Podcasts about Solid Ground

June 10, 2026 Daily Devotional: “The Solid Ground”Psalm 90:2 ​"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."  We live in a world that is obsessed with the temporary. Technology updates in a blink, seasons blur into one another, trends fade before we even catch onto them, and our own personal lives can shift dramatically with a single phone call or email. It is easy to look around and feel a sense of vertigo, as if everything we rely on is standing on shifting sand. ​Psalm 90 is unique because it is the only psalm written by Moses. Think about the life Moses led: he grew up in a lavish Egyptian palace, fled to the quiet desert as a shepherd for forty years, and then spent his final decades leading a restless nation through a barren wilderness. If anyone understood what it felt like to live an unstable, transient life, it was Moses. He didn't have a permanent home address. His scenery changed constantly. ​Yet, when Moses sat down to pray, he didn't anchor his soul to his current circumstances, his physical environment, or his own strength. Instead, he looked up at the massive, ancient mountains around him—structures that felt entirely permanent to the human eye—and realized they were just newborns compared to the Creator. Psalm 90:2 is a profound declaration of God's absolute eternity and timeless sovereignty. It is designed to contrast the permanent, unshakeable nature of the Creator with the fragile, fleeting reality of human life. ​When you strip away the poetic phrasing, the verse delivers foundational meanings that can deeply anchor our perspective on life. Moses points us to two beautiful truths about God's nature; ​He is Pre-Existent and He is everlasting; Because before the earth was formed, God already was. He is not reacting to history; He designed it.​ Look as far back as your mind can stretch, and God is there. Look as far into the unknown future as your anxieties try to take you, and God is already there, too. ​When your career, your routine, or your expectations feel completely uprooted, Psalm 90:2 is a reminder that your foundation is unshakeable. You are held by the One who spoke the mountains into existence. He does not change, He does not fade, and He is never caught off guard by the passage of time. ​Trade anxiety for awe when the future feels cloudy or unpredictable, consciously shift your gaze off the temporary problem and onto the eternal nature of God.Remind yourself that the problem you are facing has a shelf life, but the God who loves you does not. ​Anchor your routine and build a small "unshakeable" moment into your shifting day. Whether it's five minutes of quiet prayer before checking your phone or reading a single verse atnight, ground your temporary schedule in the eternal Word. What are you building your security on right now? If it can be changed by an economy, a corporation, or a health diagnosis, it's a shifting sand. Gently release your grip on those things and place your trust back on the Rock. ​Psalm 90:2 means that no matter how chaotic, temporary, or fragile your current season feels, you are held by a God who outlasts it all. Your problems, your transitions, and your challenges have a strict expiration date—but the God who is fighting for you does not.

When the storms of life hit, as they do, right, what we do is that instinctively we grab a life vest, we look for a lifeline here on earth, a worldly solution if you will … instead of turning to the One who can calm the storm. So, you have to ask yourself then, who exactly is the Lord of our lives?   Just Like the Rest Over these last few weeks we have been looking at what it means to get our feet back on solid ground in life. You know, when we are going through storms we are bobbing around like a tiny little boat floundering on an angry sea and sometimes we don't know which way to head – which way is up, which way is down. All we want to do is put our feet back on solid ground. And it turns out that you don't always find that solid ground exactly where you expect to find it. And we have been exploring this whole idea of getting our feet on solid ground through the story of a humble woman called Hannah who honoured God and turned to Him in the midst of her storm - and at completely the other end of the scale, a priest called Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas. They were evil guys and they got their just rewards and the nation of Israel who struggled with their God. If you've got a Bible, grab it and open it up. Over these last three weeks we have been looking at the first seven chapters of the Book of First Samuel. Now First Samuel appears about a third of the way through the Old Testament. We are going to finish off that series today with the crux of what this is all about. We are going to have a look at the decision that ultimately determines whether our feet are on solid ground or not. It's a decision between the obvious and the not so obvious. What is it that you and I can decide to do that will absolutely ensure that no matter what comes our way, our feet are on solid ground? Now the pivot of this whole story – the contrast of Hannah on the one hand and Hophni and Phinehas and their dad, Eli, on the other – happens, if you remember the verse – if you have been with us over these last few weeks – in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30, where God says: Those who honour Me, I will honour but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. We are going to pick up that story today. The priests are dead, they've got their just rewards, Hannah's son – she couldn't have a son remember, but she now has a son, he is grown up – Samuel is the judge and the prophet and the leader over all Israel. Now that's a really important concept – they didn't have a King. All the other nations had a King but Israel did not because Israel's system of government was a theocracy – that meant that God was their King. And God appointed judges and prophets to declare His Word over the people of Israel. So He administered justice – this was Samuel – he was a prophet who declared the will of God and God was the King to the people. Now that was unique among the nations and as we saw over the last few weeks, when they honoured God; when they obeyed Him, that nations' feet were on solid ground. Now the story takes an interesting twist. We are going to pick it up in chapter 8 of the Book of First Samuel. Here's how it goes: When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his first born son was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah and they were judges in Beer-sheba. Yet his sons didn't follow in his ways but turned aside after gain – they took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel came together and they came to Samuel at Ramah and they said to Samuel "You are old and your sons don't follow in your ways, appoint for us then, a King to govern over us like the other nations." But this displeased Samuel when they said "Give us a King to govern us. So Samuel prayed to the Lord and the Lord said to Samuel "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. Just as they have done to Me from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking Me, serving other gods so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice – only you shall solemnly warn them and show the ways of the King who shall reign over them." So Samuel reported all the words of God to the people who were asking him for a King. He said these will be the ways of the King who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horse men and to run before his chariots and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and some will plough his ground and reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and to make his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give them to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves and the best of your cattle and donkeys and put them to his work. He will take one tenth of your flocks and you shall be his slaves and in that day you will cry out because of your King whom you have chosen for yourselves but the Lord will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. They said "No, we are determined to have a King over us so that we may also be like the other nations and that our King may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles." Isn't that interesting? All this time you go right back to the slavery, when Israel was in slavery in Egypt and God released them through some major miracles and through the parting of the Red Sea and then into the Promised Land and they captured the Land, battle after battle. All this time it was a simple, simple principle that God honours those who honour Him. And God did and God won the battles for them and God delivered them. And now they reject their King, their God who is able and willing to bless them and to protect them. Why? Well, actually, first they blame Samuel's sons and no doubt there is something in that, but actually you find out the reason towards the end of that verse. Look again at the passage we have just read: verses 19 and 20 of chapter 8: But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. They said "No, we are determined to have a King over us so that we also may be like other nations and that our King may govern us and go to battle and fight our battles for us." They wanted to be like all the other nations. Now, let's think about that. Israel is unique – God is their King, He promised them the Promised Land, He has the power to make it happen. Whenever they honour Him He does make it happen and yet they want to reject Him – why? So that they can be like all the other nations! Is that stupid or what? None of the other nations have an invincible god as their king so why do they want to be like the other nations? Because in the heat of the battle they want a king they can see – a king of flesh and blood! Their enemies have a king at the head of their army so they want one too and they are prepared to give up the perfect power of the King of Kings for a poor substitute so that they can have a king that they can see! How often do we do that? How often do we put our faith in things that we can see – in our investment portfolio to provide wealth is fine until the economy goes belly up, in our career, which is fine until our health fails, in other people, which is fine until they desert us or fail us? See when we hit a storm you know what we want to do? We want to reach out and put a life preserver on instead of go to the One who can stop the storm. We want something we can see and touch and feel, instead of putting our faith in the One whom we can't see. A favourite Scripture you hear people quote is Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7 that says "We walk by faith and not by sight" and that's great until the storm hits, when we will definitely go for something that we can see and touch and feel, ahead of someone we can only see by faith – we'll pick that anytime. And that's the point – when we step off solid ground onto a stormy ocean.   What's the Problem? Yea, just like Israel, we want to be just like everyone else some days; just normal, everyday people who put our faith in things that we can touch and feel. It is something the Apostle Paul rejected – have a listen – Second Corinthians chapter 5, beginning at verse 1. He says: We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, if indeed, when we have taken it off, we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing, is God, who has given us His Spirit as a guarantee so we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. See, here Paul is talking about the struggle between the temporal and the eternal – between what we can see and what we can't see. And Paul is saying "Look, I have got a body; I've got a tent but one day that is going to pass away and my faith isn't in the "here and now" – my faith is in God – I walk by faith not by sight." It's about where he puts his confidence. Now, let me tell you how easy it is to appoint an earthly King, like what Israel was trying to do and to reject the King of Kings – even when we are out and about doing God's work. This ministry that I am involved in, Christianityworks, it has been going for fifty years out of Australia and yet when I took over four years ago, there were hardly any people supporting the ministry. It had almost no income, it was going broke, there were no programmes going to air. And four years ago – it's still pretty fresh – I remember the panic attacks over finances – you see the money dwindling away and wondering when we are going to go broke – not if but when. You see, what I was doing: I wanted a big bank balance – something that would provide security that I could see and I had to turn away from that. I had to put my trust in God alone and these days, sometimes, let me tell you, things are still very, very tight. And whilst I do my part in all of that, as a good steward of the money that supporters entrust to the ministry, over and over and over and over again, let me tell you, as we have done our best just to simply honour God in all that we do here in the ministry of Christianityworks, He has honoured us. It's as simple as that! Now, let's get back to the story and find out where the real problem was here with Israel and the Kingship of God. Well, Israel got its very first King like all the other nations and God, through the prophet Samuel, appointed Saul. Let's have a look at it in the first couple of verses of chapter 9 of the Book of First Samuel: There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son Abiel son of Zeror son Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he – he stood head and shoulders above everyone else. So the prophet hears from God and God says "Saul is the King. If they want a King they are going to get Saul". And initially at least, after he is anointed, Saul has success because even though God was rejected by His people in favour of Saul, God is a God of grace and He continued to honour them and bless them even though He warned them of how the King would turn out. We saw that earlier. See, sometimes when we reject the Kingship of God in our lives and choose something else – career or wealth or whatever it is – initially we have some success but as we will see later, Saul ended up in abject failure. In fact, Saul (if you want to read it in First Samuel chapter 31) committed suicide in the middle of battle. It's easy for you and me to say "Well, what's the problem here? It's probably not a bad thing that they had a King to lead the nation. What's the problem? I do have to invest and plan for my retirement, sure, but do we do it under the Kingship of God?" When God is calling us to give a substantial amount of our money to let's say the poor, do we do that? Or do we sock it away for our retirement? Who or what do we put our trust in, who or what do we submit to? Listen again to what Samuel said to Israel – First Samuel chapter 10, beginning at verse 17: Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah and he said to them "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "I brought you up out of Egypt – I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you. But today, you have rejected your God, the God who saves you from all your calamities and all your distresses and you have said "No! but set a King over us." That's the problem – they rejected their God; they rejected the great Unseen for a King who was far inferior to God but whom they could see. See, despite all that they knew – they knew that God had brought them out of Egypt; they knew that He had rescued them from the Egyptians; they knew that He had rescued them from all their oppressors. God said "I did all that. Couldn't you see that I was your King? Couldn't you see that I am worthy of your trust? Couldn't you see that with Me you have your feet on solid ground? Couldn't you see that?" No, they couldn't see and no, some days we can't see it either. We are blinded by the dazzle of what this world has to offer. It never ceases to amaze me, you know, in times of economic prosperity, people behave as though there is no tomorrow. They put their faith in the money they are earning, their stock portfolio that is growing and the house that's mortgaged up to the hilt and the new car and all that stuff. But then, when the economy eventually takes a dive - as mind you, it always does – they cry out and scream at the price of petrol and the high interest rates and the risk of losing their home. Can I tell you something? You can't live a life of peace if you are putting your trust in an inferior king. You can't have security when you put your faith in those things that will fail. You can't! I can't! It just doesn't work.   Choose your King I want to take us right back now to the beginning of this series – to the first chapter of First Samuel. It's the story of a simple woman called Hannah - she was one of Elkanah's two wives. The other wife Peninnah had children, Hannah had none. And if you have ever been in that situation where you can't have kids or you know someone in that situation, you know how incredibly painful that is and to make it worse the other wife Peninnah, would give Hannah a hard time over this. Pretty tough! There is a real storm that was going on year after year after year – this pain of being childless. Now Hannah had a lot of choices in that space. She could have been angry, she could have lashed out or she could have withdrawn. Her husband didn't help her much so what does Hannah do? First Samuel chapter 1, verse 9: Once they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. In the bitterness of her soul, Hannah wept and prayed to the Lord and she made a vow. She said "Lord God Almighty, if You will only look upon Your servant's misery and remember me and do not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life and no razor will ever be used on his head. And as she kept praying to the Lord, Eli the priest, looked at her mouth – Hannah was praying in her heart – her lips were moving but her voice couldn't be heard. Now, Eli thought she was drunk and said to her "How long will you keep on getting drunk. Get rid of your wine." She said "Not so, my lord, I'm a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. (Isn't that beautiful?) Don't take your servant for a wicked woman. I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." And Eli answered "Well, go in peace and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked for." She said "May your servant find favour in your eyes." Then she went away and she ate something and her face was no longer downcast. Now it turns out – see, Hannah was a "nobody", not like the priest – she wasn't a man in the social structure – she wasn't a priest, she was a "nobody". She just goes and pours out her heart to God amidst the bitterness of her soul. Turns out God honours those who honour Him, as she does have a son, she calls him Samuel. She gives him back to Eli; she gives him over to God as soon as he is weaned and he comes and serves as a priest in the temple, under Eli, whom she discovers later, is a bad dude. This priest is supposed to be a go-between between God and His people, yet he and his sons have no respect for God and His people at all, so Samuel is put there by faith by her. Now we have heard the story: Samuel grows up, he becomes a mighty man of God. Do you know why that happened? Because Hannah honoured God! And God says "I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt". And that's what Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas found out when they died because they did not honour God. And then we saw how, because of them, Israel ends up rejecting God. And you know how that ends up? In defeat! Saul ends up committing suicide – you can look at it in chapter 31, the last chapter of the Book of First Samuel. Israel rejected God as its King and God said "Well ok, I am going to warn you – you're rejecting Me. I am going to give you a King but this is not going to go well for you." And because they wanted a King that they could see, they rejected God anyway, they chose Saul and it ended up not well for them. The Philistines defeated them, Saul died. The one who is honoured by God is the one who honoured Him! How did she do that? In her misery and her pain; in the bitterness of her soul – she didn't act up, she didn't complain, she didn't grumble – she put her trust simply in God. She poured her soul out to Him, God honoured her. Eli didn't, his sons didn't! At the end of the day, Saul didn't, Israel certainly didn't – the one who did was Hannah and God honoured her because she honoured Him. I want to lay a challenge before each one of us today through this story. We all go through times, you know, when we would like to have our feet on solid ground and yet we are all over the place and things don't seem to be working out and everyone is coming up against us. I want to lay a challenge before each one of us today – you and me – we have to choose our King – it's either God or it is something else we trust in. You can't have both – you can't serve two kings, you can't serve two masters. It's either going to be God, the great unseen reality; the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords or its going to be something we see – a life preserver that we can grab onto. Problem is, life preservers might stop us from sinking for a while but they can't stop the storm. Only God can stop the storm! There are people listening today and your life seems to be one endless storm. Maybe you are absolutely sick to death of being tossed around by angry waves; maybe you are in that boat today. Well, it is time to put your feet back on solid ground. It is time to say "You know something? I may be a nobody like Hannah, it may be that I am not an Eli, I'm not a Samuel, I'm not a David, I'm not some big person – I'm some little unknown person like Hannah, that may will be the case. And yet in this whole story she is the only one who received God's blessing because she is the only one who honoured God. She received her son Samuel who had such a mighty influence over the history of her nation." And Hannah was onto something! Maybe today is time to say "I choose my King". Either we are going to choose God or we are going to reject Him and choose something that we can feel or touch. I can choose a "Saul" in my life – you can choose a 'Saul' in your life and it may give us a sense of security for a little while. You know, when that boat is bobbing round the ocean, you grab for the life preserver – that's a pretty good thing. Probably a pretty good feeling but the life preserver doesn't get us out of the storm. It just keeps us floating there for a bit longer. Only One – the only One – that can get us out of the storm; the only One that can put our feet back on solid ground is our King, God. You want your feet on solid ground? This whole story that we have been looking at over the last four weeks in the first nine or ten chapters of First Samuel – this story is about the Kingship of God. And the story tells us very clearly – you want to put your feet on solid ground? Go honour God – go choose Him as your King – go submit to Him as your King! Let me ask you something – which one is going to work, the King of Kings or Saul? Which one is going to put your feet back on solid ground? Which King will you choose in your life?

A journey through the deeper side of soulful house, where timeless voices, uplifting melodies, and warm grooves come together under one roof. This selection brings together some of the finest names in the genre, from the unmistakable soul of Black Coffee, Miguel Migs, Mousse T., DJ Spen, Sean McCabe, Brian Tappert, Cafe 432, The Shapeshifters, and Sam Ruffillo, alongside legendary vocalists including Evelyn “Champagne” King, Kim English, Monique Bingham, Angela Johnson, Terry Dexter, and Rona Ray. Expect moments of pure musical sunshine as classics are reimagined, dancefloor anthems are given new life, and soulful vocals float effortlessly across deep, uplifting rhythms. From the emotional pull of “Open My Heart” and “Love Come Down” to the uplifting energy of “Supernatural,” “Close Your Eyes,” and “Solid Ground,” every record has been chosen to create a feeling rather than simply fill a dancefloor. Threaded throughout the mix are a collection of original productions from The Funk Assassin — “Blue Moon Beach,” “Blue Moonlit River,” “Blue Moonlight In My Soul,” “Balearic Blue Moon,” and the closing track “Carry You Home.” These original pieces serve as the heart of the journey, inspired by sunset coastlines, moonlit reflections, Balearic escapism, and the soulful house records that have shaped dancefloors for decades. This is music for open-air terraces, late-night conversations, sunrise moments, and anyone who still believes house music should move both your feet and your soul. TRACK LIST: 1. Miguel Campbell – Something Special (Original Mix) 2. Dirty Harry, Mpho Masilo – Open My Heart (Dirty Harry Classic House Vocal Mix) 3. The Funk Assassin – Blue Moon Beach 4. Rona Ray, Kelvin Sylvester – I Need To Know (Kelvin Sylvester Extended Vocal) 5. Evelyn “Champagne” King, Ezel, DJ Spen – Love Come Down (Ezel & DJ Spen Radio Edit) 6. DJ Rae, Martin Badder, DJ Spen, Reelsoul – Change (DJ Spen & Reelsoul Remix) 7. Reach, Elle Deeva, Carlos Yedra – Attempted Love (Carlos Yedra Mix) 8. The Funk Assassin – Blue Moonlit River 9. Matty & Monique, Monique Bingham, Sean McCabe – Now What (Sean McCabe Remix) 10. Kim English – Supernatural (Mousse T. Super Soul Mix) 11. YASS, Jay Sebag, LT Brown – Deliver Us (feat. LT Brown & Jay Sebag) 12. Miguel Migs, Meshell Ndegeocello – Close Your Eyes (Migs Corsica Skyline Remix) 13. Disco Sparks, Christine Wiltshire, The D.S. – Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow (Extended Mix) 14. The Shapeshifters, Teni Tinks – You Ain't Love (feat. Teni Tinks) 15. Soul Reductions – Got 2 Be Loved 16. Cafe 432, Tracey Jane Campbell – With Love (Cafe 432 Bump Radio Remix) 17. The Funk Assassin – Blue Moonlight In My Soul 18. The Funk Assassin – Balearic Blue Moon 19. Sam Ruffillo, Edson Sean – Let It Go 20. Carlos Yedra, Footsounds, Rhey Osborne – Sparkle (Vocal Mix) 21. Micky More & Andy Tee, Angela Johnson – Not Your Average Kind 22. Beat Rivals, Phoebe One – Sittin' On Top Of The World (Radio Edit) 23. Black Coffee – Even Though 24. Ezel, Rona Ray – No Gravity 25. Rony Breaker, Chinua Hawk, Brian Tappert – Solid Ground (Brian Tappert for the Heads Remix) 26. Frankie Feliciano, Terry Dexter – No Maybe (Wez Whynt Vocal Remix) 27. The Funk Assassin – Carry You Home

It's so easy to look at God and come to the conclusion, well I want that part of Him – but not that part. And definitely not that bit. It seems that all too often, we want Him on our terms rather than His. But God just doesn't work that way.   Take it Back Have you ever wanted something in life – I mean really, really, really wanted it and then when you finally get it, you just want to give it back? I think we have all experienced that at some point and you know, I think that for some people, it can be the case with God. I know people, lots of people, who hunger to be close to God. I know there are people listening today – maybe you are one of them – and all their lives they have wanted God – whatever that means. But can I tell you something? Even something really good – I mean really, really good like God, well, it can be a shock to the system and the reason is that we have these idealised, unrealistic notions of what that good thing will be like. Take the young woman who wants more than anything else, to be married and she meets her knight in shining armour, she marries him and a year later she is wondering, "What happened to all my ideas of romance 24/7?" Today on the programme we are going to take a look at some people who got God and couldn't wait to give Him back. Now over these last few weeks we have been working our way through the story of Hannah and Eli and his sons in the Book of First Samuel. And the crux of it is that Hannah honours God but Eli and his sons don't and the turning point of the whole story comes in the verse First Samuel – if you have a Bible, grab it, open it up here in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30. God says: I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt. And we have seen how the central reality of that verse has played itself out in the lives of Hannah, who was blessed when she couldn't have a son and she honoured God and God gave her a son Samuel and the opposite is Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas who didn't honour God and were greatly punished, in fact they lost their lives because of that. This story plays its self out in the storms of life. I mean Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, they were the priests; they should have been bringing God's people close to God yet they were living life of Riley, as we saw last week on the programme. And God had them killed. They're job was to bring people close to God and yet they were not honouring Him. Instead they had led Israel to a place of defeat. We saw last week in First Samuel chapter 4 where the Philistines attacked, Israel thinks "Oh well, God is always on our side – we will go to battle" and they had a huge defeat – thirty thousand of their soldiers were killed. The Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God itself, was captured by the Philistines. See the Ark of the Covenant was where God actually sat in the midst of His people. You see that in the journey through the Exodus – forty years in the Tent of the Meeting and later on in the temple. The Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies; it is the very presence of God. And strangely, you know, when the Philistines are close to capturing the Ark they kind of realise, with a sense of foreboding, what this is about. It says in First Samuel that: When they learned that the Ark of the Lord had entered the camp of the Israelites, the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into their camp" they said "we are in trouble. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Woe to us. Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?" And so it goes on … Well, it turns out that they should have followed their instincts. Today we are going to look and see what happens to the Philistines and to the Israelites when the presence of God comes close to them. Let's have a look at it. If you've got a Bible, open it up at First Samuel chapter 5, we are going to begin the story at verse 1. After the Philistines had captured the Ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the Ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, their god, who had fallen flat on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. They took Dagon and put him back in his place. The following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold – only his body remained. That is why to this very day, neither the priests of Dagon or any of the others who enter Dagon's temple in Ashdod, step on the threshold. The Lord's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity. He brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumours. When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening they said "The Ark of the God of Israel mustn't stay here with us because His hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and ask them "What are we going to do with this Ark of the God of Israel?" And they answered "Have the Ark of the God of Israel moved to Gath." So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel but after they had moved it, the Lord's hand was against that city, throwing it into great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumours so they sent the Ark of God on to Ekron. As the Ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out "They have brought that Ark of the God of Israel around to kill us and our people." So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said "Send that Ark of the God of Israel away. Let it go back to its own place or it will kill us and our people," for death had filled the city with panic and God's hand was very heavy upon it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumours and the outcry of the city went up to heaven. Do you see? The Philistines looked like they had won and yet they take the presence of God; the Ark of the Covenant, they put it in their temple next to their god and Dagon falls down, face down in front of the God of Israel. And the second time his head and his hands are cut off and then wherever they took the Ark of the Covenant, the impact of God, as a captive in their midst, was devastating – they got tumours, we will see later, there were plagues of mice. They had captured God – in human terms, they had won but you know what they had forgotten, in fact they had never realised it in the first place? God is not subject to people – God is not someone you can capture and stick in your temple. He is not someone you can tame and subdue. Why are we talking about this stuff today? Because you and I, deep down, we try and tame and subdue God – we try and swing Him around to our way of thinking; to meet our needs. We put Him in the temple of our choice; we put Him in the town and the city of our choice. You know what happens when we try to do that? We discover exactly what the Philistines discovered – we discover that God is not someone you can push around. "Well, I'll just take this God and He'll bless me whenever I want Him to." Ok, we can't see Him! Our present circumstances perhaps, appear much more powerful than Him but if we want to have our feet on solid ground, amidst the storms of life, (that's what we have been talking about over these last few weeks) we look at this maelstrom of the storm; the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites – thirty thousand Israelites killed because they didn't honour their God. Who appeared to win? Who should have been, according to our simple human expectations, on solid ground? The Philistines – they won the war. They captured Israel's God but who they captured was the God who created the entire universe – not some idol; not some tin pot little god. They captured God and He wrought destruction upon them because they tried to subdue God. So much so they couldn't wait to get rid of Him. Do you get it? When we try to take God by force – force of argument, force of opinion, force of anything – anything that doesn't recognise Him for who He is – watch out! There are so many people playing "church". There are so many people playing at being Christians; playing at religion, putting God here, putting God there. That's not what it is about. As Dagon found out, the only way you honour God is when you bow down before Him because of who He is – the sovereign God, above every name and every power and every authority in heaven and earth. That's what Hannah discovered; that's what Eli discovered; that's what Israel discovered and that's what the Philistines discovered, the hard way. You can't have God on your own terms. You can only have Him on His terms.   We Don't Want Him Well, the Philistines finally came to their senses. They realised they couldn't have God on their terms. They had a choice – you either accept God on His terms or you get rid of Him. So they decided to send Him back from whence He came. Now, let's have a look at how they did that. We are going to pick this up in First Samuel – grab your Bible – First Samuel chapter 6, beginning at verse 1 – it's a great story. When the Ark of the Lord had been with the Philistines for seven months, they called for the priests and the diviners and they said "What are we going to do with this Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place." They answered "If you return the Ark of the God of Israel, don't send it away empty, but by all means, send a guilt offering to Him then you will be healed and you will know why His hand has not been lifted from you." The Philistines ask "What guilt offering should we send Him?" and they replied "Five gold tumours and five gold rats, according to the number of Philistine rulers because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumours and of the rats that are destroying the country and pay honour to Israel's God. Perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and the Pharaoh did when He treated them harshly, didn't they send the Israelites out so that they could go their way? Now then, get a new cart ready with two cows that have just calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the Ark of the Lord and put it on the cart and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory towards Beth-shemesh then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it doesn't then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us but all this happened just by chance. So they did that – they took two such cows, hitched them to the cart, penned up their calves. They placed the Ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumours. Then the cows went straight up towards Beth-shemesh, keeping on the road, lowing all the way. They didn't turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh It is fascinating stuff! See, these people didn't know God – they got their own pagan spiritual leaders to advise them. Now their system of faith was not one God; that's called mono-theism. No, they believed in many gods; they were poly-theistic. And so they see the God of Israel as just another god on their list who may or may not have power. Now, He clearly does because He has brought all of this destruction on the Philistines. So they devise a test for this God. They get these two milk cows, with their calves. You see there is no way two cows that have just calved are going to leave their calves and these cows have never been yoked. So only God could cause them to go back to Israel, away from their young and that is exactly what ends up happening. They don't turn to the right or the left – they are lowing all the way. They don't want to go but they go and clearly this is an act of God. That's how the Philistines saw it. This is a story about so many people in this world who don't know God. See, they hear about God – it's amazing, God is still speaking. The number of times that I have had a letter or an email that says "You know something – I just happened to flick on the radio or turn to a channel and your programme was on and God spoke to me and changed my life." I'm going to share one of those at the end of this programme – an amazing story of a rebel fighter in Africa who laid down his arms. See, God is still speaking today, all over the place, and He reaches out to us and He ends up in our midst, one way or another, as He did with the Philistines. Remember back, how did the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant, come to be in the midst of the Philistines? The Philistines fought Israel, Israel hadn't honoured their God – they got defeated by the Philistines big time. Eli the priest and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas were killed in that battle. They expected God to show up like He always did, but He didn't. And it was a sovereign act of the sovereign God to allow defeat to come upon Israel and to allow His presence, the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by the Philistines. God's own decision was to be in the midst of the Philistines those seven months. And they discover that you can't have Him on your own terms, so they give Him back – they send Him packing. That's what I did for many, many years of my life. Every now and then I encountered God. And you see I had my own agenda for my life; I had my own plans. God didn't fit so I would send Him packing. And it seemed like He would like to cause me grief and pain; want me to give up things I didn't want to give up. And time and time again I'd want to hang onto Him on my terms. Let me tell you something – it never, never, never worked so I sent Him packing. I rejected Him like the Philistines. I wonder if that has ever happened in your life. Come on, how much do we want God, but on our terms? Well, I believe this about abortion or I believe that about sexuality or I believe this about the different roles of men and women and when I discover what God has to say about those I say to myself "Well, I can't believe that! No, either I have God on my terms or not at all." Come on, there is a reason that God went to the trouble of recording this story about the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant and then preserving it for a few thousand years and then broadcasting it on this radio station today. There is a reason! He is speaking to us through His story today. To all those people who would have God on their own terms, He is saying "No, you can't have Me on your terms. You can't capture Me and stick Me in your temple. You can only have Me on My terms." And as we are going to see soon, this problem was not reserved for the Philistines – it's not just for the people who didn't really know God but it was also for God's own people – God's own people who would push Him away. This series that we are going through is called "On Solid Ground". We need solid ground beneath our feet and we are going to discover next, exactly how to get it.   When Will We Learn? As I said earlier, the problem wasn't just restricted to the Philistines, sending God packing with those cows with the Ark of the Covenant in tow – it was also a problem that happened with the Israelites. Let's see what happened when the Ark of the Covenant arrives back with Israel - First Samuel chapter 6, beginning at verse 19. The Ark has just wandered down the road with the cows and this is what happened: God struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the Ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them and the men of Beth-shemesh asked "Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the Ark go up from here?" Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying "The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord, come down and take it up to your place." So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the Ark of the Lord. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar, the son to guard the Ark of the Lord. See, God is a sovereign God. We get Him on His terms and not ours. And the Israelites dealt casually with God's presence when He came back – they looked upon Him. Now God says "You can't look upon Me and live." How often do we treat the mighty sovereign casually? You and I – we take on God. Can I tell you who is going to win? Not us! Israel was God's people – they should have known better but they didn't. So what was their reaction? The same as the Philistines – "Who can stand in front of this sovereign God. Where are we going to send Him?" They sent God packing and it's a pattern repeated over and over and over again. So what is the answer? What these people needed was some solid ground beneath their feet. What you and I need is some solid ground beneath our feet. Well, that comes next in this story – it's exactly what happened. First Samuel chapter 7, verse 2: It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the Ark remained a Kiriath-jearim and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord and Samuel the prophet, said to the whole house of Israel "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him alone and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. So the Israelites put away their Baals and their Ashtoreths and they served the Lord alone. And then Samuel said "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the Lord for you." When they had assembled at Mizpah they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and they confessed "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel was the leader of Israel at Mizpah. When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them and when the Israelites heard of it they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel "Don't stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." So Samuel took a suckling lamb, offering it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf and the Lord answered him. Whilst Samuel was still sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle but that day the Lord thundered with a loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before Israel. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and he named it Ebenezer, saying "Thus far the Lord has helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. From the towns of Ekron to Gath – that the Philistines had captured from Israel - they were restored to Israel and Israel delivered the neighbouring territory from the power of the Philistines and there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30 says this: I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. See, that's the place of solid ground – Israel finally got it right here! See, before they had had priests who were sleeping around with prostitutes, priests who were dishonouring God, priests who were plundering the sacrifices of the people to God and God said, "You know something? If your leaders are going to be doing that I am not going to bless you." So Israel fights the Philistines and Israel loses. And so the Ark of the Covenant of God goes to the Philistines and there is devastation there because of the presence of God and they send it back to Israel. And there is devastation there because of the presence of God because everyone was trying to have God on their own terms. Here is the place of solid ground: If you want to return to the Lord with all your heart, put away all your foreign gods. And that is God's Word for you and me today. Put away all your foreign gods – all the other things that you put before God – all the other things that you and I worship – put them away and worship God alone. Come to God on His terms, not ours, because He is the sovereign God. He is the God of the whole universe. He is the God – not just one other god amongst many – He is THE God; the only God and He calls us to worship Him and Him alone. So the people did that and right at the moment they did that, the Philistines were going to attack them again, but this time, the moment they began to honour their God – this verse First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30 – came into their experience. I will honour those who honour Me, but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. People – that is the place of solid ground. It is the only place of solid ground. God is a sovereign God. He is not my performing puppy and He is not your performing puppy. He is not there to do tricks on our command. He is above us and we are His people and God is calling us today to accept Him on His terms as the sovereign God – just the way Samuel told the people. Samuel said to them "You have got to accept God on His terms" – they did and immediately, when a storm arose, God blessed His people. And that blessing went on for many, many years and their feet were on solid ground.

What you and I want, is life on our terms. We do - and yet, we can't for the most part have that. And it's the same with God. Before we can take a hold of all His blessings, we have to let go of a whole bunch of other stuff. Join Berni Dymet as he takes a look at life, from a different perspective.Support the show: https://christianityworks.com/channels/adp/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We tend to see the world from where we are. It's only natural. We want everyone and everything else to fit in with us. But God, well, He doesn't quite see it that way.   A Boy Called Sam Last week on the programme we spent some time talking about the fact that when the storms of life hit and they inevitably do, what we need is some solid ground beneath our feet. It's a scary place to be, out on that stormy ocean – we are not made for that. We are made for solid ground. And we began looking at the story of some people: a woman called Hannah and her son Samuel and some priests – Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas. Hannah, now here was a woman who honoured God and He honoured her – the priests, on the other hand, although they should have known better, they didn't honour God. And as we will see on the programme this week, they reaped their just reward. And the reason we are looking at this story of these people, is that when we are in the midst of the storm, as we so often are, we lose our bearings. We so often lose sight of those things that really matter and for me, as I have spent time in that story, it has clarified some things for me – it's brought them into sharp focus and my hunch is that as you and I spend some time together today, well, maybe you will find that too. So let's just recap briefly on this story of Hannah. Hannah married a man called Elkanah and he had two wives: Peninnah and Hannah. And Hannah didn't have children and Peninnah did, so Peninnah would taunt Hannah and there was a lot of pain around that, so Hannah goes to God – she pours out her heart to Him in the temple and she gets God's peace. It is what always happens when we do that. Eli, on the other hand, is the priest that is at the temple at the time when Hannah comes to pour her heart out and he mistakes what Hannah is doing – he thinks she is drunk. And the priest Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas, they are bad dudes – they are plundering the sacrifices, they are not honouring God and there is a real contrast between these two – between Hannah and her family and Eli and his - this nobody Hannah and this priest Eli. See that's what we so often miss in life – God is hidden; He is invisible – we forget about Him – we go on living our lives, wondering why things are going from bad to worse. And in the middle of this story (last week we stumbled across this verse) when God was pronouncing His judgement on Eli and his family – you can read this if you have a Bible, grab it, open it up at First Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. God said: Those who honour Me, I will honour but those who despise Me shall be treated with contempt. And that's kind of the pivot on which this whole story turns and this week on the programme we are going to look at how things turned out for Hannah and for Eli. There was a sharp contrast to their approach to God and there is a sharp contrast in how things turn out for them. It tells us a lot about God; it clarifies the confusion in the midst of our storm when we can't see God, necessarily. When that happens we know how to put our feet on solid ground. Well let's start today with Hannah – this pain of being childless and the taunts of the other wife. Childless couples the world over, know how painful this is. So she goes to God – let's have a look at it again in First Samuel chapter 1, beginning at verse 9 and she pours her heart out. Once they had finished eating and drinking at Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. In the bitterness of her soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord as she made a vow saying "O Lord Almighty, if You will only look upon Your servant's misery and remember me and not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life and no razor will ever be used on his head." Then she went on her way, ate something and her face was no longer downcast. Let's take a look to see what happened next. First Samuel chapter 1, verse 19: Straight after this, early the next morning they rise, they worship before the Lord and then they go back their home in Ramah. Elkanah lay with his wife Hannah and the Lord remembered her so in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named his Samuel, saying "Because I asked the Lord for him." When the man Elkanah went up with his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfil his vow, Hannah didn't go – she said to her husband "After the boy is weaned I will take him up and present him before the Lord and he will live there always." "Do what seems best to you," Elkanah, her husband told her, "Stay here until you have weaned him, only may the Lord make good His Word." So the woman stayed at home, nursed her son until she had weaned him. After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three year old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli and she said to him "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I ask of Him so now I give him to the Lord for his whole life – he will be given over to the Lord and she worshipped the Lord there." See, Hannah had this terrible pain – she came to God with this impossible prayer – it was a humble and heartfelt prayer and God honours that. See we so underestimate the power of humble prayer; prayer from the heart; prayer that just lays it out before God the way we see it and feel it. God honours that! When He honours her with the impossible, she honours God back and gives her son over to God to serve at the temple for the rest of his life. Now that's easy to gloss over that, but can you imagine? I mean, she wanted her son more than anything and now she gives him up to honour God. God honours that – her incredible heart was to honour God, so she does. She honours Him by giving up the one thing that she desired most – her son. And what's more, she gives over her most precious to be under the wicked Eli and his sons. Now figure that out! It's not exactly a great strategic choice – this young, impressionable child, but see, God honours those who honour Him. And God honours her and protects young Samuel, and we will see, raises young Samuel up and makes him strong. See, the more we honour God, the more He honours us. Look at this - First Samuel chapter 3, verse 7: Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And verse 19: The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up and He let none of His Words fall to the ground and all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba recognised that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word. And the word of Samuel came to all of Israel." You see, God honoured her in her storm! Young Samuel went on to become the chief priest, the prophet, the judge of all of Israel. Why? Because this nobody; this woman Hannah, honoured her God, so simply by pouring her heart out to Him, by trusting Him. I want you to notice how insignificant that may have appeared to her at the time. She had this big hairy giant; this huge storm; the pain of being childless, the taunts of Peninnah, it was impossible but for God nothing is impossible. God honours those who honour Him! She honoured God in her naivety – giving young Sam over to Eli. And even there in that impossible situation, God honoured her and He honoured young Sam. So simple – it's so powerful.   The Contrast Continues I guess intuitively, we understand that the things we say and do, the way we think and behave – well, they have consequences. There is a link between cause and effect. We kind of know that but how easy is it to delude ourselves in this area; to make excuse for ourselves? To live out our own selfish desires and pretend that, well, really, that cause and effect stuff applies to other people but not to me! You know what I am talking about. We deny it, we deny it, we deny it and all along the warning signs grow – the storm clouds start to gather over the horizon. But sometimes it's not till that first clap of thunder that we take any notice and then, so often, it's too late. The storm has gathered momentum and all we can do is brace ourselves for when it hits. We are going to spend some time in that space today with a man called Eli because he was in exactly that situation and he left it too late. Let's make no mistake, there is a definite link in God's economy between cause and effect, especially as it turns out, in our relationship with God. We have been working our way, in this series, through the story of Hannah, this woman who honoured God and Eli, the priest, a man with his sons who did the exact opposite – even though he should have known better. And right now I want to look at how things turn out for Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas. These were men who were priests – their job was to be shepherding Israel, bringing them close to their God. Instead Hophni and Phinehas were plundering the sacrifices of God's people, they were sleeping with prostitutes – they were doing anything but honouring God. Look at how God reacts to that. If you have got a Bible, open it at First Samuel chapter 3, verse 1. The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the Word of the Lord was rare. There were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord. Remember Samuel is Hannah's son. He was in the temple where the Ark of God was. Then the Lord called "Samuel" and Samuel answered "Here I am" and he ran in to Eli and said "Here I am, you called me." But Eli said "I didn't call you. God back, lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called "Samuel" and Samuel go up and went to Eli and said "Here I am, you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I didn't call you, go back, lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, the Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel a third time and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said "Here I am, you called me." Then Eli finally realised that the Lord was calling the boy so Eli told Samuel "Go and lie down and if God calls you again, say "Speak Lord for Your servant is listening." So Samuel went and lay down in his place so the Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times "Samuel, Samuel". Then Samuel said "Speak for Your servant is listening." And the Lord said to Samuel "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything that I spoke against his family from beginning to end, for I told him that I would judge his family forever, because of the sin that he knew about. His sons made themselves contemptible and he failed to restrain them, therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, the guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice of offering." Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli of the vision but Eli called him and said "Samuel, my son," Samuel answered, "Here I am." "What was it He said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He told you." So Samuel told Eli everything, hiding nothing from him. And Eli said, "He is the Lord. Let Him do what is good in His eyes." Here's the paradox – Samuel is this young kid, he didn't recognise God's voice and finally Eli did. Yet Samuel is the one that listened to God and Eli didn't, even though he knew God's voice. Remember that verse: First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30. "I honour those who honour Me" says God, "but those who despise Me I will treat with contempt." And here it is – it's happening to Eli. Here is this powerful truth working its way out in Eli's life. We can be beetling along in our own selfish ways, ignoring our conscience, treating people with contempt, treating God with contempt, ignoring God but God never stops speaking. And even someone like Samuel can hear Him. If you want to know what He has to say, just listen. He spoke to Eli over and over again but Eli didn't listen. He talks to us over and over again. How? Maybe you were just flicking around, channel surfing today and you happened across this programme – kind of by chance or by accident, it seemed – there you go. God is always trying to communicate with us; to reach out to us but eventually, enough is enough. Eventually we kindle His anger – eventually the time comes when we reap what we have sown and that's exactly what's happened with Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. And here it is coming: the first lightening strike of the storm and what God tells Samuel actually goes on to happen. You can read it in chapter 4, verses 12 to 22. This is a wakeup call! In the storms in life – yea, they happen – and sometimes they are of our own doing, as it was for Eli and his sons. And we keep going and we keep going and we keep going and deluding ourselves, pretending there is no cause and effect, but there is. Eventually, there is a day of reckoning, here in this life and one day, you and I will stand before God and He will judge us and He will! We may not like the idea, but that doesn't change anything. Today is a wakeup call. Perhaps we are in one of those stormy times of life and you know, when things are going badly we are tempted all the more to behave badly. This truth rings out – "I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt." Those are the words of the sovereign God, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords who is above all things and there is no solid ground beneath the feet of those who turn their backs on God. None! It might feel like that for a while but it will crumble.   Heading Off Without God I have said a few times that I am a confirmed landlubber – give me solid ground beneath my feet any day – I love good old terra firma. You know, what we have seen with Eli is Eli heading off in the wrong direction and you and I have done that too. How do we stop doing that? How do we not go in that place? Because it is so easy for us to head off there, go in the wrong direction, like Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas and plunder sacrifices and do all the wrong stuff that they did, in our own lives and forget that God honours those who honour Him. There is an executive summary of what God thinks about Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. It's in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 17. It says: The sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord for they treated the offerings of the Lord with contempt. And remember the central theme – the pivot on which this whole story turns is in First Samuel 2, verse 30. God says: I will honour those who honour Me and those who despise Me, I will treat with contempt. Now there is a great part to this story; a great adjunct that goes with this story and it's about what happens when Israel just takes God for granted. This bad stuff has been happening among the priesthood and Israel ignores it and just expects God to keep on blessing them. Let's pick it up in First Samuel chapter 4. See, the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines, the Israelites were camped at Ebenezer, the Philistines at Aphek. The Philistines deployed all their forces to meet Israel and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines who killed about four thousand of their men. When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel said "Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let's bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies. So the people sent men to Shiloh, they brought back the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord Almighty, who was enthroned between the cherubim and Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. And when the Ark of the Lord's covenant came into the camp, all of Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. Hearing the uproar, the Philistines ask "What are those Hebrews shouting about? When they learned that the Ark of the Lord had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. "A God has come into their camp" they said "we are in trouble. Nothing like this has ever happen before, woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. Be strong Philistines, be men or you will be subject to the Hebrews as they have been to you – be men and fight." So the Philistines fought and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great. Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers, the Ark of the Covenant of God was captured and Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas died. See, Israel is so used to God being on their side, they just kind of head off, assuming that He was, despite the fact that all this bad stuff was going on. Despite the fact that the two priests Hophni and Phinehas were dishonouring, they were despising God - they were doing what was wrong. They deluded themselves – see, there is a cause and effect. No, no, she'll be right! God is always on my side, He is a good God, and He blesses me. See, we take this mighty God, who created the whole universe and expect Him to become our performing poodle – don't we? He does tricks on our command, He comes along behind us. Their first defeat, they get defeated and they lose three thousand men – what do they do? They go and send for the Covenant of God – "Let's bring God to us, let's make God do what we want Him to do, to protect us against the Philistines." But God is not like that! God is an awesome, mighty, powerful and good God and when we start dishonouring Him let's not expect Him to put our feet on solid ground – let's not expect Him to keep honouring us. He always loves us – He'll always forgive us; He'll always bring us close but on His terms, not ours. We can't sow dishonour in God's direction and expect to receive honour from Him in return. See the humiliation of this story is: they treat God like a performing poodle, by bringing Him to them and in fact the Ark of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines. This was the place of the very presence of God Himself and over the next couple of weeks we will discover that people, when they realised what they actually had, these Philistines, all they wanted to do was to get rid of Him. But that's for another day. Today, the simple message of this story is this: we can't go living out a life of stiff necked rebellion and expect God to toddle along behind us on the leash and bless us on cue. We just can't! God is a powerful and mighty God. You know when you put it that way it's pretty plainly obvious, isn't it? And to tell you the truth, that's my agenda today – to make that plainly obvious. It's blindingly, glimpsingly obvious. Let's all take a big wakeup call here. When a storm hits, do you want solid ground beneath your feet? Do you want to know that God is with you? Do you want that certain knowledge that: well, He is going to bless you, no matter what this world throws at you? Gotta tell you – I sure do! And let me get back to the central point; the central theme that the sovereign God wants to get across to us today through His Word. First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30. God says: I honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. God is a sovereign God. God is the King of Kings. God is the Lord of Lords. We had better stop treating Him as thought He is not. You just can't send for God and expect Him to show up when we have been dishonouring Him. Hophni and Phinehas found that out because just as the man of God had prophesied, they were both killed on that same day. And later on in the story we see Eli actually died on that same day as well. God is slow to anger but God does anger and He can't bless our rebellion because if He does, we'll think "Oh great, I can do anything I want and He'll bless it." But anything that I want is not the place of intimacy between God and me any more than adultery is the place of intimacy between a man and a wife. See just to underscore this point, this wasn't some small defeat by the Philistines, it was the mother of all defeats. How many Israelites were killed? Four thousand and then thirty thousand! That is a lot of people! And the irony of it all is that God's people did not understand the power of their Almighty God but the Philistines did. When the Philistines heard that God was in the camp they were afraid. I want to ram this home today – get right in your face with this: if we head off in our own direction, in our strength, in our own selfish ways – on our own without the blessing and covering of the power of God, we are going to come a cropper. We are not going to have any solid ground – if we do that we will reap what we sow and there is no solid ground in that place. None, only trouble! God honours those who honour Him but those who despise Him will be treated with contempt.

When the storms in life strike, as they inevitably do, it feels as though we're caught in a small boat out on a stormy ocean. At that point, what we really need is some solid ground beneath our feet. And fortunately, God knows that only too well.   Dealt a Cruel Blow You know you can always tell when we are starting a new series – I am excited. I love to get onto a new series in God's Word and that's what we are doing today. We are starting a series called "On Solid Ground" to listen to what God has to say into one of the central dilemmas of our lives and that dilemma is this: dealing with the storms of life. I remember when I was a young boy – I was about four or five years old. My mother and my sister and I sailed in a ship from Australia to Europe. Now that was a four week sail through the Suez Canal and back again. It's a long way and I remember, even to this day, there were some huge storms along the way. I remember they had ropes in the corridors on the ship to hang onto. I have never forgotten those storms and remember, this was a large cruise ship and yet it seemed to get tossed around in those storms. I was sea sick; I was very afraid as a young kid, even though I was on this big cruise liner. I remember going out onto the deck and seeing the huge waves and the winds and the ship was pitching around in this fearsome ocean and for me, there is nothing as frightening as an angry sea and a violent storm – the ground as it were, moving under your feet. For some people life seems to be a constant storm. The ground under their feet is never solid – there is always some fear and some uncertainty and they can never quite figure out why. What is going on – why is my life always like this? Now many of these people believe in God and yet life seems to be one endless storm. What we really want to have is solid ground under our feet. When you are in a storm the question is – how? That's what we are going to be exploring in this series called "On Solid Ground" starting right here and right now. Now if you have a Bible, I'd like you to grab it because we are going to be spending most of our time in the first eight chapters in a Book called First Samuel, in the Old Testament. We are going to discover the truth that we kind of know or we should know and yet it gets lost in the world that we live in. See this is a 'me' centred world where so often we find ourselves going to God asking Him for things for me, for me, for me and little by little, instead of God being God we expect Him to start being like a performing dog – to do tricks on our command. It may seem harsh but you get God the wrong way around and it spells dog. Am I expecting God to start dancing to my tune or am I dancing to His? It's a good question. That's what we are going to be exploring in this story and it begins in the storm. It's a story about a woman called Hannah and it turns out that she is going through some incredibly tough times in her life but she has the Creator/creature relationship the right was up. Open you Bible – let's go to First Samuel – it's the ninth book of the Old Testament. It's kind of just over a third; between a third and a half way in. We are going to start at the first verse of the first chapter of First Samuel. There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah, son of Jeroham the son of Elihu the son of Tohu the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah, the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh where Hophni and Phinehas the two sons of Eli, were the priests of the Lord. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters but to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her and the Lord had closed her womb. And because the Lord had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year – whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord her rival provoked her until she wept and wouldn't eat. Elkanah, her husband would say "Hannah why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you down hearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" Pretty tough! Anybody who has ever gone childless or had someone in their family who has gone childless will know the incredible pain of a couple who would like to have a child and yet they can't conceive. Can you imagine this going on year after year after year and in between these annual trips, as well? And of course, there were two wives – now the Bible doesn't talk about the fact that there were two wives – obviously the author doesn't feel a need to comment – praise God that has gone away. But never the less, poor old Hannah had a pretty tough time – a real storm, year after year, the pain of being childless and she had lots of choices in that space. She could have been angry; she could have lashed out; she could have withdrawn. And her husband is pretty useless; typical male – "What's the matter, why are you crying? You've got me!" So what does Hannah do? Let's look at First Samuel chapter 1, beginning at verse 9: Once they had finished eating and drinking at Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the door post of the Lord's temple. In the bitterness of her soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord and she made a vow saying "O Lord Almighty, if You will only look upon Your servants misery and remember me and don't forget Your servant but give her a son then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life and no razor will ever be used on his head." As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine." "Not so my lord" Hannah replied, "I'm a woman whose deeply troubled. I haven't been drinking wine or beer. I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Don't take your servant for a weak woman – I have been praying here about the great anguish and grief that I have." And Eli answered "Go in peace. May God of Israel grant you what you have asked Him." She said, "May your servant find favour in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something and her face was no longer downcast. Turns out she does have a son, calls him Samuel, gives him over to God as soon as he is weaned and he comes and serves as a priest in this temple under Eli, whom we discover later is one bad dude. He is the priest; he is supposed to be the go between, between God and His people and yet he and his sons have no respect for God. We will look at them later and also we will see Samuel's fate. At the start of the programme I talked about this "me, me, me" thing – always asking God for stuff; kind of turning things the wrong way round, instead of us being made in God's image, we try to remake Him in ours. And yet here is this story – this story that begins in a storm – this story that begins with Hannah in a storm and she is asking God for something. Did you notice she doesn't lash out or whine or complain? She humbles herself before God and asks her sovereign God; pours her heart out to Him. Eli, this scoundrel, with as much spiritual insight as my pet cat, thinks she is drunk and feeds her with platitudes – "May the Lord give you what you ask for." Yet here is a simple woman at the bottom of the heap, pouring her heart out to her God. And notice what it says after she does that, in verse 18 of chapter 1: "Then she went her way and ate something and her face was no longer downcast." See Hannah's feet were on solid ground – even before her prayer is answered – a seemingly impossible prayer. You know what that tells me? She trusted her God – no matter what His answer would be – she trusted Him; she let it go; she stopped worrying and God answered her prayer. I'm not saying "Let's all be like Hannah" – we are clearly not, our storms are different to hers but what we discover in this story is that when we put God in His rightful place – God – He honours that. We are going to have a look at her understanding of her God again next.   Chalk and Cheese What comes next in this story is Hannah's prayer of thanksgiving. She is in this storm; she asks God for the impossible; she has got the taunts of the other wife and she comes to God in a prayer of humility; pouring out her soul and God answers her with a son and she gives that son back to God for the rest of his life. Now listen to what she prays and how she rejoices. We are now at chapter 2 of First Samuel, beginning at verse 1: Then Hannah prayed and said 'My heart rejoices in the Lord, in the Lord my horn is lifted high, my mouth boasts over my enemies for I delight in Your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You. There is no rock like our God. Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance for the Lord is a God who knows and by Him deeds are weighed. The bows of warriors are broken but those who stumble are armed with strength.' And this prayer goes on and on ... read it for yourself in First Samuel chapter 2. And you know what it's all about? The power and the sovereignty of God! It's about a Hannah who went to God with this in her heart – God is above all things. Not this attitude of "Let's reform God in my image. Let's turn Him into a performing poodle." You know how I know that? Because when she poured out her heart to God she offered her son back to Him and she honoured that promise when God delivered her son. There is a challenge there for each one of us about how we go to God – how we see Him – as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords or some puppy dog that performs tricks on our command? Come on! And how can we tell the difference? See, this is a very hard thing to discern sometimes. How can we tell the difference between a right and a wrong attitude towards God? Let's go back to His Word and we will see what a wrong attitude looks like when we look at the priest Eli and his sons. Join me is First Samuel chapter 2 verse 11. Remember Eli was the priest that was at the temple when Hannah went to pray. Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. Now it was the practice of the priests with the people, that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three pronged fork in his hand, he would plunge it into the pan or the kettle or the cauldron or the pot and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the servants of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing "Give the priest some meat to roast – he won't accept boiled meat from you but only raw." If the man said to him "Let the fat be burned up first and then take whatever you want, the servant would answer "No, hand it over now, if you don't I'll take it by force." So this sin of the young men; the young priests was very great in the Lord's sight for they were treating the Lord's offerings with contempt. You see the way we tell the difference about our heart attitude towards God is through how we behave. Hannah could have complained; Hannah could have fought back; Hannah could have acted up badly; she could have lashed out at her husband; she could have grumbled at the other wife and yet, in her pain, who could have blamed her? She could have shaken her fists at God and instead she went to Him with her mission impossible and poured out her heart to God and trusted Him because He is God and then she had peace. He honoured that! Here's an amazing truth – it's one of those pivotal passages in the Bible that tells us a huge amount about why, when we have a wrong heart toward God, things go badly in our lives. Listen to First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30; this is a verse that's worth writing down. God says: For those who honour Me, I will honour. And those who despise Me shall be treated with contempt. And what we read in the remainder of chapter 2 of First Samuel, starting at verse 27, is that God deals with Eli and his two sons and He sends a prophet to Eli and this is what happens. First Samuel chapter 2, verse 27: Now, a man of God came to Eli and said to him "This is what the Lord says" "Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt, under Pharaoh? I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to go up to My alter to burn My incense, to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave your father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites. "So why do you scorn My sacrifice and offering that I prescribed from My dwelling? Why do you honour your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by My people Israel?" Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel declares "I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before Me forever," but now the Lord declares "Far be it from Me; those who honour Me, I will honour but those who despise Me I will disdain. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house so that there will not be an old man in your family and you will see distress in the dwelling and good will be done to Israel. In your family line there will never be an old man. Every one of you that I do not cut off from My alter, will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and grieve you heart and all your descendants will die in the prime of their lives. And what happens to your sons Hophni and Phinehas will be a sign to you - they will both die on the same day. And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will firmly establish his house and he will minister before My anointed one always. Then everyone left in the family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat." The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the Word of the Lord was rare – there were not many visions. There it is – these priests were in a position of power and authority and responsibility and they ... they didn't honour God, in their words and in their deeds, they rejected Him. And God dealt with them. Hannah on the other hand – well, she was like chalk and cheese compared to Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. Hannah was the lowly of the lowly – these priests were on the top of the social religious register but that made no difference to God. "I will honour those who honour Me and those who despise Me shall be treated with contempt." The priests failed! The Word of the Lord was rare – their job was to tell people what the Word of the Lord was and yet, in those days it was rare. You know, if you can't change the people, sometimes you have to change the people and that's exactly what God does here. Ultimately, young Samuel becomes the priest and the prophet of Israel – he is the one that grows in favour and we are going to look at his story next week.   It's About Honour Let me ask you something. Who was on solid ground, Hannah who honoured God or the priests Eli, Hophni and Phinehas who pleased themselves? See, it's so easy to be like Eli, Hophni and Phinehas but it's hard to be like Hannah. You know why? Because we can't really see God – not like we can see the physical reality that we are in – not like we can see our circumstances – not like we can see the storm and feel the fear. All those things seem so much more real than this notion of a God that we can't see – a God that we have to put our faith in instead of being able to touch and hear physically. And so this present reality takes over and God has to fit into our present reality. Absolutely, it is easy to be like Eli, Hophni and Phinehas! It's easy to relegate God to one of the things that has to fit into our present daily agenda. But God is no less real for the fact that we physically can't see Him. He is no less powerful for the fact that we interact with Him in faith. God is God and solid ground is the place that Hannah knew – she stood before God. I once heard someone say that peace is trusting in the sovereignty of God. Hannah had that peace. For that very reason – in the eye of her perfect storm, in that place of taunts and disappointments and hurts that she couldn't even utter when she poured out her heart to God – Hannah discovered God's peace through a simple, simple act of faith. So many times over these recent years for me, when the storms have blown in – so many times and you know, in a sense - each time I feel so inadequate to deal with those storms. Isn't that the point? When we are on that ship in the ocean, doesn't matter how big the ship is; doesn't matter how strong we are, we are nothing compared to those storms. People come against you – circumstances, finances, things that really hurt, things of real fear, horrible things that people do – and we feel so inadequate just going and praying about them, well, "What good is that?" But you know what that prayer of faith is? That prayer of anguish and pouring out our hearts before the Lord, like Hannah did, it's honouring Him as the sovereign God. It's saying "God I may be smaller than this storm but this storm is nothing more than a pin prick for You. You are above all things, above all powers, above all dominions and circumstances and storms." And listen again to God's Word. First Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. God says: I will honour those who honour Me and those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. Who had solid ground under their feet – Hannah or Eli, Hophni and Phinehas? Now next week we are going to see how God's contempt was poured out on Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. Remember that prophesy from the man of God, saying to Eli, "Your two sons Hophni and Phinehas are going to die on the same day as a sign to you that there will never be another old man in your line." We are going to see that happen next week and we are also going to see how God's honour was carried forth for Hannah through Samuel her son. We haven't talked a whole lot about him today but this Book is named after him – First Samuel. We will see that next week on the programme. God blesses Samuel – God sets him up as the priest and the prophet and the judge over the whole of the nation of Israel. This nobody woman, this Hannah, who couldn't have a son, honours her God and God takes that and changes the course of history. God's blessing to Hannah flowed on, down the generations through her son. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: when I look at my life, when you look at your life, do we look like Hannah or Eli? Because that's how I figure out whether I'm someone who honours God as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, as the sovereign of all things. Is this the God I go to, to pour my heart out to? Or do I steal His stuff? Is He the God I rejoice in when He answers me or the God who I try to kind of fit into my schedule when I can be bothered? That God who I manipulate and massage and mould into whatever I want Him to be. Make no mistake – God takes His honour and His glory very, very seriously. He gives them away to no man and to no woman. And as we will find out in the lives of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, it's a matter of life and death.

Having a narcissistic mother is a unique kind of pain. Diagnosed narcissist Lee Hammock breaks down why toxic mothers compete with their children and why they can never truly apologize. Learn to spot the "Guilt Leash" and how to break free from the "Honor Thy Mother" trap without losing your mind. It's time to stop being an extension of her and start being yourself. Build your foundation and get back on Solid Ground.Connect with Lee:My Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://courses.mentalhealness.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 1-on-1 Coaching Calls: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.me/mentalhealness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All My Link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beacons.page/mentalhealness ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram/TikTok: @mentalhealnesssIf this episode helped you gain clarity, please leave a 5-star review on Spotify! It helps others find the validation they need to heal.

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The "Hoover" is the most dangerous part of the narcissistic cycle. Diagnosed narcissist Lee Hammock and 5 survivors break down the exact tactics used to suck them back into their toxic relationships. From fake health scares to "accidental" texts, learn the logic behind why they won't let you go. Trust the data, ignore the hoover, and reclaim your reality. Get back on Solid Ground and learn to stay No Contact for good.Connect with Lee:My Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://courses.mentalhealness.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 1-on-1 Coaching Calls: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.me/mentalhealness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠All My Link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beacons.page/mentalhealness ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram/TikTok: @mentalhealnesssIf this episode helped you gain clarity, please leave a 5-star review on Spotify! It helps others find the validation they need to heal.

Hope you enjoy this free episode of our Club program, Creation Nuggets. In 2026, every Club episode released on a Thursday will be free for all listeners.A muddy mess helps Piper see that God's boundaries keep His creation safe and thriving.

4-26-26 |

The era of curiosity is over. Retailers are finding that moving from a flashy demo to a trusted, scalable production environment is much harder than a slide deck makes it look. In this episode, op Retail Expert & AI Leader, Charisma Glassman sits down with Mark Abramowitz, CMO of Dataiku, to discuss how leaders can hit their performance targets before the 2026 budget reckoning. WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: - The Regret Gap: Why 74% of CIOs are second-guessing their AI platforms and how to pivot before budgets are frozen. - The Success Formula: Moving beyond "AI Chaos" by focusing on the three pillars: People, Orchestration, and Governance. - Agentic Reality: How organizations like SoftBank and Roche are saving hundreds of thousands of hours by operationalizing AI on day one. - Vibe Coding and Creativity: Why accessible AI is turning non-technical leaders into creators and why that is the ultimate competitive advantage. Stop managing the hype. Start building for business impact.

Text me a message!Today's Episode comes to you from Kingston New York where we visit with Bryn and Wes of Solid Ground Farm. They are growing on over a dozen acres, with 4 tunnels of mixed veg for their CSA. We start of the episode with a tour of their wash/pack, cooler, CSA Space and growing areas before pulling up a chair in the kitchen to learn what motivates them to be a produce grower and how they are building the business to meet their families needs and how they can be an asset to the community. Support the showVisit the website to see photos/videos from the visit: https://thefarmersshare.comFollow the show on Facebook and Instagram: @thefarmersshareSubscribe to the YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thefarmersshare

In this insightful episode, we sit down with Leslie Elliott Boyce, an independent coach and consultant with a background in clinical mental health counseling, to explore how the counseling profession has evolved—and how graduate education has played a central role in shaping it. Leslie, co-founder of Solid Ground and host of The Radical Center, brings a thoughtful and balanced perspective to the conversation, examining how training programs, academic frameworks, and institutional cultures influence the way therapists are taught to think, practice, and engage with clients. In this episode, we explore: How graduate schools shape the counseling profession The role of ideological bias in education and psychology What emerging therapists are (and aren't) being prepared for Why intellectual diversity and open dialogue matter in training clinicians How we can move toward a more balanced, grounded future in mental health care This episode is for clinicians, students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the systems behind therapy—and how they impact both practitioners and the people they serve.  

Rev. Lee Wolak shares a powerful spiritual talk on self-love, self-worth, self-trust, and building your life on a solid inner foundation. Discover how to stop seeking approval, trust your inner wisdom, and stand strong through life's challenges. A bold message on personal power, spiritual growth, confidence, and inner stability.  Sign up for my daily thought and weekly newsletter by clicking this link: https://www.agapespiritualcenter.com/free-affirmations If you find value in what Agape offers spiritually, emotionally, and in community, consider becoming a supporting member. Your recurring contribution helps us continue to share truth, healing, and transformation with the world. Click here to become a supporter: https://www.agapespiritualcenter.com/recurring-contributions/

For more than 25 years, For the People has been a partner and supporter of Connecticut's Northeast Organic Farming Association chapter and in this Special Report we mark the next chapter in that relationship bringing our microphone to the floor of their 44th Winter Conference held recently at Wesleyan University. We'll talk a lot about sustaining and growing the number of farms and farmers here in our state, and how various organizations are doing just that. So sit back and hear all about Reboot Eco, Solid Ground, CT Veteran Grown, The CT Farm Energy Program, The New Connecticut Farmer Alliance, Land For Good, the UConn Extension, the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, and of course the executive Director at CT NOFA will join us as well!

Welcome to the March 2026 Monthly Vibe Energy Forecast with Janet Namaste.

This eclipse window sits inside another 1 year in numerology—just like 2017, when I packed my life with new beginnings. It was exciting and full… and when I look back, I can also see that the foundation I built was scattered.   In this episode of the Luminary Life Podcast, I share how this 1 year feels different: less about starting “all the things,” and more about laying a truer foundation for the next nine-year cycle.   We explore: - what this 1-year energy + eclipse season are highlighting now - the shift from scattered starts to solid ground - cultivating trust in your enoughness (you're not starting from zero) - reorienting to the wisdom of your nervous system and giving yourself real recovery time - letting eclipses illuminate the patterns and emotional weight you're ready to release   If you're feeling both unsettled and quietly expanded, like something's ready to change but you don't want to repeat old patterns, this episode is for you.   If this resonates, please like, subscribe, and share with someone who's also rethinking their foundation in this new cycle. Learn more about the Sanctuary Circle Here: https://loriaandrus.com/sanctuary/ Shop Journey Jewels jewelry Here: https://journeyjewels.com   #LuminaryLifePodcast #EclipseSeason #Numerology1Year #NewCycle #SolidFoundation #CrystalWisdom #NervousSystemCare #SanctuaryCircle

251 - Ben Brandt In episode 251 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine, host, James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist Ben Brandt. In their conversation Ben tells us about his 1962 ES 335 and his recent move to Nashville from Pennsylvania after commuting for a few years. Ben discusses his previous band “Soul Miners Union” and working with guitarist Josh Smith. Ben talks us about his new album “Solid Ground” which will be released March 20th, that was produced by J.D. Simo who also plays on the album. Ben describes learning guitar from his father early on and playing in bands starting at age 10 and moving to drums and bass before returning to guitar. Ben takes us through his gear amps pedals and guitars both on the new album and his live rig. Ben describes his plans for touring in the summer and fall and his love of guitar shows. To find out more about Ben you can go to his website: benjbrandt.com Please subscribe, like, comment, share and review this podcast! #VintageGuitarMagazine #BenBrandt #JoshSmith #JDSimo #SoulMinersUnion #SolidGround #Nashville #ElderlyInstruments #GibsonGuitar #JamesPatrickRegan #theDeadlies #DRZamps#haveguitarwilltravelpodcast #HGWT #tourlife https://www.patreon.com/cw/HaveGuitarWillTravelPodcast Please like, comment, and share this podcast! Download Link

In this episode, Scott and I explore what it means to lead with authenticity, stand firmly on truth, cultivate the right relationships, and resist the isolation that so often creeps into ministry leadership. Quotes for Notes:“…as the Church, we've got to stand on (that) truth, if we don't there is nothing for them go back to. There is no solid ground for them if we are not standing on Jesus for them and with them.”“I found out that as you get around other people that are doing things that you don't feel like are even are possible… it changes your reality, it changes the way you think, it changes the way you see things.”“Whatever you do in ministry, even if you can do it alone, don't.”

In this episode of Raising Kids on Your Knees, we're talking about what it means to pray on solid ground—the posture of prayer that aligns your heart with God's will and strengthens your spiritual authority as a parent. If you've ever wondered why your prayers feel powerless or how to pray more effectively for your children, this episode will give you five practical, biblical postures that transform the way you pray.You'll learn how surrender, trust, the Holy Spirit's guidance, personal spiritual health, and intercession work together to position you for powerful, effective prayer. These principles will help you model a vibrant prayer life for your children and equip them to walk confidently with Jesus.Whether you're navigating spiritual warfare, wanting to deepen your prayer life, or looking for simple ways to disciple your kids, this episode will encourage and equip you.Plus, don't forget—your weekly prayer sheet and free daily devotions are waiting for you when you join the Raising Kids on Your Knees Prayer Tribe.Keywords: Christian parenting, spiritual parenting, prayer for children, how to pray, spiritual warfare, Holy Spirit, Christian moms, raising godly kids, family discipleship, biblical parenting, effective prayer, Christian podcast for momsJoin the Prayer Tribe https://mailchi.mp/24bba9787d3e/raisingkidsonyourknees Listen to Legacy - A Mom Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/7gUlB9MmhN1cTJT3RqYt2o?si=2797cf3cb21543d5Flying Arrow Productions

Audio reading: Exodus 21:20-22:4, Mark 6:30-56, Psalm 40:1-10, Prov 10:11-12Join us on an exciting adventure as we walkthrough the entire bible in one year! This one-year Audio Bible podcast invites you to listen to the Bible daily, spending just 20 minutes a day walking through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  In this episode of our 1 Year Audio bible podcast,we look at how Jesus puts our feet on solid ground.  Whether you're looking to deepen your relationship with Jesus or stay consistent in your daily listening Bible devotions,this podcast offers insightful reflections and an engaging walk through the Bible.Visit us at: 1YearAudioBiblePodcast.com

Today's guest on The Feminine Frequency is Bryn Roshong. She lives on her family's farm in Lomontville with her husband, Wes Hannah, and two kids.  She has spent the last 15 years working in and up against the food system as a farmer, farmer policy advocate, and in industrial-scale food manufacturing.  She is co-owner with Wes of Solid Ground Farm, a four-season diversified organic veggie farm in Marbletown, stewarding 25 acres and employing 6 full-time farm staff.  At the farm, she serves in roles outside the fields, supporting the farm's bookkeeping, mission, and communications.  Since 2021, after eight years working in operations at a former food processing facility called The Farm Bridge, Bryn has been working with a great team at Community Food Works, building community-focused food processing infrastructure in Kingston to strengthen the local agricultural economy and make local food accessible to as many community members as possible.  She enjoys hanging out with her family at home and in the woods, and volunteering with a few local organizations: the Kingston farmers market board, Marbletown's Community Preservation Advisory Board, advisory committee for Growing Homes, and political advocacy working group of the HV Young Farmers Coalition.We get to hear about how Bryn (and Wes) went from labor organizing to farm working to running their own farm supported by a team of dedicated farmers. We learn about the work Bryn has done and is doing to create a more self sustaining food system in the Hudson Valley which includes a deeper understanding of how food banks and food pantries work. I had no idea! Bryn is also well versed in the inherent racism in the farming industry and sheds light on how the Federal Government's efforts to reverse DEI has impacted beneficial food programs that were bringing more equality to farming and food access. How does she do it all while also being a mom to two young children? She's starting to find ways to receive help despite the personal challenges and perspectives that created the "I can and must do it all" attitude. Who else can relate??? (We do.) More on that, but for now, we hope you enjoy our conversation with Bryn.You can learn more about the Farm and their CSA program here.Here's your New Moon Solar Eclipse astrology. Happy Year of the Fire Horse!Today's show was engineered by Ian Seda from Radiokingston.org.Our show music is from Shana Falana!Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.org** Please: SUBSCRIBE to the pod and leave a REVIEW wherever you are listening, it helps other users FIND IThttp://iwantwhatshehas.org/podcastITUNES | SPOTIFYITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-want-what-she-has/id1451648361?mt=2SPOTIFY:https://open.spotify.com/show/77pmJwS2q9vTywz7Uhiyff?si=G2eYCjLjT3KltgdfA6XXCAFollow:INSTAGRAM * https://www.instagram.com/iwantwhatshehaspodcast/FACEBOOK * https://www.facebook.com/iwantwhatshehaspodcast

Ward Black     During his career, Ward has worked in multiple sales, procurement, research, and business intelligence roles for private companies, Fortune 500 corporations, and public institutions. Ward holds a BSA and MS in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Georgia Green Industry Association […]

Russ Meyer loved women. Women with big boobs, big curves, and big personalities. His entire career was all about putting his fetishes on screen in nudie cuties, dramas, crime films, mondo movies, sex comedies, and any other sort of exploitation film he could get away with, often all in the same film! This month Lee's built a big playlist of selections from his peak years, which stretched from the early 1960s through to the late 1970s. --The Escaped Prisoner from "Lorna" (1964) --Hal Hopper --Lorna from "Lorna" (1964) --Hal Hopper & Bob Grabeau --Whiskey Mash from "Mudhoney" (1965) --André Brummer --Mysterioso Minor & The Snatch from "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (1965) --Bert Shefter, Paul Sawtell & Igo Kantor --Faster, Pussycat! from "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (1965) --The Bostweeds --The Three Weirdos & You'll do Alright Anywhere from "Motorpsycho" (1965) --Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter --The Delight of Men, It's Only a Dance, Underwatersports, and Crazy Horse from "Mondo Topless" (1966) --The Aladdins --May-September-Romance from "Good Morning... and Goodbye" (1967) --William Loose, Igor Kantor --Finders Keepers Song and The Topless Bar from "Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers" (1968) --Stu Phillips, William Loose & Marvin Elling --Theme from Vixen!, Vixen Gets Excited, O'Bannion's Theme, Canadian Romp, and Back on Solid Ground from "Vixen!" (1968) --William Loose --The Toys of Our Time from "Cherry... & Harry & Raquel" (1969) --The Jacks and Balls! --Cherry's Theme, Harry's Theme and Raquel Theme from "Cherry... & Harry & Raquel" (1969) --William Loose --Beyond the Valley of the Dolls from "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"(1970) --The Sandpipers, Stu Phillips & Bob Stone --Find It, Sweet Talkin' Candyman, and In the Long Run from "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970) --Lynn Carey, Barbara Robison & Stu Phillips --Angel on the Phone & Mr. Dynamite from "Supervixens" (1975) --William Tasker --The Greek Chorus & Coming Home/Homer and Pocahontas from "Up!" (1976) --William Loose --On the Move & Lola Langusta from "Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens" (1979) --William Loose & Paul Ruhland Opening and closing music: Notre côté B from "Gina" by Michel Pagliaro, and Bubble Gum Girl from "Gas-s-s-s" by Johnny & The Tornados.

My guest today is Russell Napier, an independent financial market strategist, financial historian, author of The Solid Ground investment report, and founder of the charitable venture The Library of Mistakes. In today's episode, Russell explains why investors are asking the wrong questions at a critical turning point in financial history. He how financial repression, shifting monetary regimes, and political priorities are reshaping capital markets. To close, he explains the dangers of yield chasing, why technology won't defeat inflation, and why gold may be signaling what comes next. (0:00) Starts (3:14) Regime change & parallels to post-World War II Europe (8:06) The search for yield is dangerous (17:38) The disconnect between GDP growth and equity returns (23:14) The impact of inflation & deflation on equity valuations (25:56) Technology doesn't defeat inflation (30:20) Monetary system changes, gold prices, and American exceptionalism (37:50) Extrapolation is the opiate of the people (48:26) Book recommendations ----- Follow Meb on X, LinkedIn and YouTube For detailed show notes, click here To learn more about our funds and follow us, subscribe to our mailing list or visit us at cambriainvestments.com ----- Follow The Idea Farm: X | LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok ----- Interested in sponsoring the show? Email us at Feedback@TheMebFaberShow.com ----- Past guests include Ed Thorp, Richard Thaler, Jeremy Grantham, Joel Greenblatt, Campbell Harvey, Ivy Zelman, Kathryn Kaminski, Jason Calacanis, Whitney Baker, Aswath Damodaran, Howard Marks, Tom Barton, and many more.  ----- Meb's invested in some awesome startups that have passed along discounts to our listeners. Check them out here!  ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This work is not about resignation. It is about presence.Deconstructing faith brings losses that go far beyond belief changes. In this episode, we explore the grief of losing certainty, community, roles, and a sense of belonging, and how these losses live not just in our thoughts, but in our bodies.This conversation names faith deconstruction as embodied and identity grief, and invites listeners to move beyond intellectualizing toward restoring trust in their bodies, values, and authentic voice.Faith may change, expand, or rest. This is not failure. It is a refusal to live on illusion, and an invitation to rebuild from what is real.Links + Resources from this episode:Read the first chapter of Restorative Grief on AmazonLearn more about coachingBecome a Patron!

What if the key to steady leadership in a chaotic world is staying rooted in who you are—and whose you are? In this episode of Leadership on the Rocks, Bethany Rees sits down with Liz Cobo for a powerful conversation about grounding both life and leadership in faith. Together, they explore what it looks like to build on the unshakable foundation of Jesus and to live as the same person at work, at home, and everywhere in between. You'll hear practical encouragement around: Building leadership on faith, not circumstances Integrating your identity instead of compartmentalizing it Leading with peace, conviction, and integrity in every space If you're tired of feeling split between who you are professionally and who you are personally, this episode will help you realign your compass and start the year on solid ground.

Value: After Hours is a podcast about value investing, Fintwit, and all things finance and investment by investors Tobias Carlisle, and Jake Taylor. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soldier of Fortune: Warren Buffett, Sun Tzu and the Ancient Art of Risk-Taking⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)We are live every Tuesday at 1.30pm E / 10.30am P.See our latest episodes at https://acquirersmultiple.com/podcastAbout Jake Jake's Twitter: https://twitter.com/farnamjake1Jake's book: The Rebel Allocator https://amzn.to/2sgip3lABOUT THE PODCASTHi, I'm Tobias Carlisle. I launched The Acquirers Podcast to discuss the process of finding undervalued stocks, deep value investing, hedge funds, activism, buyouts, and special situations.We uncover the tactics and strategies for finding good investments, managing risk, dealing with bad luck, and maximizing success.SEE LATEST EPISODEShttps://acquirersmultiple.com/podcast/SEE OUR FREE DEEP VALUE STOCK SCREENER https://acquirersmultiple.com/screener/FOLLOW TOBIASWebsite: https://acquirersmultiple.com/Firm: https://acquirersfunds.com/ Twitter: ttps://twitter.com/GreenbackdLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobycarlisleFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/tobiascarlisleInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tobias_carlisleABOUT TOBIAS CARLISLETobias Carlisle is the founder of The Acquirer's Multiple®, and Acquirers Funds®. He is best known as the author of the #1 new release in Amazon's Business and Finance The Acquirer's Multiple: How the Billionaire Contrarians of Deep Value Beat the Market, the Amazon best-sellers Deep Value: Why Activists Investors and Other Contrarians Battle for Control of Losing Corporations (2014) (https://amzn.to/2VwvAGF), Quantitative Value: A Practitioner's Guide to Automating Intelligent Investment and Eliminating Behavioral Errors (2012) (https://amzn.to/2SDDxrN), and Concentrated Investing: Strategies of the World's Greatest Concentrated Value Investors (2016) (https://amzn.to/2SEEjVn). He has extensive experience in investment management, business valuation, public company corporate governance, and corporate law.Prior to founding the forerunner to Acquirers Funds in 2010, Tobias was an analyst at an activist hedge fund, general counsel of a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, and a corporate advisory lawyer. As a lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions he has advised on transactions across a variety of industries in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Australia, Singapore, Bermuda, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Guam. He is a graduate of the University of Queensland in Australia with degrees in Law (2001) and Business (Management) (1999).

Tommy and Tara Holstein didn't just build an outdoor living company. They built a partnership that works, in business and in life.In this conversation, we explore what it really looks like to grow a company together, navigate roles, communicate effectively, and evolve a business model with intention.What this episode covers: • Running a company with your spouse • Building high-end outdoor living spaces • Defining roles and staying in your strengths • Hiring, culture, and leadership inside a trades business • How marketing, systems, and AI changed their trajectory • Why trust, communication, and clarity matter more than anythingIf you're scaling a company or considering a major pivot, this episode will help you see the road ahead with more confidence.Connect with Solid Ground:Solid Ground Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SolidGroundStLSolid Ground Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solidgroundstl/Solid Ground Website: https://solidgroundstl.com/Solid Ground YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58ZmLmw-6geM6ENOC-WsKQConnect with Tara and Tommy:Tara's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taraholstein/Tommy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-holstein-79606379/Connect with Builders of AuthorityWebsite: https://buildauthority.comFREE Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/7685392924809322BOA Mastermind: https://buildauthority.co/order-form-mastermindGoHighLevel Extended 30-day Free Trial w/TONS of Personal Branding Bonuses: http://gohighlevel.com/adammcchesney

In today's episode, Teri welcomes author Ian Fee to discuss his book Wild Ride to Sobriety—a raw, honest, and hopeful look at what it really means to take responsibility for your healing. Together, they dive into: Ian's "wild ride" years and the moment he knew something needed to change The turning point where responsibility stopped feeling like blame and started feeling like liberation Why recovery isn't linear and the stages Ian now recognizes in hindsight How identity shifts happen over time (and why early sobriety often feels like a personality remodel) The brain science of change, including prediction error, rewards pathways, and rebuilding self-trust Why loving your sober life is not an accident—and the habits, community, and mindset that help Show Notes Here

Frank Holland and the Investment Committee discuss whether the rally is on solid ground with some signs of AI exhaustion and under the surface weakness dragging down stocks today. Plus, the desk debates whether Palantir's valuation is justified. And later, Josh Brown spotlights gold miners in his "Best Stocks in the Market." Investment Committee Disclosures Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Glad City Scripture: Psalm 46 Preacher: Rev. David Inks   Sermon Outline: Introduction The Earth Quakes The City is Unmovable Get Your Feet on Solid Ground! Conclusion   Sermon Video: https://youtu.be/COypQTabqvo   Scripture Reading: Psalm 46 (King James Version) 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore […] The post The Glad City appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

Send us a textWrestling with Pilate's old question—“What is truth?” In a world of hot takes and endless scrolling, Jess and longtime friend Tracy unpack how to discern real, objective truth, build a life on it, and live it out with courage and peace.DiscoverWhy truth must exist outside of us (John 14:6)How modern culture tempts us to chase what our “itching ears” want (2 Tim. 4:3)Practical ways to hear God in the noise and guard your heartWhat standing firm looks like in parenting, the workplace, and friendshipsHow to anchor your life so shifting trends don't shake your soulReflectWhere am I letting feelings or popularity outrank Scripture?What boundaries help me hear God's whisper this week?Who's my “truth-telling friend” that can lovingly challenge me?TakeawayTruth isn't a vibe; Truth is a Person (Jesus). When you anchor to Him, you gain a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7) and the courage to stand—like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—even when lines get blurred.Next stepsSubscribe for weekly motivationShare this with someone who's asking, “What's true anymore?”Join us this weekend at Westside: westsidecommunitychurch.comScripture references: John 14:6; 2 Timothy 4:3; 2 Timothy 1:7; Isaiah 55:8–9; Daniel 3

A van selling coffee and sandwiches from an office car park doesn't sound like anything special, but there's one in Swindon helping to keep young offenders out of custody. It's part of an approach being deployed across the country trying to prevent young people from reoffending by encouraging a shift in their identity. The idea is to get to know the young offender, figure out what makes them tick. And then, instead of locking them up, find ways of getting them involved in whatever interests them. Selling tea and coffee from the burger van is where those with a culinary eye can learn new skills and start to feel valued for being part of legitimate endeavours. Similar interventions include social enterprises working in bicycle maintenance, hair and beauty and podcasting. As the adult prison population has soared in England and Wales, the number of under-18s behind bars has dropped markedly in the past 20 years, from around 3000 to 400. File on 4 Investigates spends time with the Youth Justice Service in Swindon to find out how it rehabilitates young offenders in the local community, and asks if the success of the youth system could hold lessons to address chronic overcrowding problems in adult prisons. Chris Marston, who presents shows on National Prison Radio and spent 10 months in prison discovers that what's going on in Swindon is very different from his own experiences of the adult criminal justice system.Reporter: Chris Marston Producer: Beth McLeod Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Nick HollandMain Image: Presenter Chris Marston in front of the Solid Ground coffee van in Swindon.

In this episode, host Shaesta Waiz speaks with Dr. Kimberly Perkins—787 airline pilot, research scientist at the University of Washington, and fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society—about the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion in aviation and why it matters for safety, innovation, and the next generation. Kimberly shares how DEI was often treated as a branding campaign rather than systemic change, why psychological safety is inseparable from operational safety, and how silence in the cockpit or boardroom leads to risk. She explains why inclusion should be embedded into pilot training as a required competency, why emotional intelligence belongs alongside technical skill, and how leaders can shift from “I-frame” individual fixes to “S-frame” system solutions. They discuss how DEI rollbacks reveal which organizations were truly committed, why allyship must extend to all—including men in positions of power—and the fatigue marginalized groups feel carrying the burden of proof. Kimberly closes with practical “micro-allyship” actions and advice for young women in aviation: don't conform or gaslight, strive to be an ally, and use small, consistent acts of inclusion to reshape the system itself. Chapter Breakdown 00:00 | Opening Reflections on DEI Rollbacks 01:34 | Season Seven Recap & Why This Conversation 04:44 | Introducing Dr. Kimberly Perkins 06:08 | Was DEI Ever on Solid Ground? 09:20 | Safety, Innovation, and Silencing Voices 12:41 | Psychological Safety in Aviation Teams 14:21 | From I-Frame to S-Frame: Systemic Solutions 17:33 | Allyship, Fatigue, and the Burden of Proof 21:21 | Message to Young Women Entering Aviation 24:26 | Micro-Allyship Toolkit: Small Acts, Big Change 27:15 | Rollbacks, Military Aviation, and Funding Gaps 30:46 | Final Thoughts and Call to Collective Action Follow Dr. Kimberly Perkins Website: www.kimberly-perkins.com LinkedIn: ⁠⁠Kimberly Perkins⁠⁠ Follow Shaesta Waiz Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ shaestawaiz.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shaesta Waiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @shaesta.waiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @shaestawaiz⁠⁠⁠ Shaesta Waiz on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: YouTube (Aviate Platform)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Production, Distribution, and Marketing By Massif Studio & Production & The Tallawah Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website:⁠⁠⁠www.massifsp.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Massif Studio & Production⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.TallawahWorldwide.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Tallawah Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@MassifKroo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8-24-25 | Our Christian faith is not built on blind hopes and fleeting experiences. Our faith is built on Solid Ground, on the Firm Foundation that is Jesus Christ. In today's message, we are looking at the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

8-17-25 | Our Christian faith is not built on blind hopes and fleeting experiences. Our faith is built on Solid Ground, on the Firm Foundation that is Jesus Christ. In today's message, we are looking at the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

When Paul speaks of 'my gospel' is not a gospel he has crafted for himself, but one he has received from God, relied upon for himself, and proclaimed in obedience. This is the gospel which he preached to the Romans and others, and he puts it in all its context and connections: Christ as its prime preacher, its hidden beauty, its plain revelation, its great scope, its mighty authority, and its saving purpose. By this gospel, the God of heaven is pleased to establish a people, lifting them up and holding them up in Christ, safe and secure in a shifting and passing world.

In this episode of Insomnia Insight, Coach Daniel shares an insightful email from Jen, reflecting on her journey with insomnia. Jen discusses her progress, educational tools, and how she's dealing with recurring challenges. Daniel covers key topics such as lifetime recovery, the truce with insomnia, and caring again. He explains how understanding and normalizing these experiences can lead to a more peaceful relationship with sleep. If you're new here and like what you've seen so far, you'll want to download our FREE 'Off-to-Dreamland' e-booklet. Simply head over to https://www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click the link at the tippy top.  Happy reading! — If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options.  Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.  The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well. BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.  The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now. — Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs! Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen  https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen  https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ — Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that's incredibly nice of you

Stay tuned into your spirit with Radio Medium as celebrated Psychic Medium Laura Lee shares a touching compilation of the best caller connections—featuring heartfelt messages of love, healing, and guidance from the spirit realm. As we take a short seasonal break, enjoy this special episode that captures the most soul-stirring moments from our show. These spiritual readings serve as a timeless reminder that our departed loved ones remain close—offering protection, comfort, and divine support during life's most vulnerable transitions.✨ Don't miss this emotional journey that highlights the enduring bond between worlds, inspiring unity, hope, and spiritual renewal until our new season returns soon!

In this week's episode, Dennis Jernigan shares the story behind his song,  “Amazed” from the recording, Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1." That mp3 is available at https://www.dennisjernigan.com/store/product.php?c=24&p=2353 The lyrics can be found below. You can join Dennis and the people of All In All Church for live-stream worship on the first Wednesday evening of each month. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/therealdennisjernigan at 7 PM CST. Mark it in your calendar. Worship with All in All Church - First Wednesday of each month. Daily Devotions for Kingdom Seekers, Vol. 3 is available at https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Kingdom-Seekers-Vol-ebook/dp/B081K8TZLX Check out my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/DennisJernigan and read through the various tiers of support and discover the myriad of benefits you will receive based on the level of support you choose. If you're willing, go ahead and sign up! You will find the show notes and lyrics below: Hello and welcome to another episode of The Dennis Jernigan Podcast. I'm your host, Dennis Jernigan, and I am so grateful you have joined me for this week's podcast. I'll try to get right to the heart of the matter today. The story behind this song is amazing to me. You'll find out why shortly.  We live in a day and age when amazing things are taking place on a daily basis. Everyday citizens, if they have the time and money, can literally fly into outer space. A person's identity, their image, and their voice and mannerisms can be manipulated in such a way as to make them appear to say and do things they would never do. Even though it gives me chills, this ability of AI, called deep fake, is kind of amazing. And speaking of AI, entire books are being written using artificial intelligence and new uses for AI are seemingly popping up every single day. And I think it is amazing that we live in a world where everyone is connected via the internet and smartphones to such a degree that we can talk with and see anyone we would like to communicate with instantly. The world is indeed amazing. The word ‘amazing' literally means ‘causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing; startlingly impressive.' That is a good thing to experience, yet even good things can be viewed through the filter of the lies of the enemy. Here's an example of what I mean taken from my now life experiences: For far too many years I allowed the lies of the enemy to define me and dictate to me what was amazing. I could see the way others treated me as amazing in a very perverted way. What I mean by that is this: I thought that someone mocking me or physically harming me meant that at least someone was acknowledging me, even if they were insulting me and belittling me. I longed to be known and to know others and that expectation of being put down by others at least made me feel acknowledged. That, my friends, is the depth of depravity my mind had fallen to which is, well, astonishingly sad. That all changed the day I was overwhelmed with the Truth that Jesus Christ had died for me. I was instantly set free from my past but had to walk out the wonderful but difficult journey toward wholeness. In fact, I'm still on that journey. I invite you to join me for today's brief leg of that adventure as I share the story behind my song, “Amazed”. Way back in 2010, I embarked on an adventure that lasted 40 days but continues to affect my life to this day. From May 3 through June 11 I went on a 40 day fast. I needed to reboot my system because I had just gone through a series of traumatic events that left me gutted. The Lord called me to a fast and led me to meditate daily on Psalm 40 and Isaiah 40. He spoke to my heart and told me He would give me a song each day of the fast and that I was to record it that same day. Since then, I put together 4 ten song volumes where you can find all 40 songs. The first ten songs are on the collection called Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1. This week's episode is the story behind the song “Amazed” which came to me on May 8, 2010 which was day 5 of that fast. When the Lord sent me on this fasting journey, He led me to focus and meditate on Psalm 40 and Isaiah 40 each day. He led me to write a song each day and then record it that very same day. What you are hearing is the original version of each song on the day I actually wrote it. On day 5, He led me to meditate specifically on Psalm 40:3a which says, “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God…” As I began to ponder on what this part of the verse meant to me, I felt led to begin just simply praising God for Who He is. It became very apparent that I was meant to live every area of my life as a conduit of praise to Him. In that moment, I was instantly filled with a sense of wonder and a  very keen awareness that the God of the universe, my Creator, was in the room with me in a very tangible way…and that was amazing! As I began to praise God, I truly was astonished at his presence with me. In that same moment, although I didn't literally see him, I felt the weight of his presence upon my soul. What I was experiencing was the very glory of God in my heart and mind. And that was truly amazing. As I set my mind free to focus on the presence of God there with me, I felt completely surprised at the depth of love He has for me. I stood back in wonder as I thought about the depth of my depravity as opposed to His depth of mercy toward me. I deserved death and hell, but He had mercy on me as demonstrated in Romans 5:8 in the NIV which says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” I a so amazed at the mercy of God. I just am… Even more astonishingly impressive and astonishing was the way He led me to repentance - and continues to do so. He did not belittle me or mock me or reject me as I had experienced as a boy and as a young man. It was His great kindness that led me to repent of my stinkin' thinkin'…and most impressive and astonishing of all? The realization that He has been lovingly pursing me my entire life; That I was the joy set before Him that drove Him to willingly lay down His life on the cross; That His love could reach as far as I could fall, yet that same love would not leave me in the rock bottom depravity my mind had gotten to. If I let my mind go to think about the nature and character of God, I think about things he has created; the beauty of nature; the precision of the universe; the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and it's effect on my life; the fact that when I think about Jesus and fix my eyes on him that I find myself completely transfixed with a childlike wonder at just how amazing our God is…and I cannot help but praise Him. SONG In Luke 9:37-43 in the NIV, we find Jesus coming down from the mountain after His transfiguration. Here's what is says:  37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. 40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not." 41 "You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." 42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. The recording of this podcast took place some 15 years after that initial 40 day fast and I still continue to find God's grace…His restorative grace…Completely and utterly amazing as I did all those in years ago. And it is my belief that we are living in a very amazing time in history, but that this amazing time in history is far overshadowed by the astonishing, incredible, massive and amazing love of Jesus Christ surrounding us at all times, through any circumstances. Let's live our lives like we believe that. We really do have an amazing God! Thank you for tuning in to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast! For more about my journey, music, and updates, visit dennisjernigan.com. Stay connected by following me on Facebook, Instagram, and enjoy my music on various streaming platforms. If you'd like to support the podcast's creation, consider joining my team at www.patreon.com/dennisjernigan. If you're looking for the mp3 of the song “Amazed" from the album "Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1," head over to the store at dennisjernigan.com or find it on your favorite streaming service. Remember this from today's episode: the constant, unwavering, massive love of God is where we must choose to abide and wait on Him. He is a sure Foundation. He is Solid Ground in a shaken and fallen world. Just keep your eyes fixed on Him and keep your feet firmly planted on the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ. Now, go forth and embrace the truth of who your heavenly Father says you are. Dennis Jernigan Forty Days and Forty Nights
Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy V1 Vol. I – Song Five – Day Five He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God… Psalm 40:3a NASB   Amazed Words & Music by Dennis Jernigan Received on May 8, 2010 Psalm 40:3 ©2010 Shepherd's Heart Music, Inc./Dennis Jernigan   Verse One I will praise You in all my ways I will praise You. I stand amazed Amazed at Your presence. Amazed at Your glory Amazed at the power of all the love You have for me Amazed at Your mercy. Amazed at Your kindness Amazed at the length you went to rescue to find us   Chorus And I stand amazed. I give You praise and glory And I stand amazed, can't take my gaze off You And I stand amazed and let Your grace restore me And I stand amazed as I praise you   Verse Two I will praise You in all my ways I will praise You. I stand amazed Amazed at Your presence. Amazed at Your glory Amazed at the power of all the love You have for me Amazed at Your mercy. Amazed at Your kindness Amazed at the length you went to rescue to find us Chorus And I stand amazed. I give You praise and glory And I stand amazed, can't take my gaze off You And I stand amazed and let Your grace restore me And I stand amazed as I praise you Chorus And I stand amazed. I give You praise and glory And I stand amazed, can't take my gaze off You And I stand amazed and let Your grace restore me And I stand amazed as I praise you   • 7804 W. Fern Mountain Rd. Muskogee, OK 74401
•www.dennisjernigan.com•1-800-877-0406
Administered by PraiseCharts.com  

In this week's episode, Dennis Jernigan shares the story behind his song,  “Rock of My Life” from the recording, Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1." That mp3 is available at https://www.dennisjernigan.com/store/product.php?c=24&p=2353 The lyrics can be found below. You can join Dennis and the people of All In All Church for live-stream worship on the first Wednesday evening of each month. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/therealdennisjernigan at 7 PM CST. Mark it in your calendar. Worship with All in All Church - First Wednesday of each month. Daily Devotions for Kingdom Seekers, Vol. 3 is available at https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Kingdom-Seekers-Vol-ebook/dp/B081K8TZLX Check out my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/DennisJernigan and read through the various tiers of support and discover the myriad of benefits you will receive based on the level of support you choose. If you're willing, go ahead and sign up! You will find the show notes and lyrics below: Hello and welcome to another episode of The Dennis Jernigan Podcast. I'm your host, Dennis Jernigan, and I am so grateful you have joined me for this week's podcast. I'll get right to the heart of the matter today. For far too many years I allowed the lies of the enemy to define me. That all changed the day I was overwhelmed with the Truth that Jesus Christ had died for me. I was instantly set free from my past but had to walk out the wonderful but difficult journey toward wholeness. In fact, I'm still on that journey. I invite you to join me for today's brief leg of that adventure as I share the story behind my song, “Rock of My Life”. Way back in 2010, I embarked on an adventure that lasted 40 days but continues to affect my life to this day. From May 3 through June 11 I went on a 40 day fast. I needed to reboot my system because I had just gone through a series of traumatic events that left me gutted. The Lord called me to a fast and led me to meditate daily on Psalm 40 and Isaiah 40. He spoke to my heart and told me He would give me a song each day of the fast and that I was to record it that same day. Since then, I put together 4 ten song volumes where you can find all 40 songs. The first ten songs are on the collection called Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1. This week's episode is the story behind the song “Rock of My Life” which came to me on May 6, 2010 which was day 4 of that fast. As soon as I began the fast, I felt God's presence and love for me and my spiritual hunger for more of Him began to surpass my physical hunger. But what the Lord began to reveal to me was often not always pleasant or easy to hear. He revealed to me that I still believed certain lies about my identity; He showed me that I still battled thoughts of being unlovable and of feeling rejected; He pulled back the curtain of my heart and I saw that I still struggled with doubts and that I often reverted to a victim mentality. It felt like I was suddenly on shaky ground. On May 6, 2010, I meditated on Psalm 40:2b which says, “And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” To say I was consumed with what that meant to my soul is an understatement. The sinking sand I had been mired in suddenly began to be replaced by the Solid Rock of my faith in the ever-present presence of my Savior, Jesus Christ. As I poured out my heart to him in honest confession, anxious thoughts began to fall by the wayside; fear began to melt away from the fire of God's massive love for me; doubt was eradicated; I stepped into an even greater awareness of who I am and of whose I am; as I declared the truth of God's word over my own soul, I suddenly found myself firmly planted on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. From that vantage point, I recognized that I had set my eyes on Dennis - on myself - and we always know how that goes. I saw that in my pride there was no room for Jesus, but as I humbled myself and fixed my eyes on Him, even the most hurtful traumas of my life began to go through a whole new phase of healing. Let's take a few minutes and listen to the song and, as we do, let us fix our eyes away from ourselves and onto the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Are you ready? SONG As I have said in the past few episodes, these songs have taken on a whole new meaning for me since my diagnosis of Parkinson's in 2019. But the truth of the matter is that I have discovered the rock solid foundation of faith in Jesus Christ is even more solid and more steadfast than I could ever could have imagined experiencing in this life. Jesus is indeed a steadfast rock…the Rock of My Salvation…and will continue to be so until the day I die - and far beyond. The bottom line? I am not a victim. I am a victor because of the victorious work of Jesus on the cross and because of His victory over sin, death, and the grave. I am full of resurrection power…and so are you, my fellow new creations in Christ. Thank you for tuning in to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast! For more about my journey, music, and updates, visit dennisjernigan.com. Stay connected by following me on Facebook, Instagram, and enjoy my music on various streaming platforms. If you'd like to support the podcast's creation, consider joining my team at www.patreon.com/dennisjernigan. If you're looking for the mp3 of the song “Rock of My Life" from the album "Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1," head over to the store at dennisjernigan.com or find it on your favorite streaming service. Remember this from today's episode: the constant, unwavering, massive love of God is where we must choose to abide and wait on Him. He is a sure Foundation. He is Solid Ground in a shaken and fallen world. Just keep your eyes fixed on Him and keep your feet firmly planted on the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ. Now, go forth and embrace the truth of who your heavenly Father says you are.       Vol. I – Song Four – Day Four Psalm 40:2b NASB   Rock of My Life Words & Music by Dennis Jernigan
Received on May 6, 2010 
Verse One One day happy, next day alone Greatest sorrow I've ever known Then I cried out to You And You set my feet upon a rock   One day hopeful, next day in pain Fears consume me, falling like rain Then I cried out to You And You set my feet upon a rock   Chorus You are the rock and the hope of my life You are the air that I breathe to survive You are my hope, You are the rock of my life   You are my rock and the hope of my life You are my joy with an endless supply You are my hope, You are the rock of my life              Verse two One day standing, next day I'm down I get so lost but I want to be found So I cry out to you and you set my feet upon a rock   One day soaring, next day in shame In my own strength, I go down in flames So I cry out to you, and you set my feet upon a rock Chorus You are the rock and the hope of my life You are the air that I breathe to survive You are my hope, You are the rock of my life   You are my rock and the hope of my life You are my joy with an endless supply You are my hope, You are the rock of my life              
©2010 Shepherd's Heart Music, Inc./Dennis Jernigan
• 7804 W. Fern Mountain Rd. Muskogee, OK 74401
•www.dennisjernigan.com•1-800-877-0406
Administered by PraiseCharts.com

When everything feels risky, uncertain, or just plain overwhelming, the answer isn't to do more—it's to do less. In this episode, Carl shares a simple, surprising way to find solid ground when life feels like it's spinning. It starts with one square inch. And it might be enough to change everything.

Today's youth are facing a crisis of confidence that comes from years of being pat on the head and told that the true purpose of life is to find happiness for happiness' sake — character, hard work, goal-setting, achievement and living God's will be danged. Blame it on the participation trophy types. They were the ones who told kids self-esteem has nothing to do with achieving based on work and creativity and drive. Now America's younger generations are floundering a bit in the work force, expecting things they haven't earned and feeling like failures — and quitting — when they don't get what they expect. Successful businessman and “Solid Ground” author Tom Lewis tells how to get youth back on the track of godly and productive living, and in turn, all of America.