Podcasts about sunni muslims

It's Monday, June 1st, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Egypt grants legal status to 191 church buildings The Egyptian government released an order the week of May 18th granting legal status to 191 church buildings that previously lacked official recognition, reports International Christian Concern. In total, 3,804 churches and related buildings have been approved since the creation of a committee to review churches in 2016, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.  Thousands of churches and associated buildings have been built in recent decades. Still, the northeast African country of Egypt maintains a system for approving Christian places of worship that is separate from — and more difficult than — that for Sunni Muslim places of worship. According to Open Doors, Egypt is the 42nd most oppressive country worldwide for Christians. Pope Leo meets with pro-abort, pro-sex perversion Chicago mayor On May 28th, Pope Leo XIV met in a private audience with radical Chicago Democratic mayor Brandon Johnson, during which they reportedly discussed ICE raids in the city, slavery reparations, and the Iran war, but not key moral issues such as abortion and the homosexual transgender agenda, both of which Mayor Johnson supports, reports LifeSiteNews.com. The mayor has a radically pro-abortion and pro-sexual perversion record, previously pledging to offer free Abortion Kill Pills and to prosecute pro-life sidewalk counselors. And, in 2024, the mayor commemorated “National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.” At the time, Chicago Mayor Johnson said, “We commend the bravery and resilience of abortion providers and look forward to continuing to support their efforts to ensure that reproductive rights are upheld and respected. Together, we can resist attempts to roll back the progress we have made, ensuring Chicago remains a sanctuary for choice.” Notice, he failed to mention that the choice the mother makes is the choice to murder her innocent pre-born baby boy or baby girl. In God's conversation with the prophet Jeremiah, He said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5) Supreme Court Justice Amy Barrett targeted in attempted swatting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the target of an apparent “swatting” attempt after an unknown caller falsely reported gunfire at her Virginia residence, reports The Christian Post. On May 27th, Fairfax County police said that a caller contacted the department's nonemergency line claiming to have heard shots fired at Barrett's home. Officers quickly coordinated with Supreme Court Police assigned to the residence and determined the report was false. Texas Governor Abbott blasted Democrat James Talarico Appearing on Fox News Channel, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott blasted James Talarico, the Democrat Senatorial candidate, who will face off in the general election against Republican Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate this fall. Listen. ABBOTT: “Talarico himself said he has a record that he's going to run on. Let me tell you quickly about that record, about votes that he cast, not crazy things that he said. But he cast votes that support [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] in our public schools, support defunding our law enforcement, supports boys in girls' sports, supports transition surgery for minors, supports a state income tax in the state of Texas, supports open border policies. “So, the votes he's cast set a record for how challenging he would be for any average Texan. You know, oftentimes you hear President Trump talk about a 90/10 issue, where 90% of the people are lined up on one side, 10% on the other side. Talarico's votes are on the 10% side.” How a small-town Arkansas man got God on America's money And finally, Matthew Rothert Sr., a Presbyterian furniture manufacturer and avid coin collector born in 1904, was at church in Chicago on June 21, 1953, when he believed the Holy Spirit impressed upon him the idea that the phrase "In God We Trust" should be featured on American banknotes as it did on coins, according to his daughter, Alice Rothert Nelson, reports The Christian Post. She said, "The collection plate was going around, and he felt God tell him that the coins had 'In God We Trust,' but it was the bills that went all around the world. And he believed he should get 'In God We Trust' on the bills of the paper money, and so that started the campaign." By way of background, "In God We Trust" was first engraved on U.S. coins during the Civil War, after Mark Richards Watkinson, a Baptist minister from Pennsylvania, petitioned then-Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase at the end of 1861 to promote "the recognition of the Almighty God in some form in our coins" amid the fading illusion of a short, relatively bloodless conflict. Pastor Watkinson told Chase, "You are probably a Christian. What if our Republic were now shattered beyond recognition? Would not the antiquaries, [those who study history], in succeeding centuries, rightly reason, from our part, we were a heathen nation?" He saw the increasingly brutal, intractable war as a divine chastening that could destroy the country. Expressing hope that honoring God in such a public way "would relieve us from the [disgrace] of heathenism." Watkinson noted, "This would place us openly under the divine protection we have personally claimed. From my heart, I have felt our national shame in disowning God." Salmon Chase and James Pollock, a Presbyterian minister then serving as director of the U.S. Mint, agreed with Watkinson, ultimately leading Congress to pass a law in April 1864 allowing "In God We Trust" on the one- and two-cent pieces. Pollock said, “We claim to be a Christian nation—why should we not vindicate our character by honoring the God of Nations. Our national coinage should do this. Its legends and devices should declare our trust in God—in Him who is "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." AUDIO FROM DIVINE HYMNS: “King of kings and Lord of lords. Glory Hallelujah. King of kings and Lord of lords. Glory Hallelujah.” Revelation 19:16 says, “On [Christ's] robe and on His thigh, He has this name written: 'King of kings and Lord of lords.'” The U.S. Congress passed another law in March 1865 to place the words on all gold and silver coins, which was the last act President Abraham Lincoln signed before his assassination. Nearly a century later, the motto gained renewed attention when the United States found itself embattled again during the global tensions of the Cold War. Seeing its simple declaration of faith as a necessary contrast to the atheist communism that animated the Soviet Union, Matthew Rothert followed Watkinson's example. He gave speeches, rallied support, and fired off many letters to officials, including President Dwight Eisenhower and Treasury Secretary George Humphrey, urging them to add the phrase to paper money. In a 1987 interview, Matthew Rothert, at the age of 83, said, "The Lord seemed to tell me to do this. He put the idea so strongly in my mind that I worked on it until I accomplished my goal. I realized the circulation of American coins was limited to the boundaries of the country, while U.S. paper money circulated worldwide. It looked like Americans were saying they trusted in God only a few cents' worth!" In an unusually swift and bipartisan action, the bill was on President Eisenhower's desk by July 11, 1955. Changing the master dies and printing plates at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to include "In God We Trust" would typically have been too cost-prohibitive, but, providentially, they were already set to be replaced that year to accommodate a new printing process. And now you know the rest of the story! Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, June 1st, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Antoun Issa grew up quietly aware of a profound grief in his mother's eyes. As an adult, after living and working in the Middle East, he finally knew how to ask her about surviving the Lebanese Civil War.Antoun is a journalist who grew up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, after his parents had escaped the civil war in Lebanon in the 1970s.Growing up in Craigieburn as the baby of the family, Antoun was particularly close with his mother.He was always conscious of a deep sadness in his mother's eyes, but was wary of asking her too many questions.As an adult, Antoun went to live and work in Lebanon.There, in the Middle East, where he worked as a journalist, Antoun saw firsthand what happens when the trajectory of human life is interrupted by conflict and violence.Upon returning home to Australia, he was finally ready to ask his mother about the source of her quiet and enduring grief, and what came out of her was a remarkable story of true love, true loss and resilience.Upon returning home to Australia, he was finally ready to ask his mother about the source of her quiet and enduring grief, and what came out of her was a remarkable story of true love, true loss and resilience.REBIRTH: A Love Story from the Depths of War is published by Hachette.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Eliza Kirsch.It explores the Middle East, War, Conflict, Beiruit, Israel, PLO, Palestine, United States, civil war, conflict, refugees, religious conflict, Lebanese Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Mountains, Maronite Christians, politics and religion, proxy wars, Iran, Iraq, Arab-Isreali, Saudi, Cold War, Arab Cold War, Taif Agreement, political power, relationship, origin story, writing, books, memoir, novel, survival, death, violence, sliding doors.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

What does it really mean to lead without power but still make an impact? I had the chance to speak with Prince Gharios el Chemor, whose life blends royal history, humanitarian work, and a deep commitment to compassion and critical thinking. From his family's legacy in the Middle East to his upbringing in Brazil, Gharios shares how identity, purpose, and service shaped his path. As our conversation unfolds, you will hear how sovereignty today is less about ruling and more about responsibility. We explore education reform, the dangers of social division, and why compassion and critical thinking matter more than ever. Gharios also introduces his vision for the future through Logos One, a new education model designed to help people live with purpose. I believe you will find this episode both thought provoking and inspiring as you consider what it means to truly live with an Unstoppable Mindset. Highlights: 00:01:15 – Hear why titles mean nothing without purpose and service00:08:26 – Learn how identity and adversity shape a global perspective00:24:43 – Understand what sovereignty means in today's world beyond power00:36:43 – Discover how small acts of service can deeply impact lives00:43:31 – Learn why compassion and critical thinking are missing today01:02:04 – Understand what it truly means to live with an unstoppable mindset Bottom of Form About the Guest: HRH Prince Gharios El Chemor of Ghassan is a diplomat, author, artist, and leader recognized internationally as the heir of the Ghassanid Dynasty, the Christian Arab royal house that once ruled much of the Levant. He's a multi-awarded humanitarian on four continents for his work in cultural preservation and minority rights. He played a central role in restoring the House's historical continuity and securing its recognition under international law, including The special consultative status at the United Nations. He was knighted under the authority of the late Pope Francis, holds the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, multiple Congressional honors, and has been welcomed by heads of state, religious leaders, and academic institutions across four continents for his advocacy on behalf of persecuted Christian communities in the Middle East. Beyond diplomacy, Prince Gharios is an award-winning best-selling author of thirty-seven books spanning philosophy, international law, spirituality, governance systems, and martial arts. In 2014, he published the peer-reviewed Middle East: The Secret History, a groundbreaking work that earned him the 21st International Cultural Award Trentino–Abruzzo–Alto Adige (awarded by the Italian government) in the History category. Seven of his works reached number one on Amazon's bestseller list.   Since several of his titles achieved #1 across multiple categories, this actually represents thirteen #1 Best-Seller achievements overall.   His intellectual work includes the development of Skeptical Mysticism, the Law of the Triple Accord, and Neo-Holism, a framework that integrates reason, compassion, and systemic balance to address political and social crises. His works — including The Sovereign Perspective, Essentia, Sapientia, and Unitas — propose an integrated understanding of consciousness, ethics, and identity, bridging ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary science. Trained in acting and filmmaking, as well as holding a master certification in Aikido from the Aikikai Foundation in Japan, Prince Gharios embodies a rare synthesis of scholarship and lived experience. His humanitarian initiatives have provided food, education, and stability to thousands of displaced families throughout the Middle East. Whether in academic forums, interfaith dialogues, or grassroots relief missions, his message remains consistent: the future of humanity depends on restoring proportion, dignity, and truth — both within individuals and the societies they shape. Ways to connect with Prince Gharios: Website: www.PrinceGharios.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gharioselchemor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialprincegharios/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theroyalherald/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrhprincegharios X: https://www.x.com/princegharios?lang=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialprincegharios Documentaries: The Christian Kings of the Middle East https://youtu.be/Xt5NBNGa0q8 The Royal Legacy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUAS2rq8Bt0&t=150s The Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TFkZk3qd3c&t=416s About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:04 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe Welcome to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. I'm your host. Michael hingson, speaker, author and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head on and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear, together, we focus on mindset resilience and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Greetings everyone and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. It is fall in Victorville, California, and I guess in the whole northern hemisphere for that matter. So here we are once again, and we're going to have, I think, an interesting and a fun and a very thought provoking episode today, we get to chat with someone whom I never thought I would meet, but I got to meet him on LinkedIn, and then we've met in person, and now we're chatting. And he is a Prince, Prince Gharios el Chemor Chemor. And garrios lives in Los Angeles now, and that's an interesting story in of itself. He has written 37 books more than I've written, I can tell you. And he is involved with a lot of different kinds of activities, and I'm sure that he's going to talk about a lot of those and give us some interesting things to think about. So I'm just going to say, Gharios, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here. Unless you want me to call you Prince, I'm either, either way. Prince Gharios el Chemor  02:04 Oh, thank you so much. It's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. And I always say that the only person I demand to call me your highness is my wife. But every time I do, she laughs on my face, so I'm thinking about stopping it. Yeah, and what does she call you? She called me Gary. I became Gary. Michael Hingson  02:23 You became Gary? Prince Gharios el Chemor  02:24 Yeah, because my wife is American, so well. Michael Hingson  02:28 But do you call her princess? No, no, oh, okay, you can Prince Gharios el Chemor  02:34 call me any way you want. I'm like, I'm not special, yeah, and I, you know, as I always like to say, you know, a title in a 21st Century from a deposed dynasty is absolutely useless as a as a person of honor, unless you know, you have, like a work like we do, like my family kept this tradition because we have a humanitarian work with the UN we can talk more about that later. But as I always say, princes are not making even street names these days anymore, so I still have to pay for Netflix like everybody else, Michael Hingson  03:18 yeah, but I'll bet you think of your wife as a princess, whether you call her that or not, because, Speaker 1  03:22 oh, she's, she's a queen. She's not Michael Hingson  03:25 even a prince. There you go. See now we're talking Yeah, as it should be. Well, yeah. So I let's start with this whole issue of a deposed dynasty, and little bit about, maybe your background, where you came from, and all that, and we'll go from there, sure. Prince Gharios el Chemor  03:47 Well, there's a, there's a some people are a little bit, you know, as, as Voltaire used to say, Napoleon, also, Churchill, History is written by the victors. So especially in the United States, people don't are not very aware of world history. So is people don't understand how some things work. And even in the Middle East, whereby my family originated. I'm European, from my mother's side, and I have a little like 3% Jewish. I'm British, French, Italian, and in from my father's side, I'm Christian, Arab, from where today is Lebanon. You're a Michael Hingson  04:40 conglomerate all over the place, Prince Gharios el Chemor  04:43 yeah, so I have all the all the conflicts, all the colonizers, the people that are colonized, all within an only person. I'm the, I'm the living un so, but I. Even in the Middle East, you know, because since we are like a Christian family, a Christian dynasty, even that history was, you know, political propaganda. So you're not going to promote your your enemies. So since the Muslim regimes took over our lands through history, so the story they tell is a very limited history. So in a lot of history books, people think that our rule ended in the seventh century. So people say, Well, how come you are claiming a kingdom that ended 14 centuries ago? And I always say, well, first and foremost, we rule other realms after that, even our cousins ruled until 1921, so the like 100 years ago in what today is hail in Saudi Arabia, is called Jabal shumar, Jabal shmor, which is our last name. So they were our Muslim cousins, because some part of the family was forced to convert and but and the family that escaped and went where today is Lebanon kept being Christian, which is my direct family, and the Christian branch rule until 1747, to the 18th century. So it's not like 14 centuries ago. But even if that was the case, according to international law, we have a president, which is Israel. So Israel revived a state that, you know, they didn't hold sovereignty for over 2000 years. So our claim, even if we considered the last kingdom, we have a whole kingdom, because we rule principalities up to that. We rule the Byzantine Empire too, but that was very briefly, but we had like principalities or Sheik dooms, as we call the very same politically, political unit as you have the UAE, as you have Bahrain, as you have Qatar, Kuwait. So is a is as sovereign as an empire, but is a small principality, so that those are the kinds of realms we ruled after we lost the main kingdom in the seventh century, but we we rule, as I said, my direct, direct family into the 18th century, and my cousins until 1921 so yeah, so it's A our claim. Theoretically, if you consider Israel legitimate, you have to consider our claim legitimate, although we don't actively pursue any kind of political restoration or active, you know, restoration of a territory, kingdom, or anything. On the contrary, we support all the duly established governments, the euro and de facto, because we think that there's a lot of people there wanting power, and we don't want to be another force to try to fight for power or anything like that. On the contrary, we want to help to bring balance. We want to serve. We want to help to bring, you know, a stability and dignity to the people we're not interested in political movements or topple any governments or anything like that, although I've been offered many, many times, and thank God, I'm not at all seduced by power, because I it's something that is an illusion, in my opinion. Michael Hingson  09:08 So the family has certainly been spread out. Where were you born? Prince Gharios el Chemor  09:14 Well, I was born and raised in Brazil, because we have, still some family members were able to stay in Lebanon, but there was a huge famine and persecution after my family lost the principality in scarta ze way, which is in the northern Lebanon, My great great great great, great grandfather was assassinated, and then his son had to flee and like, adopt different last names for their children, because the it's funny, because it could be a great movie, because the Sultan, Ottoman Sultan was a hunchback, so it was a perfect. Villain, so the hunchback Sultan wanted to kill all the members of my family, so they were able to hide for some time, but then, when the first war, already in the end of the 18th century, 19th century, it was a great don't know if I can use the word genocide, but it was a genocide of Christians because the Druze, they ally with the Ottomans and to destroy the Christians. And so started this movement in the mid 1800s until the culmination of the First World War, and then my family members and many Lebanese not just my family members, went to Brazil because Brazil is still the largest Catholic country in the world. So today you have in Brazil twice the number of Lebanese people. Then you have in Lebanon. You have around 4 million in Lebanon. You have over 8 million Lebanese in Brazil. And I made fun when I first met the Lebanese president, we had the first audience in 2017 I we just had a Lebanese descendant president in Brazil. So I said, Well, you know, the our Lebanese president has like, twice the number of Lebanese people than than here. So Isn't that ironic and funny? What did he say? No, he was laughing. He said, Yeah, you know. And it was funny because he was actually, his name was Michelle Temer. It was from Lebanese descent. And you have today, I think the Minister of Economy in Brazil is Haddad, which is also Lebanese. Yeah. So everyone has an uncle, a cousin, even in my family, we have a very funny situation, because half of the family of my cousins stayed in Lebanon, and the other half went to Brazil. So you had two brothers from the same father that one doesn't speak Arabic or French and the other doesn't speak Portuguese. So they used to visit each other with their kids and using like cell phones and other things because they they were like brothers and couldn't communicate, because one was born and raised in Brazil, and the other, and still today, like My Arabic is a joke and my cousins make fun of me, so we talk in English, because My Arabic is the Arabic of the 19th century. And again, my grandfather never used the word Lebanon, because there was no Lebanon when he left. Lebanon was created in 1946 so I think it's very interesting when a lot of people say about Palestine, oh, there's no Palestine. There was never a state called Palestine. Well, there's never a state called Lebanon, another state called Syria, and every state called Iraq, another state, any of the states that we have today, the Middle East, they're all created after the first war. So they're all creations by the British and the French. And also, a lot of people don't know that. Michael Hingson  13:34 So what was it like for you growing up? Because however you view it, you have a very rich family and rich ancestry. So what was it like for you growing up? Prince Gharios el Chemor  13:47 Well, it was very interesting because I I had a Lebanese grandmother and I had an Italian grandmother, so that's why I became fat. Thank God now I'm I lost weight, but yeah, I it was funny, because I inherited gout, so I was very sick with gout when I was, like, 27 years old, and I had to take cortisone. And I always tell the story, because I used to go to my Italian grandmother, she looked at me and say, My god, you're so fat. You're so terribly fat. You have to do something about that. But not today. Now eat so. So she was like, you know, I could always start I should always start a diet the next day that I visited her, because when I visited her, I had to eat. So that's how that's that how the dynamic works. But I had a very normal, let's say, upper middle class for. Upbringing, yeah, upbringing. But the thing is, because my father, when my grandfather, arrived in Brazil with his parents, he had, they had nothing. They had they escaped. They had to sell the marble from the palace. We had to bribe the Ottoman soldiers so they were able to escape. So they had, like they grabbed some jewelry and something. So they started from zero in Brazil, but then my grandfather in many Lebanese families started selling things door to door, and they made a fortune. My grandfather made a huge fortune. He had like medication distribution. He represented many laboratories for southern Brazil. And then he had real estate. He became very rich, and my father and my father was born, my grandfather was already very rich, so he had like a playboy upbringing, different than me. And then my father never worked one day in his life. So when I came, my family said, Well, let's not repeat the same mistake that, you know, we made with him. So let's, you know, ration things with him. So I started, well, I started working because I wanted but I started working, working it with 13 years old, and I always I cannot not work because I have a we talk about that I have a cognitive difference than regular people, what People call romantically gifted, which is a very is not as romantic and beautiful as people think is like, is like OCD or something like that, and hyper sensibility and stuff. So I always, I cannot not study something. I cannot not work. So is an obsession that I have. So that's why I wrote so many books. I've done so many things. Michael Hingson  17:24 So what was your job? What kind of work did you do? At 13 Prince Gharios el Chemor  17:29 I worked in a video store, like, like Blockbuster, but was like a small one, because I watched all the movies. So people love to see me recommending the movies and Yeah, and so I always work like, I was like, 1516 I was the marketing director of a magazine, so I was always like, precautious, let's Say, and yeah. So my life was always very normal. I was always blessed. Thank God. I never had any need like I I had. I suffered a lot. I was bullied and I had a because I was different. So people, you know, they because of the way I talked in school, and I was probably the worst soccer player that have ever lived. And so in Brazil, that's the thing. So I was highly bullied. I and but other than that, and of course, because I'm an empath, so, but I never had any, let's say, need of food or anything like that, like I always had a very blessed life. Michael Hingson  19:06 So you went to school in Israel and so on. Did you do college there? Or what did you do for college? Or did you in Brazil? Prince Gharios el Chemor  19:13 Well, I studied two things in Brazil. I studied in a Franciscan school, the regular school, and then for high school, there is a special course in Brazil which is the equivalent of the university for theater, like Dramatic Arts. So I've done that. And then for college, I've done a course that's called Marketing and PR. So I have this two, this two trainings, one in dramatic arts and the other one in a corporate PR. Actually, my course even taught propaganda. So we studied a lot of how states work with Prop. Ghana and things like that, Michael Hingson  20:03 two significantly different departments of study. How did you how did you combine those? Or, how did you justify having two different things, art and marketing, that's pretty different? Prince Gharios el Chemor  20:18 Well, not to me, because I always worked a lot with media. So I'm also a filmmaker and professional actor, a SAG actor. So I'm sag here, and I'm in Brazil. It's called sated. Is the sag equivalent there? I directed a lot of even some commercials and some shows. So to me, that's very they intersect and and I have this artistic side of me that is very obsessive too. So I always have to be painting. I always have to be singing and doing something creative, because that's, that's who I am. And some people don't understand, but people that actually I'm not again, I'm not claiming i i have any special talent or anything like that. I think there are people that think better than me, people that sing better than me, but people that have this, let's say, gift, they, they have a need of putting out their work is not, oh, I skewed to paint or skewed to sing or no, this is the need that you have to manifest this energy that you have inside of you. So I give you an example when when I had had the first flare of gout was because my first wife said that I could no longer paint because of the smell of the oil paint. So I stopped painting. And then I was like, full time, the time, the full free time I had I was exercising and I was swimming, I was I wasn't my the prime, healthy body I could ever had. I had that time, and then I start feeling this small pain, and I it became, what's the what's the term I psychologically, I don't remember now the term, but it became a disease because of I could not channel that energy, psychosomatic, exactly so, because I could not channel that energy for painting. Then I got the gout. Michael Hingson  23:06 So how long was it before you could go back to painting? Prince Gharios el Chemor  23:11 Well, then I discovered that I could. I created a technique that I can make the acrylic paint look as almost as good as the oil and and with significant less smell and mess. So I've been painting with acrylic since then. Michael Hingson  23:36 And you what happened to the gout? Did it basically go away? Prince Gharios el Chemor  23:41 Well, I got significantly bad, and I had to go and have a bariatric surgery, and because I was taking cortisone, like a heroin addict would take heroin. So because I got in this vicious circle of not being able to exercise, gaining weight, eating, being depressed. So I had, almost every two weeks, I have a very bad flare. So I was like, in the beginning, I would go to the doctor for the injections, then my grandfather would come in and give me the injections. And then I learned myself to give myself the injections. They were so frequent that I had to do it myself. But thank God for the past, let's say 18 years, I had probably a couple of flares. They're very mild, and just with oral medication, I was able to I'm cortisone free for like, Michael Hingson  24:44 18 years. That's great, yeah, well, you know, going back to some of the things we talked about earlier, in terms of you, you still identify. With the Royal House that that has not been directly in power, although I I would suspect you'd say that that you and your family do provide influence. But what does sovereignty mean to you in the 21st Century? Basically, when monarchy no longer rules, clearly, you have influence and so on. But what does sovereignty mean to you? Prince Gharios el Chemor  25:28 Yeah, there's there's another thing that people, people don't understand. I'll give you a very, very simple example about my family. My family, even though is not officially sovereign anymore, but my family in Lebanon, they still have a palace in a city called farhatta in northern Lebanon, and non stop be we've been serving the community to the point that when my my predecessor, which was Sheik Antonio's Ashmore, was alive, he passed, unfortunately, prematurely. He was 60 years old in 1970 122, years before I was born, and he would open the doors of the palace, and people go there and ask money for medication, as you know, to send the kids to school. He would, you know, help the community like a ruler would do so because, you know, Lebanon, back then was very poor country, and he was like very, very wealthy. So until today, his sons, my cousins, that are part of the Council of princes of the royal house of Ghassan. They still do that to the community there. So we it's like we never stop, you know, doing the the service that. So who wants to watch our documentary. They can Google it. We have it on YouTube. It's called the royal legacy and the Christian kingdom of the Middle East. You see that, for example, my family provided free water that are still being used by 200,000 people in northern Lebanon for free. So we give free water to 200,000 people 48 villages in Lebanon. So thanks to my family also, dialysis blood dialysis is free for all Lebanese citizens because my cousin bought some machines, and my cousin interact with the president, who was his personal friend back then. So the President made a decree, and today, until today, no one that needs dialysis has to pay so, but my cousin passed two years before I was born and his sons. His oldest son was 15, so he left a lot of businesses for his sons. So they didn't develop the Royal House to the point that in 2008 37 years later, I was the one that took over, and then I got permission from them also, which is, in Arab monarchies, you have something that called baya, so it's like the family agrees who's going to be the next head, the next leader, and they, they give the consent, because in Europe is the succession is primogeniture, like the oldest son or daughter inherits the position. But in the Arab systems is the best qualified person according to the Council of princes, or according to the will of the last hat. In my case, they are so busy. I always say I'm the poor cousin, because they're they're rich, they I'm the one that took over this responsibility, and I have the time. So that's how, how it's done. But sovereignty, as I always say, is is a word like peace and democracy that can mean anything and everything so but unfortunately, people don't understand what it means in international law, and today, according. According to the many conventions, or in the charter of United Nations, every single people has the right called the right of self determination. Is the is a cardinal right is every single people, and that doesn't depend on anything ever is like is a right that every single people have, so is in the 21st Century, is no longer acceptable to have colonialism. Prince Gharios el Chemor  30:32 So all all nations and all peoples have to have this right to to self determination, and I think that's unfortunately we've been having a sometimes that multilateralism and international law are not being very much respected, and we have to make sure that we we work together. Because a lot of people criticize United Nations, and I agree that maybe United Nations has a lot of things to improve, but so as everything else in mankind. So as I always say, when you your car has a flat tire, you don't throw away the car, you fix the tire. So I think it's a lot easier for us to fix the system we have, then get rid of it and go back to barbarism. Michael Hingson  31:26 So given given all of that, and given what your relatives are doing in Lebanon and so on, how do governments view your house and how do they view all of you today. Do they? Do you think there's opposition? Do they appreciate what you're doing, because you're not really trying to seek power as such? That probably helps some. But what? What do governments think of of you and all of you? Prince Gharios el Chemor  31:57 Yeah, well, some people the Lebanese Government, since the next president, we've been working together with them, because they seen the value that we bring. So during the covid through our one voice Foundation, we donated half a million dollars of baby formula. It's like 60 tons of baby formula and recently, amongst other small actions, but recently, this year, we we fed about 5000 people for a whole month. We thought it'd be 3000 but Caritas, which is the logistical organization for the Catholic Church, estimated in 5000 so it was like something around 1000 families, but for a whole month. So together with SOS world and giving hands Germany, we got together and Caritas, of course, which made a distribution so they're they are very like we just last Saturday, we had an intercultural, inter religious event under the patronage of The President General Joseph on so we've been working together with the government in Lebanon, because the President in Lebanon, people might not know, but the President has to be Christian. The Prime Minister has to be Sunni Muslim. The Speaker of the House must be Shia Muslim. Because, believe it or not, with all its problems. Lebanon is the only actual democracy in the Middle East, because all the 18 religions have the exact same rights according to the constitution. So but other regimes, for example, I love Jordan, and I've I lived in Jordan. I had a second residence in Jordan for two years, and we try to implement some educational projects there. Because I have, I have this, I even now have a name now. It's called the royal Gambit. It's, it's a project to prevent the radicalization of teenagers from radical organizations, and there's even a book about it that is also the royal Gambit, which is a better and cheaper way to fight terror than actually just try to fight the effects, not the the reasons, the sources of of the problem. And so I had some problems because of the fact that I'm Christian, because you know who the King Abdullah in Jordan is doing a great job. And the royal family in Jordan is amazing. And I had. Many, many friends from the royal family. But, you know, some people don't understand that, but who also has the power is not the ruler, but the person that put the paper in front of the ruler so the ruler can sign it. So sometimes the ruler has the best of the intentions, but a couple of people try to prevent that, because they don't want you to shine. And I found the same problem with the Catholic Church, too, unfortunately, and I'm Catholic, but a lot of things that I try to implement, and again, I just needed the stamp of the Catholic Church. I didn't ask for anything, and a lot of people, mostly lay men, seem to have the interest of the need to keep existing so they are relevant. And that's very sad. That's very sad because there's a lot of people that are have the best of intentions, that have a lot of holy men in the Catholic Church, like I give you Pope Francis, absolutely, but Cardinal Koch, which is a Swiss Cardinal, it's a dear friend and a great holy man. But you also have people that are not interested. Obviously, I'm not citing names, but people that just want to keep their positions, and they just want to the problems to still exist so they are relevant, because they are the ones giving aspirin to the terminal patient. Can I Oh, go ahead. No, no. Sorry. Michael Hingson  36:39 I was just gonna say, and sometimes you just have to walk very carefully with what you do because of that. Prince Gharios el Chemor  36:46 Oh yeah. I mean, I made a lot of people look bad, because in my ignorance, my naivete, I thought that okay, I have solutions for many problems, so let's solve the problems, right? Yeah. Why? Why should we keep suffering if we can actually solve the problems. But apparently, no they want to keep with the problem. Michael Hingson  37:07 So So you but you do a lot of work with persecuted Christian communities in the Middle East, and especially, you know, persecuted people. What's one moment or one person that really stands out to you from all of that work? Prince Gharios el Chemor  37:25 Well, I think that I have two moments, actually. One was in 2014 that I had this Egyptian boy I went to the school here in Los Angeles to talk about bully, because, as I said, I was bullied when I was a kid, and then this 10 year old boy asked to take a picture with me. He was Egyptian Copt. I have a very good relationship with the Copt Orthodox Church in I met with the Coptic Pope in in Cairo. So he he said, I want to take a picture with you, because you are my prince, because I'm also a Middle Eastern Christian. And that touched my heart. I had to hold very, very tired not to cry in front of him. And I said, Well, you know, if I can inspire one person, I'm happy, and the other person was in Jordan in 2016 because at the height of the Islamic State, this 40 families of Iraq, they escaped to Jordan, and they were being in the Melkite church in Jordan, took them in, and then they called me and said, we have this family. They have no food. They have nothing. They just arrived from Iraq. Said, okay, so I got my people there. We got food for this 40 families. And then I went there, and I met this old lady and and I immediately connect with her. And I said, are you okay? I said, Imagine this old lady having to skate from Iraq all the way here, you know, because they were just killing the Christians. It's ridiculous. And then she said, Yes, I'm fine. I'm being take good care and everything. But the problem is that I have to go because I have a high blood pressure problem. I have to go every day to the hospital, and then I have to stay there for I don't remember, she said, one hour waiting just to take her blood pressure twice a day. And then I said, Oh my God. I looked to my assistant and said, for the love of God, go to the nearest pharmacy and get her blood pressure machine. So. You went there, and, you know, sometimes is not, is not a money, you know, for, for, I don't know, 3050 bucks. I solved the problem and and then I gave it to her, and said, Okay, so from now on, this is for you, for you to take your blood pressure, but you also, if anyone needs you're going to be the guardian of this. So she was so happy. And again, is not just about the food, is not but about people. Must know that you care. I think that's the most important Michael Hingson  40:37 thing, yeah. But it's not about you. It's about it's about them, and the very fact that you do care, and you're not doing it to try to gain a lot of notoriety, is what I'm hearing you say. But rather, you're doing it because it's the right thing to do. Prince Gharios el Chemor  40:53 No, I have to correct you on this. I'm doing it because the feeling that you get. It's yeah. It's worth more than any money or any fame or anything, the feeling that that I got from it right? Knowing that I'm, I'm, I'm making that life a little better, yeah is better than anything I've ever tried. And that's what Michael Hingson  41:19 I'm that's what I'm saying. It's yeah, it's not about you're trying to become a big guy. No, you're doing it because it's the right thing to do and you want to help people, yeah. But I Prince Gharios el Chemor  41:30 get a lot from it too. Michael Hingson  41:33 Sure you do. Sure you do. Prince Gharios el Chemor  41:35 But to me, is, like, the feeling is, is, is amazing, Michael Hingson  41:39 sure, yeah, oh, I, I, I totally appreciate it, because it's the the way I feel. If I can inspire people, if I've been able to help one person, then I think I've done good, and I appreciate exactly what you're saying. Well, you, you work with a lot of different people. You work with presidents, billionaires, you work with scientists, priests, martial artists and so on. What have you learned about the universal desire under all of that? What do they all have in common? Prince Gharios el Chemor  42:14 Well, there is this beautiful poem that Elvis used to date when he he used to sing that song, welcome out of my shoes. And he used to say to every student that then shoot or saw things through his eyes, shouldn't watch it. Helpless. Hands well hard inside he dies. So help your brother along the way, no matter where it starts, because the same God that made you made him too, this man with broken hearts. So to me, I think it doesn't matter. That's another part of the poem that I don't remember. Like they may be kings, they might be beggars. We are all figuring things out. That, to me, is the most important thing we we have some might know a little better, some less better, but we are all figuring things out. Figuring things out. We are not special. We are special. We have a special thing about every single person we have. Every single person has something good and something special and some unique thing. But we are not better than anybody in terms of dignity and value. We are all the same, and we are all figuring things out. So when you see someone, you don't you don't know the battle that that's that person is going through. You don't know the suffering that that's that person is is going through. And that's why I say compassion is so important. We have to try to put ourselves in someone's place and and critical thinking and compassion, the two things that are missing in the Michael Hingson  44:04 world, in my opinion, yeah, tell me more about that. Yeah. Prince Gharios el Chemor  44:09 Well, we because of this, this thing called social media, which has great benefits too. We got together because of it, but unfortunately, give rise to some cognitive biases that we already have in one side and also gets us that that heard anonymity you know, when we are in a group or when we are Anonymous, we seem to do things that we wouldn't do otherwise if we were present and alone. There's a lot of psychological studies about it. So. We are living in times that we have this destructive zero sum division. And as I always say, is perfectly and healthy, perfectly fine and healthy to disagree, to have different opinions, as long as we are constructive about it. Let's say in politics. So you know, left and right and center is all fine if we think the way we want to think, as long as first, that idea comes from ourselves and not from some celebrity or politician that we like or dislike, but from our own critical thinking. And second, we have to realize that we're all on the same boat, a country, a state, a city is a community is a boat. So is, is not because you don't like the captain, that you're going to cheer for that boat to sink because you're going to die too. So we have to realize these things. We have to realize that we have to end this thing us against them in everything, in politics, in religion, in everything, because that's not going to get us anywhere. That's That's this destroying the critical thinking and destroying the compassion, and therefore everything become a zero sum, like you know, in order for me to succeed, you have to be destroyed, and that only leads to destruction. And unfortunately, social media is a catalyst to that. Michael Hingson  46:32 How do we do that? How do we we regain or get more compassion? How do we get people to think more critically and and, well, don't try to just do everything for themselves. Yeah, one thing Prince Gharios el Chemor  46:44 that people don't realize is that our brain was built, was hardwired to survive, not to be happy. So we evolved a lot technologically, but our brain is still from the caveman times in a and not just the brain like everything else, why we get gain weight? Because our body thinks we're still back in those times that we have food once a week, and then if we don't have food for many days. We have to storage the energy, otherwise we're going to die. So the same with something called tribalism. So we are trained, our mind is trained, to see everything that is different as as the enemy. So we have this natural neurological tendency of of of that. And then we have, of course, all the cognitive biases, and the greatest one is, as I always say, stupidity, which is not ignorance. We are all ignorant about something. It's impossible to know everything about everything. Stupidity is our resistance, emotional resistance to expertise and knowledge and education. So that's one of the main things, is laziness of thinking. So why would you lose time considering who God is, who's your relationship with the divine? If you can go once a week to a church, I don't see anything wrong in going to the church, please. But what I'm saying is some people go to the church because there they can get, like, a synthesized summary, and they just, it's easy, if they just take that and believe in that. Then they keep thinking the whole week about who God is, what's right and rights wrong, about religion and about ethics and moral and things like that. And the same with politics. Why should I try to understand politics? To try to understand what is a common good? If I can just look one politician that I like and just go for everything he says and and that's the problem. That's why in the social media, again, is a catalyst of that. Because you, you can be, you can insult, you can criticize you, you. We have another thing called the Dunning Kroger syndrome, which is, we think that the things that we know the least are we have. We have more security in the things that we know the least than the things that we actually know. Right? Yeah, so you put that, put it all together. We have confirmation biases because this algorithm in all social medias, they only bring you things that you to confirm what you already think. They realize what are your preferences, and then they just bring you the confirmation bias so you only hear one side of the story. Michael Hingson  49:59 How do we change. Change that mindset. Prince Gharios el Chemor  50:01 Oh, we have to. We have to break the cycle. We have to develop compassion. First. We have to to realize that that person might not look like you, might not like the same things as you, might not believe in the same things as you. But is a is is someone that you have to live with that person. You don't have to agree, but you have to live in the best possible way. Michael Hingson  50:26 But again, the issue is that there is a lot of that on it. I hear what you're saying, but how do we break that cycle? How do we change the mindset so that more people will start to learn that just because we're all different, it doesn't mean that we're all less capable or less than than ourselves. Prince Gharios el Chemor  50:47 Yeah, well, first we have to identify the stupidity. Where is this stupidity? Are we? Is a very hard process, but we have to see if our opinion is actually our own first and foremost, think, think yourself is your opinion is, I have an exercise for that which is a contemplation. So you try to, to meditate, uh, imagining a conflict that you have, and then you remember your own position in this conflict. Then you you go and you try to put yourself in the shoes of the person against you, why that person has those concepts, those ideas, those opinions. And then you try to go out and see both of you, and try to see without any dogs on the fight. You try to see the same, same conflict. You see it from at least three different perspectives. To understand it, Michael Hingson  51:52 we've got to start teaching those concepts to people, because all too many people have children. They don't bring them up any differently. They they don't, they don't look at a broader perspective and horizon. And that's and I hear that's what you're suggesting. But we've got to start. We've got to find ways to teach Prince Gharios el Chemor  52:10 that the best way is education. That's why I created logos, one which is a new educational system. Tell us about that? Yeah, well, because I was gifted, you know, a lot of gifted people have problems in school, because when you have like, a very deep giftness, you cannot conform with the with the system, with the mainstream system. So I can only thrive if I create my own systems. So that's why I developed a whole new system of philosophy, original. I completed Aristotle Plato's work. I refuted Machiavelli sprints. I completed some of Kant's works too, because I I have to create my own frameworks. And then I said, Well, you know, 95% of what I learned in school is useless. You're not going to never going to use it. You're never going to remember it. So why do you waste the most valuable asset we have, which is time. You know, not even Elon Musk can buy time, because time is nothing you can do to get more. So why do we basically throw away time in school in a time that we have our beautiful youth. And so why do we do that? And then I realized that, well, the actual things that you have, you really have to know you can learn in two years, which is basic math, basic history, language, you know, all these things in two years, you can learn that. So I created a system that is based on your vocation and your level. So since a child goes to goes to kindergarten, the child starts being tested by vocation and the level and everything. So this child is taken to there's one of 15 traits that can be combined to 30 point 5 billion different profiles. So today you go to school, you have only one profile. You have to follow that profile, right? So with my system, you can combine it and have 30 point 5 billion different profiles. So if you have more tendency to be an artist, you're going to be an artist. If you have a vocation and desire to be an engineer, you're going to put all your energy. All your all your time to do what you like, to do what you're born to do. I like to say that logos one was created for the child that they cannot stand still because they supposed to dance. So if you don't conform, if you don't sit still, if you don't do whatever the teacher tells you to do, you are a bad student. And that doesn't mean you're a bad student, because you're supposed to be the world's greatest dancer or the world's greatest painter, so or the world's greatest engineer if you are not good in sports. So the system we have now was created for the industrial revolution. So the world needed factory workers, people that conform and with AI, all bets are off. So my system integrates with AI, and it's self regulated and self improved by AI. So there's a book out also. It's called logos one, and that's the future of education. You're not going to be able to because, you know, we're going to have a huge change in professions. So probably the child that is in a first grade today, the profession of that child doesn't even exist yet. So I'm sure, because a lot of the depression and mental problems we have today and suffering that we have today in our society is because we have to work to make ends meet. We have to work to put food on a table, and that makes us work in things that are not very nice and are things that we are not happy to to work. And working is probably you spend most of your like life working, so you're going to be miserable if you are doing something you don't like or you're not born to do. So that's why we have all this, Prince Gharios el Chemor  57:11 this problems in the world. So with my system, people will be happy because they will be doing what they are meant to do they love to do. And they have, as I always say, we're going to have one Einstein in each corner, because we give the tools of this that person to be what that person was born to be. Michael Hingson  57:30 Has logos? One been implemented anywhere yet? Prince Gharios el Chemor  57:33 No, no. I would just formulated this year. I had this idea for 15, almost 20 years ago, and I finally put everything together. So now we are going out to get it to be implemented. Michael Hingson  57:49 You've written 37 books. Is there any kind of a common theme or thread that goes through all the books? Prince Gharios el Chemor  57:55 Yeah, actually, they're all part of the same ecosystem, let's say so, because I see everything is inter related. For example, I created a I formulated a universal law that's called the triple accord, which everything in the world is the result of a resonance between reason, empathy and compassion. So critical thinking, compassion and balance, measured by balance. So a government, a civilization, a relationship, a friendship, everything is measured by these three elements. So with that, I developed what's called New holism, which is a model of governance, a brand new, completely new system of political system, which I always say is not left, center, right is forward. And a new way of seeing politics, a new way of seeing transcending ideology. So the same thing with the skeptical mysticism, which is a brand new epistemology, brand new metaphysics, which finally got science and reason. I'm sorry, reason and faith together. I created a new it's called juice Vera, which is a new legal system and a new penal system. I created, as I said, the Royal Gambit. I create logos one and Magnus delta, which is the higher education continuation of logos one. I mean, everything I created, I wrote about, is either related to history, sovereignty, politics, philosophy, which to me, is everything together. And I also brought the. Eastern and Western philosophy together, because I studied a lot of Buddhism, Aikido, Japanese, Shinto, Zen, Buddhism. So I brought that with the Western philosophy. And so my system is a balance between both, because I found out that everything has to be in balance otherwise the system destroys itself. Michael Hingson  1:00:26 If you could transmit one sentence or say one thing to humanity that would be remembered in 200 years, what would it be? Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:00:36 Well, I always, I always think that. I think as James, James Sherman, that said that, and I always like to repeat it. It's we cannot go back and make a new start, but every moment we have the chance to make a new ending, it doesn't matter how old you are. Doesn't matter how you think your life is not good, but you can always make a new win. You can always change, even if it's so hard, you can always make it better. It's up to you, you know, Michael Hingson  1:01:16 and it really is. It is up to each of us, and if we want to make the world better place, we can do it, but it's up to us to do it, isn't it, Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:01:26 absolutely and remember that the person, not just a person, but all the animals, all the planes, all the environment, we are all part of the same. The Science already proven that we're all part we share the same frequency. So you know, tried everyone with kindness. There's another saying that says that kindness doesn't cost anything, and buys everything, buys you everything. So be kind to an animal, to a plant, be kind to a person. Be kind, be kind. Be kind, be kind. It's never going it's never too much, Michael Hingson  1:02:03 and be kind to yourself too. Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:02:05 Oh, absolutely. Yeah, that's the first person you have to love yourself before learning to love other other people. And again, back to what I said in the beginning. We're all figuring things out. Don't, don't feel bad because you are figuring things out. Because we are. All are in different levels, but we all are, yeah, Michael Hingson  1:02:23 well, this has absolutely been, I think, very thought provoking, and I think it's been been wonderful. Last question for you, how do you define unstoppable? What do you think unstoppable means? Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:02:38 Well, in my opinion, unstoppable is that that thing that makes you, that drive inside of you, that that you know, despite of everything, everything can go against you, but you still manage to, like Nelson Mandela said, something is impossible until it's done. That's what I think is unstoppable, like you keep moving, because, you know, the universe is in constant movement. There's a breath that the Japanese would call koku ryuku, so we always breathing. So you have to keep moving. You have to keep moving. Nothing stays static is good. Michael Hingson  1:03:27 One of the things that immediately comes to mind is that there was a guy named Roger Banister. He is the person who broke the four minute mile. And people said for years before he did it, no one can physically run faster than a mile in four minutes, and if you do, you'll die. That worked until, I think it was 1957 when he did it. And yeah, there's so many the Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:03:51 same with the car, the same with the car. Remember? Yeah, yeah. People thought that if the car went more than 35 miles an hour, or something like that, it will explode. Michael Hingson  1:04:01 Yeah, yep. Well, I want to thank you again for being here. I think you've given us lots to think about. If people want to reach out to you and learn more about what you do and so on. How do they do that? Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:04:13 They can visit my website. It's Prince gharios.org's Can you spell that? Yeah, Prince, like you say it and, G, H, A, R, i, o, s.org, altogether.org, Prince darius.org, okay, yeah, and yeah, or Google, me. I have social media, I have Instagram, I have Facebook, I'll be happy to LinkedIn. Michael Hingson  1:04:43 I know LinkedIn, Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:04:45 yes, how we got together, Speaker 2  1:04:47 yes, how we got Yeah, yeah. Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:04:49 So YouTube again, you Google, you go to YouTube. Is our channel is called Royal Herald. You can watch documentary about what we do. It's called the. Legacy and the Christian kings of the Middle East. So both have history. You can watch the royal legacy, and you get both the history and what we are doing now. So it's free. You don't have to do anything. You just go on YouTube. Is everything we do is free. Michael Hingson  1:05:19 Great. Well, thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for watching and listening today, wherever you are, please give us a five star rating and give us a great review. I think that garrios has given us a lot to think about today, and I hope that you all agree with that. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. Feel free to email me at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, and garos for you and all of you listening, if you know anyone else who you think ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, please introduce us. We'd love to hear from you and from them, and we're always looking for more people to have come on so that we can show that we're all more unstoppable than we think we are. But again, Prince garrios, I want to thank you for being here. This has been absolutely wonderful. Prince Gharios el Chemor  1:06:15 Thank you. My brothers. Was my pleasure, and I'm always here whatever you need Michael Hingson  1:06:23 thank you for being here with me on unstoppable mindset. I hope today's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about if you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others, I have a free gift for you. Head over to Michael hingson.com and download my free ebook, blinded by fear. It explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward together. Thanks again for listening. Keep learning, keep questioning and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable mindset you.

In 1244, a theologian met a wandering dervish in Konya and vanished from public life. What emerged was poetry so universal it outlasted empires. Jalal ad-Din Rumi fled Mongols as a child, became a scholar, then transformed after meeting Shams al-Din of Tabriz. His Masnavi and Divan-e Shams became foundational Sufi texts, and some of the greatest poetry ever written. Eight centuries later, this Sunni Muslim poet outsells every other poet in America. Multiple countries claim him as their own, but his work belongs to everyone.⁠https://www.patreon.com/HistorysGreatestIdiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Artist: Sarah Chey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fiverr.com/sarahchey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In 1244, a theologian met a wandering dervish in Konya and vanished from public life. What emerged was poetry so universal it outlasted empires. Jalal ad-Din Rumi fled Mongols as a child, became a scholar, then transformed after meeting Shams al-Din of Tabriz. His Masnavi and Divan-e Shams became foundational Sufi texts, and some of the greatest poetry ever written. Eight centuries later, this Sunni Muslim poet outsells every other poet in America. Multiple countries claim him as their own, but his work belongs to everyone.⁠https://www.patreon.com/HistorysGreatestIdiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Artist: Sarah Chey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fiverr.com/sarahchey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode of Journey of Hope, host Elio Constantine concludes the mini-series with a powerful and thought-provoking conversation titled, “Do We Believe in the Same God?” Joined by Bishop Dr. Yasser Eric, the discussion explores one of the most important and often misunderstood questions between Christianity and Islam.Drawing from his personal journey—from growing up as a radical Sunni Muslim in Sudan to becoming a follower of Christ—Bishop Dr. Yasser Eric unpacks the theological differences between the God of the Bible and the understanding of God in Islam. He explains that while both faiths profess belief in one God, the deeper you go, the more significant the differences become.Throughout the episode, Dr. Eric highlights key distinctions, including the nature of God's love, His relationship with humanity, and how He reveals Himself. He explains that in Christianity, God is not only loving, but is love—and that this love is unconditional, relational, and demonstrated through Jesus Christ. In contrast, he describes how in Islam, God's actions are ultimately tied to His will, and love is often understood in a conditional sense.He also discusses the significance of the incarnation—God entering time and space through Jesus—and the relational nature of the Trinity, emphasizing that God exists in eternal relationship and invites humanity into that same relationship. This stands in contrast, he explains, to a view of God as distant and transcendent without personal relational engagement.Additionally, Dr. Eric speaks about God as Father in the Bible, the assurance found in His promises, and the concept of covenant—highlighting that salvation in Christ is not uncertain, but grounded in God's character and faithfulness.This episode invites listeners to go beyond surface-level similarities and thoughtfully consider who God is, how He reveals Himself, and what that means for our faith and relationship with Him.Show Notes:Understanding God Across FaithsBoth Christians and Muslims affirm belief in one God, but differ deeply in how God is understoodSurface similarities give way to significant theological differences upon deeper explorationKey Theological DifferencesThe incarnation: God entering time and space through Jesus ChristThe Trinity: God existing in eternal relationship as Father, Son, and Holy SpiritGod as Father: A personal and relational identity in the BibleThe Nature of LoveIn Christianity, God is love—unconditional and rooted in His characterIn Islam, love is often described as conditional and connected to God's willRelationship and RevelationThe Bible presents a God who is knowable, relational, and presentGod reveals Himself fully through Jesus, inviting humanity into relationshipAssurance and CovenantSalvation in Christ is rooted in God's promises, not uncertaintyGod is a covenant keeper, offering assurance through faith in JesusKey TakeawaysUnderstanding who God is shapes how we relate to HimChristian faith centers on a relational, loving, and present GodTrue confidence comes from God's character, not human effort

Don't blame religion, because what is happening today is actually history. The government and media are lying, even with all the people's cameras rolling. Officials lying is not a new invention, so their framework is wrong too. Israel is a governing state, it's not a religion or a people. Anti-Semitism is a political weapon. Pick your team if you want, but who made you God? Humans have agendas, and those change stories. How the Huntington framework gets built. Don't just follow the money, follow the power too. Who benefits from having religious enemies? Who suffers? God is real, and so is the human spiritual craving. Your faith is yours, and it lives in you. Always let new information land. The Sunni Muslim family, and The Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The morning tradition of the key. No government rules religion. Hitler exported the Jews to Palestine. Jesus is mentioned many times in the Quran. The demise of Greece involved liberalism. The Roman Christian church was created for control. Edward Said and Orientalism. Unusual shutdowns cause suspicion. The first shutdown of the Holy Church since 1400's. Watch the water, and the skies.Evil is closely following the script. Above all, it's critical to keep your faith in humanity.

In this episode of Journey of Hope, host Elio Constantine continues the mini-series with a meaningful conversation titled “Why Be Missional?” Joined by Bishop Dr. Yasser Eric, the discussion explores how every follower of Christ is called to live missionally bringing discipleship, love, and transformation into their communities wherever God places them.Bishop Dr. Yasser Eric draws from his own journey—from growing up as a radical Sunni Muslim in Sudan to becoming a follower of Christ—to emphasize that mission and discipleship begin with a heart for Jesus. He highlights that being missional is not about attending church on Sundays or completing programs; it's about living out Christ's love daily in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools.Throughout the episode, he shares practical insights on discipleship, illustrating that transformation happens relationally, day by day. Using examples from Scripture and real life, Dr. Eric explains how Christ modeled discipleship through daily engagement with His followers and how ordinary believers can serve as missionaries simply by living faithfully.He also discusses Heart for Lebanon's Mission Leadership Program, which equips men and women—including Muslim-background believers—to disciple others within their own communities. The program emphasizes context, relationships, and practical application of Scripture, showing that small, intentional groups can create long-lasting spiritual growth.This episode is a powerful reminder that discipleship and mission begin with being available to God, showing love, and living intentionally. Transformation happens over time, through patience, relationship, and faithfulness, as God works in the hearts of those we encounter.Show Notes:Being MissionalGod is a missionary God, always reaching out to people (Genesis–Revelation)Mission is not limited to pastors or church leaders; every Christian is calledLiving missionally starts in your daily context—home, work, school, and neighborhoodDiscipleship in PracticeTrue discipleship happens relationally, day by day, through example and engagementElevate others toward Christ by showing love, guidance, and patienceDiscipleship does not require perfect knowledge, only a heart for JesusHeart for Lebanon Mission Leadership Program: Equips students from diverse backgrounds to make disciples in their communitiesEmphasizes starting from context, not imposing contentBuilds organic, relational growth through small groups and home-based gatheringsKey TakeawaysBeing missional is about living Christ's love wherever you areDiscipleship is a lifelong journey, available to all believersTransformation begins with intentional relationship and patienceGod works in people's lives even before we arrive; our role is to join Him

Is Iran on the brink of collapse, or is the West making its biggest mistake yet?Brother Sharghzadeh returns to break down the recent attacks on Iran and what they mean for Muslims in the East and the West. We get into the secular Persian mindset, what ordinary Iranians actually think about their government, the death of Khamenei, nuclear war scenarios, and the questions every Sunni Muslim needs to be sitting with right now.The Muslim world has the numbers, the history, and the faith. What it's missing is unity, and moments like this make that cost impossible to ignore.*JOIN OUR YOUTUBE MEMBERSHIP*OR*Support Us @* https://www.ansaripodcast.com/OR*Patreon:* https://www.patreon.com/c/theansaripodcast/membership*Join The Cosmos Club Newsletter:* https://www.ansaripodcast.com/cosmos-club*Ayubi Collective*FREE 10-Part Masterclass “How to Build Your Own Multi-Billion Dollar Business”https://www.ayubi.com/ansari*Provision Capital:* https://www.provisioncapital.com*Humaniti:* https://donor.muslimi.com/page/Humaniti-emergency-Ansari00:00 Do Iranians Know their Enemy?05:12 The Annoying Iranian Diaspora09:51 Do Iranians like Their Government14:03 Ad15:42 The greatness of Iran20:03 What The West plans to Do to Iran24:07 Nuclear War in Iran and The End Times30:14 Ad32:03 Who Was Khameini & was he loved?43:08 How Should Sunnis Understand Iran?47:40 Muslims NATO51:28 Hypocrisy and Potential Ruin of Arab States01:10:07 Muslim NATO01:12:00 Ad01:13:49 What's the Future Hold?01:21:44 Final Thoughts#muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast #iran #Khamenei #ummah #IranWar #WW3*Listen on All Audio Platforms:* https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyj*Follow The Ansari Podcast**Instagram:* https://instagram.com/ansaripodcast*TikTok:* https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcast*Twitter/X:* https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast

In this episode of Journey of Hope, host Elio Constantine continues the mini-series with Bishop Dr. Yasser Eric in a powerful and thought-provoking conversation on “Understanding Political Islam and the Fear Narrative.” Together, they unpack one of the most complex and often misunderstood topics shaping global conversations today.Drawing from his personal journey—from being raised as a radical Sunni Muslim in Sudan to becoming a follower of Christ and now a bishop serving a global movement—Dr. Eric offers deep insight into the distinction between Islam as a faith and political Islam as an ideology. He addresses the roots of fear often associated with Islam and challenges listeners to move beyond generalizations toward informed, Christ-centered understanding.Throughout the episode, the conversation explores how fear can distort perception, hinder action, and prevent meaningful engagement. Dr. Eric explains how political Islam merges religion and state, the implications of Sharia law, and how extremist ideologies impact both Muslims and non-Muslims—highlighting that many of the primary victims are Muslims themselves.The discussion also sheds light on the reality of the persecuted Church in regions governed by strict religious laws, where believers often worship in secrecy and face immense cost for their faith. Yet, in the midst of suffering, there is resilience, growth, and a powerful testimony of unwavering faith.This episode is both eye-opening and deeply convicting, calling believers—especially in the West—to move from fear to faith, from comfort to conviction, and from passivity to prayerful action. It reminds us that following Christ has always come with a cost, and that there is much to learn from those who faithfully endure persecution. Show Notes:Understanding Political IslamDistinguishing between Islam as a religion and political Islam as an ideologyPolitical Islam merges religion with governance and lawLack of separation between state and faith creates societal and religious challengesThe Fear NarrativeFear often comes from misunderstanding and lack of definitionMedia and global events have shaped a generalized fear of IslamChristians are called to respond with truth, not fearImpact on Society and MuslimsPolitical Islam affects both non-Muslims and MuslimsMany victims of extremist ideologies are Muslims themselvesExamples include regions impacted by groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, and Al-ShabaabThe Persecuted ChurchBelievers in many regions face legal, social, and physical persecutionUnderground and house churches are often the only way to gatherConversion from Islam to Christianity can carry severe consequencesA Call to the Western ChurchFaith in Christ is not meant to be comfortable or cost-freeThere is much to learn from persecuted believersStanding firm in truth requires courage, conviction, and faithfulnessHow We Can RespondPray for the persecuted Church to endure and growLearn from global believers who live out costly faithSpeak truth with love and stand firm in biblical convictionsEngage actively rather than passively in matters of faith and justice 

In this episode of Journey of Hope, host Elio Constantine continues the mini-series with a meaningful conversation titled “Your Muslim Neighbor.” Joined by Bishop Dr. Yasser Eric, the discussion explores how Christians are called to understand, love, and engage with Muslims in a Christ-centered way.Dr. Yasser Eric draws from his own journey—from growing up as a radical Sunni Muslim in Sudan to becoming a follower of Christ—to challenge common misconceptions. He emphasizes the critical distinction between Islam as a religion and Muslims as people, reminding listeners that every individual is created in the image of God and worthy of dignity, respect, and love.Throughout the episode, he offers practical and biblical wisdom on building genuine relationships rather than approaching Muslims as projects or debates to win. He highlights the importance of knowing our own faith first, engaging with humility, and creating space for real conversations rooted in shared human experiences.Using examples from Scripture, including Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman and Paul in Athens, Dr. Eric illustrates how meeting people where they are opens the door for meaningful dialogue and Gospel witness.This episode is a powerful reminder that transformation begins with love, that God is already at work in people's lives, and that our role is to faithfully join Him through relationship, prayer, and compassion.Show Notes:Understanding the DifferenceIslam is a religion; Muslims are people made in God's imageConfusing the two leads to fear, misunderstanding, and divisionNot all Muslims are the same—diversity exists across cultures and beliefsStart with Your Own FaithUnderstanding Islam begins with understanding what you believe as a ChristianThe Gospel—not opinion—grounds meaningful conversationsBuilding Real RelationshipsMuslims are not projects; they are people to love and knowTrue engagement requires time, presence, and shared lifeHospitality and listening are key to trustA Biblical Approach to EngagementJesus modeled meeting people in their everyday needs (John 4)Paul modeled starting where people are (Acts 17)Ask questions before giving answersFrom Fear to FriendshipReplace assumptions with real conversationsMove beyond fear of the unknown through relationshipLove must come before proclamationGod Is Already at WorkEvery person has a story God is writingOur role is to join the “pre-existing work” of Jesus in their livesPrayer opens our hearts to love others genuinely

Episode SummaryIn this deeply moving episode of Journey of Hope, host Elio Constantine launches a new mini-series with a powerful conversation titled “Who Is Your Enemy?” Joined by Dr. Yasser Eric, a bishop within the Global Anglican Church and a former radical Sunni Muslim, the episode explores the biblical meaning of enemies and Christ's radical call to love them.Dr. Yasser Eric shares his extraordinary testimony of growing up in Sudan within a fanatical Muslim environment marked by generational hatred toward Christians and others deemed “different.” As a teenager, he was immersed in extremist ideology that glorified violence and dehumanized perceived enemies. This indoctrination culminated in a brutal attack on a Christian classmate named Zakaria, whom Dr. Yasser Eric nearly killed—believing at the time he was serving God.Everything changed when Dr. Yasser Eric encountered Jesus through the compassion and prayers of Christians he once hated. While visiting a hospital, he witnessed two believers praying with love and authority over a dying child—an experience that revealed to him a God of mercy, intimacy, and grace. That moment marked the beginning of his transformation, leading him to faith in Christ at the age of 19, estrangement from his family, imprisonment, and eventually a calling to ministry.The episode reaches a profound climax when Dr. Yasser Eric recounts a later encounter with Zakaria—the very man he had attacked—who reveals that he had been praying for him all those years. This moment powerfully illustrates Jesus' command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” showing that transformation is only possible through Christ's love, not human strength.This episode challenges listeners to confront cycles of hatred, reject violence, and embrace the reconciling power of prayer and forgiveness. It sets the tone for the mini-series by reminding us that the true enemy is not flesh and blood—and that loving our enemies is one of the clearest reflections of Jesus in us.Show Notes: Biblically, enemies are not merely people who annoy or oppose usScripture teaches that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6)Hatred is often inherited, taught, and normalized across generationsThe Danger of Religious ExtremismReligion without Christ can fuel violence and dehumanizationFaith can become dangerous when it is disconnected from love and truthViolence always produces more violence—never peaceThe Power of Prayer and CompassionTwo Christians praying for a dying child changed Dr. Yasser Eric's life foreverCompassion revealed a God who is personal, loving, and nearPrayer became the instrument God used to transform an enemy into a discipleLoving Your Enemy: A Gospel CommandJesus' command to love enemies is impossible without HimForgiveness and love are not human achievements but divine workZakaria's prayers broke a generational cycle of hatredA Life Transformed by ChristFrom persecutor to pastorFrom hatred to reconciliationFrom enemy to brother in ChristDr. Yasser Eric now leads a global movement of Muslim-background believers spanning over 80 countries, bearing witness to the redemptive power of Jesus Christ.

SHOW SCHEDULE 1-20-20251907 GREENLANDSEGMENT 1: RETAIL SALES AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Guest: Liz Peek Strong retail sales signal consumer confidence as Trump takes office. Peek discusses holiday spending numbers, the stock market's performance, and economic expectations for the new administration. Conversation touches on inflation pressures, interest rate concerns, and whether the economy's momentum can continue under new policy directions.SEGMENT 2: MARKETS AND GREENLAND CONTROVERSY Guest: Liz Peek Peek analyzes market reactions to the incoming administration and addresses Trump's renewed interest in acquiring Greenland. Discussion covers the strategic importance of Greenland's resources and location, European responses to the proposal, and how this diplomatic imbroglio fits into broader economic and geopolitical considerations facing the new term.SEGMENT 3: EUROPEAN FRUSTRATION WITH TRUMP'S RETURN Guest: Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Berlin), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Dempsey assesses European anxiety as Trump begins his second term. Discussion covers EU economic stagnation, Germany's struggling industrial base, and widespread frustration among European leaders unprepared for renewed American pressure on trade, defense spending, and NATO commitments. McCotter joins from Detroit offering domestic political perspective.SEGMENT 4: EU ECONOMY AND TRANSATLANTIC TENSIONS Guest: Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Berlin), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Continued analysis of Europe's economic malaise and political uncertainty ahead of German elections. Dempsey examines how EU leadership plans to navigate Trump's transactional approach to alliances, concerns over tariffs and energy policy, and whether Europe can muster unified responses to American demands on defense and trade.SEGMENT 5: POWELL VS. TRUMP ON MONETARY POLICY Guest: Joseph Sternberg (London) Sternberg analyzes the brewing conflict between Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and President Trump over interest rate policy. Discussion examines Trump's public criticism of Powell, the Fed's independence, inflation concerns, and how this tension between the White House and central bank could shape economic policy and market confidence.SEGMENT 6: STARMER'S LEADERSHIP FAILURES AND CHINA EMBASSY CONCERNS Guest: Joseph Sternberg (London) Sternberg critiques Prime Minister Keir Starmer's struggling leadership and lack of clear direction for Britain. Discussion turns to Starmer's belated scrutiny of China's massive new London embassy complex, raising security concerns about the sprawling diplomatic compound and questions about why earlier governments permitted its construction without adequate review.SEGMENT 7: IRAN EXECUTIONS AND TRUMP'S PROMISE OF HELP Guest: Jonathan Schanzer (Washington, DC) Schanzer reports on the surge of executions inside Iran as the regime cracks down on dissent. Discussion covers Trump's remarks signaling support for the Iranian people, the brutal nature of the regime's repression, recent execution numbers, and whether American policy shifts could aid those suffering under Tehran's authoritarian rule.SEGMENT 8: GAZA CEASEFIRE AND POSTWAR GOVERNANCE Guest: Jonathan Schanzer (Washington, DC) Schanzer examines the fragile Gaza ceasefire and critical questions about who will govern after the fighting ends. Discussion analyzes the proposed makeup of any postwar governing board, the challenges of reconstruction, Hamas's continued presence, and regional players jockeying for influence over Gaza's future political arrangements.SEGMENT 9: GREENLAND STRATEGY AND ARCTIC AMBITIONS Guest: Mary Kissel (Former Senior Adviser to Secretary Pompeo) Kissel offers insider perspective on Trump's renewed push for Greenland, drawing on her State Department experience. Discussion examines the strategic rationale behind the proposal, Arctic security concerns, Danish and European reactions, and whether this represents serious policy or negotiating leverage for broader geopolitical objectives.SEGMENT 10: GAZA DIPLOMACY AND INVITATIONS TO ADVERSARIES Guest: Mary Kissel Kissel analyzes the peculiar diplomatic landscape surrounding Gaza negotiations, including controversial outreach to bad actors like Putin. Discussion questions the wisdom of engaging hostile powers in Middle East peacemaking, the signals this sends to allies, and how the new administration might reshape these diplomatic approaches going forward.SEGMENT 11: JAPAN'S SNAP ELECTION UNDER PM TAKAICHI Guest: Lance Gatling (Tokyo), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Gatling reports from Tokyo on Prime Minister Takaichi's decision to call snap elections. Discussion covers the political calculations behind this move, Takaichi's nationalist stance, implications for US-Japan relations under the new Trump administration, and how Japanese voters are responding to shifting domestic and regional dynamics.SEGMENT 12: CHINA'S GROWING THREAT TO JAPAN Guest: Lance Gatling (Tokyo), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Gatling assesses the mounting Chinese military threat facing Japan, including naval provocations and airspace incursions. Discussion examines Japan's defense posture, increased military spending, the importance of the US-Japan alliance in deterring Beijing, and how Tokyo views the security landscape with Trump returning to the White House.SEGMENT 13: NATO'S DECLINE AND THE GREENLAND CRISIS Guest: Gregory Copley Copley argues the Greenland controversy reveals deeper fractures signaling NATO's erosion. Discussion examines how the alliance has weakened through neglect and diverging interests, European defensiveness over Arctic claims, and whether the transatlantic security architecture built after World War II can survive current political and strategic pressures.SEGMENT 14: EMERGING SUNNI OR ISLAMIC NATO IN ASIA Guest: Gregory Copley Copley explores the potential formation of a new security alliance among Sunni Muslim nations in Asia. Discussion covers the strategic drivers behind such a coalition, which countries might participate, how this Islamic NATO could reshape regional power dynamics, and implications for Western alliances and Middle Eastern stability.SEGMENT 15: GREAT POWERS VERSUS SMALL STATES IN STRATEGIC THINKING Guest: Gregory Copley Copley contrasts how great powers often act impulsively while smaller states analyze carefully before moving. Discussion examines the hubris of major nations shooting from the hip on foreign policy, the advantages smaller countries gain through meticulous strategic calculation, and lessons for American policymakers in an increasingly complex world.SEGMENT 16: THE CALMING POWER OF KINGSHIP Guest: Gregory Copley Copley offers praise for monarchical systems as stabilizing forces in nations facing discontent. Discussion examines how kingship provides continuity, national unity, and legitimacy that elected leaders often cannot muster, with examples of how constitutional monarchies successfully navigate political turbulence and maintain social cohesion during crises.

SEGMENT 14: EMERGING SUNNI OR ISLAMIC NATO IN ASIA Guest: Gregory Copley Copley explores the potential formation of a new security alliance among Sunni Muslim nations in Asia. Discussion covers the strategic drivers behind such a coalition, which countries might participate, how this Islamic NATO could reshape regional power dynamics, and implications for Western alliances and Middle Eastern stability.

A devilishly difficult New Year job awaits Israel: how to deal with a fractured, degraded - but still seriously dangerous Sunni Muslim guerrilla movement in Yemen, just south of Saudi Arabia. It’s the Houthis - a deeply anti-Semitic terror movement with nothing to lose and the capacity to catastrophically disrupt international trade whenever they like. Cameron Stewart is here. Read more about this story, plus see photos, videos and additional reporting, on the website or on The Australian’s app. This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves—from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles. Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Migration: Assimilation Crisis and the Collapse of Western Civilization — Gaius & Germanicus — Gaius and Germanicus analyze the destabilizing strain generated by mass migration flows from the economically depressed Global South to the wealthy industrialized North, documenting escalating violence in Australia, social unrest throughout Europe, and institutional strain within the United States. Gaius highlights the new American "Emperor Trump's" political mandate to enforce border security and immigration restrictions, contrasting this with the "woke elite's" previous advocacy for polyglot multicultural societies without national identity boundaries or assimilationist expectations. Germanicus argues that successful historical migration requires genuine desire for cultural assimilation into host societies, citing the Roman-era Franks and Visigoths who adopted Roman culture, language, and institutional frameworks, thereby integrating into Roman civilization. Germanicus contrasts these assimilationist populations with groups like the Vandals and contemporary observant Sunni Muslim communities, who systematically resist cultural integration and instead establish cohesive, ethnically and religiously homogeneous societies paralleling their original homelands. Germanicus warns that Europe is reaching a "boiling point" due to systemic resistance to assimilation, surging crime rates, and political backlash against uncontrolled immigration, comparing this civilizational instability to the circumstances precipitating the destruction of the Western Roman Empire by non-assimilating tribal invasions that progressively fragmented Roman institutional coherence and territorial control. 1775 BOUDICA RALLIES

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

The Unforgotten Women of the Islamic State (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Gina Vale explores the governance of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization through the lives and words of local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. While the roles and activities of foreign (predominantly Western), pro-IS women have garnered significant attention, the experiences and insights of local civilian populations have been largely overlooked. Drawing on the testimonies of 63 local Sunni Muslim and Yazidi women, Dr. Vale exposes the group's intra-gender stratified system of governance. Eligibility for the group's protection, security, 'citizenship', and entrance into the (semi-)public sphere were not universal, but required convergence with the gender norms of IS, through permanent erasure or at least temporary disguise of certain markers of difference. In some cases, this was directed by a pre-meditated 'divide and conquer' strategy, while in others, it manifested as unregulated violences at the hands of individual group members, including women. The structure follows the trajectory of IS's increasing control over its 'citizens' and captive populations: its militarization of society; imposition of law and order; provision of goods and services; and intervention in civilians' private lives. Analysis of diverse first-hand accounts and the group's documentation reveals that the presence, exclusion, and victimization of local civilian women were necessary to the functioning and legitimation of IS's 'caliphate' project, and the supremacy of affiliated men - and women. As a fledgling proto-state, IS needed local Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish women. Though far from represented or protected, they were by no means forgotten. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with cultural anthropologist Greta YOU-LING about her new book, Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom, a fascinating story about an indigenous group in Crimea fighting for its rights.  Uehling tells us of the complex history of the Crimean Tatars, a Sunni Muslim group who were driven off their land in 1944 by the Soviet Union. This group now finds itself caught in the Russia-Ukraine war. It has rebuffed attempts by Putin and yet also has insisted on maintaining and defending its indigenous identity and rights with regard to Ukraine. We talk about the importance of both cultural memory and political struggle in the present, and hear of Greta's time at the barricade which Tatars set up to stem the flow of materials across their land.Greta Uehling is a cultural anthropologist who works at the intersection of Indigenous and Eastern European Studies. She is a Teaching Professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she is in the Program in International and Comparative Studies and is Associate Faculty of the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. Uehling is the author of three books: Beyond Memory: The Deportation and Return of the Crimean Tatars (Palgrave 2004), Everyday War: The Conflict over Donbas, Ukraine (Cornell University Press 2023), and Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom (Rowman & Littlefield 2025). Throughout her career, Uehling has served as a consultant to organizations working in the fields of international migration, human rights, and human trafficking, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Send us a textForget everything you thought you knew about making it in music. Abdullah "Dulamite" Franklin pulls back the curtain on an industry built on smoke and mirrors, revealing why artists with millions of streams can still be broke while those you've never heard of are quietly building empires."A billion streams on Spotify equals fourteen thousand dollars," Franklin explains, cutting through the fantasy that streaming success equals financial freedom. As a rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur who's written for some of the biggest names in music (though NDAs prevent him from naming most), he's navigated both the spotlight and the shadows of an industry that often exploits creative talent.Growing up as a Sunni Muslim in Las Vegas shaped Franklin's perspective as "an acquired taste" – someone unwilling to compromise authenticity for acceptance. From watching his brother get lyrically "murdered" in a neighborhood battle that inspired his own rap career, to facing religious stereotypes and industry blackballing after an altercation with a well-connected artist, his path has been anything but conventional.What sets Franklin apart is his business acumen. While many artists chase streams and social media followers, he's built a direct-to-consumer model that puts him in control of his data and dollars. "If somebody buys my album for $1, I got the 1,500 streams," he explains, but more importantly, "I know exactly who bought it, what city they're in. I get their email address, their phone number." This intelligence has allowed him to tour strategically in cities where his true fans live, not where streaming algorithms suggest.Beyond music, Franklin has diversified into beverage brands, clothing, and acting – embodying his "renaissance man" approach to creative entrepreneurship. His parting wisdom? "Let God be God, you do the rest" and "The decisions you make determine your destiny." For anyone looking to build something meaningful in a world of fleeting viral moments, this conversation is essential listening.

Another revisited Conflicted Community episode for you this week, as we gear up for a new season of Conflicted. This time we bring you the FULL episode of Thomas' conversation with Eugene Rogan, who back in 2024 told us about his latest book, 'The Damascus Events'. Enjoy... -- The 1860 ‘Damascus Events' saw Syrian Christians murdered by their Sunni Muslim neighbours in a brutal genocidal moment that reshaped the late Ottoman Empire. It's an example of how previously harmonious communities can descend into brutal violence in a very short time span. But in the Ottoman Empire's response to the violence, it's also an example of how hostile communities can be brought back from the brink. To learn more about this fascinating historical episode and its resonances today, Conflicted welcomes Eugene Rogan to our community! Eugene is a Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and a Fellow of St. Anthony's College at the University of Oxford. His recent book, ‘The Damascus Events: The 1860 Massacre and the Destruction of the Old Ottoman World' is available now at all good bookshops and is very much recommended for the Conflicted Community as a must read to learn more about the late Ottoman Empire. Thomas and Eugene discuss his incredible book, how late Ottoman reforms and war in Lebanon caused the crisis, how Ottoman leaders brought the communities back together after the terror, and what we can learn from this episode when looking at the conflicts occuring in the Middle East today. Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode SummaryIn this poignant episode of Journey of Hope, host Elio Constantine welcomes Milad, lead pastor at Hope Evangelical Church in Southern Lebanon and field manager for Heaert For Lebanon's Ministry Center. They delve into the lives of two often-overlooked and marginalized groups in Lebanon: the Bedouins and the Gypsies (Dom and Raja).Milad, who has worked with these communities for years, sheds light on their distinct cultures, histories, and the severe challenges they face, including deep-seated societal discrimination, poverty, and lack of access to essential services like education and healthcare. The conversation highlights the heartbreaking realities these communities endure, such as forced temporary housing, children leaving school early, and limited employment opportunities.Despite the immense difficulties, Heart For Lebanon is actively working to bring hope and transformation. Milad shares how the organization offers educational opportunities through their Hope Center, provides mobile learning experiences with the "Hope on Wheels" truck, distributes essential relief packages, and conducts awareness workshops on legal rights, health, and dignity.A powerful testament to their work is the story of Hassan, a Dom community member who, despite lacking official documents and facing severe discrimination, found employment, education, and spiritual transformation through Heart For Lebanon, eventually getting baptized and becoming a beloved staff member. The episode underscores Heart For Lebanon's commitment to making disciples and extending Christ's love to all, regardless of societal standing, and invites listeners to support their mission through prayer and investment.Show NotesUnderstanding the BedouinsIdentity: Nomadic, desert-dwelling Arab groups known for loyalty, welcoming guests, and oral storytelling traditions.Origin & Lifestyle: Historically from the Arabian Peninsula and Syrian Desert, they followed cattle for grazing. Many now live in valleys or city edges in Lebanon while maintaining their way of life.Economic Activities: Traditionally raised animals and traded along routes. Today, many engage in seasonal work like olive picking due to changing circumstances.Challenges: Difficulty accessing official services like healthcare and education. Face significant societal discrimination, making it hard for Bedouin men to marry Lebanese locals. Children often experience discrimination in public schools.Understanding the Gypsies (Dom, Raja, and Ti)Identity: A small group with roots in South Asia, related to the Romani people. Approximately 8,000 live in Lebanon.Language & Religion: Speak Bari and Arabic; most are of Sunni Muslim background.History & Culture: Arrived in Lebanon centuries ago from South Asia via the Middle East and North Africa. Known for rich musical traditions, crafts, and storytelling. Traditionally performed at celebrations, did seasonal jobs, or made metal goods.Economic Activities & Stigma: Often associated with begging, sex trafficking, and illicit trade. Face severe societal distrust and are rarely hired by Lebanese locals. Girls are sometimes sent to work as dancers in other countries.Challenges: Face extreme social exclusion, low school attendance (even in private schools), poverty, and bias in services. Often forced to live in temporary housing on government or municipal land.Heart For Lebanon's Response and ImpactDignity and Love: Heart For Lebanon treats members of both communities with dignity and Christ-like love.Education: Offers education at their Hope Center, teaching reading, writing, math, and science, along with kindness and respect. Operates "Hope on Wheels," a mobile truck bringing fun and learning directly to camps and tent areas.Relief and Support: Regularly distributes food packages, cleaning supplies, and hygiene kits through their family care and relief program.Awareness Workshops: Provides sessions on legal rights, health, hygiene, dignity, and family issues (e.g., harm of early/child marriage).Spiritual Support: Staff regularly visit homes and tents, leading small Bible study groups and encouraging worship. Churches in the Bekka Valley and Southern Lebanon are welcoming places for both communities.Call to Action:Pray for Heart For Lebanon's work and the communities they serve.Join the Heart For Lebanon prayer ministry: Hartford Lebanon | Prayer.Your support helps expand kingdom work and brings love to those deemed irrelevant by society.Join our email list to stay up-to-date on how God is moving in Lebanon:Email Elio: podcast@heartforlebanon.org https://heartforlebanon.org/emailsignup/ Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content!FOLLOW Heart For Lebanon:Website: https://heartforlebanon.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartforlebanon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartforLebanonTwitter: https://twitter.com/HeartForLebanon #HeartForLebanon #Lebanon #Missions

The old Ottoman policy of religious toleration has been abandoned for over a century and replaced by a policy of killing non Sunni Muslims whenever opportunity presents itself (as in Syria), and as they hope to do one day in EY. :(https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

Ismail Youssef is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity and was raised between two distinct cultures—the West and the Middle East. Drawing from this unique background, he has dedicated his life to defending Western values and promoting Christian ethics and moral principles. He advocates for a strong, confident Western cultural identity and calls on all who call the West home to embrace and uphold these shared values through meaningful integration. @ishofarabia  In this conversation, Kelsi Sheren and Ismail Youssef delve into Ismail's personal journey from being raised in a Sunni Muslim family to converting to Christianity. They explore the complexities of cultural identity, the challenges faced by second-generation immigrants, and the radicalization within certain communities. The discussion also critiques various religious practices and societal norms, particularly in relation to women's rights and the perception of Western values. In this conversation, Ismail Youssef shares his journey of questioning the moral implications of Islamic teachings and the historical context of religious texts. He discusses the personal revelations he experienced at a young age, leading to a crisis of faith and identity. The dialogue explores the indoctrination within religious communities, the struggle for personal belief, and the consequences of leaving Islam. Youssef also addresses the financial and moral implications of faith, the concept of spiritual homelessness, and the challenges of navigating family dynamics. The conversation culminates in a discussion about the dangers of ideological extremism and the cultural shifts occurring in Western societies. In this conversation, Ismail Youssef and Kelsi Sheren explore the complexities of cultural identity in Canada, the challenges of integration, and the myths surrounding Eastern cultures. They discuss the fundamental differences between Islam and Western values, emphasizing the ethical implications of each. The dialogue highlights the need for reform within Islam and questions the compatibility of Islamic practices with Western societal norms. In this conversation, Ismail Youssef shares his personal journey of faith, identity, and the challenges he faced after converting to Christianity from Islam. He discusses the complexities of family dynamics, acceptance, and the uncomfortable truths surrounding immigration and cultural identity in Western societies. The dialogue emphasizes the importance of questioning beliefs and the legacy one hopes to leave behind, advocating for open-mindedness and community support.Substack: https://substack.com/@kelsisheren - - - - - - - - - - - -SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS - - - - - - - - - - - -RHO Nutrition - Code: KELSI20 -  https://rhonutrition.com/KELSIXX-XY Athletics - Code: KELSI20 - https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/?sca_ref=7336247.FtJS2YUK4OKetone IQ- 30% off with code KELSI - https://ketone.com/KELSIGood Livin- 20% off with code KELSI - https://www.itsgoodlivin.com/?ref=KELSIBrass & Unity - 20% off with code UNITY - http://brassandunity.com - - - - - - - - - - - - -SHOPB&U Jewelry & Eyewear: https://brassandunity.com - - - - - - - - - - - - -Follow #thekelsisherenperspective- - - - - - - - - - - - -CHARITYHeroic Hearts Project - https://www.heroicheartsproject.orgAll Secure Foundation - http://allsecurefoundation.orgDefenders of Freedom -https://www.defendersoffreedom.usBoot Campaign - https://bootcampaign.org

Democrats in total grief over the loss of the cherished family. They're just innocent illegal immigrants. Okay. Yeah. They overstayed their abuses too, but we gotta keep them. I mean, one of them is, like, four. The rest are like teens and stuff. We have to wait to keep them. They're they're they're future Democrat voters. There's Sunni Muslims. They vote 92% Democrat. I mean, it's not fair. It's not fair. We can't do this anymore when a judge agrees what the the family gets to say. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? And folks, Bunchy over at Red State absolutely nails this this morning. How Trump has come out with the travel ban? He's right. He says this isn't complicated. If judges are going to make it impossible to deport deport visa overstays from Islamist countries, then the only alternative is to stop issuing visas to those countries completely. That's exactly what Trump did yesterday. We're we're just done here. We don't have time for Democrat judicial dictators to say this terrorists can say and this terrorist can say, and you might be a terrorist. But let's think about what the Democrat party is proposing here. Okay? Come on. Is it really fair to pick on his family? I mean, some of them are women. I mean, yeah, they're here illegally, and, yeah, their first act was to break our laws. But, you know, you know, are they just because dad decided to take a flame thrower to some Jews does not mean they're bad people. You know what's interesting about this? The number one trending story this morning on that app we have, we pay a lot of money for us so we could see what the top stories in the country are. It was a story that was popular mainly with women, and it was why is Trump blocking people from other countries. God, women are just like they're like, shit. I swear so many women are like sheep to the slaughter. Why are we in this line? I don't know. What's that bolt gun for? I don't know, Roger. I'm sure it's nothing. We're like sleep sheep to the slaughter. Why would he do that? Why can't people from Yemen come here? Oh, you mean the country with the Houthis? The ones who've been who've revived piracy and are launching, you know, drone missiles at our ships, those people? The ones with the terror training camps that we just annihilated? Yeah. They seem really nice. I mean, they do fine here. Oh, we're weak. I want you to understand why we cannot allow the family of the Colorado terrorist to stay in our country. You want to see it for yourself, you can go on my x feed. This is him driving to the slaughter. He leaves a message for his family, giving us a nice insight. You know what might have been going on in his home? Did he just randomly one day decide to incinerate some Jews? Because what's going on in Gaza is really unfair. He saw they were children. He saw there was a grandmother. It turns out she's a holocaust survivor. No. No. No. He didn't. He made it clear to his family. The message was for his family. He hates America. He hates our military. Jihad is the only way. And Allah wants us to kill Jews. How many times did his kids hear that? He seems pretty committed. Here, I'll translate for you. Allah is greater than anything. Allah is greater than the Zionist. Allah is greater than America and its weapons. Allah is greater than f 35 planes. Allah is greater than everything else. So why do we fear those who are inferior to Allah rather than fear Allah himself? I told my wife and son every day to do this, to do something, but they didn't do it. I would be angry. Maybe I would divorce my wife. Maybe what I would kick my son out of my home. What's the next line, folks? Then what about Allah who says to us every day dozens of times, Allahu Akbar. Allah wants jihad. He's talking to his kids. Do not forget Allah Akbar. Do not forget that Allah is greater than everything, he says. Not Zionist America, Britain, France, or Germany. Only a law has the right to be feared, he says. Again ...

In this powerful episode of Simple Faith, Rusty George sits down with Zia Hassan, a former Sunni Muslim born in Pakistan who spent over five decades faithfully practicing Islam. After moving to the United States in the early 1980s and building a successful life as a restaurant executive, husband, and father, Zia experienced a profound transformation in 2004—one that would lead him to explore the Christian faith of his ancestors.Zia shares his remarkable story of how a life-changing moment sparked a spiritual journey toward Jesus Christ, ultimately leading him to embrace a new faith. Now a devoted follower of Christ and active member of Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Zia opens up about the challenges, revelations, and deep peace he's found along the way.Join us for an inspiring conversation about courage, conviction, and the simple yet profound power of faith.

The Three Resurrections (Various Passages) For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Message Slides The Past ResurrectionThe Present ResurrectionThe Future ResurrectionDiscussion Questions1. Explain what we mean by the resurrection of the past, the resurrection of the present, and the resurrection of the future. Which of these three do you think about most/least? Why?The Past Resurrection 2. We have good reasons to believe Jesus rose from the grave. What are some of the most convincing arguments? 3. What are some key passages that talk about Jesus' resurrection? Why is it important we affirm this historical event when Jesus rose from the grave?The Present Resurrection4. What are some of the benefits we can experience today because of Jesus' resurrection? 5. In Eph 1:18-23 Paul talks about how we can experience resurrection power today. How have you experienced resurrection power in your life? What area in your life needs to experience this benefit today?The Future Resurrection6. 1 Cor 15:20 refers to Jesus' resurrection as the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” What are you looking most forward to about experiencing the future resurrection and having a resurrection body? Why is it important that we think and talk about this future hope we have in Christ?7. DA Carson said, “I am not suffering from anything that a good, general resurrection can't fix.” What are you looking most forward to being “fixed” by our future resurrection in Christ?8. Is it helpful to you to think about the resurrection of the past, present, and future? Explain. Mission Highlight - Pray for the Unreached: The Bon Gula ChadThe Bon Gula people of Chad number approximately 3,800. Though they are nominally Sunni Muslim, most fiercely adhere to their traditional Marghai religion including sacred sites and revered animals. Only 0.42% are Christian adherents, and they have no Christian resources available in their language. With no access to the message of the gospel, the Bon Gula remain deeply unreached. Pray for workers to reach the Bon Gula, for Christian resources to be translated into their language, and for a movement to Christ to take root among them.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 04/06 41,352Giving For 04/13 26,958YTD Budget 1,447,183Giving 1,414,996 OVER/(UNDER) (32,187)Fellowship on the Lawn - Gather together as one united faith familySunday, May 4, at 4:00 p.m. here at Fellowship. We have completely revamped our church-wide gathering to make it a very family-orientated event. We will have a live band, a DJ, a time of organized games for families with prizes, food trucks, and Kona Ice. There will also be Baggo, Pickle Ball and even more for the adults. ”This is a “Can't Miss Event”. We hope to see you there!New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. VBS 2025 | June 23-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pmJoin us in ancient Egypt! You'll explore Pharaoh's palace, experience thrilling “real-life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music. Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends! VBS is for children currently in kindergarten through fourth grade - invite a friend for free! Register by June 6, at fellowshipconway.org/register. The cost is $5 per child. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORSSeniors 2025, Fellowship wants to honor you for your graduation from High School. We ask all graduating seniors that call Fellowship home to complete a simple form for Senior Sunday on May 18th at fellowshipconway.org/register. Also, please send five pictures of your senior for the slideshow to be shown during both services to Michael Mercer at mmercer@fellowshipconway.org by April 27. Luncheon for WidowsThe widows of Fellowship are invited to a Spring Luncheon at the home of Ambra Austin on Thursday, May 15th at noon. We look forward to a time of fun, fellowship and feasting! Please RSVP by May 1st to Ambra at 501-730-6795. Imperishable: a 4-Week Study of 1 peterJoin us for Imperishable, a four-week study of 1 Peter led by Heather Harrison. We'll meet Wednesday nights beginning May 28, at 6 p.m., here at Fellowship. Text Shanna at 501-336-0332 to reserve childcare. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.Fellowship 101We invite you to join us on Sunday, June 8, at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to hear about our mission, values, and ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. During this time, you will meet some of our ministry leaders and get to ask questions. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.Baby dedicationMark your calendar for May 11 to dedicate your children to the Lord. More information to come.

Introducing Deacons (A Message on Ministry and Methods)Message SlidesChurch Government - SwindollElders - J.I. PackerElders & Deacons - Brian TuckerINTRODUCTION: A Little Bit of History• Fellowship Bible Churches - The 1960s, DTS, Gene Getz & Joe Wall• Fellowship Bible Church - Conway (Little Rock & Northwest Arkansas)A Biblical Philosophy of Church MinistryThe Functions of the Church - Functions Over Forms (Acts 2:42-47)• Worship• Instruction• Fellowship• EvangelismThe Focus of the Church - Making Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20)• The Command - “Make Disciples”• The Context - “As you are going…”• The Method - Evangelism & Discipleship• The Extent - “All Nations”The Pattern of the Church - Equipping the Saints (Ephesians 4:11-16)• Gifted Leaders Equip.• Saints are Involved in Ministry.• Every Part Works in Unity.• The Final Result is Maturity in Christlikeness.A Biblical Philosophy of Church LeadershipPlurality of Leaders (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14 )Functions Over Forms (New Testament Epistles)• Jesus is Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22-22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19)• Gifted Leaders (1 Thess. 5:12–13; Heb. 13:7, 17; Eph. 4:11)• Elders (1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-19; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; James 5:14)• Deacons and Deaconesses (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:8-13) The church is accomplishing God's purpose wheneveryone is involved in ministry & growing toward maturity! So Christ's immediate purpose in giving pastors and teachers to his church is through their ministry of the word to equip all people for their varied ministries. And the ultimate purpose of this is to build up his body, the church. In other words, the church's goal is not Christ but its own maturity in unity which comes from knowing, trusting and growing up into Christ.Home Church Questions• Read Ephesians 4:11-16.• What is your favorite part of church activities? What is your least favorite part of church? • What is the best thing that has ever happened to you in the church context (This doesn't have to be something that happened on Sunday Morning or even at Fellowship)?• How have you experienced positive church leadership in your life?• How is Fellowship currently “equipping” (repairing or preparing) you for growth and service right now?• What are four key elements of doctrinal stability a church should have?• How does unity result in growth and effectiveness in ministry?Mission Prayer Focus: The Somali in Ethiopia8.2 million primarily speak Somali and identify as Sunni Muslims. Many blend Islamic practices with folk beliefs and traditions. Only 0.22% are evangelicals. Despite having access to the complete Bible and the Jesus Film, they remain largely unreached with the gospel in Ethiopia. Pray for laborers, for the gospel to spread through media, and for disciples to rise up and make more disciples. FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 03/30 18,053Giving For 04/06 41,352YTD Budget 1,411,886Giving 1,388,039 OVER/(UNDER) (23,847)Crucifixion DinnerJoin us Good Friday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. as we remember together what Christ did on the cross through the Crucifixion Dinner (broth and bread). Child care for ages six and under is available by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Please feed the kids before dropping them off in child care. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Holy Week on HoganThe pastors of several of the churches on Hogan have organized a time of gathering together throughout Holy Week (April 14-18). The gathering will meet each day of Holy Week at Grace Methodist from 12:00-1:00 pm and will include a short service with worship led by members of our worship teams, a short message by one of the pastors, followed by a meal. We all felt this was a great way to show our community that we are united around our risen Savior. Donations to cover the cost of the meal will be given to a local Christian ministry. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORSSeniors 2025, Fellowship wants to honor you for your graduation from High School. We ask all graduating seniors that call Fellowship home to complete a simple form for Senior Sunday on May 18 at fellowshipconway.org/register. Also, please send five pictures of your senior for the slideshow to be shown during both services to Michael Mercer at mmercer@fellowshipconway.org by April 27.Fellowship on the LawnGather together as one united faith family on Sunday, May 4, at 4 PM here at Fellowship. We have completely revamped our church-wide gathering to make it a “can't miss” event. We will have a live band, a DJ, a time of organized games for families with prizes, food trucks, and Kona Ice. We will have Baggo, basketball, and Pickle Ball for the adults. Put this event on your calendar and plan to join us!VBS 2025 | June 23-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pmJoin us in ancient Egypt! You'll explore Pharaoh's palace, experience thrilling “real-life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music. Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends! VBS is for children currently in kindergarten through fourth grade - invite a friend for free! Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. The cost is $5 per child. Imperishable: a 4-Week Study of 1 peterJoin us for Imperishable, a four-week study of 1 Peter led by Heather Harrison. We'll meet Wednesday nights beginning May 28, at 6 p.m., here at Fellowship. Text Shanna at 501-336-0332 to reserve childcare. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.

Joyful Outsiders as Gospel Partners (Philippians 4:20-23)For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Message SlidesLooking Within, Looking Around, Looking Up - SwindollThe Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ #1 - Alec MotyerThe Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ #2 - Alec MotyerGlory (כָבוֹד) Word Study - Allen RossIntroduction: Participating Partners in the Gospel Project (SHAPE+)“To God be the Glory.”The ultimate goal of life is bringing glory to God. (4:20)“When the Saints Go Marching In” Every believer has a role to play. (4:21-22)• Unity in the gospel project is pervasive. (4:21)• No one is excluded from gospel partnership. (4:22)“Amazing Grace”The ultimate motivation for serving is the grace of Jesus. (4:23)Because of the grace we know through Jesus Christ every believer has a part to playin advancing the gospel message to the glory of God.Serving in Your SHAPE Spiritual Gifts: Your Spiritually Empowered Service (Romans 12)Heart: Your Passion for Service (Romans 1:8-10; 1 Timothy 1:3-5) Abilities: Your Natural Abilities God Uses (Exodus 31:1-11)Personality: Your Unchanging Orientation to Life (Acts of the Apostles)Experience: Your Life Story Shaped by God (Romans 8:28)Home Church QuestionsRead Philippians 1:27-30; 2:1-11; 3:7-11; and 4:10-23Paul's letter to the Philippians is relationally warm and eminently practical. Among the truths he presents in these verses, what would be the truth you would select as your most encouraging? most challenging?If Paul were to point out one of these truths as most critical for the effective ministry of FBC, what would it be?How does it change the way you view yourself to know that “every believer has a role to play” in the cause of the gospel?In verses 21-22, Paul was linking all believers together around the gospel. What can we do as individuals and as a church to build bridges across divisive lines in the body of Christ?Paul starts his letter with grace (1:2) and ends the letter with grace (4:23). As you have learned and experienced God's grace in your life, how has that shaped your view of God? of the Christian life?As we wrap up our study of Philippians, pray together that every person at FBC, young, old, and in between, would find their role so that we together would bring glory to God.Pray for the Unreached: The Tuareg, Tamasheq of MauritaniaThese people of Mauritania number approximately 136,000. Though they primarily speak Tamasheq and identify as Sunni Muslims, their faith is often mixed with folk beliefs and magic. Only 0.04% are Christian adherents, and 0.00% are evangelicals. Despite having access to the New Testament, Jesus Film, and audio recordings, the Tamasheq Tuareg remain largely unreached with the gospel. Pray for laborers to focus on the Tamasheq Taureg. Pray for influential leaders to be reached with the gospel and boldly share with others, resulting in disciple making movements among these peoples.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 03/16 25,450Giving For 03/23 30,039YTD Budget 1,341,292Giving 1,328,634 OVER/(UNDER) (12,658)Fellowship 101We invite you to join us on Sunday, April 6, at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to hear about our mission, values, and our ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. During this time, you will meet some of our ministry leaders and get to ask questions. Register at fellowhipconway.org/events.New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Men's Muster 2025 Join us April 25-27 for Men's Muster at our NEW location—Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center in Little Rock (45 min from Conway). Take a weekend to rest, recharge, connect, and have fun. Chris Moore will lead a powerful discussion on realigning your life with the gospel. Register by April 10 at fellowshipconway.org/register. Fellowship Women's Ministry Spring Conference & Luncheon Join us on April 12th, 10 am-4 pm, for our Fellowship Women's Ministry Spring Conference & Luncheon. Dive deep into scripture with Cathy as she covers many aspects of spiritual gifts. Registration fee of $25 includes lunch and is due Sunday, April 6. Register at fellowshipconway.org/women. Childcare is available by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Silent Auction | April 6thThe Fellowship Youth and College Mission Teams invite you to a Silent Auction Fundraiser on Sunday, April 6th, 4-6 pm!! This is a great opportunity to hear more about our trips to Arlington, TX, and the Czech Republic, participate in supporting us financially, and walk away with some awesome winnings that include baked goods, yard work/babysitting certificates, merchandise baskets, overnight stays, and much more! Light refreshments will be provided throughout the event, and childcare is available for kids six and under by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Bring a friend, your home church, or just yourself, and join us!” Save the Date for Fellowship on the RiverFellowship is having a church-wide gathering at Toad Suck Park across the river May 4th, at 4:00 PM. Mark your calendars. You will not want to miss it!

On this week's Hopecast, David and Marilynn Chadwick join Jenn Houston as David breaks down current events in Syria and Turkey (including the overthrow of the Assad regime and the new Sunni Muslim regime declaring sharia law) and explains what that could mean for Israel. 

Over the past few days close to 1,000 civilians, overwhelmingly from the Awalite minority, have been killed in Syria.Beginning when clashes erupted between remnants of Assad loyalists and the new HTS-led government, mainly Sunni Muslim militias and civilians descended on Northwestern Syria and committed unspeakable crimes against their Alawite neighbours.Orwa Ajjoub is a Syrian analyst and friend of the show. He is born and raised in Damascus but currently lives in Malmö, Sweden.If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and want to support the show, there is an excellent way to do so - by signing up to our Patreon. For just $3/month you'll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests and lots of bonus material - including our series Kalam Shorts: 10-15 explainers of concepts like Zionism and Orientalism. Join at patreon.com/kalampodcastFor continuous updates on the podcast and content about Palestine and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcastPlease subscribe to Kalam Podcast in whatever podcast application you're listening to right now - and give us a rating. It helps other people find out about us.

The Surpassing WorthPhilippians 3:1-11Message Slides For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Knowing Christ means I have a new identity (vv.1-6) Knowing Christ means I have new values (vv.7-11) Justification - Righteousness (v.9) Sanctification - Power (v.10) Glorification - Hope (v.11) Home Church Questions1. Our passage is about knowing Christ. How would you explain to someone what it means to know Christ? What are some ways knowing Jesus is similar/different from other relationships we have? 2. In Phil 3:1-6, we learn that knowing Christ means we have a new identity. How should a person's identity change when he/she comes to know Christ? What are some ways a person's identity might stay the same? What has this looked like for you? 3. In vv.5-6, Paul gives a list of reasons why he would have more reason for confidence in the flesh than others. If you were to have confidence in the flesh, what are some items that would be on your list? Do you wrestle with putting too much confidence in the flesh? Explain. 4. In Phil 3:7-11, we learn that knowing Christ means we have new values. In vv.7-8, he says the things he used to consider as gain he now considers as loss. What are some of the “gains” in your life that you consider to be valuable? Are there any “gains” in your life you should re-evaluate so that you value them in a healthier way? 5. Paul says he considers everything as loss compared with the surpassing value of knowing Christ (v.8). What does he mean and how can he say this? Can you say this? 6. Jesus has surpassing worth because we can be justified and made right with God through Him (v.9). Was there a time in your life when you were moved by this truth that God provides the righteousness He demands? 7. Jesus has surpassing worth because we can experience the power of his resurrection even in our sufferings (v.10). How can we identify with Jesus when we suffer so we experience this power? Have you experienced this? 8. Jesus has surpassing worth because we experience the hope of future resurrection through Him (v.11). Why does having this hope of future glorification motivate us to value Jesus now? Pray for the Unreached: The Ansari are a Sunni Muslim group in India, historically weavers and textile sellers, now involved in various businesses. Many live in poverty and face illiteracy, though some have contributed to education and politics. Known for their hospitality, they offer opportunities for believers to share the gospel. Recent efforts have seen some Ansari families come to Christ, but they remain largely unreached. Pray for Indian believers to reach out with love and share the gospel with Ansari families and leaders, revealing to them the love and hope only offered through Christ.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 02/09 36,524Giving For 02/16 19,506YTD Budget 1,164,806Giving 1,152,806 OVER/(UNDER) (12,000)Men's Muster 2025 A car out of alignment is harder to steer, wears down faster, and wastes fuel. Ever feel the same? Worn down. Burning energy. Pulled off course. It's time to realign. Join us April 25-27 for Men's Muster at our NEW location—Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center in Little Rock (45 min from Conway). Take a weekend to rest, recharge, connect, and have fun. Chris Moore will lead a powerful discussion on realigning your life with the gospel. Don't wait—register today at fellowshipconway.org/register. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Silent Auction | April 6thYouth and College Mission Teams will host a Silent Auction on Sunday, April 6th, at 4 PM. We are asking for you to participate in one of three ways. First, do you have a service, item, or experience you can donate to be auctioned off? We would love to have it. Second, we would love for you to show up and support the students and adults on the trip. Finally, if you cannot make it, please consider donating to the event. To donate an item or for any questions, please get in touch with our College Pastor, Andrew Stauffer at astauffer@fellowshipconway.org. PJ's and Poptarts - Sunday, March 9​It is that time of year again! We are springing forward AND losing an hour of sleep. Don't worry about getting your kids dressed or feeding them breakfast. You bring them in their pajamas, and we will provide the pop-tarts. We will be waiting for all of your sleepy heads!Prayer During ServiceWe love to pray for one another. Our prayer team will have people at the front of the Auditorium under the signs Hope and Love to pray for you after the message. Please feel free to walk up to them for prayer or encouragement during the first worship song after the messageDaylight Saving TimeFellowship, we are going to “Spring Forward” on Sunday, March 9. Remember to set your clocks Saturday night and join us for services at 9:00 and 10:45 a.m. We will have the coffee ready for you!

In Partnership with God(Philippians 2:12-18) For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Message SlidesSalvation as a Process - George GuthrieWork Out Your Salvation - F.F. BruceINTRODUCTION: Major Themes in PhilippiansSpiritual Formation(The Elements of Spiritual Growth)Personal Responsibility: Constant Growth without Supervision (2:12a)Intentional Effort: Constant Effort with Awe and Reverence (2:12b)Supernatural Aid: Constant Grace to Empower and Guide (2:13)Spiritual Hindrances(The Obstacles to Spiritual Growth)Bad Attitudes: Negativity Under Your Breath and Out Loud (2:14-15a)Societal Decay: Not Standing out in a Corrupt World (2:15b-16a)Spiritual Reward(The Joy of Spiritual Growth)Personal Satisfaction: The Reward of a Purposeful Life (2:16b)Community Celebration: Serving for the Sake of Others (2:17-18)Spiritual growth demands constant grace and effortwith a relentless attention to attitudes and lifestyle.“Work Out Your Salvation”(Philippians 2:12-18) To put it very simply,“Make salvation operational in your life.” Allen RossIn short, those who are part of the new covenant inaugurated through Jesus Christ by placing their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, validated by his resurrection have been saved from the penalty of sin, are being saved from the power of sin, and will be saved from the presence of sin.Home Church QuestionsRead Philippians 2:12-18.What immediate application did you gain from the passage or the message?Paul acknowledged their past obedience in verse 12 but pressed them on toward continued obedience in his absence (cf. his prayer in 1:9-11). Why is it easier to relax in your obedience when you are alone? Or when you are facing a stranger who frustrates you?Paul continues in verse 12 with how they are to continue in their obedience, with “fear and trembling.” What is the “fear” that would cause you to “tremble” about disobedience in those situations?Verse 13 conveys an active participation between you and God that results in spiritual growth. At what times and situations do you find your will to obey the weakest? What does this passage teach you to do in these situations?In verses 14 and 15, Paul relates that living as a Christian blamelessly and without fault (NIV) means doing everything without complaining or arguing. When and with whom is it easy to disobey this command? Why does doing everything without complaining or arguing make you “shine as lights” in the dark places of this world?Shining as lights in a warped and crooked generation requires that you “hold firmly to the word of life” (verse 16). In what ways does radical obedience to God's word bring light into our messed up world?Pray for the Unreached: Arabic-speaking Algerians are descendants of Berbers who converted to Islam after the Arab invasions. They form the majority population, speaking Algerian Arabic and following Sunni Muslim traditions. Many face unemployment, prompting migration to France and elsewhere for work. Less than 0.1% identify as Christians, with no movement toward Christ. Pray for the Holy Spirit to soften hearts toward the gospel and for believers to share Christ's love in Algeria. Ask for boldness among Kabyle Christians to inspire Jesus movements among these peoples.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 01/26 25,826Giving For 02/02 67,719YTD Budget 1,094,212Giving 1,096,775 OVER/(UNDER) ( 2,563)Souper Bowl SundayFellowship families, if you were able to bring hearty soups, canned chili, spaghetti sauce, tuna helper, canned meats, and Knorr brand pastas to restock the Bethlehem House shelves, thank you! If you forgot, there is still time to run by the store, grab some items, and have them back to Fellowship by 1:00 p.m. and we'll take them to Bethlehem House. If you aren't able to bring them today by 1:00 p.m., please feel free to drop them off at The Bethlehem House, 930 Faulkner St.New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Getting Equipped at FellowshipFellowship, below are some great classes to get equipped in the New Year. For more information and to register go to fellowshipconway.org/equipping. • Apologetics for Everyone - February 9 - March 2 Men's Fellowship BreakfastMen, join us for a great breakfast and fellowship on Wednesday, February 12, at 6:00 a.m. here in the Fellowship atrium. No sign-up is needed. Come with your Bible ready to eat, fellowship with other men, and start your day off right through prayer and Biblical insight. Contact Michael at mharrison@fellowshipconway.org.Men's Muster 2025 - Men don't retreat. They muster. Will you muster with us? Mark your calendars for April 25-27! Men's Muster is heading to a NEW location—Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center in Little Rock. It's the perfect weekend to connect, have fun, and be challenged to relentlessly pursue Christ together. Chris Moore will lead the teaching, and you won't want to miss it. Registration is $150, with scholarships available. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. Middle School Retreat | February 28-March 2Parents, our new student pastors are taking the Middle School group (5th-7th) to Ferncliff (in Little Rock) the last weekend in March. This is a great opportunity for your students to get to know our new pastors and connect deeper with the students their age. The weekend features Biblical teaching, meaningful small group time, and a ton of fun! To register your student for the retreat, go to fellowshipconway.org/fsm. Silent Auction | April 6thYouth and College Mission Teams will host a Silent Auction on Sunday, April 6th, at 4 PM. We are asking for you to participate in one of three ways. First, do you have a service, item, or experience you can donate to be auctioned off? We would love to have it. Second, we would love for you to show up and support the students and adults on the trip. Finally, if you cannot make it, please consider donating to the event. To donate an item or for any questions, please get in touch with our College Pastor, Andrew Stauffer at astauffer@fellowshipconway.org.

Standing and Striving Together Philippians 1:27-30 Message SlidesFor the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Standing Striving Not ScaredHome Church Questions1. One key for living worthy is “standing firm in one spirit” (Phil 1:27). Where are we supposed to stand firm? What does standing firm look like and what does this involve?2. Throughout his letters, Paul encourages churches to stand firm six times. Why do we need to be encouraged to stand firm? What is an example of a time when you needed to be encouraged to stand firm? 3. One way we stand firm together is when we gather for weekly worship. Even when we sing songs we know and hear teaching we know, we need this weekly experience to help us stand firm. How would you explain the importance of weekly worship to someone who thinks corporate worship is optional? 4. Another key for living worthy is “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (v.27). The language of striving together comes from war or athletic imagery. Is there a time in your life when you have strived together with a group? (For example, consider athletics, work, military, a project, etc.)5. What are some examples of ways we can strive side by side with others for the gospel? Is there a way your Home Church has done this or can do this? 6. When we strive side by side for the gospel, we develop meaningful relationships with each other. Why is this a healthy way to develop relationships? Have you developed a good friendship with someone because of serving with them? Explain. 7. Philippians 1:28 encourages us to not be “frightened in anything by your opponents.” Who/what are some examples of the kind of opposition we might experience if we are living worthy of the Gospel? Do you ever experience any opposition? Explain. 8. Have someone read Philippians 1:29. Do you usually think of “suffering for his sake” as something that has been granted? How should we think about suffering for his sake? 9. Do you need to focus on standing firm, striving together, or not being scared? What is the next step you need to take after going through Philippians 1:27-30? Pray for the Unreached: The Sylheti people of Bangladesh, numbering over 12 million, are primarily Sunni Muslims, blending Hanafi and Sufi traditions. Their religious practices range from conservative Islam to mystical Sufism, and some incorporate Hindu customs. Sylhet, known as a spiritual and cultural hub, is also the agricultural capital of Bangladesh. The region thrives economically due to natural resources like natural gas, tea plantations, and fisheries. Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself, guiding them toward believers and Scripture. Ask for Sylheti believers at home and abroad to share stories of God's kingdom and love. Pray for the disciple-making movement to arise, spreading the Gospel among Sylheti families and beyond. 2025 Night of Worship - On January 26th at 6:00 PM, we'll gather for our annual Night of Worship. In this unique, circle-shaped setting, the worship team will be right alongside the congregation, creating a deeply personal and meaningful opportunity to worship together. We'll sing praises, read Scripture, and lift our hearts in prayer, beginning the year united in faith. Childcare is available upon request for children ages 6 and younger by contacting Shanna Franklin at (501) 336-0332. We hope you and your family will make plans to attend.New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Stoby's Pancake Fundraiser - Czech Mission Trip 2025Fellowship, join us for breakfast or brunch while helping the 2025 Czech Mission Team. The team will be serving February 2, from 8-1:00 p.m. at Stoby's. Tickets are $8 for all you can eat pancakes. Buy your tickets this Sunday in the Atrium, from a Czech team member, or the ministry office. Getting Equipped at FellowshipFellowship, below are some great classes to get equipped in the New Year. For more information and to register go to fellowshipconway.org/equipping. • Discover YOU - January 12- February 23 • How to Study the Bible - February 2 - February 16 • Eschatology - February 8 • Apologetics for Everyone - February 9 - March 2 Fellowship Women Galentines NightLadies, join us here at Fellowship, February 11, at 6:00 at p.m. for a night of cookie decorating and fun fellowship. Cost is $10 per person. Register fellowshipconway.org/register. Child care is provided by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Two Great Opportunities - One Night | February 7, 6-8:30 PMFor more information or to register for one or both events, please go to fellowshipconway.org/register. • Parent's Night Out Czech Kid's Fundraiser - We are offering you a night out while supporting the Fellowship Kids' mission trip to the Czech Republic. • Renewed: A Night Devoted to Marriages - Join us for a night of teaching, discussion, and some Q&A from an experienced panel as we lean into our marriage journeys.Fellowship Father/Daughter DanceDads, here is an opportunity to create memories with your daughter that will last a lifetime! Join us Saturday, February 1st, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, 5th-12 grades, at Renewal Ranch. Start the evening with a special dinner out, then join us at Renewal Ranch for a delightful night of ballroom dancing, fun, and laughter. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 01/05 57,885Giving For 01/12 22,925YTD Budget 988,320Giving 977,701 OVER/(UNDER) (10,619)

Responding to the Light John 1:6-13Message Slides For the bulletin in PDF form, click here.The Coming LightThe Inevitable ConflictThe Two Responses: Reject or Receive?This Week's Growth Guide - God's Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.•. Monday - Luke 1•. Tuesday - Luke 2•. Wednesday - Matthew 1•. Thursday - Matthew 2•. Friday - John 1Discussion Questions 1. What are some examples of light we experience in our lives? For example, what are some examples of light we need or enjoy? What are some examples of references to light in music or movies? 2. Read John 1:6-13. Jesus is described as the true light (1:9). What does it mean that Jesus is the light? 3. John references John the Baptist at the beginning and throughout the chapter (see 1:6-8 and 1:19-42). Why do you think he gives so much attention to him?4. One reason John the Baptist is introduced is because his life is an example of the type of conflict that surrounds Jesus. What are some other examples of conflict we see throughout Jesus' life? Why is there so much conflict surrounding Jesus? 5. Why would it be foolish to conclude that Jesus is merely a “nice person?” What are some reasons that we can't respond to Jesus merely in a neutral way?6. John 1:10-11 addresses the irony and tragedy of a world that doesn't know its Creator. What are some examples that reveal the world does not know its Creator? What are some examples of how you tend to ignore your Creator and His good ways in your life?7. According to John 1:12, how should we respond to Jesus? What does it mean to receive Him and believe? What benefits do we experience when we receive Him and believe?8. Believing in Jesus involves humility. Why? What are some ways/reasons it can be difficult for you to accept God's gracious gift? How can you address these challenges so you experience all the benefits of His gift to us in Christ?Mission Highlight - Pray for the Unreached: The Arain in PakistanThe Arain people, historically farmers, have risen to prominence in Pakistan as influential leaders in politics, law, and other fields. They are predominantly Sunni Muslims, though small numbers practice Sikhism or Hinduism, depending on their location. Less than 0.1% of the 11.5 million Arain identify as Christians, and no known Jesus movement exists among them. An estimated 230 workers are needed to share the Gospel with this group. Pray for the Holy Spirit to touch their hearts through dreams, visions, and Scripture in their many languages and for them to see past Western Christianity to the true message of Jesus. Pray that Arain leaders in government and business boldly share the truth of Jesus, and that families find salvation and spread His blessings throughout their communities.Fellowship 101 We invite you to join us on Sunday, January 12, at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to hear about our mission, values, and our ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. During this time, you will meet some of our ministry leaders and get to ask questions. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Christmas OfferingThis December, Fellowship's Christmas Offering is for The Operation Christmas Child Special Pack (held in October 2025). The gifts received will determine the number of boxes we can send. Please consider giving above and beyond your regular giving to the worthy cause of getting the gospel to sensitive areas that are difficult to reach. You can use an envelope or give online by selecting “Christmas Offering” from the options. Christmas at FellowshipJoin us for a Candlelight Christmas Eve Service on Tuesday, December 24, at 4 pm and 6 pm. The service is a Fellowship favorite of tradition, family, and a few surprises this year. Perspectives Classes begin on January 14Perspectives is a fifteen-lesson discipleship course exploring different aspects of God's global purpose in a multi-faceted learning experience. Tuesday evenings beginning January 14 from 6:00-9:00 PM at the Summit Church. The first week is free to check it out. For more information, go to perspectives.org/courses/conway-ar-s25/. Fellowship Women's bible Study “Gideon” by Priscilla Shirer, led by Susan Woole, will be January 27-March 17, 9:30-11:00 a.m. here at Fellowship. Please purchase your workbook ahead of the class. For more information, contact Susan Woole at 501-269-2666. Child care is available by texting Shanna at 501-336-0332. Year End GivingFor contributions to be counted on your 2024 taxes, checks must be received in the Fellowship ministry office no later than Tuesday, December 31, by 12:00 PM or be postmarked by December 31. Fellowship Ministry office Fellowship Ministry office will be closed Tuesday, December 24, 25, and 26 to allow the fellowship staff time to spend with their families.

In Episode 394 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with geopolitical analyst and forecaster Kamran Bokhari about the fall of Damascus and the implications of Bashar al-Assad's ouster in Syria for the balance of power in the Middle East. Kamran last came on the podcast a year ago to discuss the violence ignited by Hamas' October 7th attacks, the nature and scope of Iranian involvement, and how various regional actors, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the Houthis, and Hezbollah were exploiting the growing disorder for their own advantage as the Biden administration struggled to stabilize a region that was on the verge of another major war. That war has seemingly come and gone, leaving Iran's influence network along the Shia crescent from Damascus to Beirut, along with its proxies and affiliates in utter devastation or full-on retreat. Assad's departure and the fall of his regime in Syria are the equivalent of a geopolitical earthquake and are already dramatically changing the balance of power in the Middle East. Kamran and Demetri spend the first hour of this episode recapping these recent events, enumerating the key players who expect a seat at the table for any negotiation over Syria's future, why the center of gravity in the Sunni Muslim world is shifting from Riyadh to Ankara, and what all of this means for Iran and the strategic vision that has guided the Islamic revolution since 1979. In the second hour, Kofinas and Bokhari go one by one through every major country that will be materially affected by the outcome in Syria. They discuss the consequences and opportunities for Turkey, the new threats and challenges posed to Israel, what this new reality means for the Saudis, the interests of the United States and Russia, and why el-Sisi's regime in Egypt may be the next major Arab government to come under pressure in the years to come. You can subscribe to our premium content and access our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you want to join in on the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces Genius community, which includes Q&A calls with guests, access to special research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners, you can also do that on our subscriber page at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of Hidden Forces, you can help support the show by doing the following: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | CastBox | RSS Feed Write us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Subscribe to our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe and Support the Podcast at https://hiddenforces.io Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 12/09/2024

When Islamic State (IS) militants took control of Syria and Iraq in June 2014, the entire Yazidi population in Sinjar were immediately in grave danger. The Sunni Muslims of IS believed Yazidis were infidels and should either convert to Islam or be killed. On 3 August 2014, 5,000 Yazidis were killed on the first day of the genocide. For those who survived that night, the only escape route was to climb Mount Sinjar in the blistering heat, with no shelter or food, and pray to be rescued. Mirza Dinnayi convinced Iraq's president to supply three helicopters and began evacuating 50,000 Yazidis, who were stranded on top of the mountain in a race against time. Mirza shares his experience with Sarah Ehrlich. A 2 Degrees West production for BBC World Service.(Photo: Yazidi people escape the Sinjar mountains in August 2014. Credit: Emrah Yorulmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Israeli and U.S. military forces are boosting defenses and warning troops to brace for possible retaliation from Iran over Monday's airstrikes on the regime's consulate in Syria that killed several Iranian generals. As Iran hurls threats against Israel and the U.S., the Islamic regime is facing their own internal threats from Sunni Muslim militants, who recently launched a deadly attack on Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: PDB@TheFirstTV.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices