to Phil Laeger for my podcast music. You can find out about Phil's music at https://www.laeger.net
On this episode: - New Year / Birthday- Salvation Army Bell Ringers- Losing My Mind- Manti Teo- How to Win a Basketball Tip - Pranks- Airport Pet Peeves- Stranger Things- Nick Shirley- Fantasy FootballFollow No Brains No Headache on social media and make sure to follow, rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts. Subscribe + rate + review.Spotify. Follow along.iHeartRadio. Or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.New episode every Tuesday!Twitter. https://twitter.com/nbnhpodcastInstagram. https://www.instagram.com/nobrains_noheadache/Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/nbnhpodcastYouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQbXoHzYhhDigOaNXVYdK3gTik Tok. @NBNHPodcast
Welcome to the final work day of 2025! Jean and I are off the rest of this week, but you can still tune in from 6am until 10am for a "Best Of" the show! Kicked things off with the Wednesday song and talked about some of the New Year's Eve TV specials that are on the boob-tube tonight. Also had a list of things to look forward to in the month of January. In the news this morning, the Trump administration is freezing child-care funds for the state of Minnesota, more than thirty bodies have been recovered from the bayous in the Houston area this year, the FBI released pictures of a motorcycle collection they seized that belonged to former Olympian Ryan Wedding, and actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. has passed away. In sports, the Badger men's basketball team got a nice win last night, the Bucks play tonight and look to win a third straight, a look at the NFL's Week 18 schedule along with the College Football bowl game schedule. Cool story about a toy store in Arizona that donated a bunch of toys to the local Salvation Army right before Christmas…and another incredible story of a group of middle schoolers who helped save a bus driver who was experiencing a medical emergency. Elsewhere in sports, the latest on the Stefon Diggs situation, his brother Trevon Diggs gets released by the Cowboys, and Nikola Jokic is going to be out for a month after injuring his knee the other day. As we say goodbye to 2025, we listed some of the rockers & celebrities who died in the past year. And in today's edition of "Bad News with Happy Music", we had stories about the world's first oral care robot that brushes your teeth automatically, a guy who tried to steal a utility truck with a man still in the bucket, a naked #FloridaMan who robbed a meat market while wearing nothing but a mask, and a woman that was "wrongfully inseminated" at a hospital in Oregon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's your Ill-Advised News, the stupid criminals of the day. Support the show and follow us here Twitter, Insta, Apple, Amazon, Spotify and the Edge! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As we continue to get closer to 2026, we had more year-end lists this morning, including Apple Music's top artists & songs of the last year, Rolling Stone's top albums & songs of 2025, and Loudwire's top songs & albums from the past twelve months. Plus, a look at some of the top resolutions people are making for 2026. We also let you know what's on TV today/tonight and what's new on New Release Tuesday. In the news this morning, a massive investigation is underway in Minnesota for daycare fraud, the Bondi Beach hero just gave his first interview after getting out of the hospital, a hospital security guard was killed on Christmas day, and Wendy's is offering Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers for a penny today for National Bacon Day. Great story about a restaurant that cancelled it's holiday party and donated all the money they would have spent to one of their employees who was adopting a child. In sports, the Falcons beat the Rams on MNF to wrap up week 17, a look at the schedule for the final week of the regular season, a look at the upcoming Bowl game schedule, the Bucks got another win last night, the Badger men's basketball team plays tonight after a lengthy holiday break, UFC fighter Tom Aspinall needs multiple eye surgeries, Ryan Lochte is selling some of his Olympic medals, and tragedy strikes the world of NASCAR yet again with the deadly fire at Denny Hamlin's parents' home. And speaking of the last couple of weeks of regular season NFL action, we checked in on our Pigskin Picks for week 17 and made our picks for the final week.(Brian won the contest!) Grant Bilse of the Wisco Sports show joined us just after 8am to talk about his Christmas break, his plans for New Year's Eve, and we also talked a bit about the Packers. And in today's edition of "Bad News with Happy Music", we had stories about a former substitute teacher from Texas who's been charged with child sexual assault, a sad update on former Nickelodeon star Tylor Chase, a #FloridaMan who was ringing the bell for the Salvation Army and decided to get violent, and a #FloridaWoman who shot her own son after a Christmas brunch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rush Hour Podcast – Morning Episode Start your morning with all of today's top stories and the context the headlines leave out: • Candace Owens continues to face backlash as critics push back on her latest conspiracy theories and media provocations • A billion-dollar lottery ticket sold in Arkansas still hasn't been claimed — who's holding the winning ticket, and why the silence • NFL drama spills into the legal world as the man punched by DK Metcalf in the stands says he's lawyered up and ready to respond • Holiday chaos: a Salvation Army volunteer arrested after allegedly showing up drunk while collecting donations during the busiest time of year Fast takes, breaking news, and the stories everyone's talking about — this is Rush Hour Podcast, your essential morning briefing.
SUMMARY: This episode gets salty! Paul's got the deets on a new Spawn comic featuring Santa. Matt's outfitting a rock band under his roof while a Salvation Army band offends Paul and Anne's earholes. Jacob experiences the joy of hiring a professional house-and-pet sitter. Plus, how dogs tell time and a Christmas Scoopardy.
Join Pastor Clay NeSmith for a powerful Christmas message about God's personal invitation to each of us. In this sermon, Pastor Clay shares how Christmas isn't just a story to admire, but an opportunity to receive eternal life through Jesus Christ. Using the analogy of a Salvation Army red kettle, he explains the beautiful difference between giving to others and receiving from God.Whether you're celebrating Christmas with joy or just trying to survive the season, this message offers hope, forgiveness, and the chance for a fresh start. No matter your past mistakes or how far you feel from God, discover how Christmas represents the ultimate invitation into a life-changing relationship with your Creator.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Carl Stevens reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Majors Donald and Paula Spencer join us to recap a historic Holiday Store to benefit the Salvation Army.
This Christmas is extra special for thousands of children in Lynn, thanks to the local Salvation Army. Authorities in Turkey say more than 100 alleged ISIS members have been arrested following major police raids. Cambridge police are investigating a shooting at a home on Howard Street. Stay in "The Loop" with WBZ NewsRadio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Salvation Army is making a last-minute appeal to Chicagoans as its annual Red Kettle fundraising campaign heads toward its traditional Christmas Eve close, still well short of its year-end goal.
The Salvation Army is making a last-minute appeal to Chicagoans as its annual Red Kettle fundraising campaign heads toward its traditional Christmas Eve close, still well short of its year-end goal.
Leaders from faith organizations and mission-driven nonprofits discuss the connections between faith communities and legal services on Talk Justice. For many, faith provides guiding principles, like the instruction to help those in need. The Salvation Army recently launched their Faith and Community Based Organizations' Disaster Training. LSC developed a Faith Community Outreach Toolkit to help faith leaders understand the role of legal services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Leaders from faith organizations and mission-driven nonprofits discuss the connections between faith communities and legal services on Talk Justice. For many, faith provides guiding principles, like the instruction to help those in need. The Salvation Army recently launched their Faith and Community Based Organizations' Disaster Training. LSC developed a Faith Community Outreach Toolkit to help faith leaders understand the role of legal services.
Today, we're closing out our Give With Joy series with a special Christmas message from our Territorial Commander, Commissioner Douglas Riley. As we celebrate the season together, Commissioner Riley invites us to pause amid the noise and remember the heart of Christmas—the miracle of God's love made known in Jesus. It's a message of hope for the weary, joy for the heart that gives, and peace for all who make room for him this season. So wherever this message finds you today—whether surrounded by family, serving your community, making those final preparations, or simply listening in for a quiet moment—may this reflection remind you that God is with us, and his gift still transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. JOIN THE HOPEFULS. Get inside the group. WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.
These are some of my favorite record purchases this past year - some are more expensive that I happened across at a flea market or online, while others were unknown to me, fortunate pick-ups from the Salvation Army milkcrates or a random jazz bin in from a store in central Cali. All have importance to me in different ways and are beautiful pieces of music. Stay safe out there as we end the year and move into the next! Go Birds, F--- ICE, Free Pal****** ! Tracklist: Pat Pace Trio, Oscar Peterson, Herb Drury Trio, Peter Dutchin, Spanky Wilson, Liana Pascalini, Rene Costy, Ahmad Jamal Trio, Abdullah Ibrahim
Police in Michigan say a suspect is in custody after a Salvation Army bell ringer is shot and killed outside a Kroger. A federal judge has overturned the murder conviction of one of the two men found guilty in the 2002 killing of Jason Mizell, better known as Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A beloved Salvation Army bell ringer is executed while doing a good deed for the holidays. Officials say this was not robbery gone wrong; the suspect who shot the man known as "Uncle Pee Wee" was a teenager he knew. A baby-faced felon tries to execute an officer at point-blank range during a routine shoplifting arrest...and it's all caught on chilling camera footage. Plus, a serial steak snatcher - caught red handed! Jennifer Gould reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
FEEL GOOD STORY - SALVATION ARMY RED KETTLE by 101.9POR
I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 20th of December, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go straight to the Gospel of John 11:35: ”Jesus wept.” Jesus cried. Compassion is what the world needs. Do you know, He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead? He knew that. So why was He weeping? Because He had compassion on the people when He saw how they were mourning because of the death of His friend, Lazarus. This world needs compassion. Compassion is another word for understanding, it's another word for being concerned, for kindness, for being sensitive.William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, sent his soldiers out all over the world to tell people about the love of Christ. He sent some to far-off countries. He got a letter back from one group of these salvationists. They said, “We have tried everything here. We have tried preaching the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation, but we are hitting a brick wall. We are not getting through. What must we do?” He wrote a letter back and there were two words on that letter, “Try tears.” Not so long ago, I had the privilege of being the speaker at a campaign in one of the most dangerous places on the Continent of Africa. I'm talking about the Cape Flats in Cape Town, where there are gang wars and the men are killing each other, up to twenty men getting shot dead in a weekend. Some people told me not to go there, “You'll get killed.” I said, ”No, Jesus has opened a way for us and we are going.” I will never forget the love that I experienced in that place, the love, the desperation, the tears. I haven't seen tears like that at an event for a long time. I walked off the platform and I walked up to the barrier just to hug these men. They were kissing me on the neck. They were telling me they loved me and as we were trying to get out of the stadium, we had people around us to try and make a way for us. There was one young man who would not take no for an answer and he was so desperate to speak to me that one of the organisers said, ”This young man wants to speak to you.” So we stopped. I said, ”Bring him,” and I said. ”What can I do for you son?” He looked at me, tears running down his face. He said, ”I just want a hug from you, Uncle Angus.” That was all. I took him in my arms and I hugged him and I loved him and he loved me and the love of Christ, I believe, was all he needed and that is what he received. Today, go and love somebody and be quick to cry and don't be too quick to point fingers.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day. Goodbye.
Dave and Chuck the Freak talk about national days, fart spray, emailer found guy on CraigsList who wants a wet nurse, woman decides she wants all of her ex’s dead, woman arrested for kidnapping 40 years later, someone shot and killed a Salvation Army bell ringer, child inside of car that gets towed away, marijuana gets reclassified, pair of cop partners with different heights, restaurant donates money to employee’s wife instead of staff party, couple won lotto twice, NASCAR legend and family killed in plane crash, more details on Sherrone Moore, kid wins high school dunk contest, old video Nick Reiner saying disturbing things, woman from Coldplay kiss cam video speaks out, Chris Evans in new Avengers trailer, David Harbour acting crazy at California restaurant, top things you can do on NYE is stay home and watch Netflix, Dave’s Irish butter, woman beat gym employee, cop admits to using his badge to search women’s phones for nudes, remote kissing device for long distance lovers, criteria that the sexiest woman must possess, koala riding city bus, creepy things women do to guys, what’s the creepiest thing a lady has said or done to you?, Ask Dave & Chuck The Freak, divorced mom hanging around his friends, mom and step dad gave him a car but expect rides, bought house and previous owner always comes around, and more!
Dave and Chuck the Freak talk about national days, fart spray, emailer found guy on CraigsList who wants a wet nurse, woman decides she wants all of her ex's dead, woman arrested for kidnapping 40 years later, someone shot and killed a Salvation Army bell ringer, child inside of car that gets towed away, marijuana gets reclassified, pair of cop partners with different heights, restaurant donates money to employee's wife instead of staff party, couple won lotto twice, NASCAR legend and family killed in plane crash, more details on Sherrone Moore, kid wins high school dunk contest, old video Nick Reiner saying disturbing things, woman from Coldplay kiss cam video speaks out, Chris Evans in new Avengers trailer, David Harbour acting crazy at California restaurant, top things you can do on NYE is stay home and watch Netflix, Dave's Irish butter, woman beat gym employee, cop admits to using his badge to search women's phones for nudes, remote kissing device for long distance lovers, criteria that the sexiest woman must possess, koala riding city bus, creepy things women do to guys, what's the creepiest thing a lady has said or done to you?, Ask Dave & Chuck The Freak, divorced mom hanging around his friends, mom and step dad gave him a car but expect rides, bought house and previous owner always comes around, and more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It's Friday, December 19th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Christian prisoners released in Eritrea but many more remain without charges Several Christians in Eritrea, Africa were among a group of prisoners recently released, possibly because of poor health. However, seven church leaders remain in detention after two decades without a charge or a trial, reports the Christian Post. Open Doors noted this week that the release appeared to include believers, businesspeople, and politicians. The names of those freed have not been made public, but the group confirmed that none of the seven church leaders it has advocated for, over the years, were among them. The leaders have each been detained for more than 20 years without legal proceedings. In addition, Open Doors said they have not been permitted to see family members, have access to a lawyer, or appear before a court. Hebrews 13:3 says, “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” In national address, Trump says prices coming down In an 18-minute speech from the White House on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump discussed the economy. (Read the transcript here) TRUMP: “Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it. When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years, and some would say, in the history of our country, which caused prices to be higher than ever before, making life unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans. This happened during a Democrat administration, and it's when we first began hearing the word affordability.” He addressed the falling cost of goods and services since he took office in January of this year. TRUMP: “I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast. Let's look at the facts. Under the Biden administration, car prices rose 22% and in many states 30% or more. Gasoline rose 30 to 50%. Hotel rates rose 37%. Airfares rose 31%. “Now, under our leadership, they are all coming down and coming down fast. Democrat politicians also sent the cost of grocery soaring, but we are solving that too. The price of a Thanksgiving turkey was down 33% compared to the Biden last year. The price of eggs is down 82% since March, and everything else is falling rapidly.” Arrest warrant issued for Brown University shooter Authorities have reportedly issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the Brown University mass shooting that occurred last week in Providence, Rhode Island, and are investigating a potential link between the school massacre and the murder of an MIT professor, reports The Western Journal. Just two days after the Brown shooting occurred, Nuno Loureiro, who taught plasma physics at MIT, was shot at his home Monday in Brookline, Massachusetts. He later died of his injuries. During the shooting at Brown, two students were killed and nine others were wounded after the gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon inside a campus classroom during final exams. The male suspect, who is 5'8” with a stocky build, escaped from the building. Army officer once ousted by COVID shot mandate now leads reintegration efforts On October 2, 2025, U.S. Army Colonel Kevin Bouren was administered the oath of office by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, formally returning Bouren to active duty. The event concluded his three-year separation from the Army, a period initiated by the Department of Defense's 2021 COVID-19 shot mandate, reports the U.S. Army's Communication Office. Bouren, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an officer with multiple advanced degrees, had a promising career trajectory that included an assignment to the Joint Staff. In 2021, his military service was interrupted after his request for a medical exemption from the COVID shot mandate was denied. During his time away from the Army, Bouren made an unlikely career move. He began working in Christian filmmaking as a co-producer and co-founder of Set Shepherds, managing logistics for films he worked on, while also mentoring the cast and crew as a chaplain. It allowed him to apply his leadership experience in a non-military context while integrating his Christian faith. Bouren said, “As the set chaplain, getting to lead morning devotionals and minister to the cast and crew was wonderful.” In early 2025, when the call for COVID reinstatements came, he said, "God called me to military service, and there was nothing that was going to get between me and going back in the Army. I felt like I had a lot left to offer." After his formal return, Bouren was designated the Army's COVID Reinstatement Task Force Lead. He said, “Our warriors of conscience shouldn't have to navigate this alone. We're here to … support them through every step … after they were “unlawfully separated.” Chick-fil-A embraces and celebrates homosexual marriage And finally, Christian leaders say Chick-fil-A has waffled on homosexual faux marriage and diversity, equity and inclusion policies, reports Christian talk show host Todd Starnes. More than a decade ago, Christians across the nation rallied to defend the beloved fast-food restaurant chain after homosexual faux marriage activists declared war. They tried to put Chick-fil-A out of business after Dan Cathy, the son of founder Truett Cathy said in 2012 that marriage is between one man and one woman. Sadly, there's been a cultural shift at Chick-fil-A. An Orem, Utah Chick-fil-A franchise recently posted photos on its Facebook page celebrating the faux homosexual marriage of two men complete with photos of the gushing grooms. Leviticus 18:22 says, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” Family Research Council called out Chick-fil-A accusing the company of duplicity. In a column in The Washington Stand, they wrote, “More than anything, what should frustrate loyal customers is that — unlike the secular corporations that promoted this agenda for decades without apology — Chick-fil-A built a business model based almost entirely on faith. And frankly, that means they should be held to a higher standard. Yes, there are local operators with diverse objectives and opinions, but for the sake of the company's broader character, those individual franchises should be held to a moral code that reflects Chick-fil-A's stated beliefs. At the very least, the vice president of DEI should be reassigned to support the Cathys' original mission, and the cancer of diversity, equity, and inclusion should be eradicated from headquarters.” The Family Research Council added, “Unlike Target or Anheuser-Busch, this company intentionally made religion a part of the chain's identity. So, it's a point of legitimate hurt and disappointment that [Chick-fil-A] keeps profiting from its Christian reputation, only to turn around and sell out those same values. Americans expect that from Nike. They expect it from Starbucks. They believed Chick-fil-A was different — and they continue to be wrong.” In recent years, Chick-fil-A stopped donating to the Salvation Army and to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes after pressure from the far-left. They also funneled $230,000 to Covenant House, an organization that hosts Drag Queen Story Hours. Conservatives were in disbelief — so much so that The Federalist felt the need to spell it out in a headline that read: “Yes, Chick-fil-A Really Is Funding a Group that Hosts Drag Queen Story Hours.” And Chick-fil-A ruffled lots of feathers when they hired a vice president of DEI. Christian talk show host Todd Starnes said, “Traditional values have been taken off the menu at Chick-fil-A – just like the chicken salad sandwich and coleslaw.” Send your letter of objection to Susannah Frost, Chick-fil-A President, 5200 Buffington Road, College Park, GA 30349. You can reach Chick-fil-A online through a special link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com, and by calling Chick-fil-A between 9:00am and 10:00pm ET, Monday through Saturday, at 866-232-2040.. That's 866-232-2040. Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, December 19th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
In this episode of Talk Design, Adrian Ramsey sits down with his Dream Homes Revealed co-host and award-winning interior designer, Marynn From imagining floor plans in the back of a car as a child to managing iconic Sydney rock bars like the Annandale Hotel, Marianne's journey into high-end design is anything but traditional. Together, Adrian and Marianne dive deep into the psychology of the client relationship, debating the crucial difference between an ego-driven "signature style" and the art of designing with people to uncover their unique dream.Marynn opens up her portfolio to share the challenges and triumphs behind some of her most spectacular projects. She takes us inside "The Citadel"—a jaw-dropping conversion of a 1920s heritage Salvation Army hall into a family home and creative studio—and discusses the complexities of managing a heritage restoration remotely on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. Join us for a conversation packed with laughter, insight, and behind-the-scenes stories from the world of TV renovation. In this episode, we cover:From Rock & Roll to Reno: Marynn's eclectic background in fashion, HR, and hospitality. The Design Philosophy: Why the best designers leave their ego at the door. Project Spotlight - The Citadel: Transforming a derelict church hall in Crow's Nest into a modern masterpiece. Heritage Challenges: Balancing 3D scanning technology with 100-year-old crooked walls. Global Design: The realities of managing a luxury project in Lake Como from Sydney. Dream Homes Revealed: What it's really like filming season three. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode I talk with Dr. Caleb T. Friedeman about his groundbreaking new book, Gospel Birth Narratives and Historiography: Reopening a Closed Case (Baylor University Press). For centuries, scholars have debated whether the birth narratives of Jesus in Matthew and Luke were intended as history or legend. Many modern studies dismiss them as legendary embellishments.Dr. Friedeman challenges this skepticism by showing that, in ancient biographies, birth narratives were typically written with historiographic intent. His research demonstrates that the Gospel birth narratives fit this pattern, meaning they were meant to be understood historically—not as myth.We discuss:Why modern scholarship often sidelines Jesus' birth narrativesHow ancient biographers like Plutarch and Suetonius treated birth storiesWhat this means for reading Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2 todayImplications for historical Jesus studies and Christian faithThis conversation will deepen your appreciation for the Gospels and their historical reliability.Youtube - https://youtu.be/3j6SQLa_zCMAudio - https://andymilleriii.com/media/podcastApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-to-the-story-with-dr-andy-miller/id1569988895?uo=4Dr. Caleb T. Friedeman (PhD, Wheaton College) is David A. Case Chair of Biblical Studies and Associate Research Professor of New Testament at Ohio Christian University. He is the author of The Revelation of the Messiah and coauthor of Holiness: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Theology. His latest work, Gospel Birth Narratives and Historiography, reframes the discussion of Jesus' birth in historical scholarship.Resources & Links:Order Gospel Birth Narratives and Historiography from Baylor University PressConnect with Dr. Caleb Friedeman: calebfriedeman.comIf you are interested in learning more about my two full-length video-accompanied courses, Contender: Going Deeper in the Book of Jude andHeaven and Other Destinations: A Biblical Journey Beyond this World , visit andymilleriii.com/coursesAnd don't forget about my most recent book, Contender, which is available on Amazon! Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching - Recently, I updated this PDF document and added a 45-minute teaching video with slides, explaining this tool. It's like a mini-course. If you sign up for my list, I will send this free resource to you. Sign up here - www.AndyMillerIII.com or Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching. Today's episode is brought to you by Wesley Biblical Seminary. Interested in going deeper in your faith? Check out our certificate programs, B.A., M.A.s, M.Div., and D.Min degrees. You will study with world-class faculty and the most racially diverse student body in the country. www.wbs.eduThanks too to Phil Laeger for my podcast music. You can find out about Phil's music at https://www.laeger.net
An open letter to political leaders is calling for them to end visas tied to a single employer, saying they set the stage for potential exploitation and abuse and make it harder for victims to escape. The letter's signed by the Human Rights Commission and 26 others including migrant support groups, the Salvation Army, Community law, the Council of Trade unions and modern slavery experts. Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Professor Gail Pacheco spoke to Lisa Owen.
John Williams hosts the annual Salvation Army Radiothon. Our Virtual Red Kettle was stuffed thanks to our amazing WGN listeners and all of our generous sponsors. Special thanks to the one and only David Hochberg, The Salvation Army’s Major Caleb Senn, good ol’ #97 Chris Zorich, the always delightful Corey McPherrin, formerly from your TV, […]
John Williams hosts the annual Salvation Army Radiothon. Our Virtual Red Kettle was stuffed thanks to our amazing WGN listeners and all of our generous sponsors. Special thanks to the one and only David Hochberg, The Salvation Army’s Major Caleb Senn, good ol’ #97 Chris Zorich, the always delightful Corey McPherrin, formerly from your TV, […]
John Williams hosts the annual Salvation Army Radiothon. Our Virtual Red Kettle was stuffed thanks to our amazing WGN listeners and all of our generous sponsors. Special thanks to the one and only David Hochberg, The Salvation Army’s Major Caleb Senn, good ol’ #97 Chris Zorich, the always delightful Corey McPherrin, formerly from your TV, […]
It’s the holiday season and we all know what that means – bell ringers at every supermarket trying to guilt you into giving money to the Salvation Army! Well don’t. They are still as homophobic as they always were and they do things like Mission trips to third world countries. We use this episode to […]
Every December in Olympia, Washington, the sound of Christmas isn't just bells ringing—it's engines revving. For one incredible day, thousands of bikers fill the streets, each with toys strapped to their motorcycles—dolls, skateboards, games, stuffed animals—all destined for children who might otherwise go without. It's the annual Olympia Toy Run, and for 48 years, this event has brought together riders from all over the region for one shared purpose: bringing joy to kids at Christmas. Those toys, thousands of them, end up at The Salvation Army, where they become part of the Toy and Joy program—helping families across Thurston County celebrate Christmas with dignity and love. Today, we'll talk with Captain Amelia Mott from The Salvation Army in Olympia about how the Toy Run helps meet real needs in the community—and later, we'll catch up with Santa Joe, the biker who started and has led this joyful ride year after year. Because generosity doesn't always come wrapped with ribbons and bows. Sometimes, it comes roaring down the street on two wheels. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. JOIN THE HOPEFULS. Get inside the group. WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.
San Diego's Jewish community is coming together to grieve the loss of 15 people killed during a shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia. Police are investigating a deadly crash in Mira Mesa that killed a 15 year old boy. The Salvation Army Kroc Center is asking for donations ahead of it's annual giveaway on Thursday. What You Need To Know To Start Your Monday.
THE SALVATION ARMY'S RED KETTLE DRIVE IS UNDERWAY And I've got a rep on today to talk about the Red Kettle Drive, their partnership with the Food Bank of the Rockies and more. If you want to know what the Salvation Army is all about, click here.
We're hearing about weather, solving legal problems, and checking in with the Salvation Army's Red Kettle drive, plus DPS goes after innovation schools.
On Today's Podcast - Learn how Methodism became a worldwide mission.It is broadly understood that John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement that spread around the world in the eighteenth century. He is known for being a missionary in Georgia, his “heart-warming” experience at Aldersgate, field preaching, and the famous quote “the world is my parish.” It is also assumed that Wesley was a proponent of world missions and helped spread the Methodist movement around the world. Phillip examines this assumption and, after a closer look, reveals John Wesley's reluctance to send missionaries overseas. This was a fascinating discussion that I think gives nuance to the way we think about the history of world missions.
Ashley Joyce, Chairman of Duchossois Capital Management and the Duchossois Family Foundation, joins Wendy Snyder to talk about next week’s Salvation Army Radiothon and their generous $25,000 matching donation. Ashley tells Wendy about what the Salvation Army means to the Duchossois family, the importance of giving during the holiday season, how long the Duchossois family […]
Top Stories for December 9th Publish Date: December 9th PRE-ROLL: DTL HOLIDAY From the BG AD Group Studio Welcome to the Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. Today is Tuesday, December 9th and Happy Birthday to John Malkovich I’m Peyton Spurlock and here are your top stories presented by KIA Mall of Georgia. Neighborhood Christmas Train Experience rolls into holidays to help benefit Norcross Co-op North Gwinnett Co-op in need of donations for annual Santa Shop Toy Drive Gwinnett's budget hearing draws few speakers, but feedback still accepted All of this and more is coming up on the Gwinnett Daily Post podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen daily and subscribe! Break 1: Kia Mall of Georgia - Villa Rica Wonderland Train STORY 1: Neighborhood Christmas Train Experience rolls into holidays to help benefit Norcross Co-op The fourth annual Neighborhood Christmas Train Experience isn’t just about trains—it’s about giving back. Held at 3135 Repps Miller Road in Norcross, this massive holiday display supports Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries, a nonprofit helping families in crisis. “Last year, we raised $11,000,” said organizer Jonathan Galucki. “This year, we’re aiming for $15,000—and we’ve got a matching grant lined up.” The event runs Dec. 13, 14, 20, and 21, with tickets starting at $8. Expect nearly a dozen trains, a LEGO Christmas City, and an interactive Engineer Training Center where kids can run their own trains. Live music, festive vibes, and even a Buffalo Bills watch party? It’s all here. Visit neighborhoodchristmastrain.com for details. STORY 2: North Gwinnett Co-op in need of donations for annual Santa Shop Toy Drive The North Gwinnett Co-Op pulled off a miracle earlier this year, keeping families fed during the food-stamp crisis caused by the federal shutdown. But that effort came at a cost—plans for their annual Kristen Mullen Santa Shop had to take a back seat. “We fed families twice in November and gave out over 600 holiday meals,” said Executive Director Kim Phillips in a heartfelt Facebook video. “But now, we’re behind on toys for the Santa Shop.” The shop, which lets parents choose gifts for their kids with dignity, needs unwrapped toys by Dec. 12—especially sensory toys and gifts for teens. Visit ngcoop.org to help. STORY 3: Gwinnett's budget hearing draws few speakers, but feedback still accepted The public hearing for Gwinnett County’s proposed $2.6 billion 2026 budget? Quiet. Not a single taxpayer showed up to speak. Instead, community leaders—library board, health board, Mosaic Georgia—took the mic to thank commissioners for their expected funding. But here’s the gist: the budget is $66 million leaner than 2025’s, with Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson applauding department heads for trimming costs. “They worked hard to find efficiencies,” she said. Where’s the money going? Public safety and public works dominate—new police HQ, fire station relocations, 911 upgrades, road repaving, and even drones for mall patrols. Want to weigh in? Submit comments online by Dec. 31. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info. We’ll be right back Break 2: Ingles Markets - Sugar Hill Holiday STORY 4: 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' coming to Red Clay Music Foundry Dec. 13 Even after all these years, Jeffrey Bützer still loves playing *A Charlie Brown Christmas*. Listening to the record? Not so much. “I don’t really enjoy listening to it anymore,” he admits. “But playing it? That’s different. It’s jazz—you don’t play it the same way twice. T.T. (Mahony) takes different solos every night, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. It keeps me on my toes, and people love it. It’s a tradition for so many, and honestly, I love that.” Bützer, Mahony, bassist Francisco Lora, and vocalists Kelly Winn and Audrey Gamez will bring the Peanuts magic to Eddie Owens Presents at Red Clay in Duluth on Dec. 13. Since the original album is only 35 minutes, the group adds some surprises—like songs from the *Phil Spector Christmas Album*—and even clips from the TV special. “We never announce it; we just do it,” Bützer says. “No one’s ever left early, so I guess it works.” And the fans? They keep coming back. “We’ve got ‘Snoopy Groupies,’” Bützer laughs. “One woman came every year, moved away, and now flies back for the show. It’s wild.” For tickets, visit eddieowenspresents.com. STORY 5: Primerica collects nearly 82,000 food items for Can-A-Thon Christmas is about giving, right? Helping those in need? Primerica hosted its annual canned food drive last week at its Duluth headquarters, collecting a jaw-dropping 81,846 cans for the Salvation Army’s Can-A-Thon. But this year, they ditched the Santa hats for bell-bottoms and tie-dye. The theme? “Can You Dig It.” Employees went all-in on the 60s and 70s vibe—think hippie costumes, peace signs, and even a nod to the Mystery Machine from *Scooby-Doo*. Groovy, right? We’ll be right back. Break 3: Sugar Hill Ice Skating Rink STORY 6: Families of crime victims remember loved ones at annual vigil As the names of Gwinnett County crime victims appeared on the screen at last weeks Crime Victims Candlelight Vigil, Deborah Free leaned into Renee Haygood’s shoulder, her tears unstoppable. Deborah’s daughter, Rachel, was killed in a domestic violence murder-suicide just two months ago. This will be the family’s first Christmas without her. Held at 12Stone Church in Duluth, the vigil—organized by the Gwinnett DA’s Office—offered grieving families a space to honor their loved ones. Three Christmas trees stood adorned with ornaments for victims, while a bell rang for each name read aloud. For Venetia and Jeffrey Coleman, who lost their son Bradley to a carjacking three years ago, the vigil was a chance to share hope. For the Free family, it was their first vigil—but not their last. “We’ll be back every year,” said Rachel’s sister, Jenn. “Her story doesn’t end here.” STORY 7: Grayson LB Tyler Atkinson Named Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year Gwinnett County’s got another star in the books—Grayson senior linebacker Tyler Atkinson just snagged the Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year award for 2025-26. That makes him the fifth-ever winner from Gwinnett, and the first since Mill Creek’s Caleb Downs in 2022. Atkinson’s season? Unreal. The 6’3”, 221-pound Texas Longhorns commit racked up 96 tackles, 26 for loss, nine sacks, and 22 QB hurries, leading Grayson to the state quarterfinals. Oh, and he’s a five-star recruit ranked No. 14 nationally for 2026. Off the field? He’s hosting youth football clinics, mentoring at church, and rocking a 3.48 GPA. Atkinson’s also in the running for Gatorade’s National Player of the Year. Big things ahead. We’ll have closing comments after this Break 4: GCPS Hiring Signoff – Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at www.gwinnettdailypost.com Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by the BG Podcast Network Show Sponsors: www.ingles-markets.com www.kiamallofga.com Ice Rink – Downtown Sugar Hill Holiday Celebration 2025 – City of Sugar Hill Team GCPS https://www.downtownlawrencevillega.com/ NewsPodcast, CurrentEvents, TopHeadlines, BreakingNews, PodcastDiscussion, PodcastNews, InDepthAnalysis, NewsAnalysis, PodcastTrending, WorldNews, LocalNews, GlobalNews, PodcastInsights, NewsBrief, PodcastUpdate, NewsRoundup, WeeklyNews, DailyNews, PodcastInterviews, HotTopics, PodcastOpinions, InvestigativeJournalism, BehindTheHeadlines, PodcastMedia, NewsStories, PodcastReports, JournalismMatters, PodcastPerspectives, NewsCommentary, PodcastListeners, NewsPodcastCommunity, NewsSource, PodcastCuration, WorldAffairs, PodcastUpdates, AudioNews, PodcastJournalism, EmergingStories, NewsFlash, PodcastConversations See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There's nothing quite like the joy on a child's face when they open a Christmas gift chosen just for them. It's the kind of joy that lingers long after the wrapping paper is gone—the joy of being remembered, seen and loved. For more than 40 years, The Salvation Army's Angel Tree program has made that moment possible for children across the country. It has grown into a movement that now brings Christmas joy to more than a million children each year. The idea was simple: invite the community to adopt a child by name, shop for their Christmas wishes, and then return those gifts so they could be placed into the hands of families who might otherwise go without. Behind that simple plan are countless stories of connection and hope—families who breathe a sigh of relief, children who go back to school with new clothes, volunteers who find purpose in serving. Today, you'll hear from people whose lives have been touched by these gifts. Captain Yohani Ortiz shares her own story of receiving gifts as a child and how it shaped her life. And then, you'll hear from Marlene Klotz-Collins, who helped launch the Christmas Angel program in Phoenix and has volunteered faithfully for four decades. Because at Christmastime, joy shows up in many faces—and often, it starts with a simple paper angel. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. JOIN THE HOPEFULS. Get inside the group. WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. DO GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.
Reformed Brotherhood | Sound Doctrine, Systematic Theology, and Brotherly Love
In this theologically rich episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Jesse and Tony delve into the Parable of the Lost Coin from Luke 15:8-10. They explore how this parable reveals God's passionate pursuit of His elect and the divine joy that erupts when they are found. Building on their previous discussion of the Lost Sheep, the brothers examine how Jesus uses this second parable to further emphasize God's sovereign grace in salvation. The conversation highlights the theological implications of God's ownership of His people even before their redemption, the diligent efforts He undertakes to find them, and the heavenly celebration that follows. This episode offers profound insights into God's relentless love and the true nature of divine joy in redemption. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Lost Coin emphasizes that God actively and diligently searches for those who belong to Him, sparing no effort to recover what is rightfully His. Jesus uses three sequential parables in Luke 15 to progressively reveal different aspects of God's heart toward sinners, with escalating emphasis on divine joy. The coin represents something of significant value that already belonged to the woman, illustrating that God's elect belong to Him even before their redemption. Unlike finding something new, the joy depicted is specifically about recovering something that was already yours but had been lost, highlighting God's eternal claim on His people. The spiritual inability of the sinner is represented by the coin's passivity - it cannot find its own way back and must be sought out by its owner. Angels rejoice over salvation not independently but because they share in God's delight at the effectiveness of His saving power. The parable challenges believers to recover their joy in salvation and to share it with others, much like the woman who called her neighbors to celebrate with her. Expanded Insights God's Determined Pursuit of What Already Belongs to Him The Parable of the Lost Coin reveals a profound theological truth about God's relationship to His elect. As Tony and Jesse discuss, this isn't a story about finding something new, but recovering something that already belongs to the owner. The woman in the parable doesn't rejoice because she discovered unexpected treasure; she rejoices because she recovered what was already hers. This illustrates the Reformed understanding that God's people have eternally belonged to Him. While justification occurs in time, there's a real sense in which God has been considering us as His people in eternity past. The parable therefore supports the doctrines of election and particular redemption - God is not creating conditions people can move into or out of, but is zealously reclaiming a specific people who are already His in His eternal decree. The searching, sweeping, and diligent pursuit represent not a general call, but an effectual calling that accomplishes its purpose. The Divine Joy in Recovering Sinners One of the most striking aspects of this parable is the overwhelming joy that accompanies finding the lost coin. The brothers highlight that this joy isn't reluctant or begrudging, but enthusiastic and overflowing. The woman calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her - a seemingly excessive response to finding a coin, unless we understand the theological significance. This reveals that God takes genuine delight in the redemption of sinners, to the extent that Jesus describes it as causing joy "in the presence of the angels of God." As Jesse and Tony note, this challenges our perception that God might save us begrudgingly. Instead, the parable teaches us that God's "alien work" is wrath, while His delight is in mercy. This should profoundly impact how believers view their own salvation and should inspire a contagious joy that spreads to others - a joy that many Christians, by Tony's own admission, need to recover in their daily walk. Memorable Quotes "Christ love is an act of love and it's always being acted upon the sinner, the one who has to be redeemed, his child whom he goes after. So in the same way, we have Christ showing the self-denying love." - Jesse Schwamb "The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace... The reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased, is because God has this real pleasure to pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire." - Jesse Schwamb "These parables are calling us to rejoice, right? Christ is using these parables to shame the Pharisees and the scribes who refuse to rejoice over the salvation of sinners. How often do we not rejoice over our own salvation sufficiently?" - Tony Arsenal Full Transcript [00:00:08] Jesse Schwamb: There still is like the sovereign grace of God who's initiating the salvation and there is a kind of effect of calling that God doesn't merely invite, he finds, he goes after he affects the very thing. Yeah, and I think we're seeing that here. The sinner, spiritual inability. There's an utter passivity until found. The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace. It's all there for us. And the reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased is because God has this real pleasure. To pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire. Welcome to episode 472 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:57] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:01:01] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. [00:01:02] Jesus and the Parable of the Lost Coin [00:01:02] Jesse Schwamb: So there was this time, maybe actually more than one time, but at least this one time that we've been looking at where Jesus is hanging out and the religious incumbents, the Pharisees, they come to him and they say, you are a friend of sinners, and. Instead of taking offense to this, Jesus turns this all around. Uses this as a label, appropriates it for himself and his glorious character. And we know this because he gives us this thrice repeated sense of what it means to see his heart, his volition, his passion, his love, his going after his people, and he does it. Three little parables and we looked at one last time and we're coming up to round two of the same and similar, but also different and interesting. And so today we're looking at the parable of the lost coin or the Lost dma, or I suppose, whatever kind of currency you wanna insert in there. But once again, something's lost and we're gonna see how our savior comes to find it by way of explaining it. In metaphor. So there's more things that are lost and more things to be found on this episode. That's how we do it. It's true. It's true. So that's how Jesus does it. So [00:02:12] Tony Arsenal: yeah. So it should be how we do it. [00:02:14] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. Yeah, exactly. I cut to like Montel Jordan now is the only thing going through my head. Tell Jordan. Yeah. Isn't he the one that's like, this is how we do it, that song, this is [00:02:28] Tony Arsenal: how we do it. I, I don't know who sings it. Apparently it's me right now. That was actually really good. That was fantastic. [00:02:36] Jesse Schwamb: Hopefully never auto tuned. Not even once. I'm sure that'll make an appearance now and the rest, somebody [00:02:42] Tony Arsenal: should take that and auto tune it for me. [00:02:44] Jesse Schwamb: That would be fantastic. Listen, it doesn't need it. That was perfect. That was right off the cuff, right off the top. It was beautiful. It was ous. [00:02:50] Tony Arsenal: Yes. Yes. [00:02:51] Affirmations and Denials [00:02:51] Jesse Schwamb: I'm hoping that appearance, [00:02:53] Tony Arsenal: before we jump into our, our favorite segment here in affirmations of Denials, I just wanted to take a second to, uh, thank all of our listeners. Uh, we have the best listeners in the world. That's true, and we've also got a really great place to get together and chat about things. That's also true. Uh, we have a little telegram chat, which is just a little chat, um, program that run on your phone or in a browser. Really any device you have, you can go to t Me slash Reform Brotherhood and join that, uh, little chat group. And there's lots of stuff going on there. We don't need to get into all the details, but it's a friendly little place. Lots of good people, lots of good conversation. And just lots of good digital fellowship, if that's even a thing. I think it is. So please do join us there. It's a great place to discuss, uh, the episodes or what you're learning or what you'd like to learn. There's all sorts of, uh, little nooks and crannies and things to do in there. [00:03:43] Jesse Schwamb: So if you're looking for a little df and you know that you are coming out, we won't get into details, but you definitely should. Take Tony's advice, please. You, you will not be disappointed. It, it's a fun, fun time together. True. Just like you're about to have with us chatting it up and going through a little affirmations and denials. So, as usual, Tony, what are you, are you affirming with something or are you denying again, something? I'm, I'm on the edge of my seat. I'm ready. [00:04:06] Tony Arsenal: Okay. Uh, it is, I thought that was going somewhere else. Uh, I'm, I'm affirming something. [00:04:13] AI and Problem Solving [00:04:13] Tony Arsenal: People are gonna get so sick of me doing like AI affirmations, but I, it's like I learned a new thing to do with AI every couple of weeks. I ran across an article the other day, uh, that I don't remember where the article was. I didn't save it, but I did read it. And one of the things that pointed out is that a lot of times you're not getting the most out of AI because you don't really know how to ask the questions. True. One of the things it was was getting through is a lot of people will ask, they'll have a problem that they're encountering and they'll just ask AI like, how do I fix this problem? And a lot of times what that yields is like very superficial, basic, uh, generic advice or generic kind of, uh, directions for resolving a problem. And the, I don't remember the exact phrasing, 'cause it was a little while ago since I read it, but it basically said something like, I'm encountering X problem. And despite all efforts to the contrary, I have not been able to resolve it. And by using sort of these extra phrases. What it does is it sort of like pushes the AI to ask you questions about what you've already tried to do, and so it's gonna tailor its advice or its directions to your specific situation a little bit more. So, for example, I was doing this today. We, um, we just had the time change, right? Stupidest thing in the world doesn't make any sense and my kids don't understand that the time has changed and we're now like three or four weeks past the, the time change and their, their schedule still have not adjusted. So my son Augie, who is uh, like three and three quarters, uh, I don't know how many months it is. When do you stop? I don't even know. When you stop counting in months. He's three and a quarter, three quarters. And he will regularly wake up between four 30 and five 30. And when we really, what we really want is for him to be sleeping, uh, from uh, until like six or six 30 at the latest. So he's like a full hour, sometimes two hours ahead of time, which then he wakes up, it's a small house. He's noisy 'cause he's a three and a half year old. So he wakes up the baby. The baby wakes up. My wife, and then we're all awake and then we're cranky and it's miserable. So I, I put that little prompt into, um, into Google Gemini, which is right now is my, um, AI of choice, but works very similar. If you use something like chat, GPT or CLO or whatever, you know, grok, whatever AI tool you have access to, put that little prompt in. You know, something like since the time change, my son has been waking up at four 30 in the morning, despite all efforts to the contrary, I have not been able to, uh, adjust his schedule. And so it started asking me questions like, how much light is in the room? What time does he go to bed? How much does he nap? And it, so it's, it's pulling from the internet. This is why I like Google Geminis. It's actually pulling from the internet to identify like common, common. Related issues. And so it starts to probe and ask questions. And by the time it was done, what it came out with was like a step-by-step two week plan. Basically like, do this tonight, do this tomorrow morning. Um, and it was able to identify what it believes is the problem. We'll see if it actually is, but the beauty now is now that I've got a plan that I've got in this ai, I can start, you know, tomorrow morning I'm gonna try to do what it said and I can tell. The ai, how things went, and it can now adjust the plan based on whether or not, you know, this worked or didn't work. So it's a good way to sort of, um, push an ai, uh, chat bot to probe your situation a little bit more. So you could do this really for anything, right. You could do something like I'm having, I'm having trouble losing weight despite all efforts to the contrary. Um, can you help me identify what the, you know, root problem is? So think about different ways that you can use this. It's a pretty cool way to sort of like, push the, the AI to get a little deeper into the specifics without like a lot of extra heavy lifting. I'm sure there's probably other ways you could drive it to do this, but this was just one clever way that I, that this article pointed out to accomplish this. [00:08:07] Jesse Schwamb: It's a great exercise to have AI optimize itself. Yeah. By you turning your prompts around and asking it to ask you a number of questions, sufficient number, until it can provide an optimize answer for you. So lots, almost every bot has some kind of, you can have it analyze your prompts essentially, but some like copilot actually have a prompt agent, which will help you construct the prompt in an optimal way. Yeah, and that again, is kind of question and answer. So I'm with you. I will often turn it around and say. Here's my goal. Ask me sufficient number of questions so that you can provide the right insight to accomplish said goal. Or like you're saying, if you can create this like, massive conversation that keeps all this history. So I, I've heard of people using this for their exercise or running plans. Famously, somebody a, a, um, journalist, the Wall Street Journal, use it, train for a marathon. You can almost have it do anything for you. Of course, you want to test all of that and interact with it reasonably and ably, right? At the same time, what it does best is respond to like natural language interaction. And so by turning it around and basically saying, help me help you do the best job possible, providing the information, it's like the weirdest way of querying stuff because we're so used to providing explicit direction ourselves, right? So to turn it around, it's kind of a new experience, but it's super fun, really interesting, really effective. [00:09:22] Tony Arsenal: And it because you are allowing, in a certain sense, you're sort of asking the AI to drive the conversation. This, this particular prompt, I know the article I read went into details about why this prompt is powerful and the reason this prompt is powerful is not because of anything the AI's doing necessarily, right. It's because you're basically telling the AI. To find what you've missed. And so it's asking you questions. Like if I was to sit down and go like, all right, what are all the things that's wrong, that's causing my son to be awake? Like obviously I didn't figure it out on my own, so it's asking me what I've already tried and what it found out. And then of course when it tells me what it is, it's like the most obvious thing when it figures out what it is. It's identifying something that I already haven't identified because I've told it. I've already tried everything I can think of, and so it's prompting me to try to figure out what it is that I haven't thought of. So those are, like I said, there's lots of ways to sort of get the ais to do that exercise. Um, it's not, it's not just about prompt engineering, although that there's a lot of science now and a lot of like. Specifics on how you do prompt engineering, um, you know, like building a persona for the ai. Like there's all sorts of things you can do and you can add that, like, I could have said something like, um. Uh, you are a pediatric sleep expert, right? And when you tell it that what it's gonna do is it's gonna start to use more technical language, it's gonna, it's gonna speak to you back as though it's a, and this, this is where AI can get a little bit dangerous and really downright scary in some instances. But with that particular prompt, it's gonna start to speak back to you as though it was a clinician of some sort, diagnosing a medical situation, which again. That is definitely not something I would ever endorse. Like, don't let an AI be your doctor. That's just not, like WebMD was already scary enough when you were just telling you what your symptoms were and it was just cross checking it. Um, but you could do something like, and I use these kinds of prompts for our show notes where I'm like, you're an expert at SEO, like at um, podcast show notes. Utilizing SEO search terms, like that's part of the prompt that I use when I use, um, in, in this case, I use notion to generate most of our show notes. Um, it, it starts to change the way that it looks at things and the way that it, I, it responds to you based on different prompts. So I think it, it's a little bit scary, uh, AI. Can be a strange, strange place. And there's some, they're doing some research that is a little bit frightening. They did a study and actually, like, they, they basically like unlocked an AI and gave it access to a pretend company with emails and stuff and said that a particular employee was gonna shut out, was gonna delete the ai. And the first thing it did was try to like blackmail the employee with like a risk, like a scandalous email. It had. Then after that they, they engineered a scenario where the AI actually had the ability to kill the employee. And despite like explicit instructions not to do anything illegal, it still tried to kill the employee. So there's some scary things that are coming up if we're not, you know, if, if the science is not able to get that under control. But right now it's just a lot of fun. Like it's, we're, we're probably not at the point where it's dangerous yet and hopefully. Hopefully it won't get to that point, but we'll see. We'll see. That got dark real fast, fast, fast. Jesse, you gotta get this. And that was an affirmation. I guess I'm affirming killer murder ais that are gonna kill us all, but uh, we're gonna have fun with it until they do at least. [00:12:52] Jesse Schwamb: Thanks for not making that deny against. 'cause I can only imagine the direction that one to taken. [00:12:57] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. At least when the AI hears this, it's gonna know that I'm on its side, so, oh, for sure. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. So as do Iye. [00:13:05] Christmas Hymns and Music Recommendations [00:13:05] Tony Arsenal: But Jesse, what are you affirming or denying today to get me out of this pit here? [00:13:09] Jesse Schwamb: So, lemme start with a question. Do you have a favorite Christmas hymn? And if so, what is it? [00:13:16] Tony Arsenal: Ooh, that's a tough one. Um, I think I've always been really partial to Oh, holy Night. But, uh, there's, there's not anything that really jumps to mind my, as I've become older and crankier and more Scottish in spirit, I just, Christmas hymns just aren't as. If they're not as prominent in my mind, but oh, holy night or come coming, Emanuel is probably a really good one too. [00:13:38] Jesse Schwamb: Wow. Those are the, those are like the top in the top three for me. Yeah. So I think [00:13:42] Tony Arsenal: I know where you're going based on the question. [00:13:44] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, we're very much the same. So, well maybe, so I am affirming with, but it's that time of year and people you, you know and love and maybe yourself, you're gonna listen to Christian music and. That's okay. I put no shade on that, especially because we're talking about the incarnation, celebrate the incarnation. But of course, I think the best version of that is some of these really lovely hymns because they could be sung and worshiped through all year round. We just choose them because they fit in with the calendar particularly well here, and sometimes they're included, their lyrics included in Hallmark cards and, and your local. Cool. Coles. So while that's happening, why not embrace it? But here's my information is why not go with some different versions. I love the hymn as you just said. Oh, come will come Emmanuel. And so I'm gonna give people three versions of it to listen to Now to make my list of this kind of repertoire. The song's gotta maintain that traditional melody. I think to a strong degree, it's gotta be rich and deep and dark, especially Ko Emmanuel. But it's gotta have something in it that's a little bit nuanced. Different creative arrangements, musicality. So let me give two brand new ones that you may not have heard versions and one old one. So the old one is by, these are all Ko Emanuel. So if at some point during this you're like, what song is he talking about? It's Ko. Emmanuel. It's just three times. Th we're keeping it th Rice tonight. So the first is by band called for today. That's gonna be a, a little bit harder if you want something that, uh, gets you kind of pumped up in the midst of this redemption. That's gonna be the version. And then there are two brand new ones. One is by skillet, which is just been making music forever, but the piano melody they bring into this and they do a little something nuanced with the chorus that doesn't pull away too much. From the original, but just gives it a little extra like Tastiness. Yeah. Skill. Great version. And then another one that just came out yesterday. My yesterday, not your yesterday. So actually it doesn't even matter at this point. It's already out is by descriptor. And this would be like the most chill version that is a hardcore band by, I would say tradition, but in this case, their version is very chill. All of them I find are just deeply worshipful. Yeah. And these, the music is very full of impact, but of course the lyrics are glorious. I really love this, this crying out to God for the Savior. This. You know, just, it's really the, the plea that we should have now, which is, you know, maranatha like Lord Jesus, come. And so in some ways we're, we're celebrating that initial plea and cry for redemption as it has been applied onto us by the Holy Spirit. And we're also saying, you know, come and fulfill your kingdom, Lord, come and bring the full promise, which is here, but not yet. So I like all three of these. So for today. Skillet descriptor, which sounds like we're playing like a weird word game when you put those all together. It does, but they're all great bands and their versions I think are, are worthy. So the larger affirmation, I suppose, is like, go out this season and find different versions, like mix it up a little bit. Because it's good to hear this music somewhat afresh, and so I think by coming to it with different versions of it, you'll get a little bit of that sense. It'll make maybe what is, maybe if it's felt rote or mundane or just trivial, like you're saying, kind of revive some of these pieces in our hearts so we can, we, we can really worship through them. We're redeeming them even as they're meant to be expressions of the ultimate redemption. [00:16:55] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, I, um, I heard the skillet version and, uh, you know, you know me like I'm not a huge fan of harder music. Yeah. But that, that song Slaps man, it's, yes, [00:17:07] Jesse Schwamb: it does. It's [00:17:07] Tony Arsenal: good. And Al I mean, it, it also ignited this weird firestorm of craziness online. I don't know if you heard anything about this, but Yes, it was, it was, there was like the people who absolutely love it and will. Fight you if you don't. Yes. And then there was like the people who think it's straight from the devil because of somehow demonic rhythms, whatever that means. Um, but yeah, I mean, I'm not a big fan of the heavier music, but there is something about that sort of, uh. I don't know. Is skill, would that be considered like metal at all? [00:17:38] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, that's a loaded question. Probably. [00:17:39] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So like I found, uh, this is, we're gonna go down to Rabbit Trail here. Let's do it. Here we go. I found a version of Africa by Toto that was labeled as metal on YouTube. So I don't know whether it actually is, and this, this version of skill, it strikes me as very similar, where it's, ah, uh, it, it's like, um. The harmonies are slightly different in terms of like how they resonate than Okay. Other harmonies. Like I get [00:18:05] Jesse Schwamb: that [00:18:06] Tony Arsenal: there's a certain, you know, like when you think about like Western music, there's certain right, there's certain harmonies when, you know, think about like piano chords are framed and my understanding at least this could be way off, and I'm sure you're gonna correct me if I'm wrong, is that um, metal music, heavy metal music uses slightly different. Chord formations that it almost leaves you feeling a little unresolved. Yes, but not quite unresolved. Like it's just, it's, it's more the harmonics are different, so that's fair. Skillet. This skillet song is so good, and I think you're right. It, it retains the sort of like. The same basic melody, the same, the same basic harmonies, actually. Right. And it's, it's almost like the harmonies are just close enough to being put into a different key with the harmonies. Yes, [00:18:52] Jesse Schwamb: that's true [00:18:53] Tony Arsenal: than then. Uh, but not quite actually going into another key. So like, sometimes you'll see online, you'll find YouTube videos where they play like pop songs, but they've changed the, the. Chords a little bit. So now it's in a minor key. It's almost like it's there. It's like one more little note shift and it would be there. Um, and then there's some interesting, uh, like repetition and almost some like anal singing going on, that it's very good. Even if you don't like heavier music. Like, like I don't, um, go listen to it and I think you'll find yourself like hitting repeat a couple times. It was very, very good. [00:19:25] Jesse Schwamb: That's a good way of saying it. A lot of times that style is a little bit dissonant, if that's what you mean in the court. Yeah. Formation. So it gives you this unsettledness, this almost unresolvedness, and that's in there. Yeah. And just so everybody knows, actually, if you listen to that version from Skillet, you'll probably listen to most of it. You'll get about two thirds of the way through it and probably be saying, what are those guys talking about? It's the breakdown. Where it amps up. But before that, I think anybody could listen to it and just enjoy it. It's a really beautiful, almost haunting piano melody. They bring into the intro in that, in the interlude. It's very lovely. So it gives you that sense. Again, I love this kind of music because there's almost something, there is something in this song that's longing for something that is wanting and yet left, unresolved and unfulfilled until the savior comes. There's almost a lament in it, so to speak, especially with like the way it's orchestrated. So I love that this hymn is like deep and rich in that way. It's, that's fine. Like if you want to sing deck the Holes, that's totally fine. This is just, I think, better and rich and deeper and more interesting because it does speak to this life of looking for and waiting for anticipating the advent of the savior. So to get me get put back in that place by music, I think is like a net gain this time of year. It's good to have that perspective. I'm, I'm glad you've heard it. We should just open that debate up whether or not we come hang out in the telegram chat. We'll put it in that debate. Is skillet hardcore or metal? We'll just leave it there 'cause I have my opinions, but I'm, well, I'm sure everybody else does. [00:20:48] Tony Arsenal: I don't even know what those words mean, Jesse. Everything is hardcore in metal compared to what I normally listen to. I don't even listen to music anymore usually, so I, I mean, I'm like mostly all podcasts all the time. Anytime I have time, I don't have a ton of time to listen to. Um, audio stuff, but [00:21:06] Jesse Schwamb: that's totally fair. Well now everybody now join us though. [00:21:08] Tony Arsenal: Educate me [00:21:09] Jesse Schwamb: now. Everybody can properly use, IM prompt whatever AI of their choice, and they can listen to at least three different versions of al comical manual. And then they can tell us which one do you like the best? Or maybe you have your own version. That's what she was saying. What's your favorite Christmas in? [00:21:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:21:24] Jesse Schwamb: what version of it do you like? I mean, it'll be like. [00:21:28] Tony Arsenal: It'll be like, despite my best efforts, I've been un unable to understand what hardcore and medical is. Please help me understand. [00:21:37] Jesse Schwamb: Oh, we're gonna have some, some fun with this at some point. We'll have to get into the whole debate, though. I know you and I have talked about it before. We'll put it before the brothers and sisters about a Christmas Carol and what version everybody else likes. That's also seems like, aside from the, the whole eternal debate, which I'm not sure is really serious about whether or not diehard is a Christmas movie, this idea of like, which version of the Christmas Carol do you subscribe to? Yeah. Which one would you watch if you can only watch one? Which one will you watch? That's, we'll have to save that for another time. [00:22:06] Tony Arsenal: We'll save it for another time. And we get a little closer to midwinter. No reason we just can't [00:22:10] Jesse Schwamb: do it right now because we gotta get to Luke 15. [00:22:12] Discussion on the Parable of the Lost Coin [00:22:12] Tony Arsenal: We do. [00:22:13] Jesse Schwamb: We, we've already been in this place of looking at Jesus' response to the Pharisees when they say to him, listen, this man receives sinners and eats with them. And Jesus is basically like, yeah, that's right. And let me tell you three times what the heart of God is like and what my mission in serving him is like, and what I desire to come to do for my children. And so we spoke in the last conversation about the parable lost sheep. Go check that out. Some are saying, I mean, I'm not saying this, but some are saying in the internet, it's the definitive. Congratulation of that parable. I'm, I'm happy to take that if that's true. Um, but we wanna go on to this parable of the lost coin. So let me read, it's just a couple of verses and you're gonna hear in the text that you're going to understand right away. This is being linked because it starts with or, so this is Jesus speaking and this is Luke 15, chapter 15, starting in verse eight. Jesus says, or a what woman? She has 10 D drachmas and loses. One drachma does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friend and her neighbors saying, rejoice with me for I found the D Drachma, which I lost in the same way I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. [00:23:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. On one level, this is, uh, again, it's not all that complicated of a scenario, right? And we have to kind of go back and relo through some of the stuff we talked about last week because this is a continuation of, you know, when we first talked about the Matthew 13 parables, we commented on like. Christ was coming back to the same themes, right? And in some ways, repeating the parable. This is even stronger than that. It's not just that Christ is teaching the same thing across multiple parables. The sense here, at least the sense I get when I read this parable, the lost sheep, and then the prodigal, um, sun parable or, or the next parable here, um, is actually that Christ is just sort of like hammering home the one point he's making to the tax collectors and or to the tax collectors or to the scribes who are complaining about the fact that Christ was eating with sinners. He's just hammering this point home, right? So it's not, it's not to try to add. A lot of nuance to the point. It's not to try to add a, a shade of meaning. Um. You know, we talked a lot about how parables, um, Christ tells parables in part to condemn the listeners who will not receive him, right? That's right. This is one of those situations where it's not, it's not hiding the meaning of the parable from them. The meaning is so obvious that you couldn't miss it, and he, he appeals, we talked about in the first, in the first part of this, he actually appeals to like what the ordinary response would be. Right? What man of you having a hundred sheep if he loses one, does not. Go and leave the 99. Like it's a scenario that anyone who goes, well, like, I wouldn't do that is, looks like an idiot. Like, that's, that's the point of the why. He phrases it. And so then you're right when he, when he begins with this, he says, or what woman having 10 silver coins if she loses one, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until he, till she finds it. And of course, the, the, the emphasis again is like no one in their right mind would not do this. And I think like we think about a coin and like that's the smallest denomination of money that we have. Like, I wouldn't, like if I lost a, if I had 10 silver coin, 10 coins and I lost one of them, the most that that could be is what? 50 cents? Like the, like if I had a 50 cent piece or a silver dollar, I guess, like I could lose a dollar. We're not really talking about coins the way we think of coins, right? We're talking about, um. Um, you know, like denominations of money that are substantial in that timeframe. Like it, there was, there were small coins, but a silver coin would be a substantial amount of money to lose. So we are not talking about a situation where this is, uh, a trivial kind of thing. She's not looking for, you know, I've, I've heard this parable sort of like unpacked where like, it's almost like a miserly seeking for like this lost coin. Interesting. It's not about, it's not about like. Penny pinching here, right? She's not trying to find a tiny penny that isn't worth anything that's built into the parable, right? It's a silver coin. It's not just any coin. It's a silver coin. So she's, she's looking for this coin, um, because it is a significant amount of money and because she's lost it, she's lost something of her, of her overall wealth. Like there's a real loss. Two, this that needs to be felt before he can really move on with the parable. It's not just like some small piece of property, like there's a [00:26:57] Jesse Schwamb: right. I [00:26:57] Tony Arsenal: don't know if you've ever lost a large amount of money, but I remember one time I was in, um, a. I was like, almost outta high school, and I had taken some money out of, um, out of the bank, some cash to make a purchase. I think I was purchasing a laptop and I don't know why I, I don't, maybe I didn't have a credit card or I didn't have a debit card, but I was purchasing a laptop with cash. Right. And back then, like laptops, like this was not a super expensive laptop, but. It was a substantial amount of cash and I misplaced it and it was like, oh no, like, where is it? And like, I went crazy trying to find it. This is the situation. She's lost a substantial amount of money. Um, this parable, unlike the last one, doesn't give you a relative amount of how many she has. Otherwise. She's just lost a significant amount of money. So she takes all these different steps to try to find it. [00:27:44] Understanding the Parable's Context [00:27:44] Tony Arsenal: We have to feel that loss before we really can grasp what the parable is trying to teach us. [00:27:49] Jesse Schwamb: I like that, so I'm glad you brought that up because I ended up going down a rabbit hole with this whole coined situation. [00:27:56] Tony Arsenal: Well, we're about to, Matt Whitman some of this, aren't we? [00:27:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, I think so. But mainly because, and this is not really my own ideas here, there's, there's a lot I was able to kind of just read and kind. Throw, throw something around this because I think you're absolutely right that Jesus is bringing an ES escalation here and it's almost like a little bit easier for us to understand the whole sheep thing. I think the context of the lost coin, like you're already saying, is a little bit less familiar to us, and so I got into this. Rabbit hole over the question, why would this woman have 10 silver coins? I really got stuck on like, so why does she have these? And Jesus specific about that he's giving a particular context. Presumably those within his hearing in earshot understood this context far better than I did. So what I was surprised to see is that a lot of commentators you probably run into this, have stated or I guess promulgated this idea that the woman is young and unmarried and the 10 silver coins could. Could represent a dowry. So in some way here too, like it's not just a lot of money, it's possible that this was her saving up and it was a witness to her availability for marriage. [00:28:57] The Significance of the Lost Coin [00:28:57] Jesse Schwamb: So e either way, if that's true or not, Jesus is really emphasizing to us there's significant and severe loss here. And so just like you said, it would be a fool who would just like say, oh, well that's too bad. The coin is probably in here somewhere, but eh, I'm just gonna go about my normal business. Yeah. And forsake it. Like, let's, let's not worry about it. So. The emphasis then on this one is not so much like the leaving behind presumably can keep the remaining nine coins somewhere safe if you had them. But this effort and this diligence to, to go after and find this lost one. So again, we know it's all about finding what was lost, but this kind of momentum that Jesus is bringing to this, like the severity of this by saying there was this woman, and of course like here we find that part of this parable isn't just in the, the kingdom of God's like this, like we were talking about before. It's more than that because there's this expression of, again, the situation combined with these active verbs. I think we talked about last time that Christ love is an act of love and it's always being acted upon the sinner, the one who has to be redeemed, his child whom he goes after. So in the same way, we have Christ showing the self-denying love. Like in the first case, the shepherd brought his sheep home on his shoulders rather than leave it in the wilderness. And then here. The woman does like everything. She lights the candle, she sweeps the house. She basically turns the thing, the place upside down, searching diligently and spared no pains with this until she found her lost money. And before we get into the whole rejoicing thing, it just strikes me that, you know, in the same way, I think what we have here is Christ affirming that he didn't spare himself. He's not gonna spare himself. When he undertakes to save sinners, he does all the things. He endures the cross scor in shame. He lays down his life for his friends. There's no greater love than that. It cannot be shown, and so Christ's love is deep and mighty. It's like this woman doing all the things, tearing the place apart to ensure that that which she knew she had misplaced comes back to her. That the full value of everything that she knows is hers. Is safe and secure in her possession and so does the Lord Jesus rejoice the safe sinners in the same way. And that's where this is incredibly powerful. It's not just, Hey, let me just say it to you one more time. There is a reemphasis here, but I like where you're going, this re-escalation. I think the first question is, why do the woman have this money? What purpose is it serving? And I think if we can at least try to appreciate some of that, then we see again how Jesus is going after that, which is that he, he wants to save the sinner. He wants to save the soul. And all of the pleasure, then all of the rejoicing comes because, and, and as a result of that context. [00:31:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:23] Theological Implications of God's People [00:31:23] Tony Arsenal: The other thing, um, maybe, and, and I hope I'm not overreading again, we've, we've talked about the dangers of overreading, the parables, but I think there's a, and we'll, we'll come to this too when we get into the, um, prodigal son. Um, there is this sense, I think in some theological traditions that. God is sort of like claiming a people who were not his own. Right. And one of the things that I love about the reform tradition, and, and I love it because this is the picture the Bible teaches, is the emphasis on the fact that God's people have been God's people. As long as God has been pondering and con like contemplating them. So like we deny eternal justification, right? Justification happens in time and there's a real change in our status, in in time when, when the spirit applies, the benefits that Christ has purchased for us in redemption, right? But there's also a very real sense that God has been looking and considering us as his people in eternity past. Like that's always. That's the nature of the Pactum salutes, the, you know, covenant of redemption election. The idea that like God is not saving a nameless, faceless people. He's not creating conditions that people can either move themselves into or take themselves out of. He has a concrete people. Who he is saving, who he has chosen. He, he, you know, prior to our birth, he will redeem us. He now, he has redeemed us and he will preserve us in all of these parables, whether it's the sheep, the coin, or as we'll get to the prodigal sun next week or, or whenever. Um. It's not that God is discovering something new that he didn't have, or it's not that the woman is discovering a coin, right? There's nothing more, uh, I think nothing more like sort of, uh, spontaneously delightful than like when you like buy a, like a jacket at the thrift store. Like you go to Salvation Army and you buy a jacket, you get home, you reach in the pocket and there's like a $10 bill and you're like, oh man, that's so, so great. Or like, you find a, you find a. A $10 bill on the ground, or you find a quarter on the ground, right? Yeah. Or you find your own money. Well, and that that's, there's a different kind of joy, right? That's the point, is like, there's a delight that comes with finding something. And again, like we have to be careful about like, like not stealing, right? But there's a different kind of joy that comes with like finding something that was not yours that now becomes yours. We talked about that with parables a couple weeks ago, right? There's a guy who finds it, he's, he's searching for pearls. He finds a pearl, and so he goes after he sells everything he has and he claims that pearl, but that wasn't his before the delight was in sort of finding something new. These parables. The delight is in reclaiming and refining something that was yours that was once lost. Right? That's a different thing. And it paints a picture, a different picture of God than the other parables where, you know, the man kind of stumbles on treasure in a field or he finds a pearl that he was searching for, but it wasn't his pearl. This is different. This is teaching us that God is, is zealous and jealous to reclaim that which was his, which was lost. Yes. Right. So, you know, we can get, we can, maybe we will next week, maybe we will dig into like super laps area versus infra laps. AIRism probably not, I don't necessarily wanna have that conversation. But there is a reality in the Bible where God has a chosen people and they are his people, even before he redeems them. [00:34:52] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly. [00:34:53] God's Relentless Pursuit of Sinners [00:34:53] Tony Arsenal: These parables all emphasize that in a different way and part of what he's, part of what he's ribbing at with the Pharisees and the, and the scribes, and this is common across all of Christ's teaching in his interactions and we get into true Israel with, with Paul, I mean this is the consistent testimony of the New Testament, is that the people who thought they were God's people. The, the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the, the sort of elites of, uh, first century Jewish believers, they really were convinced that they were God's people. And those dirty gentiles out there, they, they're not, and even in certain sense, like even the Jewish people out in the country who don't even, you know, they don't know the scriptures that like, even those people were maybe barely God's people. Christ is coming in here and he is going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like you're asking me. You're surprised that I receive sinners and e with them. Well, I'm coming to claim that which is mine, which was lost, and the right response to that is not to turn your nose up at it. The right response is to rejoice with me that I have found my sheep that was lost, that I have reclaimed my coin that was lost. And as we'll see later on, like he really needles them at the end of the, the, uh, parable of the prodigal son. This is something I, I have to be like intentional in my own life because I think sometimes we hear conversion stories and we have this sort of, I, I guess like, we'll call it like the, the Jonah I heresy, I dunno, we won't call it heresy, but like the, the, the like Jonah impulse that we all have to be really thankful for God's mercy in our life. But sort of question whether God is. Merciful or even be a little bit upset when it seems that God is being merciful to those sinners over there. We have to really like, use these parables in our own lives to pound that out of our system because it's, it's ungodly and it's not what God is, is calling us. And these parables really speak against that [00:36:52] Jesse Schwamb: and all of us speak in. In that lost state, but that doesn't, I think like you're saying, mean that we are not God's already. That if he has established that from a trinity past, then we'd expect what others have said about God as the hound of heaven to be true. And that is he comes and he chases down his own. What's interesting to me is exactly what you've said. We often recognize when we do this in reverse and we look at the parable of the lost son, all of these elements, how the father comes after him, how there's a cha singer coming to himself. There's this grand act of repentance. I would argue all of that is in all of these parables. Not, not to a lesser extent, just to a different extent, but it's all there. So in terms of like couching this, and I think what we might use is like traditionally reformed language. And I, I don't want to say I'm overeating this, I hope I'm not at that same risk, but we see some of this like toll depravity and like the sinner is lost, unable to move forward, right? There still is like the sovereign grace of God who's initiating the salvation and there is a kind of effect of calling that God doesn't merely invite, he finds, he goes after he affects the very thing. Yeah, and I think we're seeing that here. There is. The sinner, spiritual inability. There's an utter passivity until found. The coin doesn't seek the woman. The woman seeks the coin. And in this way, I think we see God's act of searching grace. It's all there for us. Yeah, it's in a slightly different way, but I think that's what we're meant to like take away from this. We're meant to lean into that a bit. [00:38:12] Rejoicing in Salvation [00:38:12] Jesse Schwamb: And the reason why I think it leads to joy, why God is so pleased is because God has this real pleasure. Jesus has this real pleasure. The Holy Spirit has this real pleasure. To pluck sinners as brands from the burning fire. You know, it was Jesus, literally his food and drink like not to be too trite, but like his jam went upon the earth to finish the work, which he came to do. And there are many times when he says he ammi of being constrained in the spirit until this was accomplished. And it's still his delight to show mercy like you're saying He is. And even Jonah recognizes that, right. He said like, I knew you were going to be a merciful God. And so he's far more willing to save sinners than sinners are to be saved. But that is the gospel level voice, isn't it? Because we can come kicking and screaming, but in God's great mercy, not because of works and unrighteousness, but because of his great mercy, he comes and he tears everything apart to rescue and to save those whom he's called to himself. [00:39:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. I love that old, um, Puritan phrase that wrath is God's alien work. And we, you know, like you gotta be careful when you start to talk that way. And the Puritans were definitely careful about everything. I mean, they were very specific when they spoke, but. When we talk about God's alien work and wrath being God's alien work, what we're saying is not, not that like somehow wrath is external to God. Like that's not what we're getting at of Right. But when you look at scripture and, and here's something that I think, um. I, I don't know how I wanna say this. Like, I think we read that the road is narrow and the the, um, you know, few are those who find it. I think we read that and we somehow think like, yeah, God, God, like, really loves that. Not a lot of people are saved. And I, I actually think that like, when we look at it, um, and, and again, like we have to be careful 'cause God, God. God decreed that which he is delighted by, and also that which glorifies him the most. Right? Right. But the picture that we get in scripture, and we have to take this seriously with all of the caveats that it's accommodated, it's anthropopathism that, you know, all of, all of the stuff we've talked about. We did a whole series on systematic theology. We did like six episodes on Divine Simplicity and immutability. Like we we're, we're right in line with the historic tradition on that. All of those caveats, uh, all of those caveats in place, the Bible pic paints a picture of God such that he grieves over. Those who are lost. Right? Right. He takes no delight in the death of the wicked. That's right. He, he, he seeks after the lost and he rejoices when he finds them. Right. He's, his, his Holy Spirit is grieved when we disobey him, his, his anger is kindled even towards his people in a paternal sense. Right. He disciplines us the way an angry father who loves us, would discipline us when we disobey him. That is a real, that's a real thing. What exactly that means, how we can apply that to God is a very complicated conversation. And maybe sometimes it's more complicated than we, like, we make it more complicated than it needs to be for sure. Um, we wanna be careful to preserve God's changeness, his immutability, his simplicity, all of those things. But at the end of the day, at. God grieves over lost sinners, and he rejoices when they come back. He rejoices when they return to him. Just as the shepherd who finds his lost sheep puts that sheep on his shoulders, right? That's not just because that's an easy way to carry a sheep, right? It's also like this picture of this loving. Intimate situation where God pulls us onto himself and he, he wraps literally like wraps us around himself. Like there are times when, um. You know, I have a toddler and there are times where I have to carry that toddler, and it's, it's a fight, right? And I don't really enjoy doing it. He's squirming, he's fighting. Then there are times where he needs me to hold him tight, and he, he snuggles in. When he falls down and hurts his leg, the first thing he does is he runs and he jumps on me, and he wants to be held tight, and there's a f there's a fatherly embrace there that not only brings comfort to my son. But it brings great joy to me to be able to comfort him that that dynamic in a, uh, a infinitely greater sense is at play here in the lost sheep. And then there's this rejoicing. It's not just rejoicing that God is rejoicing, it's the angels that are rejoicing. [00:42:43] The Joy of Redemption [00:42:43] Tony Arsenal: It's the, it's other Christians. It's the great cloud of witnesses that are rejoicing when Aah sinner is returned to God. All of God's kingdom and everything that that includes, all of that is involved in this rejoicing. That's why I think like in the first parable, in the parable of the lost sheep, it's joy in heaven. Right? It's sort of general joy in heaven. It's not specific. Then this one is even more specific. It's not just general joy in heaven. It's the angels of God. That's right. That are rejoicing. And then I think what we're gonna find, and we'll we'll tease this out when we get to the next par, well the figure in the prodigal son that is rejoicing. The one that is leading the rejoicing, the chief rejoice is the one who's the standin for God in that parable. [00:43:26] Jesse Schwamb: Right, exactly right. So, [00:43:27] Tony Arsenal: so we have to, we have to both recognize that there's a true grief. A true sorrow that is appropriate to speak of God, um, as having when a sinner is lost. And there's also an equally appropriate way to speak about God rejoicing and being pleased and delighted when a sinner returns to him. [00:43:53] Jesse Schwamb: That's the real payoff of this whole parable. I think, uh, maybe all three of them altogether, is that it is shocking how good the gospel is, which we're always saying, yeah, but I'm really always being moved, especially these last couple weeks with what Jesus is saying about how good, how truly unbelievable the gospel is. And again, it draws us to the. Old Testament scriptures when even the Israel saying, who is like this? Who is like our God? So what's remarkable about this is that there's an infinite willingness on God's part to receive sinners. [00:44:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:44:23] Jesse Schwamb: And however wicked a man may have been, and the day that he really turns from his wickedness and comes to God by Christ, God is well pleased and all of heaven with him, and God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, like you said, but God has pleasure and true repentance. If all of that's true, then like day to day, here's what I, I think this means for us. [00:44:41] Applying the Parable to Our Lives [00:44:41] Jesse Schwamb: Is when we come to Christ for mercy and love and help and whatever anguish and perplexity and simpleness that we all have, and we all have it, we are going with the flow. If his own deepest wishes, we're not going against them. And so this means that God has for us when we partake in the toning work of Christ, coming to Christ for forgiveness, communing with him despite our sinfulness, that we are laying hold of Christ's own deepest longing and joy. [00:45:10] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:45:10] Jesse Schwamb: Jesus is comforted when we draw near the riches of his atoning work because as his body, even his own body in a way is being healed in this process. And so we, along with it, that I think is the payoff here. That's what's just so remarkable is that not only, like you're saying, is all heaven kind of paying attention to this. Like they're cognizant of it. It's something worthy of their attention and their energies and their rejoicing. But again, it's showing that God is doing all of this work and so he keeps calling us and calling us and calling us over and over again and just like you said, the elect sinner, those estr belongs to God and his eternal purpose. Even that by itself, we could just say full stop. Shut it down end the podcast. Yeah. That's just worthy to, to rejoice and, and ponder. But this is how strong I think we see like per election in particular, redemption in these passages. Christ died for his chief specifically crisis going after the lost coin, which already belongs to him. So like you were saying, Tony, when you know, or maybe you don't know, but you've misplaced some kind of money and you put your hand in that pocket of that winter coat for the first time that season and out comes the piece of paper, that's whatever, 20 or whatever, you rejoice in that, right. Right. It's like this was mine. I knew it was somewhere, it belonged to me, except that what's even better here is this woman tears her whole place apart to go after this one coin that she knows is hers and yet has been lost. I don't know what more it is to be said. I just cannot under emphasize. Or overemphasize how great God's love is in this like amazing condescension, so that when Jesus describes himself as being gentle and lowly or gentle and humble or gentle and humiliated, that I, I think as we understand the biblical text, it's not necessarily just that he's saying, well, I'm, I'm displaying. Meekness power under control. When he says he's humble, he means put in this incredibly lowly state. Yeah. That the rescue mission, like you're saying, involves not just like, Hey, she lemme call you back. Hey, come over here, says uh. He goes and he picks it up. It's the ultimate rescue, picks it up and takes it back by his own volition, sacrificing everything or to do that and so does this woman in this particular instance, and it should lead us. I think back to there's this virtuous cycle of seeing this, experiencing this. Being compelled by the law of Christ, as Paul says, by the power of the Holy Spirit and being regenerated and then worshiping, and then repenting, and then worshiping, and then repenting, and then worshiping. Because in the midst of that repentance and that beautifulness recognizing, as Isaiah says, all of these idols that we set up, that we run to, the one thing they cannot do for us is they cannot deal with sin. They cannot bring cleanliness and righteousness through confession of sin. They cannot do that. So Christ is saying, come to the one you who are needy, you who have no money. To use another metaphor in the Bible, come and buy. And in doing so, we're saying, Christ, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner. And when he says, come, come, I, I've, I have already run. After you come and be restored, come and be renewed. That which was lost my child. You have been found and I have rescued you. [00:48:04] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And these, these are so, um, these two parables are so. Comfortable. Like, right, like they are there, there are certain passages of scripture that you can just like put on like a big fuzzy warm bathrobe on like sn a cold morning, a snuggy. Yeah. I don't know if I want to go that far, but spirits are snuggy and, and these two are like that, right? Like, I know there are times where I feel like Christ redeemed me sort of begrudgingly, right? Mm-hmm. I think we have, we have this, um, concept in our mind of. Sort of the suffering servant, you know, like he's kind of like, ah, if I have to do it, I will. Right, right. And, and like, I think we, we would, if, if we were the ones who were, were being tasked to redeem something, we might do it. You know, we might do it and we. We might feel a certain sense of satisfaction about it, but I can tell you that if I had a hundred sheep and I had lost one, I would not lay it on my shoulder rejoicing. I would lay it on my shoulder. Frustrated and glad that I finally found it, but like. Right. Right. That's not what Christ did. That's right. Christ lays us on his shoulders rejoicing. Right. I know. Like when you lose something, it's frustrating and it's not just the loss of it that's frustrating. It's the time you have to take to find it. And sometimes like, yeah, you're happy that you found it, but you're like, man, it would've just been nice if I hadn't lost this in [00:49:36] Jesse Schwamb: the That's right. [00:49:37] Tony Arsenal: This woman, there's none of that. There's no, um, there's no regret. There's no. Uh, there's no begrudging this to it. There's nothing. It's just rejoicing. She's so happy. And it's funny, I can imagine, uh, maybe, maybe this is my own, uh, lack of sanctification here. I can imagine being that friend that's like, I gotta come over 'cause you found your coin, right? Like, I can be, I could imagine me that person, but Right. But honestly, like. This is a, this is a situation where she's so overcome with joy. She just has to tell people about it. Yeah. She has to share it with people. It, it reminds me, and I've seen this, I've seen this, um, connection made in the past certainly isn't new to me. I don't, I don't have any specific sorts to say, but like the woman at the well, right. She gets this amazing redemption. She gets this, this Messiah right in front of her. She leaves her buckets at the well, and she goes into a town of people who probably hate her, who think she's just the worst scum of society and she doesn't care. She goes into town to tell everybody about the fact that the Messiah has come, right? And they're so like stunned by the fact that she's doing it. Like they come to see what it is like that's what we need to be like. So there's. There's an element here of not only the rejoicing of God, and again, like, I guess I'm surprised because I've, I've, I've never sort of really read this. Part, I've never read this into it too much or I've never like really pulled this out, but it, now that I'm gonna say it, it just seems logical, like not only is God rejoicing in this, but again, it should be calling us to rejoice, right? Christ is. Christ is using these parables to shame the Pharisees and the scribes who refuse to rejoice over the salvation of sinners. How often do we not rejoice over our own salvation sufficiently? Like when's the last time? And I, I don't want to, this is, this can be a lot of loss. So again, like. God is not calling every single person to stand up on their lunch table at work, or, I don't know if God's calling anybody to stand up on the lunch table at work. Right. To like, like scream about how happy they are that they're sick, happy, happy. But like, when's the last time you were so overcome with joy that in the right opportunity, it just over, like it just overcame you and you had to share it. I don't rem. Putting myself bare here, like I don't remember the last time that happened. I share my faith with people, like my coworkers know that I'm a Christian and, um, my, they know that like, there are gonna be times where like I will bring biblical ethics and biblical concepts into my work. Like I regularly use bible examples to illustrate a principle I'm trying to teach my employees or, or I will regularly sort of. In a meeting where there's some question about what the right, not just like the correct thing to do, but the right thing to do. I will regularly bring biblical morality into those conversations. Nobody is surprised by that. Nobody's really offended by it. 'cause I just do it regularly. But I don't remember the last time where I was so overcome with joy because of my salvation that I just had to tell somebody. Right. And that's a, that's a, that's an indictment on me. That's not an indictment on God. That's not an indictment on anyone else. That's an indictment on me. This parable is calling me to be more joyful about. My salvation. [00:52:52] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. One of the, I think the best and easiest verses from Psalms to memorize is let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Yes. Like, say something, speak up. There's, there's a great truth in what you're saying. Of course. And I think we mentioned this last time. There's a communal delight of redemption. And here we see that played out maybe a little bit more explicitly because the text says that the joy is before the angels, meaning that still God is the source of the joy. In other words, the angels share in God's delight night, vice versa, and not even just in salvation itself, but the fact that God is delighted in this great salvation, that it shows the effectiveness of his saving power. All that he has designed will come to pass because he super intends his will over all things that all things, again are subservient to our salvation. And here, why would that not bring him great joy? Because that's exactly what he intends and is able to do. And the angels rejoice along with him because his glory is revealed in his mighty power. So I'm, I'm with you. I mean, this reminds me. Of what the author of Hebrew says. This is chapter 12, just the first couple of verses. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses in this communal kind of redemption of joy surrounding us. Laying aside every weight and the sin,
What if the greatest gift of Christmas isn't something we buy, but something we become? Sharon Eubank, global humanitarian director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shares what she's learned about meaningful giving—and how each of us can better serve and lift others this holiday season. 3:29- Character Developed in Giving and Receiving 8:19- Safeguarding Dignity 11:42- Approaching the Enormity of the World's Suffering 18:03- Joining Hands 22:56- The Power of Presence 28:40- The Salvation Army 34:33- Sparking Hope 38:53- Multiplying and Replenishing 43:22- "Love's Pure Light" 46:48- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ? "If we can be the one that's handing them the can [of food] or listening to their story or reading a scripture with them or inviting them to our table to spark the hope that starts, aren't we lucky?" Links: "Doing Small Things With Great Love" - https://www.deseretbook.com/product/PR00001103.html?cgid=books_nonfiction "Silent Night, Love's Pure Light" - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/christmas-devotional/2018/12/silent-night-loves-pure-light?lang=eng
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