Podcasts about talents

Faire du recrutement une fonction stratégique  Je reçois Hélène Ly qui est une spécialiste du recrutement (et recrutement tech pour être plus précise). Après plusieurs années en qualité de recruteuse, elle monte un organisme de formation pour former les recruteurs et recruteuses dans le secteur de la tech. Parallèlement, Hélène a co-écrit avec Christel De Foucault le livre « Recruteurs : 80 questions pour réussir vos entretiens ».Lors de cet épisode, Hélène nous parlera notamment d'acculturation tech, de data, de posture, de brief, de sourcing ou encore d'IA. 

Jenifer Lockwood became a surgical nurse in Florida, grew up watching her mother struggle with addiction, developed her own health complications that introduced her to prescription pills, and eventually built a scheme at her job calling in fraudulent prescriptions to pharmacies to feed the addiction before law enforcement set her up at a pharmacy and arrested her — producing a 15 year Florida state prison sentence that she served 13 years of before sobriety, a paralegal career built inside those walls, and a complete life transformation gave everything that addiction cost her a completely different second chapter. _____________________________________________ #PrisonStories #PrisonLife #florida #nurse #truecrimestory _____________________________________________ Thank you to HUNGRYROOT, PRIZEPICKS & AG1 for sponsoring this episode: Hungryroot: Explore my Hungryroot Digital Cookbook "The Commissary Upgrade" at https://hungryroot.com/LOCKEDIN _____________________________________________  PrizePicks: Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/IANBICK and use code IANBICK and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup! _____________________________________________ AG1: For a limited time, save 20% on your first subscription order of AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro at https://drinkag1.com/lockedin _____________________________________________ Connect with Jenifer Lockwood: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeniferlockwood_postconviction/ Website:https://postconvictionalliance.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAadFH6OUvd0oYsZ49876ZgUNamkrtoguEvoHhTss8b8Eae0YjSpPFNXIEHSGUw_aem_zplLQ5f36CmzUcciKJ03Vw _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:  https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Surgical Nurse's Journey 00:28 Growing Up in Pensacola 02:22 Discovering Biological Father 05:52 Influence of Medical Family 09:15 Early Marriage and Nursing 12:04 Life as a Surgical Nurse 14:41 Sponsor Break 15:14 Traumatic OR Stories 20:36 Addiction Begins 24:47 Mother's Role in Addiction 27:20 Silent Struggles in Healthcare 30:40 Prescription Ends, Desperation 35:20 Arrested in Pharmacy 38:48 Drug Trafficking Charge 41:02 Pharmacy Verification Process 43:36 Bond and Legal Threats 48:39 Out on Bond, Terminated 50:05 Bond Revoked and Withdrawal 52:27 Firing Lawyer, Public Defender 55:00 County Jail Experience 57:38 Sponsor Break 58:47 Legal Process and Plea Deal 01:03:58 Understanding Gain Time 01:05:18 Marriage and New Relationship 01:09:10 Motherhood from Prison 01:13:26 First Day of Prison 01:19:29 Fitting in at Gatson 01:23:31 Becoming a Law Clerk 01:29:51 Prison Shows and Talents 01:31:04 Types of Cases Helped 01:32:32 Sobriety and Self-Discovery 01:35:35 Using Nursing Skills in Prison 01:38:49 Financial Support Inside 01:39:55 Mother's Sobriety 01:40:06 Questioning Sentencing Length 01:42:50 Refusing Cases and Prejudice 01:48:53 Comparing Sentences 01:50:15 Lessons from Encounters 01:53:42 Approaching Release Date 01:55:59 Release and Reuniting with Kids 02:03:36 Josh's Anger and Healing 02:05:30 Current Work and Advocacy 02:08:13 Feeling the Lost Years 02:09:25 Advice to Past Self _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

I've Had Enough Of Living In The City Of Los Angeles - Where Should I Move To?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Grateful Friday and we're sharing what we're thankful for, from surviving the first week of school to the return of college football season! Also hidden family talents, like Murphy the untangler and Sam the trivia king, and why we all take pride in being the go-to person. Plus, who's getting sick of AI?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nick Hiter Show — You'll Never Outlive Your Self-ImageIn this one, I get into what really separates the people who perform under pressure from the people who fold — and it starts with pace. I break down why pace is the ultimate KPI, how streamlining communication turns weeks of work into minutes, and why the way you talk to yourself sets the ceiling on everything you do in public. I open up about a wild stretch of work across time zones, a massive faith-and-film project, and the lesson that keeps proving itself: you have to go first, stay calm, and remove the emotion so the message stays clear. We get into the Parable of the Talents and capacity-based trust, why comfort can quietly become a trap, and how studying the leaders I've been around — Troy, Brad, and others — taught me that nobody wins on accident.Key Takeaways:- Pace is the real KPI — but the right pace depends on the size of the deal.- Enrich communication first: clarity and speed beat volume every time.- To play at that level, you have to pay at that level.- Go first — you can't ask people to do what you haven't done yourself.- Emotion is a tool; the moment it overrides the message, you've lost the point.- Respond, don't react — process the emotion privately, then say the clean version.- You'll never outlive your own self-image, so talk to yourself like a hero.- The Parable of the Talents: burying opportunity out of fear is the real failure.- Comfort can be a calling — or a trap; know which season you're in.- Replicating yourself means building someone who can do it better than you.Follow and contact:Instagram: @nickhiterNickhiter.comSubscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/NickHiterFollow and Rate us on Spotify: https://spotify.com/NickHiterFollow and Rate us on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/NickHiterFollow and Rate us on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/NickHiter

Things got off the rails a bit with some unique talents and secret tickets! Plus in Group Therapy, her hubby's longtime bestie tossed out an indecent proposal her way and isn't sure how to tell hubby!

Pendant plus de dix ans, Aurore Aleman a évolué dans les coulisses de la télévision et du casting. Directrice de casting de Secret Story, elle a appris à repérer les personnalités, les talents et ce petit quelque chose qui peut faire la différence.Mais derrière celle qui révélait les autres, il y avait aussi une femme en quête de sa propre voie.Dans cet épisode de La Bascule, Aurore revient sur son rêve d'enfant de devenir comédienne, les rencontres qui ont changé sa trajectoire, son expérience dans l'univers des castings et sa relation avec Benjamin Castaldi.Elle raconte aussi cette nouvelle bascule : le moment où elle comprend que sa mission ne se limite plus à révéler des talents, mais à révéler les êtres.Aujourd'hui, à travers la sophrologie et la numérologie, elle accompagne celles et ceux qui cherchent à mieux se comprendre, à retrouver leur potentiel et à devenir pleinement eux-mêmes.Parce qu'un rêve ne reste qu'un rêve tant qu'on n'ose pas le poursuivre.Bienvenue dans La Bascule, le podcast qui révèle sa véritable nature.Bonne écoute.Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Send us Fan Mail Getting rejected for your mental health can mess with your identity in ways people rarely talk about. We're joined by author Jeff Dalton, who shares what it felt like to be treated as “defective” after a bipolar disorder diagnosis and why the rejection hurt most inside the faith spaces where he expected belonging. We get honest about the loneliness that follows spiritual gatekeeping and the quiet way conditional approval can rewrite how you see yourself. We also name the damage caused by mental health stigma in church culture, especially when leaders speak like experts without training and reduce complex conditions to sin, weak faith, or something “demonic.” Jeff explains how those messages produce shame, fear, and silence, and why the most meaningful support often looks simple: showing up, staying present, and listening well. If you've ever wanted to help someone but didn't know what to say, this will reframe what real care can be. Then we move into the performance trap: what happens when your worth is tied to results, numbers, followers, or sales. Jeff connects a failed book launch to a deeper belief that he wasn't enough, and he shares how rereading the Gospels, including the Parable of the Talents, helped him redefine success as faithfulness rather than output. If you're navigating bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, or faith deconstruction, you'll hear language for rebuilding self-worth without pretending you're fine. Subscribe for more real conversations, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the one takeaway you're choosing to live this week. Note: This episode discusses one guest's personal religious beliefs and experience within a specific faith community, including his views on stigma toward mental illness in some religious spaces. These are his own opinions and experiences, not a general position on faith communities or a clinical perspective on mental health.  Connect With the Guest: Facebook: facebook.com/JMDalton777 TikTok: @JeffDalton777 YouTube: @JeffDalton9906 Book: "Expressions of the Heart: Poems and Devotionals" (available on Amazon, digital and paperback) Our Protector Development Offer: $100 OFF ENROLLMENT | Code: ENROLL100 The Rooted Co-op 50% off the Nervous System Work: Be the Change Course! | Code: POD50 The Kloaked Signal Select for pre-order discount 10% | Code: podfans10 Focal Point Coaching of Oak Park Offer: First session FREE | Code: Mention "HealthyMind" in your email Royalty Coaching and Consulting Offering Coaching to help men go through the workbook and achieve freedom in all areas of life! Convergence Offer: 50% off | TRANSFORM50 Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Režisérka Ivana Vogrinc Vidali společně se scenáristkou, režisérkou a dramaturgyní Darjou Mikovou připravují film o dívce, která postupně přichází o zrak. Její největší oporou se stane vodicí fenka Nera. Jenže právě vztah, který jí vrací svobodu, ji začne nutit klást si nepohodlné otázky o závislosti, poslušnosti a ceně bezpečí.O projektu mluví autorky v dalším díle speciální podcastové série Forbes Life KVIFF Talents, která letos vznikla přímo v Císařských lázních v Karlových Varech. Zapojené projekty se tam představují filmovým profesionálům, producentům, partnerům i investorům.

In this message on parables, Pastor Steve focuses on the parable of the talents and the concept of eternal rewards. It emphasizes the importance of faithful stewardship and the evaluation of one's life in light of eternity. You will be challenged to live a life that matters for eternity and to surrender to the will of God.TakeawaysFaithful stewardship is evaluated in light of eternityEternal rewards are a reflection of one's love for JesusLiving a life that matters for eternity is a choice and a surrender to God's willChapters00:00 The Parable of the Talents05:56 The Purpose of Parables09:27 The Olivet Discourse11:00 Living Between Two Realities13:12 The Judgment Seat of Christ29:26 Eternal Rewards32:33 The Life of William BordenRecorded Live at Hope Church in Springfield, MO#parables #talents #eternity #whatmatters #significance #Jesus

The Rebbe writes that one must use their time and G-d-given talents efficiently, maximizing every moment for Torah study and positive influence. Even those with great intellect must apply effort and diligence, which further increases their abilities. https://www.torahrecordings.com/rebbe/igroskodesh/017/011/6454

What are you doing with what God has entrusted to you? Join Pastor Eric Giesow as he dives into the Parable of the Talents and stirs us to live a life that is worthy of "Well Done!"

In the Parable of the Talents, could it be that the third "worthless" servant should be our model? Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

In their 500th episode, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb celebrate a decade of The Reformed Brotherhood by diving into one of Scripture's most overlooked parables — the Parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26–29. Exclusive to Mark's Gospel, this four-verse passage packs a theological punch that is, as Tony and Jesse argue, unmistakably Reformed in its emphasis. The man scatters seed, goes about his life, and the earth produces — by itself — without his understanding or intervention. From this, the hosts draw out rich implications for evangelism, sanctification, ecclesiology, and eschatology. They argue that the kingdom of God advances by divine power alone, hidden from human sight, moving toward a certain consummation. The episode pairs deep theological reflection with the hosts' characteristic warmth, humor, and 10 years' worth of shared history. Key Takeaways Monergism is embedded in the parable itself. The growth of the seed is entirely God's doing. The man scatters and rests; the earth produces by itself — a picture of divine sovereignty that requires no human management or comprehension. The evangelist's only obligation is to scatter. This parable relieves believers of the anxious burden of producing spiritual fruit. Faithfulness in proclamation is the call; growth belongs to God. Sanctification is gradual, hidden, and God's work. The progression — blade, ear, full grain — mirrors the believer's sanctification, which proceeds by degrees imperceptible to the individual yet certain in God's design. The Kingdom of God is not dependent on any individual. Whether it's a ministry leader, a financial contributor, or a worship musician, no single human agent is load-bearing for the advance of God's kingdom. Primary and secondary causation work together without contradiction. God uses means — the farmer still sows, the earth still functions — but the means are instrumental, not efficient causes. God's providence encompasses and exceeds them. The harvest belongs to God, not the evangelist. Just as the man did not direct the growth, he is not the agent ultimately putting in the sickle. The consummation of the kingdom occurs in God's time and by God's initiative. This parable resists reduction. It cannot be flattened into a simple evangelism lesson or a single eschatological statement. It holds together personal sanctification, corporate ecclesiology, and cosmic eschatology within four verses. Key Concepts The Earth Produces By Itself: Monergism in the Parable The theological center of this parable is the Greek word automate — the earth produces "by itself," without external compulsion or human assistance. Tony and Jesse argue this is not incidental language but the thesis of the entire passage. The farmer is genuinely active — he scatters the seed — but his agency recedes almost immediately from view. He doesn't monitor the soil, apply nutrients, or trace the growth. He simply lives his life. This picture coheres precisely with the Reformed doctrine of monergism: that in regeneration and kingdom growth alike, the decisive cause lies entirely outside human capacity. As Jesse puts it, the mechanism of growth "belongs to God alone." The farmer's ignorance is not a failure — it is the point. We are not meant to understand the how; we are meant to trust the Who. Scatter, Then Rest: A Theology of Evangelism Without Anxiety One of the episode's most practically rich applications concerns the posture believers are called to adopt in evangelism. Tony observes that this parable is rarely preached as an encouragement to evangelists, yet that is precisely what it is. The sower's only active verb is scattering. After that, he sleeps and rises — the rhythms of ordinary life — while God does the work that no human strategy, method, or persistence can accomplish. This directly addresses what Tony calls the "anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production." The Reformed vision of evangelism is not passive indifference but liberated faithfulness: scatter the seed of the gospel without bearing the impossible weight of manufactured outcomes. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:6–7, "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Blade, Then Ear, Then Grain: The Patience of Providence The threefold progression Jesus describes — blade, then ear, then full grain — is not decorative agricultural detail. It is a theological statement about the character of God's work in the world and in the soul. Growth is gradual, ordered, and unhurried. Jesse draws the direct application to sanctification: the believer cannot fully trace the work of grace in his own heart, yet it is real and it is God's doing. This ought to produce, as Jesse summarizes, "patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety." The church, too, matures through stages. Neither impatience with slowness nor despair at imperceptibility is warranted — both misread the nature of divine providence. God is not behind schedule. He is, as always, working through means, in His time, toward a consummation He has already appointed. Memorable Quotes The earth produces by itself — we might even say the kingdom of God produces by itself. It's not dependent on anything except God's sovereign will and his sovereignty to execute all that he desires. - Tony Arsenal The mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. - Jesse Schwamb The kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation — and this ought to produce patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety. - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to the 10th Pentacost episode of the [00:01:00] Reformed Brotherhood. It's number 500. I'm Jesse Tony Arsenal: and I'm Tony, and this is the podcast that's been going for 10 years. Hey, brother.  Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. A happy 500th episode to you.  Tony Arsenal: I know, man. It's kinda crazy. It's kinda crazy, and we're not gonna do anything special 'cause we don't do that, but it is crazy that this is the 500th episode. That's a lot of podcasting.  Jesse Schwamb: It's absolutely wild.  Podcast Memories And Mishaps Jesse Schwamb: And as with any milestone, as I was thinking about this one occurring, it did draw my mind to all the crazy things that have happened on this podcast, some known, some unknown. Of course, there is the very infamous time that I spilled a whole bottle of kombucha on the desk while we were recording, but everybody knows about that. But I was, I was also thinking about the, the lesser-known ones, like the time you and I sat in the downstairs church, like so close to each other on the same side of the table- Yeah ... to record a episode, or the time [00:02:00] that a tow truck showed up while we were recording and I had to go run out and direct the tow truck 'cause I'd called it for the car. Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Jesse Schwamb: And you paused the episode so that we could go do that, or the time that we had our favorite Lutherans on the podcast in what I think was, like, the hottest environment, and I just remember the sweat trickling down Chad Bird's beard. Like, like, like air being- Like the oil gloss ... mixed with oil. Yeah. It was so hot. So those are the ones that come to my mind. I don't know if there are any ones that come to you. We- we've had some great episodes, and by the way, they all live out for free in the world on reformedbrotherhood.com. So don't take our word for it. You can go all the way back to the beginning if you really want to, and you can hear this incredible journey that God has had us on these some 10 years. So I'm curious, like, do any episodes, topics, conversations, weird things come to your mind after all this time?  Tony Arsenal: Uh, the one I remember is when we recorded with Dad and we were waiting for the snow, the [00:03:00]snowplow- ... and we had to, like, wrap the episode up real quick because the snowplow was there and we had to go move cars. That's right. So there's been a fair amount of episodes where it's like something has interrupted us and we need to just get it over with real quick. That's right. Um, hopefully the listener doesn't hear that too much.  Patreon Support Check In Tony Arsenal: The other thing I was thinking about, you know, just as we're kinda thinking about the back catalog, we're not great at this. Uh, we tend to do our, what, what's they call the call to action. The experts call it the call to action. We do it at the very end of our podcast episodes, which is the worst place to do it. Uh, but we're gonna try to land it in the beginning here. So we, we've been supported by a number of, of people, uh, for basically the entire podcast. I don't remember exactly how early on it was that we started doing Patreon, but it's, it's been a long time. And what I noticed the other day, I went in to, to check on a couple things and make sure everything was working the way it's supposed to. There was some, like, account merge I had to do, and I've noticed that several people who've been supporting us, um, pretty much since the beginning- have their accounts listed in a declined status. [00:04:00] And what that means is that their, probably their credit card that they use, uh, has expired, and so now they're not, no longer supporting the show even though they think they are. So if you are a person who believes you're supporting the show, particularly if you've been supporting the show for a long time, and you wanna continue to support the show, uh, we would really appreciate if you took a minute to go into your Patreon account, double-check that the, you know, that you've been, um, contributing for the last couple months. Uh, double-check that the credit card you have on file is not, uh, expired or suspended or anything like that. Um, again, if you've made a decision that it's time to stop, uh, stop the show, or if this is the point where you realize, "I don't care enough to re-support to the show," um, that's fine. We love you. We've appreciated your support. We hope you keep listening. Uh, but if you do wanna continue to contribute, please do check that. And if you've never taken a chance to think through whether or not you want to support the show, uh, Jesse and I are so thankful for all the support we have.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: Uh, but things are getting more expensive, and, um, you know, that's, that's [00:05:00] just a reality for all of us, and that includes things like podcasting hosting fees. Um, the cost of our, our editing software that we use has gone up. That's a subscription. Uh, the cost of hosting space has gone up. Um, all of that, uh, all of that has gone up, and so even though we've had steady supporters, it's kinda like we have lost supporters, um, financially because the money doesn't go quite as far. So if you've ever thought, "Maybe I should, uh, maybe I should contribute to the podcast," please do think about it. Even if just, uh, half of our audience went in and contributed $1 a month, um, that would be a substantial amount. That would really help us to keep the podcast going. And there's actually a number of projects and things Jesse have I, and I have wanted to do, um, that we would love to be able to, you know, to take a step on. Uh, we just don't have funding to do it, uh- Right ... because the funding we have is enough to keep the podcast going but not enough to stretch to something else. So I don't wanna, like, preload that too much, 'cause who knows if it's gonna happen, but there's some things that we wanna do [00:06:00] that would involve a little bit of upfront capital that we would need- Right to get some contrib- contributions on. So please do consider that. We appreciate you so much if you've been a supporter. We appreciate you so much if you've even considered it. Uh, and we appreciate you so much just for listening, uh, especially- Yes ... if you've been with us, you know, this is episode 500. That's a lot of podcasting- Yeah, it is ... directly in your ear hole. So thank you so much for that.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, we're so grateful.  Why We Keep Doing This Jesse Schwamb: It's fun just to think how many episodes we recorded, but also how many interesting conversations and topics, all the inside jokes. It really is a community. That's in part why we started this, is to sit down together and to bring other brothers and sisters into the fray, as it were, or maybe to bring us into your fray a little bit and to encourage and edify the church, the brothers and sisters, the saints around the world. And it is an around the world kinda podcast, which is remarkable too. So- Yes ... we're just gonna keep being here. As long as the Lord tarries and He allows us to do this, we'll just keep doing it. And again, we've recorded in closets, in cars on the way to things. We've done it at [00:07:00] the beach, and we've done it in cold environs, and we've done it in hot environs. And you're right, you reminded me of that time where we were desperately waiting as we were getting snowed in for the plow to come. And then it was all hands on deck, and we just dropped the recording equipment and said, "We gotta get out of here." And more often than not, the p- joy of this podcast is it just kinda finds its way into our normal rhythm of life. But it- Yeah ... comes out of our life, and out of a life that's been transformed by Christ. And so that's really what we come back to.  Mark Only Parable Preview Jesse Schwamb: In fact, that's the whole thing that we're in right now. We're going through all these parables. And this episode, we can't stop, won't stop. We're gonna continue to hit you with the content that we love, which is talking about Jesus. And so we're in one of the few... Well, it's a Markan parable that only appears in Mark. That's why I called it Markan, I guess. So extra bonus points to you, that's both extra and bonus, if you know which one it is before I say it. But there's a lot for us to talk about- ... because we're getting into this really, really short little story, but it's really chock-full, of course, as Jesus likes to do with all [00:08:00] kinds of spiritual truth. It's about a farmer chucking a seed on the ground, and then he goes about his business. He eats, he sleeps, he binge-watches the Jane equivalent of Netflix. He sleeps again, he wakes up. And while he does this, the seed is doing entirely its own thing without his help or understanding. He didn't make it grow. He can't explain how it grows. He just shows up at the end with a sickle to collect what God has already finished. Man, if there isn't a Reformed theological parable, I don't know what one is. Yeah. So we're gonna get to all of that on this 500th episode. I mean, it's something to be saying that even the US is only 250 years old, and- we've already recorded twice as many podcasts as there are years of experience in the US. But besides all of that, it wouldn't be- It's like- ... Reformed Brotherhood-  Tony Arsenal: I don't know if you've seen this. That reminds me of those things online where it's like, like, "Elon Musk is a billi- is a trillionaire. That means he could give every person on earth $1 billion- Oh, yeah and still would be a multi-billionaire." And you're like, "That's, that's not mathematically true." 'Cause when [00:09:00]you said that, I was like, "You mean the podcast is older than the country?"  Jesse Schwamb: Oh, math. I have a feeling we're gonna come back to that. Oh, math.  Tony Arsenal: Oh, math.  Affirm Or Deny Segment Jesse Schwamb: Now, of course, if you listen for any length of time, you know it wouldn't be an episode if we didn't have a time of affirming with or denying against. Of course, that is that time where we pick something that we like, we think everybody should be a part of, that we wanna recommend, and we affirm with it. Or on the opposite, instead we say, "We deny against this thing because it's just no good." So Tony, on this 500th episode, I'm just gonna keep saying it over and over again, so lest the listeners forget, what are you affirming with or denying against? Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Scammer Payback Recommendation Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming, um, a little YouTube channel that I found. Uh, it takes a little bit of setup to explain it, but the, the channel is called Scammer Payback. Ooh. Um, and it's, it's a... I think most people have probably seen, like, the Gene Fieith- Gene Veith, um, like, where he, he gets a, some sort of scammer on the phone, and he sorta just, like, [00:10:00] trolls them and makes, kinda makes them sound dumb and, you know, pretends to play along just to see how long he can keep them on the phone. Those are really funny. These are funny, but they're on a whole different level of seriousness, which is a weird sentence. Um, basically what this is is a group of professional hackers, um, and there's, this is a serious kinda sting operation they have going. They don't use their real names on the channel. Um, there's one, there's one, um, where they interview, like, a social, um, a social engineer whose job is to... Her- she is a person who basically, uh, does social hacking, and she helps companies who, who their security people think, like, their executives are, um, susceptible to social engineering, social hacking. She'll actually call and, like, mess around with the CEOs and socially hack them. Um, they interviewed her, and the first thing she said when she sat down was the person she was talking to's first name, and the guy was just stunned. He's like, "I- we- we've never used my first name on the channel before." So they're very serious, and what they do is they identify [00:11:00] a scam or a g- usually a group of scammers, and they'll actually hack into and infiltrate the computer systems that they're using. And so they show you everything that they're doing. Um, they're, they're explaining the scam and how it's run. Um, and a lot of times they're actually actively intervening in, uh, in a scam, trying to stop a scam that's in progress because somebody is about to lose a lot of money. I mean, I think one of the things that's important about this is our audience, you know, mostly, mostly guys probably, like, age, I don't know, late 20s, early 30s, maybe early 40s, we kind of grew up and lived, lived in a world most of our adult lives or all of our adult lives where, like, fishing schemes and other kinds of, like, um, data s- data theft, like, that was just in the air. It was just normal. So we're... It's not like we're immune to it, but we're used to it, and we're ready for it, and we're looking for it. That means that most of us have parents that are in a generation who are particularly susceptible to this. [00:12:00] So I think it would be worth, worth people's time to take a look at this, uh, just as a educational piece, and then, yes, share it with your family members who are in this era. People get taken for a ton of money. Yeah. The reason that these older generation sort of bu- builder Boomer generations are targeted is not just because they're somewhat soft targets, but they also have the money. Um, most of, most of the wealth in our country is possessed by people in that generation. It's just an economic fact in a lot of places and a lot of areas, and so that's why they're targeted. So take a little bit of time, watch the show. It's... And it's entertaining. It's really well produced. It's funny. These are non-Christians, you know, who are, are being non-Christian, so there's a fair amount of salty language, especially when they're interacting directly with the scammers that they absolutely hate. Um, but it's, it's worth watching. And, and it... I think it'll... I think it's entertaining. Most of the time it's like a 15-minute video, so it's not too much of your time. Pop that on two times [00:13:00] speed on YouTube and, and you're all set.  Jesse Schwamb: And when you say salty you're not talking about Salty the Singing Songbook, right? Tony Arsenal: Correct. Yeah. Not P-S-A-L-T-Y. S-A-L-T-Y.  Jesse Schwamb: Just in case. I wouldn't want any of the loved ones to go and just be waiting for Salty to show up, like, in the mid- Which would be kind of epic in the midst of this, like, scamming shutdown, the sting operation. Like, Salty s- pops up and starts singing about restorative justice and- Yeah what it means that God restores all things. I mean, that would have a good place in this, but I just want that just to be clear. We don't, we don't want anybody to, to at us on that.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah, for sure. Well, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight?  Jesse Loves Algebra Jesse Schwamb: I'm going to return to that beautiful intro you gave about mathematics and the whole Elon Musk thing. And so my affirmation is simply, like, just do... Just enjoy all the math you can. Use all the math that you know. So my wife and I were watching some kind of program on YouTube, and it was a program in which there are a couple [00:14:00]people competing in this kind of escape room situation, and as escape rooms are want to do, there came some kind of small math problem. And it goes something like this, is the best I can remember it. It was what number between one and nine when it is tripled and five is added to it is the same as that number being doubled and having one added to it? Now, as soon as that problem was read, we were watching intently, and I turned to my wife and I said, "Why do they need to say it's between, like, one and nine?" And she goes, "Well, how else would they know what the number was?" And I was like, "Well, like, this is a beautiful little algebra thing, like se- series of equations. Like, you have two equations here." And she's like... Just gave me a blank look. So I was like, "Oh, man." So she's like, "Okay. Do it then. Do it." So I was like, "Give me a piece of paper." So I, I was just like, this is gonna be such a beautiful thing. So I was like, "All this is, is, like, it's basically 3x minus five equals 2x plus one. You're solving for whatever this missing number is, and they've given you this beautiful setup, [00:15:00] which you rarely get in real life, but this beautiful setup is a system of equations. We have two things you know are gonna turn out to be the same. They've just been said in different ways, and that allows you enough space to figure out how to solve for them using a little bit of algebra." So I realized then this is why they said between one and nine, because the contestants then proceeded just to iteratively pick numbers until they found the answer, which is not a bad way. Like, that's a way to use, like, all the math you have. Certainly, that's a way. But I showed her how it was like, this is the answer, six, and you don't even need to know where to start because you don't need to start anywhere. You can actually figure this out. Still not really impressed. And then she said something to me that just, like, kind of rocked my world. I said, like, "Well, I'm sure this is familiar to, with, to you." And she's like, "Oh, yeah. Like, I learned algebra." And she goes, "Yeah, I, I know algebra. I just don't do it anymore. I just don't use it anymore." And I was like What, what I heard was, like, basically her saying to me, "I used to brush my teeth, but I just don't do it [00:16:00] anymore." 'Cause I was like, "This is such a beautiful thing." So then I got it in my head, well, well here's the problem. It's just a matter of seeing the results. So I was like, "Well, here's the amazing thing is yes, these are abstract concepts. Yes, it's like each of those is a function. It's, it's a representation of what he just said in the problem. But," and this is my grave mistake, Tony. But I was like, "Really, Descartes showed us that we can think about these not as abstractions, but we can plot them geometrically as lines on a Cartesian plane." And so I was like, "Really we can show that these are two lines and they have a relationship together." And then I was like, "Guess where they intersect? Guess where they intersect?" And she's like, "I w- that's impossible to even know. I have no idea where they intersect." I was like, "No, no. Just, just based on what we're saying, the beauty of this is they have a relationship. They're gonna come together at some point, like you and I in life. They're gonna, they're gonna come together. Guess where that would be?" And she's like, "That would be impossible to know." And I was like, "It's not, actually." So I showed her that, you know, left and right, up and down, X and Y, however you wanna speak [00:17:00] about it, those two lines are gonna intersect, at least on the X. The X spot is gonna be the number six. It's the same thing. Still nothing. So after all of that, I just appreciate my wife is such a brilliant lady, that she just doesn't need algebra. She goes through life just, like, crushing problems without... Like, because she'd like to do it, I think, just the, the more challenging, difficult, iterative way. And, uh, she doesn't use algebra anymore. Just no need for it. So in many ways I respect that. In other ways, again, the affirmation is like, use all the math you have available to you because it's a beautiful thing. I think basically at the end of that I ended up in, like, a very supreme place of doxology, and my wife was like, "Can we just go back to watching TV now?" So but I, I have to say, like, and I, I know you, you share my appreciation for math and stuff like this. Like, it's not even just puzzles. It's just the beauty that, like, we can do this, and that there's such a created order, like a supremely created order, that these rules of ma- mathematics aren't just impounded. They're like the fabric in which God has, [00:18:00] has basically woven all of reality such that we can do this kind of thing, and that even a simple problem in escape room can lead us to appreciate how intensely ordered and beautiful the world is, that we can go after knowledge and solve for explicit things that seem abstract beyond our comprehension and reason to begin with, but have been brought to a place we might understand them. That is, like, an insanely glorious thing to me. So algebra is great, loved ones. I've recommended before, but the side affirmation is go to Khan Academy if you wanna brush up on your algebra skills. I think algebra is, like, some of the most beautiful and intensely practical math ever. I love calculus, but calculus you don't get a lot of, like, use. You can use algebra to solve all kinds of things, whether it's like tips or... Like, it's gonna save you so much time. If you're ever in escape room, I'm just telling you, do not do this iteratively. Just get the, your system of equations down, and you will be, like, tearing out of that room, and then you'll look like a hero. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  Math In Everyday Life Tony Arsenal: I mean, I think, like, even the f- even the, the... How do I wanna say this delicately? Uh, [00:19:00] even the idea that we, quote, "don't use algebra" means people don't actually understand that we're using algebra all the  Jesse Schwamb: time.  Tony Arsenal: Exactly. Right. Like, I could buy I don't use calculus or I don't use trigonometry- Right or even I don't use geometry. Um, but to say I don't use algebra, like just basic. I mean, I know like basic equations are, I guess, technically arithmetic, but like how many times does someone have to, have to go, "All right, the tip, the, the bill is X number of dollars. The bill is-" Right ..."$100, and I wanna give a 15% tip, so what's the outcome?" Like, that's an algebraic equation, right? That's right. Um, or a more, I think a more common one would be like, "All right, the bill is this amount. I want my, uh, my final amount that I give billed to me to be an even number."  Jesse Schwamb: Right. " Tony Arsenal: And I also want to give at least 15%, 20%, whatever percent, so what's the number I need to use in order to get to a bill that is, or a [00:20:00] tip that is both 15% or higher and results..." Like, all of those things are algebraic equations.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: So I think, yeah. I mean, even like, "I need to get to work by such and such a time. What time do I need to leave?" Right. "I know it takes-" Exactly. "... a certain amount of time." Right. So I think we, we all use algebra a lot more than we, we probably realize, and I think you're right. Like, when people say, "Well, I don't use my math anymore," what they're saying is like, "I don't use, I don't use the stuff that I had to show my work on anymore." Right. "I don't use the stuff that I have to do on paper anymore." But, um, it's funny, we had a, a conversation, by the way, Reformed Tele- Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat is a thing. Uh, we had a conversation in the Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat a little while ago. One of our members was trying to figure out some sort of, like- And it was a problem having to do with like a, an air conditioning throttle or whatever it's called. Some sort of like programming in an air conditioner. And we went through it, we figured out that one of the like relatively complex parts of the equation that he was trying to figure out actually no matter what values you [00:21:00] put in, uh, equated to one. And then the other one was like it was ti- and then it was times one. So it was like whatever you put in ended up to that times one was the rest of the equation. It was like a huge, or like a relatively large equation that resolved down to one. So it was like you're trying to figure out all this complicated math and really like that entire, uh, that entire complicated equation was doing nothing in the rest of the equation. Nice. It was doing absolutely nothing. Um, so we were able to sort of like figure out, all right, well now all we need to do is figure out what, what this relationship does. Right. Um, and even something like in that particular situation, there were some values that the equation couldn't possibly balance. Which again, you could plot that on a graph and see like there's a spot... I don't, I'm, I'm making this up, but I think this is probably not wrong. There's a spot where it's like this is a parabolic equation, and so at some point the parable, or the par- parable, I didn't even mean to do that. There we go. At some point the [00:22:00] parabola goes back up, and so like there is no point- Right ... when it reaches this number. So values that would be in that, in that zone or in that range- Right ... they, they don't work in the equation. So yeah, I think math, uh, algebra is, uh, you know, basic arithmetic obviously is, is relatively straightforward. Algebra's probably the most simple, uh, form of math that your average person uses on a regular basis.  Jesse Schwamb: For sure.  Trigonometry And Design Tony Arsenal: But it's funny, I remember the first time, um, the very first time that I realized trigonometry was not just some abstract thing that we would never use. And it's so funny, 'cause it's like the nerdiest, the nerdiest example. I was playing a tabletop RPG with my friends, we were in high school, and we were, we were learning trigonometry at the time. I was playing a tabletop RPG, and we were trying to figure out- Um, it was a, it was like a futuristic tabletop RPG, so we were using like, like laser guns or something like that that have a certain range. And we were trying to figure out if the thing that was flying in the air from us was within range or not.  Jesse Schwamb: Nice.  Tony Arsenal: And what we realized [00:23:00] is that's just a quadratic equation, right? Right, it is. I just need to calculate. I know how far away it is from me in a straight line, I know how high in the air it is, so I need to just- Right now I need to... Or not, not the quadratic. That's Pythagoras' theorem, right? Yep. I need to calculate the Pythag- or the, um, the hypotenuse.  Jesse Schwamb: I'm with you. I  Tony Arsenal: knew where you were going. Yeah. So, like, I remember distinctly, I, I mean, I remember where I was sitting in my friend's basement going, "Oh, my goodness, trigonometry actually has a practical application here." Um, you know, whether that's figuring out how much rope I need to be able to, to attach to a tree and still be able... Like, all of these different things ultimately are math, and, or as the, the Brits say, are maths. And, uh, the, it, it's just a beautiful thing. And I think you're right, like, this is evidence that the universe has a structure- And a designer because- Right you can describe the universe using this- Nice ... sort of universal numerical language that, um, in, for the most part, describes everything we can [00:24:00] see. I mean, obviously, like, they're still learning things. They're still figuring things out. But what we can see with our senses, we can also describe with math on some level. Even something like the colors that we see can be reduced to a, a number, a frequency, a wavelength. So yeah, I'm with you. Use your algebra. Find ways to use it.  Jesse Schwamb: Use it. It's the... I like what you said, that we're using it. We just don't realize it. There's a spiritual lesson in there, I think, as well, that it's, it's present all around us, and it's... I like what you said. It's, like, the, the most, like, grabbable. It's the thing that's pretty easy to grasp, yet has, like, some beautiful outworkings that are super complex. All the time I love to, like, mess with people, even people who are, like, say, like, "Oh, I'm not into math." I'm like, "That's okay." Like, it's... You're, you're living in a mathematical world, and you're certainly using it, but that, that's okay.  Imaginary Numbers Wonder Jesse Schwamb: But like, sometimes I'll just say to somebody, like, "How do you know, like actually know that, like a negative number times a negative number is a positive number?" Like, who came up with that, and how do you know? And why are we just trusting him? Why can't somebody just say, "You know what? For me, it's not. I'm gonna make that a [00:25:00] negative number"? And w- the reason is because algebra provides... There's a lot of proofs, but algebra provides the most simple, beautiful proof. And then once you, once you basically contravene that law, like, everything falls apart. I- it's... And the question we should be asking is why does everything fall apart if we contravene one simple law, wh- which is two negative numbers multiplied, the product of them has to be, must be, is always a positive number. And that's, like, not even getting into, like, the more crazy things. Like, everybody should go look up, like, what imaginary numbers are. That will kind of mess with your mind, but then we found ways to use imaginary numbers, which are exactly what they sound like- Yeah ... to solve, like, incredible problems. Where does that come from? It comes from the Lord. It comes from God's, like, creative ability that He's placed in mankind to go after and to take a dominion over the knowledge and the creative order in such a complex and creative way. It mimics and mirrors the creativity of our Heavenly Father, and it is altogether beautiful. So on this- Yeah ... 500 episode that has a lot of numbers associated with it, I [00:26:00] say go love the numbers. Go enjoy them. Wherever you are in life, whatever your enjoyment of math is, big or small, go try to find some way to enjoy it today. Tony Arsenal: Can I, can I throw in a, a weird relevant sub-affirmation to your affirmation? I  Jesse Schwamb: mean, please.  Tony Arsenal: This is our show, so I'll do what I want to. You can do what you want. First, when you say we live in a mathematical world, all I could think of was some Perry song of Material Girl. Material  Jesse Schwamb: World?  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Odd Squad Math Tony Arsenal: I am a mathematical boy, and I live in a ma- Anyway, um, there is a show that I watch with August, my son, who is almost five. Uh, he'll be five in March. And, um, it's called Odd Squad. And what Odd Squad is, is it's a sort of a s- like a spy-themed kids show with a touch of like, uh, almost like Twilight Zone. Like, there's so- It's they manage odd. Like, they're the Odd Squad because they, they respond to odd emergencies, so it's a lot of like weird monsters and aliens and like time travel paradoxes and strange stuff. But the answer [00:27:00] to the problem is always related somehow to a math principle. So they will talk about how like multiplication is just addition like many times over.  Jesse Schwamb: Sure.  Tony Arsenal: And that's actually why multiplying a negative number times a negative number is a positive number or, you know, like, or multiplying by a negative number is a negative number, right? And that's because like really what you're doing if you multiply two, uh, two times negative three is you're subjecting, you're subtracting two from two from two, which gives you, you know- Right ... a negative number. So it's, it's not, uh, it, it's for kids, but I actually have realized that I understand math better- because of watching the show.  Jesse Schwamb: I  Tony Arsenal: love it. And it's because they break it down in, you know, the, the audience- Yes ... the target audience is a little bit older than August. I think the target audience is probably like six to seven, maybe eight years old. Um, and so they're talking about math principles geared towards those groups. But they'll talk about things like [00:28:00] using a number line to be able to understand math, and so like visualizing it. Or they'll talk about how multiplication is really just groups of things. So yeah, check it out.  Why Math Matters Tony Arsenal: And again- Algebra is probably the most, uh, easy to grab of the disciplines, but that's because that's the one we are using every day all the time. Tony Arsenal: And we don't realize it. But again, like, calculus is a beautiful, a beautiful thing. Um, and there are some amazing things that exist in the world that can really only be understood and described in a certain sense by something like calculus or trigonometry. Um, my favorite, I, I wish I had, like, kept it up, but one of my favorites is geometry 'cause I think a lot of it is, that's, like, the closest to puzzles. Yes. Um, uh, so, like, I, I used to love doing proofs and axioms and stuff. So, and then of course logic is technically related to math. It's a related discipline to math- It is ... in that it, it's, it's actually, like, the language that underlies a lot of the mathematics is [00:29:00] logical formulas. So it's all relevant. It's all beautiful. It all describes God's creation, and it all redounds to His glory.  Jesse Schwamb: You got that right.  Mark Growing Seed Jesse Schwamb: And speaking of both His creation and His glory, and Jesus teaching of both of those things, we are, as we promised, hanging out in the Book of Mark, and we've got just four sentences. And what I love about this parable that we're about to read is it fits in so perfectly with something I think you and I have been saying from the very beginning, which is it's tempting when we think about the parables to consider, like, a single element or to distill them down to, like, a single word and say, "We hear the kingdom of God is this thing, this noun, this object, this person." But instead, the case we've been making is it's actually generally a series of verbs, or in this case, it's the whole four verses that Jesus is gonna give to us here. So let me just read Mark 4:26-29. That's all it is, loved ones. And it's a good thing because we're already knee-deep into this 500th episode. So this goes by various names. I've heard it called, [00:30:00] like, the Parable of the Growing Seed, or sometimes people call it, like, the Parable of the, The Secret Seed. I'm not sure that's really secret, but I suppose the increase is secret in a way, and that's really what Jesus is communicating to us in these verses. So Mark 4:26: "And Jesus was saying, 'The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil, and he sleeps and he rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, how he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself, first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.'" Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, this is, um, an interesting parable, and I'll be the first to admit, like, when you said, "Well, why don't we do the king- the parable of the growth next?" I was like, "I don't actually know what Jesse's talking about." So if you're in the same boat as I am and [00:31:00] you, uh, you are like, "Wait, there's the... This is a parable? Like, this exists in the Bible?" Um, you're not alone, and I think part of the reason is that, one, it's so short, but it also sort of, like, connects into the next parable thematically. I don't know necessarily- Hmm ... about the content and the meaning, but thematically it sort of blends into the next parable, which is the parab- Mark's version of, um, of the parable of the mustard seed. So it's, it's hard to delineate unless you're really thinking about it, but I'm glad that we're talking about it because I think this is probably one of those parables that doesn't get a lot of attention because it's so short and because it is, um, it is sort of thematically in a spot where I think it does sort of, I don't know, like seep into the next- Right parable.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there's a tendency because you're right, it's sandwiched between the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Mustard Seed, both of which we've talked about from Matthew's perspective, that it seems like maybe the theme is redundant, but [00:32:00] it is altogether different with the emphasis. Uh, there, it's true I guess that all three of these parables are addressing that same underlying question the disciples in the early church were asking, which is, if Jesus truly inaugurates the Kingdom of God, then why does it seem so impressive? Why is it so slow or hidden in contrast to all the expectations that the Jews had for what they thought would be this dramatic, immediately visible rain? And so I like that there is a lot said within four verses. And again, from our perspective, this thing seems so distinctly reformed in its under- Yeah of course the whole Bible is that way, but maybe nothing more so than this, especially because we'll get to it, but the center of this parable being, and there's various translations, that this guy doesn't even know. He doesn't understand. He's totally ignorant to what is going on, and isn't that... I, I mean, I can only speak for my own test- that's the story of my life, uh, spiritually and otherwise. That again, if you wanna talk about God doing all the verbs, I guess Mark had it first. I thought maybe I coined that, but [00:33:00] turns out that Mark, well, actually Jesus, the Son of God himself, says it best here. So let, let's get into this because the beautiful thing is you and I can handle theoretically in the time allotted here, like three or four verses. That, that's theoretically possible for us to do, but we, we're only gonna h- see how far it goes. Um-  Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  Hidden Kingdom Growth Jesse Schwamb: I think the first thing to say here is that we get that beautiful characteristic, like formula, like the controlling paradigm. It's that Kingdom of God again. And a- as I kinda set up, it's the Kingdom of God, though, launched into a bunch of, uh, verbs. Uh, this idea of like him casting, and then him sleeping, and then him waiting, and then him getting up, and then the growth happens, and then he comes again at the end, this character, this farmer, into kind of the consummation of that kingdom. And I think there's a lot here that's maybe to explain that tension. The kingdom is real and active. It's irresistibly moving towards some kind of fixed end, but it does not appear in its final glory, and that is something you kind of get with the other two parables. [00:34:00] But here it's just like so lovely. It's right in front of you. That, that's like the whole emphasis and thrust of what Jesus seems to be saying in this. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think this one's interesting because, you know, generally in the parables, at least in, in... I, I would have to do a little bit more study to know if this is, like, distinctly Markan or whatnot. But in the, the, um, Matthew's parables, um, or Christ's parables reported in Matthew, um, primarily the main figure of the parable is, uh, is generally is God or, or more specifically is often Jesus himself. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? But in this parable, it wouldn't make sense for us to say that somehow g- you know, God or Jesus scatters seed, and then He doesn't know that it sprouts. Right. Right? So, so the, the parable implies that the one scattering seed, and again, we don't wanna over-interpret parables. Generally speaking, parables are teaching kind of a principle of some sort, a comparison of some sort, not, it's not an allegory. [00:35:00] In, in most cases it's not an allegory where each element has a direct representation of some sort. But it wouldn't make sense for this to be talking about God's perspective on scattering or Christ's perspective on scattering, 'cause obviously God and Jesus, even, even if we're talking about Jesus according to His humanity, um, has some sort of awareness of the workings of the Kingdom of God that is not the ignorance that the parable here seems- Right to present of the one scattering.  Scatter Then Rest Tony Arsenal: So I, I really do think this parable has more to say to us about- Our own perspectives on evangelism and on how the Kingdom of God will propagate. And I think, um, both in terms of, like, evangelism, there's an element here, an encouraging element of, you know, all your s- your job... And what's really funny is I, I don't recall this parable being used in my experience to sort of [00:36:00] encourage people that all, your own, your job is just to scatter. You don't need to worry about the growth. Mm-hmm. There's a, there's a passage in Paul about one person scatters, one person waters, and God brings the growth that is often used to sort of say, like, it's not your responsibility to make sure that the, the, the, um, the bud is, you know, c- comes to flowering and to fruiting. It's just your job to be faithful to scatter or to water or whatever step it's on. This, I think, has even more encouragement for us in that the one who scatters, um, i- is obviously God, but there's also this element that, like, we're scattering. The one scattering is not omniscient. But the one scattering, uh, he doesn't even know how or why or even that, I think, that the, um, that the f- the growth is occurring, and that's the most- Right remarkable part of this. Like, we're not talking about a normal farmer who is aware of how growth [00:37:00] occurs, is aware of the timing. He's constantly checking. He's making sure that he's checking the soil, that he's applying manure, that he's watering the crops. This is literally like some dude who just throws seed out, and then, then just goes back to his daily business of sleeping and rising and going about his day. And then all of the sudden, the earth, quote, "by itself produces." And I think that's the real key here is- There's something about the Kingdom of God and the seed that the Kingdom of God scatters. It's almost like the Kingdom of God itself is the one scattering here.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Yep. The Kingdom of God and the seed that is scattered in and as a result of the Kingdom of God, it produces the outcome autonomously. It doesn't require us to input into it, at least in the context of this parable. Now, again, the Parable of the Talents would be very clear to us that we can't just rest on our loyals- laurels. God expects us to work and to be fruitful for the kingdom. [00:38:00] But there is this element here of, like, you are not the one responsible for the production of the seed and the fruiting and flowering of the seed. In fact, you're not even responsible for being aware that it occurs or how it occurs. Your only responsibility, the only active verb in this whole thing is... Well, there's a couple. The, the, the main active verb is the scattering. The other active verb is the sleeping. So, like- Right ... we, we scatter, and then we, we rest and we trust that God is going to do His work. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Even on the face, there's so much in this that does seem mysterious. Like, if you just take this parable and think about the act of agriculture, and I sometimes think about this because I do love plants, and we have a bunch of plants in our house, and I'm horrible at trying to get them to grow. And I think about what still a mystery it is. With all we know about science, just that you can still plant something, a seed, and water it, and the sugars will break down, and the seed will take root, and that something will grow and flower, and you think, "Oh, who is doing that?" And, and w- [00:39:00] I think we'll get into this, the first and second principles, first and second causes here, which are, I think, certainly something that Christ intends for us to consider here. But there is this idea that the man's action is simple and passive relative to what follows. He, like you said, just scatters the seed. And he's a real agent, but as the parable unfolds, it's almost like his entire agency recedes entirely from view. And that's what kind of sets for me, like this whole trajectory of the parable. It's that the mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. And so you already stole it from me, but I'm gonna read 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, which is, coheres directly with what's happening, I think, in this parable. And this reads, or Paul writes, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." And so there is like an extension, I think, of that application inward though as well. Kind of like when you were speaking about that, what occurred to me is that we see in the [00:40:00] farmer's like day and night unawareness, this picture, I think, of this often gradual, imperceptible work of grace in our own hearts, in every believer's heart. Like that, that sanctification process, it proceeds by these degrees, and the Christian cannot fully trace even in himself, yet it is definitely real, and it's definitely God's doing. And then I think as well we might pull out a thread of this, you know, ecclesiological truth. You know, the church's growth is God's work, not the fruit of human strategy. And then by application even further into that, it's based upon a soteriological one, which is like the ordo salutis, which is maybe half of every episode we've recorded talks about the ordo salutis in some ways. That too is unfolding by this divine power, and it's hidden from the creature's full comprehension, and that's consistent in this parable and in all of Scripture, that this regeneration precedes and produces faith rather than the reverse. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and I, I think too there's also an element in this passage, you know, when you think about... Uh, [00:41:00] I'm not a farmer, uh, and I, I don't know that many farmers, but when you think about how f- how modern farming works, it's very different than, uh, ancient farming, right? Historically, ancient farming was, uh, I think probably a lot of just trusting the world to do what the world does and, and trusting God to do what, what God does. A- and I think that's probably why a lot of like- When you look at, um, pagan religion, the, the fertility cults and the sort of goddesses and gods of the harvest were all related because there was this mystery to it. And so the reason that there's so much, uh, cultic worship around fertility and harvest is because it is so mysterious, and you just kinda have to, like, trust that it's gonna happen. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? You sow your seed in, you sow the seed of your field in, you know, the fall, uh, and, or in the, the, you know, the summer, and then you wait several [00:42:00] months and just hope that the crop comes in. And our modern agricultural world is not all that different. We have better tools and we can measure things that, like the soil, the nutrients in the soil. We can, you know, we can do all sorts of different imaging to see of what's happening underground. But at the end of the day, even with all of the advances we have, the farmer still can't make the crop come in.  Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  Tony Arsenal: Either the crop comes in or it doesn't. And I, I think there's this element of trust here that I think is really useful for us. And again, I think you're right. This is like, uh, it feels almost wrong to say it this way, but it's like this is a super distinctively Reformed parable. Like, of all, all of the parables in the, the Gospels, this one is like, on the face of it, a Calvinist parable. Yeah. Exactly. Like, it's like God just grows the kingdom- Yes and nobody does anything about it.  Jesse Schwamb: Amen.  Tony Arsenal: And I don't need to go into more details than that. But there is this element for us, I think, as, uh, as those [00:43:00] who want to share the gospel, there can be an anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production, some sort of produce, uh, and productivity from that, that is just not healthy. And I think, you know, we, we have a responsibility as Christians, um, to be faithful and diligent in doing what God has called us to do. But if, if we read this parable as the one who scatters is sort of like the evangelist, then the only responsibility we have as evangelists, and all of us are evangelists, right, lowercase E evangelists, um, all of us, the only responsibility we have is to scatter the seed of the gospel. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. And we're not responsible for the growth. We're not responsible for even really understanding how growth happens, uh, or even, even doing much about it until it's time to harvest that growth. And I think that's, we need to talk about what that means too, because again, like [00:44:00] this is a parable that I think is maybe not as, as clean and clear as some of the, uh, Methanian parables where it really does seem like there's a pretty clear symbolic representation on some things. This one feels like it's maybe a little muddier in that, um, the main character and the role of the s- the one who's scattering seems to sort of almost shift throughout the parable, which is crazy to say because it's only like four verses long.  Tony Arsenal: But it, it does seem like at some points the scatterer is God, at other points it can't be God, and then it seems like, well, who's harvesting? It's not really us, so it's gotta be God. So I think it's, it's important for us to hold this parable as more of a general principle about the Kingdom of God than it is about any sort of like really direct one-to-one teaching on the, on the Kingdom of God.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. That's a interesting distinction.  Providence And Causes Jesse Schwamb: Here's what I would say about that, I think, is let's equate this to, like, coffee. You like a good cup of coffee. I do. I like a good cup of coffee. I think if we were to take, let's [00:45:00] say, the Parable of the Prodigal, that would be for me like a big Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Like, it's delicious, mild-bodied, maybe a little bit light. This parable is like two shots of espresso- Yeah ... 'cause there's a lot in there, and we could probably take a lot of time even t- speaking about, like you're saying, the more shadowy eschatological truths that appear in verse 29 because those, this idea of, like, a sickle in the harvest, I mean, that's imagery drawn from Old Testament eschatological judgment texts. So that could be pretty heavy in its own right. I think what's critical, before we get to that, is to, like, tease out something you said, which is there is a lot in here about this doctrine of providence, like, this spontaneous self-originating action apart from external human causation. And we've talked a lot, like, we distinguish between primary and second causation. You know, the Earth is genuinely or generally has second- secondary causes, like an ordinary means through which God's ordinary providence operates, but the ultimate primary [00:46:00] cause of growth is God himself. And so here we see that. Like, there's no exclusion of the farmer's agency as an explanatory cause. The soil does what it does because God has ordained the natural order to function in this way. That is his prerogative. And so that threefold progression then, blade, ear, full grain, which by the way I had to look up because my understanding of, like, all kinds of different types of grains is very thin and I'm out of my depth here. But- ... I'm led to believe That that development is gradual, and of course it's ordered, but it's not instantaneous. And so the application here, I think, has traditionally been applied in this corporate individual spiritual growth we're talking about. Like, the church advances through stages of maturity, and so does the individual believer's sanctification, without warranting either impatience or despair at the process's slowness. This is how God works. He does it in His gracious and kind way. And again, He's using this, all of this agriculture to illustrate that purpose. So there's, like, this buildup, I think, [00:47:00] in verse 28 about the incredible providence of God, both like corporatively, personally, in His world, how He is the primary cause, but also uses secondary causes, not in a disjointed or divorced way, but in a way that encapsulates and magnifies His glory. And that is then what leads to or will lead to the reemergence in verse 29 of this whole deal of, like, well, if farmer comes back in, and now he returns, but only at the point of consummation, not at the point of growth.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Harvest And Timing Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and, you know, we won't go into all of the ways that this ties into the other parables, but it's worth, uh, it's worth mentioning that in, in both, uh, the parable of the mustard seed, which follows this, and then also the parable of the sort of sower or the seeds, um, there is this element of this, the one who is sowing seeds is not fully cognizant or aware or, and, and absolutely not in [00:48:00] control of the outcome, right? In the parable of the sower, um, he scatters the seed promiscuously, right? And the- Right ... the outcome depends on what kind of ground the seed falls on. And in the parable of the mustard seed, it, it's more of a, like, idea that the, uh, the sower sows a seed that seems so small, but it, the growth of the seed is explosive and expansive because of the nature of the seed, not because of the skill of the sower. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. Right? In this instance, um- The only thing, again, the only thing that initially the sower is responsible for is the sowing of the seed, the scattering of the seed. But what I also think is interesting is then there is a point where the one who scatters the seed is now responsible to act once he's observed the seed coming to fruition, right? Now, now what exactly that means and how exactly that applies, I think there's a lot of different things we could talk about. Um, but again, [00:49:00] this is a parable that we have to be careful not to, uh, not to restrict just sort of crassly to, like, evangelism. Right. Exactly. Or, or even just to sort of, like, the eschatological harvest. Right. That's what's tricky about this parable, I think, that bears ... And I don't think we'll do it, we'll do it necessarily on the show. It'd be worth having more conversations about. But for our own personal study, it bears deeper reflection because this parable cannot be simply reduced to an eschatology parable about what God does in the end. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: And it can't be simply reduced to a parable about evangelism because strictly speaking, like, we're not really the ones that harvest when the harvest comes in, right? I've, I have heard this parable, um, preached, you know, like I said, although I acknowledge that I, um, like forgot that it existed. I have heard this parable preached as though, like, "Well, our responsibility is to scatter seed. We're not responsible for [00:50:00] making it grow or making it take root. But when we see that it's taking root, we're responsible for jumping in and harvesting at the right time." I don't think we should draw that conclusion here. Although the, the harvester does see that the ear is ripe, that the grain is ripe, and he harvests it, it would be a weird sort of like shift in the parable to go from the person who scattered seed isn't responsible for its growth, doesn't even know that the growth is happening, but is actually responsible for knowing exactly when to harvest the grain. Right. So we have to think about this again in gen- in terms of general principles of how the Kingdom of God functions. And w- how it functions is it's mysterious, it is, uh, consistent, it happens on a, a scale and on a predictable outcome that we as individuals don't understand and don't have visibility to, and the harvest will occur in its [00:51:00] time, and it will h- occur consistently and reliably. So again, like this is... I hope that maybe like the one or two non-Reformed people that listen to the show aren't terribly offended at this, but like this just is Reformed theology, right? There, there is a seed that is sown, God is responsible for the growth, and the harvest necessarily will help it happen when it's supposed to happen, right? When the r- when the fruit is ripe, it will be harvested. That doesn't mean I'm responsible as the one who sows seed or scatters or m- witnesses to people from making sure that the, quote, "sickle is put in at the right time," or anything like that.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: The fact is that the sickle will always come in at the right time. The person who has the final kinda piece of the puzzle in evangelism, I think that's how it often happens. Someone hears the gospel repeatedly from multiple places. They have contacts and relationships that tie into how they [00:52:00]ultimately come to accept the gospel and trust Christ. But ultimately it's the Holy Spirit who brings all that into some sort of coherent, um, execution and application of redemption That will happen in God's time. So I wanna be careful not to, like, put too much responsibility on us. Right. And again, this is just a parable that I think bears a lot more reflection, that I think because, um, I think Mark in general, because it's so short, uh, gets, it gets overlooked by Christians. I think we would all do well to spend a little bit more time in Mark. But especially some of these really short pericopes. I think we just read through it, and it's like we read a chapter of Mark, like Mark 4 comes up in our Bible reading plan. Right. And if we're reading the Bible in a year, like, Mark 4 is one of three or four chapters that we read, and this is four verses of that. Right. We just read over it quick and we c- we just, we don't appropriate any of it.  Jesse Schwamb: Right. It sounds like he's just reiterating a point or he's recapitulating something that he's already said or is about to say, and you're like, "Okay, get on with it." But I'm with [00:53:00] you. This parable, like all of them, is for us. It's for our joy. It's for our satisfaction and our comfort. And I think from this, there is, like, a single controlling point that's emerging from our conversation, which is the Kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation. And this ought to produce, like, patient confidence rather than human striving or a- anxiety. In order to give us a sense of calm, a reminder that God's providence is real in all areas of life. Remarkably, we've gotten this far in the conversation, and neither of us has just, has used the M word, which just came to me, and I think we're contractually obligated to say it as a Reformed podcast, and that is this is a prime example of monergism and the sovereignty of grace. And as in regeneration, the decisive cause of kingdom growth lies outside human capacity and comprehension. I think sometimes the latter part of that seems wrong to us. It makes us fearful because we don't understand it. But the former part should make us feel very happy and [00:54:00] relieved, that the capacity belongs to God and God alone. That doesn't depend on me or you or anybody else that we know. And this parable, I think, is often been paired with John's image of the wind blowing where it wishes as this picture of the Holy

Yesterday was my birthday and part of enjoying it was continuing to dive into my friend John Swann's fourth installment in his new Charlie Chan series, which I highlighted earlier this summer, and will do so again with this great conversation. Another poke to find hours of great enjoyment as the series rolls on!

In today's episode, Pastor Jeff explores the book of Daniel, focusing on gifts and talents. He shares how God empowers us to fulfil our purpose, highlighting Daniel's wisdom in interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream. Ultimately, we learn that no earthly kingdom can endure forever, but the eternal Kingdom of God is established through His divine authority.Support the show: https://www.oneandall.church/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Le succès d'une entreprise immobilière ne repose pas uniquement sur ses actifs, mais sur les personnes qui les construisent, les dirigent et les feront évoluer demain. Dans ce deuxième épisode spécial d'Espace Montréal, Axel Monsaingeon réunit quatre conversations marquantes pour explorer le cycle complet du talent en immobilier commercial. De la formation des futurs leaders avec Benjamin Joanis, aux stratégies pour attirer et retenir les meilleurs employés avec Ugo Cianciulli et Stéphanie Lincourt, jusqu'à la transmission des connaissances à la prochaine génération avec Brigitte Dupuis, découvrez pourquoi le capital humain est devenu l'avantage concurrentiel le plus précieux de l'industrie. Si vous êtes développeur, investisseur, dirigeant ou professionnel de l'immobilier, cet épisode vous donnera des pistes concrètes pour bâtir des équipes solides et assurer la pérennité de votre organisation.   This episode is sponsored by ClickSpace.  Click Space is redefining the future of office space in Montreal with turnkey offices, storage, 3PL, conference rooms, lounges, and niche communities for ecommerce entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, and AI-focused businesses.  Spaces start at just $550/month, and paid referral partnerships are available for brokers.  Learn more: https://clickspace.ca/ Get in touch: margaux@avenirproperties.ca   Sujets et horodatages

Talent matters! On today's podcast, we will extol the virtue of NFL talent. We'll run through some of our biggest talent-grade movers in the 2026 Almanac, *and* we'll discuss the highest-variance offensive lines we see across the league. Get a rundown of what to expect from some lines and some teams that have partly or completely rebuilt themselves from the inside out. Also: SNARKBAG! Guest: Ross Tucker of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast.   NOTES: Sponsor - www.HungryRoot.com/harris for 40% off your first delivery (and free veggies for life) of healthy groceries and recipes that fit your family's lifestyle Sponsor - www.FantasyCares.org to make a contribution to a great charity, and get entered into a contest to win awesome football stuff! Sponsor - www.BuyRaycon.com/harrisopen to get 15% off some inexpensive wireless earbuds that deliver great sound quality and excellent battery life Follow Ross Tucker - @RossTuckerNFL Follow our show on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/harrisfootball.com Follow on Twitter - @HarrisFootball Watch the YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/harrisfootball Harris Football Yacht Club Dictionary - https://harrisfootball.github.io/dictionary.html Subscribe To the Yacht Club Premium Podcast - https://harrisfootball.supportingcast.fm/ Order The 2026 Harris Football Player Profile Almanac - https://www.harrisfootball.com/2026-player-profile-almanac Get Pound Foolish at Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?q=Pound%20Foolish&attributes.mfield_bnb__seoKeywords=Pound-Foolish%2FChristopher-Harris&filtersPreset=formatsEditions   Almanac Talents Discussed Today: Drake Maye Travis Etienne Javonte Williams Rome Odunze Jaxon Smith-Njigba Travis Kelce   Ross's High-Variance O-Lines: Eagles (Return from injuries and new offense) Chargers (Return from injuries and new interior trio) Panthers (OT health issues) Ravens (New interior and offense) Titans (Suspect starters & up-tempo with Schlottmann/Daboll) Browns (The grand experiment)

Talking about money in church should not be awkward—especially when Scripture has so much to say about it. In this episode, we are removing the shame, fear, and defensiveness surrounding finances and returning the conversation to its proper foundation: our love for Jesus. Beginning with the sacrificial generosity of the gospel, we explore how our spending, giving, working, and saving reveal what has captured our hearts. We'll break down the biblical differences between generosity, stewardship, and tithing; confront manipulative teachings about "sowing specific seeds"; and discuss why genuine giving should never come through pressure or compulsion. We'll also examine the holiness of work, the danger of disguising idleness as spirituality, and the responsibility to faithfully develop whatever God has placed in our hands. Through the Parable of the Talents, we'll see that stewardship is deeply connected to how we view our Master—and that God is worthy of more than our leftovers. Finally, we'll talk honestly about the tithe, the difference between obedience and generosity, and why Christians are called to become builders in the local church rather than merely beneficiaries of what others have sacrificed to build. The question at the center of this episode is simple: Am I faithfully stewarding what God has placed in front of me?

ദൈവം ആദരിക്കുന്ന വിശ്വസ്തത | Faithfulness That God Rewards | Malayalam Daily Devotional | Br. Damien Antony | Morning Glory 1988 | 04 Aug 2026നിങ്ങളുടെ കഷ്ടപ്പാടുകളും കണ്ണീരും ആരും കാണുന്നില്ലെന്ന് തോന്നുന്നുവോ? ഈ വചനം നിങ്ങൾക്കുള്ളതാണ്.Faithfulness precedes fruitfulness. Divine stewardship dictates that God measures fidelity before productivity. In the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25:21, the master first validates the servant's reliability - "well done, good and faithful servant" - long before evaluating accumulated profit or visible success. Heaven celebrates spiritual integrity and consistent obedience in hidden places far above public applause or massive external metrics.ദൈവവചനത്തിൻ്റെ അനുഗ്രഹങ്ങൾക്കായി Blessing Today ചാനൽ ഇപ്പോൾ തന്നെ Subscribe ചെയ്യൂ! ✨പുതിയ വീഡിയോകൾക്കായി Bell Icon അമർത്തുക.

Chris Herb explores Jesus' Parable of the Talents. Chris invites us to trust the Master's generous heart and faithfully steward all He has entrusted to us.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Unveiling Talents: The Artistic Journey of Li Ming Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-08-02-22-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 余山村的夏天，常常被绿意覆盖。En: The summer in Yushan Village is often covered in a lush green.Zh: 当地的中学就坐落在一条缓缓流动的河边，景色如画。En: The local middle school is situated by a gently flowing river, with scenery as picturesque as a painting.Zh: 这个夏天，李明、陈伟和小林三人参加了学校的暑期补习班。En: This summer, Li Ming, Chen Wei, and Xiao Lin participated in their school's summer tutoring class.Zh: 李明今年十四岁，虽然名义上是来提高数学成绩，但心里却藏着一个更大的梦想：艺术。En: Li Ming, who is fourteen this year, was nominally there to improve his math grades but harbored a bigger dream in his heart: art.Zh: 李明常趁课间休息，偷偷在课本背后画画。En: Li Ming often took advantage of class breaks to secretly draw behind his textbooks.Zh: 他喜欢画村里的山水风景，尤其是河边的老桥和青翠的竹林。En: He liked to paint the village's landscapes, especially the old bridge by the river and the lush bamboo groves.Zh: 但是补习班主要是为了提高学业成绩，他觉得没有机会展现自己的艺术灵魂。En: However, since the tutoring class was mainly to improve academic performance, he felt he had no chance to showcase his artistic spirit.Zh: 陈伟是李明的好朋友，En: Chen Wei is a good friend of Li Ming.Zh: 尽管他对学习不感兴趣，却很享受和同学们在一起的时光。En: Although not interested in studying, he enjoyed spending time with his classmates.Zh: 有时，陈伟会怂恿李明去玩，但是李明心里总想着他的画。En: Sometimes, Chen Wei would coax Li Ming to play, but Li Ming always had his mind on his drawings.Zh: 在补习班上，小林也是个认真用功的学生。En: In the tutoring class, Xiao Lin was also a diligent student.Zh: 她喜欢看到李明在纸上勾勒出的一幅幅生动的画面，但却很少有机会和他说话。En: She liked seeing Li Ming's vivid drawings on paper but rarely had the chance to talk to him.Zh: 这个夏天的七夕节，村子里要举行一次特别的节日活动：舞蹈和放灯会，鼓励参与者展示自己的隐藏才能。En: During this summer's Qixi Festival, the village planned to hold a special event: a dance and lantern show that encouraged participants to showcase their hidden talents.Zh: 李明想，或许这是一个让大家看到自己艺术作品的机会。En: Li Ming thought perhaps this would be an opportunity for everyone to see his art.Zh: 然而，李明又有些不自信，他的画从未被公开展示过，心里紧张不已。En: However, Li Ming felt somewhat insecure, having never publicly displayed his paintings before, and was quite nervous.Zh: 但他还是利用空闲时间，把思绪倾注在画笔之间，描绘出他心中的余山村画卷。En: Nevertheless, he poured his thoughts into the brush during his free time, depicting his vision of Yushan Village.Zh: 七夕节那天晚上，村子里张灯结彩，大家笑语盈盈。En: On the evening of the Qixi Festival, the village was brightly decorated, and everyone was full of laughter.Zh: 陈伟在无意间翻开了李明的画本，大声说道：“李明，这些画真不错啊！”En: Chen Wei inadvertently opened Li Ming's sketchbook and exclaimed, “Li Ming, these drawings are really good!”Zh: 小林在旁边也轻声附和：“是啊，李明，你应该让大家看看你的画。”En: Xiao Lin softly echoed beside him, “Yes, Li Ming, you should let everyone see your paintings.”Zh: 在朋友们的鼓励下，李明终于决定上台展示他的一幅山水画。En: With the encouragement of his friends, Li Ming finally decided to go on stage and display one of his landscape paintings.Zh: 画中，余山村的壮丽风景在灯光下栩栩如生。En: In it, the splendid scenery of Yushan Village came to life under the lights.Zh: 台下的掌声和喝彩声让李明的脸上浮现出自豪的笑容。En: The applause and cheers from the audience brought a proud smile to Li Ming's face.Zh: 通过这个夏天的经历，李明意识到：分享自己的才能，可以得到理解和支持。En: Through this summer's experience, Li Ming realized that sharing his talents could lead to understanding and support.Zh: 他不再羞于表达自己，反而更坚定地追求他的艺术梦想。En: He was no longer shy about expressing himself and instead pursued his artistic dreams with greater determination.Zh: 余山村的河水依旧缓缓流淌，而李明，心中那颗艺术的种子，已然发芽。En: The river in Yushan Village continued to flow gently, and in Li Ming's heart, the seed of art had already sprouted. Vocabulary Words:lush: 青翠的gentle: 缓缓的scenery: 风景picturesque: 如画nominally: 名义上harbored: 藏着landscapes: 山水groves: 竹林tutoring: 补习showcase: 展现coax: 怂恿diligent: 用功vivid: 生动的encouraged: 鼓励inadvertently: 无意间sketchbook: 画本echoed: 附和splendid: 壮丽applause: 掌声determination: 坚定seed: 种子tutoring class: 补习班insecure: 不自信publicly: 公开displayed: 展示depicting: 描绘softly: 轻声realized: 意识到laughter: 笑语understanding: 理解

Iso Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Jeff Teague react to LeBron singing with the 76ers, who’s stepping up for the Hawks, Joel Embiid most important piece and will Wizards resign Anthony Davis! Subscribe to Nightcap presented by PrizePicks so you don’t miss out on any new drops! Download the PrizePicks app today and use code SHANNON to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup! Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/NI...0:00 - Viral IG mishap 00:00 - Introduction10:20 - Jeff Teague Joins the show!14:56 - LeBron James Goes to 76ers reaction 24:55 - The Hawks: Where will they get their defense?47:14 - Anonymous Source: Joel is the most important player for Philly49:00 - Wizards dilemma with Anthony Davis (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode 17 of Voice of the Harvest, Kasey Sees and Bro. Chapman explore the biblical and spiritual significance of baggage, talents, and testimonies in the church, emphasizing the importance of making room for people's past struggles and gifts in God's house. 00:00 Introduction and personal updates 01:33 The story of Jacob and the well as a metaphor for church 02:30 God's house has room for baggage and talents 03:24 The purpose of pain and overcoming through testimony 04:47 The significance of scars versus scabs in healing 06:14 Revival among the homeless and the power of testimony 07:27 Testimonies as a reflection of God's healing 08:49 Making room for baggage and talents in church 10:17 The evidence of God's healing in scars 11:46 The power of a life of obedience versus crisis 12:44 The importance of both overcoming and sustaining power 14:00 Room for talents and giftings in the church 15:36 Balancing acceptance of baggage and giftings 16:23 Ensuring utilization of giftings without threat

Beat Migs! We go Straight To The Comments.

Innkuan nuam+A DangDang te sang+A Dim let Thupha+Topa Nang Sung Lo,Chin Gospel Song+Health Talk.

 Tan and J-Man discuss LeBron James signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, the current MLB standings, and much more! Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TanandJManShow/Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/TanandJManShowFollow Tanner @TannerLee92 on X: https://twitter.com/TannerLee92Follow J-Man @mundtdog16 on X: https://twitter.com/mundtdog16Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanandjmanshow/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@tanandjmanshowWatch all of our episodes:https://www.iscsportsnetwork.com/the-tan-and-j-man-showBuy Tan and J-Man Show Merch: Tan and J-Man Show Store tanandjmanshowstore.comThis podcast is brought to you by Jarrety's Place, Arlington Public House, Travis Wottring Insurance Agency, Proforma Print2 Promo Group and Blue River Digital 

Fans of the 2022 installment of the Predator film franchise Prey will not want to miss this year's Holba' Pisachi' Native Film Festival in Sulphur. The festival, now in its eleventh year at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, brings both producer Jhane Myers and lead actress Amber Midthunder to southern Oklahoma for the screening of the film. In addition to Prey, the film festival will present a variety of documentary, short, and feature film screenings August 7-8 inside the Anoli' Theater. Film professional panels and mixers will also make the event valuable to those interested in learning more about the film industry. Fran Parchcorn, the Chickasaw Cultural Center's director of special events, joins this week's show to give more details on this must-see Oklahoma film event. Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss the ways they seek refreshment on a hot summer day, and podvents is off to see the Wizard. You won't want to miss it!

In this powerful sermon from Mission City Church, Lead Pastor Matt Surber dives into the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30. Exploring the story of the three servants, Pastor Matt unpacks the critical difference between fear-driven paralysis and active, risk-taking faith. Discover why fear disguised as caution is still unfaithfulness, and how our view of God's character directly shapes how we use what He has given us. God isn't asking for perfection or comparing your gifts to others—He is calling for immediate, faithful action with whatever is in your hands. Watch now to learn how to stop burying your gifts and start living with bold faith today!Connect with us!Missioncity.church

Join host Jonathan Hyatt as we continue this study on the Parable of the Talents. How should we respond to this parable which Jesus likened to the kingdom of heaven? Support the show: https://throughoutallagesministries.com/#See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could God do more with your talents than you ever could on your own?From concert halls around the world to Christ-centered productions that have touched thousands, Jenny Oaks Baker has learned that the Lord often leads us in ways we never expect.In this week's uplifting episode of Latter-Day Lights, Jenny shares how following quiet promptings transformed her career from simply performing music to creating productions that testify of Jesus Christ, including her self-produced shows such as “Redeemer,” “Joy to the World,” and “American Mosaic.”Along the way, she opens up about relying on the Lord through uncertainty, building the SoulFill Music Foundation, and learning to trust Him one step at a time. Jenny also reflects on the faithful example of her parents, the importance of consecrating our talents to God's work, and the unexpected blessings that come when we're willing to let go of our own plans.Her testimony is a beautiful reminder that as we seek the Savior first, He not only magnifies our gifts but also leads us to a life richer, more purposeful, and more joyful than we could have imagined.*** Please hit SUBSCRIBE to get our latest episodes, and hit the SHARE button to help us share Jenny's story and light with others. ***To WATCH this episode on YouTube, visit: https://youtu.be/jHoI75p15L8-----To LEARN MORE about Jenny's non-profit organization, The SoulFill Music Foundation, visit: https://soulfillmusic.org/To LEARN MORE about Jenny's work and The Jenny Oaks Baker Performance Workshop, visit: https://www.jennyoaksbaker.com/workshopTo WATCH Jenny on tour, get tickets at: https://www.jennyoaksbaker.com/upcoming-eventsTo FOLLOW Jenny on Instagram, visit: https://www.instagram.com/jennyoaksbaker/To FOLLOW Jenny on Facebook, visit: https://www.facebook.com/jennyoaksbaker/-----To READ Scott's new book “Faith to Stay” for free, visit: https://www.faithtostay.com/-----Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latterdaylightsAlso, if you have a faith-promoting or inspiring story, or know someone who does, please let us know by going to https://www.latterdaylights.com and reaching out to us.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sempremilan.substack.comJoin Oli and Ben as they go through the young players that Ruben Amorim is expected to evaluate in preseason, profiling and predicting the future for each.

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7.19.2026 Executive Pastor Meera Short talks about one of our driving values at Victory Church, "Character over Gifting". Talents and gifts are given to us, our character is cultivated. And when we take the time to develop our character, our human spirit, and yield to the Holy Spirit, we will have fruit that is evident. It will be visible to all, for the glory of God. Resources: Stay connected with the Victory Church app Discover more on our website: victorychurchraleigh.com Subscribe to our Weekly Podcast!

What It Means If You're Burying What God Gave You to Steward In this episode, we explore Jesus' Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 and what it teaches about faithful stewardship. This isn't just a lesson about money. It's about every resource, gift, opportunity, and calling God has entrusted to us. Are we multiplying them for His Kingdom, or burying them out of fear? You'll learn why Jesus praised faithfulness, what the talents represent, and how this parable challenges every believer to steward what God has placed in their hands. If God has given you a book, message, or business idea and you're ready to steward it well, learn more about my 90 Day Accelerator here: 90 Day Accelerator If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs this message.

learn how to accept or reject an invitation

Jessie J is in the news after a break-up and we were reminded that she can sing and talk with her mouth closed, so Bree and Clint asked "what's your useless talent?". Bree Tomasel & Clint Roberts on ZM - follow us @breeandclint on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most teaching on money appeals to the worst part of us. One direction says money is spiritually suspect — to be poor is holy and prosperity is a sign of bad character. The other direction promises that Jesus wants to make you wealthy, that giving ten dollars will return a hundred. Both approaches borrow from the same place: our selfishness, our anxiety, our belief that happiness lives on the other side of a bigger bank account.Jesus consistently appealed to the better part of us — the part capable of sacrifice, of producing something meaningful, of generosity that genuinely changes people's lives. In the Parable of the Talents, a master entrusts three servants with different amounts and leaves on a journey. Two put the money to work and double it. The third buries his and returns it unchanged — not because he was malicious, but because his perception of the master drove him toward abdication. His attitude determined everything.Then there's the rich man whose ground produces an abundant harvest, who tears down his barns, builds bigger ones, and plans to take life easy. That night he dies. Jesus doesn't call him immoral. But he had completely separated his material life from his spiritual life, as if they existed in different worlds. That separation, Jesus says, is itself the problem. It's not how much you have or how little. It's your attitude toward it.Support the mission of the Salty Pastor ministry! Visit our donations page at https://pushpay.com/g/thesaltypastor to help us continue sharing truth with a world in need. Visit thesaltypastor.com to sign up for our weekly email, designed to coach, inspire, and encourage you to a mature faith.Discussion Questions1. Which of the two wrong approaches to money have you been more influenced by — the "money is suspect" view or the "Jesus wants you wealthy" view — and how has that shaped your relationship with it?2. In the Parable of the Talents, the servant's perception of the master drove him to do nothing. What does your perception of God tell you about how he views your productivity and ambition?3. Have you separated your financial life from your spiritual life — treating them as two different worlds? What would integrating them actually look like?

Why did you cancel the date before the date? And got a weird talent? This is the show for you! Plus in Group Therapy, her BF has been calling her his wife and she's confused!

Upside Down | Parable of the Talents by Collective Church

What has God placed in your hands, and are you using it for His Kingdom?Joshua Means from The Solomon Foundation continues our Kingdom First series with a message from Matthew 25 and the Parable of the Talents. Through the picture of a comfortable chair and a pair of boots ready for battle, he challenges us to move beyond comfort and faithfully steward our time, talents, and treasure.God has given every person something meaningful to contribute. The invitation is to take a step of faith, join the mission, and use what He has entrusted to us to help more people encounter Jesus.

Ever notice how hard it is to start something — but how much easier it gets once you're actually moving? In this message, Pastor Chad unpacks the Parable of the Talents and reveals a truth that will reshape how you think about fear, faithfulness, and forward motion: God doesn't just want you moving. He wants you moving with momentum.In this episode:Why fear is really a byproduct of mistrust, not lazinessWhat David's private battles with a lion and a bear taught him before he ever faced GoliathWhy the one-talent servant wasn't condemned for failing — he was condemned for refusing to moveHow momentum is easier to lose than to gain (and how to protect it)Why God's guidance is progressive, not panoramic — He rarely gives the second instruction before the first one is obeyedHow distraction, not persecution, is one of the enemy's greatest weapons against your momentumKey Scripture: "For the one who has will be given more, until he overflows with abundance." — Matthew 25:29 (TPT)

This episode we discuss two more TNA Wrestling departures after requesting their releases, Dr Britt Baker takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and Sami Callahan makes a move to All Elite Wrestling. All this and the rest of the day's news and rumors!Please support our sponsors:3WA Wrestling www.worldwidewrestlingalliance... Beezle Games - Sketchy People www.thegamecrafter.com Fro Life Educational Planning www.frolifeplanning.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fro-wrestling-podcast--2103073/support.

TV Time with Ted and Headlines!

In this very special episode of Thank You, Mama, Ana speaks with Isabel Allende, one of the most widely read authors in the world. Isabel is the beloved Chilean author of more than thirty books, including The House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, Paula, Daughter of Fortune, and The Soul of a Woman. Her work has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, been translated into more than 40 languages, and appeared on bestseller lists around the world. In this intimate conversation, Isabel reflects on her mother, Panchita — a talented painter who never fully developed her gifts because she was raised to depend on men. From watching Panchita's life, Isabel learned some of her most important life-lessons: to protect her independence, to be able to support herself, to put real effort behind her talents, to love her children unconditionally, and to fill life with elegance, beauty, and refinement. Isabel also talks about motherhood, parenting, feminism, raising feminists, women's rights, manners, her lifelong love of work, and how writing letters to her mother helped make her a writer. She reflects on mothers and daughters, the wisdom women pass across generations, and the surprising ingredient needed for love and relationship in later life. For more about Isabel, please visit her website here.  For more about her foundation, visit here.  To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…" newsletter here.  To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net For more about "Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net Connect with Ana on social media: https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/ https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder

In hour one, showing love to the Marlins. Hoch and Solana share their memories of watching LeBron announce he was joining the Miami Heat 16 years ago. Zach Gelb reviews his first ever Publix sub.