Podcasts about then simon

Episode Notes A brand new typewriter gives an author a new creative lease on life, especially as his creations start to become a reality. A terrible violent, blood soaked reality! Hunter Black by Rob Fields Buy the new "Babysitter Massacre" book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P4ZF9LG/ Get Cool Merchandise http://store.weeklyspooky Support us on Patreon http://patreon.com/IncrediblyHandsome Support Weekly Spooky by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/weekly-spooky Contact Us/Submit a Story twitter.com/WeeklySpooky facebook.com/WeeklySpooky WeeklySpooky@gmail.com Music by Ray Mattis http://raymattispresents.bandcamp.com Produced by Daniel Wilder This episode sponsored by HenFlix.com For everything else visit WeeklySpooky.com Transcript: Simon Griffin sat in his bedroom and typed away. When he finished his current page, he pulled it out of the typewriter and loaded a new sheet. When he resumed typing, he could feel a presence near him. “Hi, Mom,” he said. Even through his typing, he could see his mom taking his plate and his empty glass. She replaced the empty glass with a full one. “Still hard at work, I see.” Simon stopped typing. “Mom, I'm this close to being done with my latest novel. Once I'm finished, I'll be ready to send it out. Just a few more chapters to go.” She smiled a little. “I'm surprised that you're still using that beat-up, old typewriter. It belonged to your grandfather, you know.” She paused. “Really, Simon, you'd save a lot of time if you would just use the word processor that came with your computer.” Simon smiled a little himself. “Mom, I know you mean well. But Grandpa did all of his writing using this very typewriter right here. He never caved in to modern technology. He used to say there were some things you just can't replace, no matter how much better it is. Take the compact disc. Remember how the music industry tried to replace vinyl records with it? It never did because people knew! You just can't beat the sound quality that comes on records. That's how it is with a typewriter. I just want to be the same writer that Grandpa was, that's all.” “And you are, honey,” she complimented. “You've already published nine Hunter Black books. To be honest, I'm surprised that Sunset Press over in Erie City actually takes your paper submissions.” “Well, that's where Grandpa got his stories published,” Simon pointed out. “I decided to go with them since they treated him really good. And now, they're treating me really good.” “They sure are.” His mom reached out and patted his shoulder. “Okay, I won't bother you anymore about using a word processor. I'll let you get back to work.” “Thanks, Mom. I'll be done soon.” His mom left his room. Then he resumed typing. His latest novel was actually the next in a science fiction series which dealt with a villainous character from the year 2250 in the form of Hunter Black, a hitman for hire. Black was both the central character and the antagonist at the same time. Whenever the criminal underworld had a job that required his skills, they would pay his fee. From there, he would get the job done. Aside from a recurring female character named Felicity Scorne, no one crossed him – and lived. The next morning, Simon walked into Strickfield High School. As always, he wore dark trousers, a pressed shirt, a vest, a red bowtie, loafers, and glasses. This was the very same fashion that his grandfather wore back in his day. Whether it was just the love and dedication that he felt towards his late grandfather or his stubbornness, wearing these cloths may have been all right during his grandfather's day. However, in these current times . . . As Simon passed by a group of jocks and their girlfriends, he knew that it was going to be the same thing that happened every morning. Dana Shackleton pointed right at him. “Hey, look who's back! It's Orville Redenbacher!” Then she called out to Simon, “Hey, Orville, shouldn't you be at the movie theater?” Her boyfriend, Nathan Coaver, sneered at him. “Yeah, fuckstick! This ain't 1955. Get with the times.” As always, Simon tried to ignore them. While only a select few knew that he was a published writer and was financially independent, the rest of the school population didn't. Not when he used a pen name. As far as the rest of his classmates were concerned, Simon Griffin was nothing but a nerdy loser. Suddenly, Simon was brought out of his thoughts when he felt himself being lifted off his feet by two of the jocks. The next thing he knew, he was being turned and taken into a nearby restroom. Simon squirmed, but he only weighed around a hundred-and-ten pounds – if that! Then he heard the click of the restroom door's lock and knew that he was in trouble. “This one looks good,” Dana told the jocks. Simon struggled harder but to no avail. He couldn't do anything as he was lowered to his knees, only to have his head shoved into the cold water of the toilet. He was held under for a bit before the flushing came. The only thing he could hear over all else was Dana Shackleton and the other girls laughing scornfully at him. After school, Simon was in his room. His best friend and next-door neighbor, Connie Graves, was there with him. “Every day, Connie,” Simon complained. “Every day they always have to give me a hard time.” He told her about the restroom incident earlier that morning. Connie sighed apologetically. “I'm really sorry I couldn't go to school with you today. I had to be there real early to help put the school paper together.” Whenever Connie and Simon went to school together, the bullies never laid a hand on Simon. They still taunted him, however. Simon pointed at her. “And that's another thing, those meatheads are always giving me a hard time. They say I need you to fight my battles for me.” He looked down now. “Not that I don't appreciate you helping me. I do. I really do.” He sighed. “Listen, I don't blame you if you don't want to be my friend anymore.” Connie put her hand on his chin and raised his head up. “Hey! Don't you ever say that again. We've been best friends since we were kids. We swore we would always be friends. We've always kept that promise. Now enough of that shit talk.” The two of them shared a hug. Then Simon wanted to be alone, mostly so he could finish his novel. He had tried to finish it the night before but hit a stumbling block with the ending. Connie said goodbye and left. Now it was time for Simon to write the final chapters in which Hunter Black would face Detective Richard Hartman, who had come up against Black once before and barely survived with his life. This would be the final conflict. Simon loaded the paper into the typewriter and began to type away. And then . . . disaster struck! “What?! No! No way!” Simon cried. Much to Simon's disbelief, the typewriter's element had fallen off. He picked it up and saw that there was no way that he would just be able to get a new element and repair it. No, the old typewriter had finally had it. Now he had three choices: One, find a place that would repair typewriters. Two, buy a new typewriter altogether. Three, finally break down and start using the word processor on his computer. His deadline was coming up, and he needed to finish his novel. However, he had too much pride to resort to modern technology. He would never use a modern word processor if he had anything to say about it. He was an old-school writer, just like his grandfather. He decided to go out and see if he could pick up a new typewriter. He had a few ideas of where he might find one in downtown Strickfield. After calling Connie, the two of them got on their bicycles and began riding. Simon and Connie checked out a few antique shops and even the local department store, but there were no typewriters available. They even checked out their local thrift store, but to no avail. They had nearly exhausted all of Simon's possibilities in Strickfield. He really didn't want to use a word processor, nor did he want an electric typewriter. He needed an old-school one. There was just something about the feel of it. Then Connie suggested trying Strickfield Plaza as a last resort. It would be a couple of miles out of the way, but it was worth a try. Simon and Connie pulled into the parking lot of Strickfield Plaza, which was located on the south end of the village. As they chained up their bikes, Simon looked at the nearly-empty parking lot and took an exasperated breath. He remembered that his grandfather had told him how this giant plaza, and the mall north of the village, would never succeed in Strickfield. Grandpa was proven right, of course. Both the plaza and the mall were full of life and had many of the big-name stores for at least the first year. Then, one by one, the stores were leaving. People just weren't shopping at either place. No, people were too attached to shopping in downtown Strickfield and the many vintage local businesses there. Now, there were only a few select big-name anchor stores left in both places, along with some mom-and-pop stores. Still, what did Simon have to lose? The two of them knew that Staples was still open. After having no luck there, they got back on their bikes. They were almost to the road when Connie saw the one lone store further down the strip, which was called Tinker's. “Let's check down there, Simon.” They rode to the store, parked their bikes, and went in. Tinker's was full of seemingly old odds and ends. Simon looked around to see if – YES!! There it was! He quickly moved to the old typewriter sitting there on the shelf. It looked just as ancient as his grandfather's old typewriter. “I can't believe they actually have one of these old typewriters here,” Connie said. “This old typewriter is rather a collector's item,” they heard a voice from behind them say. They turned around to see a man in his late forties standing near them. “Is this your store?” Connie asked him. “That's me: Eisley Tinker, owner and sole proprietor,” he replied. “How much?” Simon immediately asked Tinker. “I really need this typewriter to finish my book.” Tinker smiled. “I can see that you truly appreciate old items such as this, in spite of the fact that the modern word processor is readily available. If I may ask, what is this book of yours about?” Tinker listened as Simon told him about his book and about Hunter Black. Tinker seemed to be quite interested. “Ah, yes . . . One such as yourself would be most perfect for this machine. I'll sell it to you for . . . How does thirty dollars sound?” “Done!” Simon took out his wallet and they completed the transaction. Simon and Connie left the store. Simon secured his new prize into his basket in front of his bike. From there, the two friends rode home. Once Simon was in his room and had the replacement typewriter set up, he put a sheet of paper in and began writing his final chapters. That night, just a little ways down the street, Dana Shackleton and her boyfriend, Nathan Coaver, were making out in the back seat of his car to finish their date. After many long kisses, they stopped to take a breath. “It's too bad we both have parents who are home,” Dana said. “I'd fuck you right now!” “Yeah, bummer,” Nathan replied. “You know, we could always go to Strickfield Inn.” Dana grinned. “Tempting, but it's getting late. If I'm too late getting home, I'll never hear the end of it. Sorry . . .” Nathan looked over his shoulder. “What's sorry is that you live next door to Orville Redenbacher.” Dana laughed a little. “I know, I mean you see the way he dresses, right? He dresses just like his grandpa. He must have been a real dweeb, too.” They both laughed. Then Nathan said, “That was so awesome how you tripped him up in the hallway at school today. He looked like he really wanted to kill you.” “He's such a pussy,” Dana replied. “Connie Graves ain't,” Nathan reminded her. “She was right in your face when you tripped Simon. You gotta watch out for her.” “You're right, especially since she lives on the other side of Orville. They'll probably get married and make more little Orvilles.” They laughed again, but their laughter was cut short when they felt a presence nearby. They both sat up and saw the man wearing the trench coat and fedora who was looking in at them. “Get outta here, you fucking pervert!” Nathan snapped. “Go get your jollies somewhere else!” Dana added. The figure answered by lashing out and shattering the window – with his fist. Then he glared into the car. Just as Nathan was ready to protect his girlfriend, the figure raised what appeared to be a Tommy gun. “You really should watch whom you piss off,” he said in a suave voice. “You never know when your actions can come back to haunt you.” The barrel of the Tommy gun suddenly sparkled with flashing lights . . . Simon entered Strickfield High the next morning and saw that many students weren't looking so happy. Connie quickly approached him. “What's going on?” Simon asked. “You didn't hear? Dana Shackleton and Nathan Coaver were both killed last night.” She proceeded to tell him what she had heard about the murders. “What?! A machine gun?!” Simon asked in disbelief. “That's what the police are saying, based on all of the bullet casings they found at the scene. My dad's on the police force. He said the casings were matched up to a Tommy gun, even though the bodies were burned beyond recognition.” Simon immediately thought of his character. Hunter Black used such a weapon, and his victims were usually burned beyond recognition after he shot them up. Now that he thought about it, he also remembered how Dana had deliberately tripped him in the hallway the day before – after the restroom incident earlier that morning. Oh, how he would have loved to have been the one to have killed Dana, as much as she bullied him. But now . . . he really didn't have to worry about her anymore. Or Nathan! Simon shrugged. “No big loss. As far as I'm concerned, they both got what they deserved.” Connie's eyes opened wide. “What?! Simon, this isn't like you.” He shrugged again. “How many times did you ever get bullied by somebody and wish they were dead?” “Simon, we've all gotten bullied in one form or another in our lives, but I certainly don't wish horrible deaths on them.” Simon became irritated. “Oh, yeah? Well, you haven't been picked on since freshman year! You never got your head shoved into a toilet by idiot basketball players – and while Dana Shackleton and those other bitches were watching and laughing. As far as I'm concerned, Dana and Nathan getting killed was the best thing that could have ever happened to them.” Connie looked dumbfounded now. She didn't even try to stop Simon as he turned and walked away from her. She groaned and couldn't believe this change in Simon. She decided that he needed time to cool down before she would talk to him later. A week later, Friday, Simon walked in the door after getting home from school. As usual, his mom had left his mail in his room. When he saw the big envelope from Sunset Press, he quickly picked it up and opened it. He found his royalties check and a letter from his editor praising this latest entry into the Hunter Black series. He also found a second check for an advance on the next installment. As it turned out, Simon had some new creative juices, especially when students continued to pick on him. While he himself never went out and harmed anybody, he based the inspiration for Hunter Black's kills on what he himself would like to do to those who had wronged him. Hey, write about what you know, right? Simon put the envelope down and closed his door. He sat at his new typewriter and put in a sheet of paper. He went to work typing his newest Hunter Black novel, remembering that he would need to call and talk to his editor later. That night, there was a party at Jason Weller's barn. The basketball team had finally won their first game to end their losing streak and were celebrating. The students knew that as long as they kept the party away from town, the police wouldn't look their way in the slightest. Jason was drinking keg beer with his fellow basketball players and talking about anything, especially Simon Griffin. “You'd think that moron would get it by now,” Jason said. “Strickfield stays the same, but people change. I can't believe he's still wearing his grandpa's old clothes.” As they continued to talk about and make fun of Simon, they suddenly were approached by a tall figure wearing a fedora and a trench coat. “You need help, buddy? You look like you're lost,” Jason jeered. “No . . . but I'm here to help you, son,” the man replied, in his suave voice. Suddenly, the man pulled out a Tommy gun from inside of his trench coat. Everybody quickly scattered as Hunter Black started firing what seemed to be laser rounds. One student after another started going down fast as the bullets made their impact. Some of the students even caught fire and burned to death as a result of the flaming projectiles. Other students managed to get to safety in the barn, but it would be short lived. After Black had run out of ammunition, he reached into his trench coat and pulled out an automatic laser weapon from his time of 2250. He went into the barn and started firing. He managed to kill more of the students. What few that were left ran off. Black didn't bother pursuing them since they were no threat. Who were they going to tell, the police? When were the police ever a match for Hunter Black? The next afternoon, Connie came over to get Simon so they could spend the day together like they had planned. Simon's mother let her come in. “You'll have to go upstairs and wake him up, dear. He was up working on his new book last night. I don't think he got to bed until late.” Connie smiled a little. “Okay, thank you, Mrs. Griffin.” She came in and went upstairs to find Simon in his room fast asleep at his desk and wearing his clothes from the day before. Then she saw the newly-typed pages before she went to Simon and shook him a little. “Come on, Simon! Wake up! Remember? We're hanging out today. Get cleaned up. I'll still be here.” Simon yawned, got up, and staggered to the bathroom. As soon as she heard the shower going, Connie picked up the pages and read them. Simon never cared if she read his work since she kept it secret. He usually let her read his drafts to get her input. She had just finished when Simon returned. “What do you think?” he asked, when he saw her with the pages. “Wow! You've really put a lot more on Hunter Black this time up,” Connie replied. “Especially the way he just shows up to the Polomo family gathering and starts killing everybody.” “I'm thinking of calling it Black's Revenge,” Simon said. “I already wrote how he was screwed over and survived. Now it's just a question of him getting through everybody close to Boss Polomo in order to get to Polomo himself.” They talked more about the story as Simon got dressed. She helped him brainstorm new ideas as they left his house and walked to downtown Strickfield. “Looks like the new typewriter's working good, by the way,” Connie commented. “Like a dream,” Simon agreed. When they reached Denoyer's Grill, they walked in. Much to their surprise, there weren't that many people there. Usually, many Strickfield High students came to Denoyer's for lunch on Saturdays. “You can sit wherever you like,” Martin Donnerly told them as he tended the front counter. Connie and Simon sat at the counter. Then she gasped when she saw the morning headline in the Strickfield Journal that was close to her. Massacre At Friday Night Party She pulled the newspaper to her. As she read the article, her mind suddenly drifted back to the pages that she had read at Simon's earlier. The article mentioned a barn, so did the pages. Black had used a Tommy gun. Tommy gun shells were found at the scene of last night's party. Black had used a laser machine gun in the pages. Multiple burns were found all over the barn and on many of the victims at the party. Were these events merely a coincidence? Then Connie recalled how the previous book ended when she got to read those chapters. Detective Richard Hartman was making out with his girl Friday in the back seat of his car. Hunter Black surprised them and killed them both at the end. Coincidently, Dana Shackleton and Nathan Coaver were both killed in the back seat of Nathan's car. Tommy gun shells were found at the scene and the bodies were burned beyond recognition – in both scenarios. Connie had a great time with Simon, but she just couldn't shake that feeling of déjà vu all day. At the end of the day, Simon and Connie were standing on her front porch. “It's awful dark in there,” Simon observed. “You going to be okay in there by yourself?” “Oh, my parents are usually gone on weekends,” Connie said. “Work-related shit . . . Anyway, I'll be all right.” She yawned. “I'm probably going to go to bed.” Simon smiled a little. “Okay . . . I'm probably going to work on those ideas we talked about today. You're right, it's time to bring Felicity Scorne back.” That seemed to give Connie a second wind. “You want me to come over and work with you?” “You sure you don't mind?” he asked. She raised an eyelid. “You know me better than that.” Simon smiled more now. “Okay, let go up to my room.” The two of them were sitting in Simon's bedroom talking about Felicity Scorne, the female counterpart and potential love interest for Hunter Black. Simon said that since Connie was the inspiration for the character, Connie would become Felicity Scorne. Simon wrote a few scenes involving Hunter Black as he interacted with Scorne. The two of them had even talked about having the two characters finally get together romantically. The more Simon had written, the more Connie would read and make suggestions. This new book was really starting to come together. Simon and Connie had finally taken a break after hours of making more of Hunter Black's world a reality on the printed pages. And before Connie realized it, she moved into Simon and began to kiss him. He kissed her back. Then they continued to kiss with heavy passion before they both fell onto his bed. Hunter Black and Felicity Scorne met up during a revenge killing. As it turned out, they were both looking to kill another member of Boss Polomo's family, one of his daughters. Boss Polomo had severely wronged Felicity Scorne as well. Black and Scorne were at a standoff and pointed their weapons at each other, neither one willing to back down. Finally, they both lowered their guns knowing that they were good enough to have ended each other's lives. They ultimately agreed to partner up in their quest for vengeance and decided they were better off working together than being enemies. After killing a few more members of the Polomo family, they went somewhere and ended up consummating their new partnership. Connie yawned and woke up. She realized that her head was resting on Simon's chest. Then she sat up and remembered that they had made heated passion together. As she got out of bed, she saw the bags of money and piles of expensive jewelry in the closet and gasped. What did we do?! she thought to herself. She had to think. She put her underwear back on and sat down at Simon's desk. She took some deep breathes and cleared her head. What did we do?! she thought again. Then the images all started coming back to her. She and Simon had gone out. They had gone over to Strickfield Commons, where two of the jocks and three of their girlfriends lived. She had gotten into Monica Van Dreer's house quite easily, in spite of the security measures. Finding Monica in her bed, she yanked the covers off and relished the look on Monica's face when she was staring into the barrel of a modified laser Uzi. She remembered talking to Monica, but she sounded nothing like herself. She had even seen herself in Monica's mirror. “I was Felicity Scorne!” she mouthed to herself. “I was really Felicity Scorne!” Felicity gave Monica a deadly smirk before she riddled her full of lasers. She went throughout the rest of the house and took care of the rest of the family too. She had found the safe and easily got it open. From there, she had helped herself to a hefty score. After leaving there, she would meet up with Simon, who was now Hunter Black. They would have their standoff, but they would decide that they were better off working together. From there, they would go and collect on a few more lives . . . and more hefty scores. Connie looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look anything like Felicity Scorne now, aside from the fire-engine-red lipstick she wore. She got up and returned to the bed to shake Simon. When he finally woke up, Connie explained everything to him. She even showed him the money and jewelry. She ended her explanation with a realization. “Simon, the typewriter brings your imagination to life somehow. Everything you type happens!” Simon further listened as Connie explained all of the coincidences between his pages and what had actually happened. Simon was amazed with Connie's revelations, but he really didn't seem to care when it came to those who were murdered as a result of his writings. “Those people never cared about me. Why should I care about them?” Simon sat down at the typewriter and loaded a sheet. “You know, I think I'm feeling some new inspiration. I think maybe Hunter Black and Felicity Scorne should just burn Strickfield High School to the ground – with everyone inside.” As Simon began to type, it seemed that everything in front of him had suddenly become a huge splash of crimson, speckled with some gray. Simon sat motionless for a moment before his body slumped to the floor, minus the top half of his head. “I feel just . . . amazing!” Connie purred softly as she raised the modified Uzi she had just dispatched Simon with. “After we fucked, I did some writing of my own, lover,” Connie said, but she sounded more like Felicity Scorne now. She smirked in the same sinister way that Scorne did. What was more, she felt positively no remorse for anything. Not even what she had just done to Simon. “I know we promised we'd always be friends. But promises . . . are made to be broken.” Connie looked at the old typewriter. Then she smirked again as she relished the horrible mess that she had created. She opened the desk drawer where she had her pages stashed and felt the excitement of knowing that everything she had typed had come true. “Why should we share this incredible power – when I can have it all?” She read the rest of the pages and knew that she would have one more thing to do. She proceeded to find Simon's mother downstairs and kill her as well. With nothing to stop Connie, she got dressed and managed to smuggle the typewriter and all of the pages that were typed on it to her house. After cleverly hiding the pages, she set up the typewriter. Now that she had ultimate power at literally her fingertips, she could use her imagination to fulfill all of her dreams. What was more, Connie would discover that by burning the pages that Simon had written using the typewriter, the events that had occurred would be erased and the lives taken would be fully restored. One year later, Connie was sitting at a table inside of a major bookstore in Shore City. People lined up around the block to both buy her new book and get her to autograph it for them. She had written the first book in an ongoing new science fiction series starring Felicity Scorne, which quickly outsold even the first Hunter Black novel. Her book was also #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List, something Simon had never done. However, Connie also kept the Hunter Black series going, using what was Simon's pen name and cashing in on that as well. Yes, Connie Graves truly knew of the ultimate power that she possessed with the typewriter. All she had to do was simply take it away from Simon. Money, power, luxuries, new lifestyles, a permanent vacation – everything that she could ever want . . . was literally at her fingertips. And her imagination . . . Support Weekly Spooky - Horrors to Chill You To The Bone! by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/weekly-spooky Find out more at http://weeklyspooky.com

In Luke 5 Jesus causes Simon, a fisherman, to haul in the catch of a lifetime. So many fish that his boat begins to sink. Then Simon leaves the catch of fish on the shore to follow Jesus. If you had just landed the catch of a lifetime, what would motivate you to leave it behind?

To Serve Me as PriestsExodus 28:1-43 & 39:1-31by William KlockSo far Exodus has shown us the tabernacle and the most holy place where the Lord’s presence rested on the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat.  It’s shown us some of the furnishings of the tabernacle and the altar that stood outside.  And as we’ve made our way through these chapters, the priests, sometimes alluded to as Aaron and his sons, have been mentioned, but so far not in any detail.  That’s where the next couple of chapters bring us, first as the special garments of the priests are described and then as the ordination or the setting apart of Aaron and his sons is described.  Lord willing, we’ll look at the ordination of the priests next week.  Today we’ll look at Chapter 28.  Here the instructions are given for the garments the priests were to wear.  And as with the previous passages, we read in Chapter 39 that the Israelites followed these instructions to the letter, making the garments just as described by the Lord.  So let’s look at Exodus 28.  It’s a long passage and, like the other passages so far about the tabernacle, it’s very detailed.  We don’t have time to read the whole thing, so bear with me as I summarise some parts of it for you.Verses 1-5 introduce these instructions and give us an overview of most of the chapter:“Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.  And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.  You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.  These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.  They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. The first thing to notice is that Aaron’s family is selected by the Lord to serve as his priests.  The tribe of Levi serves the tabernacle in general, but it’s this subgroup of the Levites, the family of Aaron who will be the actual priests.  But two things need to happen before Aaron and his sons can serve the Lord in the tabernacle: they need to consecrated into their role and they need to have appropriate clothing.  The consecration will happen in the next chapter; here we read about the clothing.  Specifically, the garments of the high priest are listed here: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash.  And we see here in the first part of the description, they’re visually connected with the tabernacle.  Just like the tent where the Lord took up his dwelling in Israel, the high priest’s garments are made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.Notice how important these garments are.  Verse 3 connects these garments with Aaron’s consecration as the Lord’s priest.  No garments, no priesthood.  In fact, the Lord is deadly serious about it.  Jump to verse 43, the last verse of the chapter and we read:[T]hey shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die.  This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him. What the garments represent is important enough that they’re integral to the priesthood itself.  And we get a sense here of just how seriously the Lord takes his instruction for worship.  Enter the Lord’s presence—even come near—wearing the wrong thing—an act of disobedience—and it means death for the priest.  The Lord isn’t fooling around here.  It’s no idle threat.  Two of Aaron’s sons don’t last very long as priests.  In Leviticus 10 we read that Nadab and Abihu filled their censors with strange or unauthorized fire.  It’s not clear what exactly they’d done, but whatever it was, it was contrary to the very specific instructions the Lord had given concerning offerings and incense.  Both of them were instantly stuck down and consumed by fire.Brothers and Sisters, the worship of God is serious business.  That may be the first takeaway here.  Verse 2 stresses that all of these detailed instructions were to bring glory and beauty to the worship of the Lord.  It wasn’t just about being finicky.  Everything in these details—the details we’ve seen so far and the details yet to come—was to bring glory to the Lord and to make his worship beautiful.  The New Covenant is vastly different in many ways.  The New Testament gives no commands for what a church should look like, how a minister should dress, what our incense recipe should be, what musical style we should use, or how the Lord’s Table should be constructed.  Much of this is different because Jesus has changed everything for us.  We approach the Lord in a different way than the Israelites did thanks to Jesus and the cross.  But glory and beauty are still—or should be integral to our worship.  Does our worship bring glory to the Lord?  Does it do so, in part, by its beauty? A lot of modern worship does neither.  It’s cheap and commercialised and focused more on the worshipper than on the Lord.  When it comes to Christian worship, there are two elements that will always ground proper worship.  The first is God’s word and the second is the Lord’s Supper.  Word and sacrament.  Hearing God’s word, singing God’s word, preaching God’s word, and responding to God’s word in prayer and song will always fill our worship with the glory of God and will always glorify him.  And eating his Supper in which we recall that in Jesus God has given himself to make us his people and to give us life and hope, in that he is again glorified.  Keep word and sacrament central to worship and our worship will be filled with glory.  And the weight of what we do in that kind of worship naturally encourages us to do it with beauty—to invest ourselves in it for the Lord’s sake.  It won’t always look the same.  It may be liturgical or non-liturgical, the style may vary from place to place, but worship centred in word and sacrament will always bring glory to God.Now, let’s look at Aaron’s vestments.  I won’t go into every detail.  Verses 6-12 describe the ephod.  What’s an ephod?  Well, it’s what’s described here.  From the description it seems it was something like an apron.  Like the tabernacle it was made of gold, blue, and purple yarn and fine linen.  But the important part of the ephod were its two onyx stones, set in gold, and mounted on the shoulders.  Each stone was to be engraved with six of the names of the tribes of Israel.  Why?  Verse 12 says:And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance. It was a reminder that the high priest was the mediator between Israel and the Lord.  When he offered sacrifices or went into the Lord’s presence and the Lord looked down on him, there on his shoulders, pointing heavenward, were the names of the twelve tribes that made up his people.  They were a written memorial to the Lord.  Jesus does the same for us, our mediator with God, entering his presence as our representative and bearing our names into his presence.Next the Lord gave instructions for the “breastpiece of judgement”—the longest set of instructions here.  It was a pouch about 9 inches by 9 inches square, made of the same yarns and linen as the ephod.  It was attached to the shoulderpieces of the ephod with gold chains.  And it was set with twelve different precious stones engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel.  Again, the stones served as a memorial to the Lord when Aaron represented the people.  These precious stones representing the tribes of Israel turn up again at the end of the story as the foundations of the New Jerusalem.The breastpiece also served to hold the Urim and the Thummim.  Like so much else about the passage, these are something of a mystery as well.  As the text presents the Urim and Thummim, they were something the Israelites already had.  We don’t know what exactly they were other than devices for casting lots—probably two stones with something carved on them.  In Hebrew Urim begins with the first letter of the alphabet and Thummim with the last, so that may have something to do with it.  The idea was that a question with a clear binary, yes or no or this or that answer could be posed to the Lord by the high priest and, maybe by reaching into the pouch and drawing out one of the stones (or whatever they were) the Lord would give the answer.  (So, no, the Mormons have it wrong.  The Urim and Thummim weren’t magic glasses used to translate Joseph Smith’s golden plates.)It’s interesting to read of them, because the Lord outlawed the pagan practice of divination in Israel.  So this was something different.  It’s worth noting that the Urim and Thummim were always and only in the possession of the high priest and were only used by him to consult the Lord on behalf of the leader of the people about something that affected the nation.  So it had to be something really significant for the Lord to be consulted through the Urim and Thummim.  It wasn’t like the pagans, going to a fortune-teller to ask if you should buy this car or marry this girl or take this job.  But even then, the Lord didn’t always respond.  We’re told that Saul consulted the Lord this way and received no answer.  After the time of David they are no longer mentioned.  The Mishnah says that they ceased to function after the death of the first prophets and that while the Urim and Thummim were still in possession of the high priest in the time after the exile, they no longer worked[1]—perhaps because the presence of the Lord had not returned to the temple.Next, in verses 31-35 we read the instructions for the robe.  It was to be made of blue cloth and around the hem it was to have golden bells alternating with pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarns.  Aaron was to wear this robe when he entered the holy place:And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die. (Exodus 28:35)“So that he does not die” probably refers to this whole section, not just the robe.  The priests were not to deviate from the Lord’s instructions.  The bells, again, are something of a mystery.  When the high priest entered the tabernacle, he was supposed to be the only one there, so the bells may have served as a warning to everyone else to leave.  They may have been a reminder to the priest himself of what he was doing so that he could focus his attention on the Lord and a reminder to those outside of what the priest was doing on their behalf.  In light of the seriousness with which the Lord took all this, the bells may have been a way of assuring the people outside that he hadn’t messed something up and been struck dead as Nadab and Abihu were.  We don’t know.  These are just some possibilities.Now look at verses 36-38:“You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’  And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban.  It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. So Aaron was to wear a turban—which was otherwise a symbol of royalty—with this golden plate at its front, inscribed with the words “Holy to the Lord”.  It may have served a double purpose.  As the names of the tribes of Israel inscribed on the ephod and the breastplate were memorials to the Lord that Israel was his people, this golden headband inscribed “Holy to the Lord” was a memorial to the Lord: this was his priest whom he had set apart.  At the same time, the headband was a serious reminder to Aaron of the gravity of the office he’d been given.  He represented the people before the Lord.  How he bore guilt isn’t clear.  The Hebrew word used here can mean either to bear sin or to remove sin.  It might have been a reminder to Aaron that he bore the responsibility for the people’s sin before the Lord or (or maybe and/or) that he was the one who made atonement for the sins of the people.Now, finally, the last few verses describe the basic garments of all the priests:“For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty.  And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.  You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh.  They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die.  This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him. (Exodus 28:41-43)The Lord gave instructions even for their underpants that remind us of the clothes the Lord made for Adam and Eve, to cover their nakedness.  Aaron and his sons were to be anointed, to be set apart, and to be clothed in these special garments.  They brought glory and honour to the worship of the Lord.  It also meant that the priests stood with glory and beauty—or we could translate the Hebrew “dignity and honour”, before the Lord.  I want to end on that note.  These were beautiful garments, mean to inspire awe and reverence in the people.  They did not approach the Lord casually or carelessly and the priests reminded them of that.  And something I think we might be prone to missing because we no longer rely on human mediators between us and God, is what it meant for the Jews to see these priests standing at the altar or entering the tabernacle, dressed in fine linen, a blue cape, and decked out with gold and gemstones.  This was their representative with the Lord.  Through him they entered the Lord’s presence and through him the Lord was present to them.  To see the high priest in all his finery, in all this glory and beauty, dignity and honour, was what some would call a “religious experience”.This is what Jesus ben Sira describes towards the end of his book of wisdom.  Most of the book is similar to the book of Proverbs, but he ends the book with a hymn in praise of the heroes of Israel: Enoch, Noah, and Abraham; Moses, Aaron, and Phineas; Joshua and Caleb; David and Solomon and he ends his hymn with Simon II, who was the high priest in ben Sira’s own day, about 200 b.c.  I want to read ben Sira’s description of Simon, because it’s the only passage I know of that so vividly describes how the Jews saw their high priest—especially an honourable high priest who commanded the respect of the people.The leader of his brothers and the pride of his people         was the high priest, Simon son of Onias,who in his life repaired the house,         and in his time fortified the temple. He laid the foundations for the high double walls,         the high retaining walls for the temple enclosure. In his days a water cistern was dug,         a reservoir like the sea in circumference. He considered how to save his people from ruin,         and fortified the city against siege. How glorious he was, surrounded by the people,         as he came out of the house of the curtain. Like the morning star among the clouds,         like the full moon at the festal season; like the sun shining on the temple of the Most High,         like the rainbow gleaming in splendid clouds; like roses in the days of first fruits,         like lilies by a spring of water,         like a green shoot on Lebanon on a summer day; like fire and incense in the censer,         like a vessel of hammered gold         studded with all kinds of precious stones; like an olive tree laden with fruit,         and like a cypress towering in the clouds. When he put on his glorious robe         and clothed himself in perfect splendor,when he went up to the holy altar,         he made the court of the sanctuary glorious. When he received the portions from the hands of the priests,         as he stood by the hearth of the altarwith a garland of brothers around him,         he was like a young cedar on Lebanon         surrounded by the trunks of palm trees. All the sons of Aaron in their splendor         held the Lord’s offering in their hands         before the whole congregation of Israel. Finishing the service at the altars,         and arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty, he held out his hand for the cup         and poured a drink offering of the blood of the grape;he poured it out at the foot of the altar,         a pleasing odor to the Most High, the king of all. Then the sons of Aaron shouted;         they blew their trumpets of hammered metal;they sounded a mighty fanfare         as a reminder before the Most High. Then all the people together quickly         fell to the ground on their facesto worship their Lord,         the Almighty, God Most High. Then the singers praised him with their voices         in sweet and full-toned melody. And the people of the Lord Most High offered         their prayers before the Merciful One,until the order of worship of the Lord was ended,         and they completed his ritual. Then Simon came down and raised his hands         over the whole congregation of Israelites,to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips,         and to glory in his name; and they bowed down in worship a second time,         to receive the blessing from the Most High. (Sirach 50:1-21 NRSV)Simon was a good and honourable priest, but more than that what ben Sira gets at is that the priest inspired the people.  The priest, standing there as representative of both the Lord and of Israel, reminded them of the covenant, reminded them of the Lord’s words: I will be your God and you will be my people.  And in that, the priest inspired faith and hope and love and loyalty to the Lord and to his covenant.If the priests of the old covenant could inspire the people in faith and hope and love and loyalty to the Lord, Brothers and Sisters, how much more ought Jesus to inspire us to faith and hope and love and covenant loyalty?  Consider that as we come to his Table this morning and recall how, as the writer of Hebrew puts it, he went into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but to offer his own blood, securing an eternal redemption for his people.  Jesus is our priest and as ben Sira saw the high priest of his day in all his glory as he stood outside the temple offering sacrifices for the people and gave glory to God, we ought to see something even better, even more beautiful, even more glorious as we recall the death of Jesus on the cross.  In him God himself has become our great high priest, giving his own life, that we might live—that might be plunged into the life of his own Spirit and that we might live in hope of the life of the age to come.Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning for your word and how even these minute and seemingly finicky details point remind us of your holiness, point us to Jesus, and inspire us to give you glory.  As we think of the glory of Aaron and his sons, may we be inspired to see the glory of Jesus, our great high priest of whom Aaron was only a dim shadow.  And as we think of the sacrifice that Jesus has offered of himself for us, may we be moved to worship you in glory and beauty.  Through Jesus we pray.  Amen.[1] Sotah 9:12 and Yoma 21b

Acts 8:9-25 NIV 9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” 24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” 25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

By Charlie Lacey | Acts 8: 9-24Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”Acts 8: 9-24New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Based on the following reading: “A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. But now the people believed Philip's message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God's message, they sent Peter and John there. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God's gift can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” “Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon exclaimed, “that these terrible things you've said won't happen to me!” After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.” ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭8:9-25‬ ‭NLT‬‬ https://www.bible.com/116/act.8.9-25.nlt

In our third of four programs dedicated to Wellbeing, Dave and Marie bring in another personal story from Simon Smith, General Manager of Aston Wood Golf Club. Simon, a professional athlete for many years, covering operating at the highest levels for gymnastics, then on to high levels within Shotan Karate, cage fighting, and other martial arts. Then Simon got the golfing bug, and became a professional golfer.With such success how could this man's man succumb to mental health issues?Listen and find out  

In this episode, Jay starts out with some hot griddle talk. Then Simon talks about a not-so black-tie event before the two end up talking about the demise of Jay’s laptop and then vst, beat, and software talk... Producers, enjoy!

The body O Corpo Hand. Mão. Head. Cabeça. Shoulder. Ombro. Elbow. Cotovelo. Hair. Cabelo. Arm. Braço. Neck. Pescoço. Chest. Peito. Stomach. Estomago. Leg. Perna. Knee. Joelho. Foot. Pé. Eyebrown. Sombrancelha. Eye. Olho. Nose. Nariz. Mouth. Boca. Ear. Orelha. I have a pain in my back. Eu tenho dor nas costas. Ive got a rash in my arm. (Eu) tenho uma erupção no meu braço. I don't feel well. Eu não me sinto bem. What's the matter? Qual o problema? Where does it hurt? Onde dói? What's the matter? Qual o problema? I don't feel well. Eu não me sinto bem. Where does it hurt? Onde dói? I've got a pain in my shoulder. Eu tenho uma dor no meu ombro. At The Doctor. No Médico. It's not serious. (Isto) não é sério (grave). You need tests. Voce precisa de exames. You have a kidney infection. Você tem uma infecção no rim. You need to go to a hospital. Você precisa ir ao hospital. Are you taking any medication? Você esta tomando alguma medicação? What's the matter? Qual o problema? I have a pain in my chest. Eu tenho uma dor no peito. Let me exam you. Deixe-me examiná-la. Is it serious? (Isto) é sério? No. You only have a indigestion. Não. Você só tem indigestão. What a relief. Que alívio. What's the matter? Qual é o problema? Let me exam you. Deixa-me examiná-lo. "Deixa eu te examinar" No. You only have a indigestion. Não. Você só tem uma indigestão. I'm diabetic. Eu sou diabético. I'm epileptic. Eu sou epilético. I'm asmatic. Eu sou asmático. I have a heart condition. Eu tenho problemas cardíacos. I feel faint. Eu me sinto fraco. I've got a fever. Eu tenho febre. It's urgent. É urgente. I'm pregnant. (Eu) estou grávida. At the hospital No hospital. What are the visiting hours? Qual é o horário de visitas? How long will it take? Quanto tempo demora? Will it hurt? Vai doer? Please lay down here. Por favor, deite-se aqui. You must not eat. Você não pode (deve) comer. Don't move your head. Não mexa sua cabeça. Please open your mouth. Por favor, abra (sua) boca. You need a blood test. Você precisa de um exame de sangue. Are you feeling better? Você está se sentindo melhor? Where's the waiting room? Onde é a sala de espera? Emergency department. Pronto socorro. Childreen's ward. Ala Infantil (das crianças) Operating theater. "Centro cirúrgico". X-Ray department. Departamento de radiologia. Waiting room. Sala de espera. Lift. Elevador. Stairs. Escadas. Your X-Ray is normal. Seu raio X é (está) normal. You have an infection. Você tem uma infecção. First you need a blood test. Primeiro você precisa de um exame de sangue. No, don't worry. Não, não se preocupe. You have an infection. Você tem uma infecção. Do I need tests? Eu preciso fazer algum exame? First you need a blood test. Primeiro você precisa de um exame de sangue. Will it hurt? Vai doer? No, don't worry. Não.Não se preocupe. How long will it take? Quanto tempo levará? A lazy weekend Um fim de semana preguiçoso Simon doesn't work at the weekend. Simon não trabalha no fim de semana . He and Cathy get up late and have brunch. Ele e Cathy levantam-se tarde e têm brunch (uma mistura de café da manhã e almoço). Then Simon does the shopping Em seguida, Simon faz as compras And Cathy goes to the gym E Cathy vai a ginástica In the evening, they don't do any cooking. À noite, eles não cozinham (fazem comida) They usually go to the cinema Eles normalmente vão ao cinema and then to a restaurant for a late dinner. e depois a um restaurante para um jantar tarde. T00-TRANSLATE : Exercise I get up late and have brunch. Eu levanto tarde e tomo brunch (breakfast + lunch - Uma mistura de café da manhã com almoço) I do the shopping and she goes to the gym. Eu faço as compras e ela vai a ginástica. We usually go to the cinema at the weekend. Nós, normalmente (usualmente) vamos ao cinema no fim de semana We go to the theatre every month. Nós vamos ao teatro todos os meses. He doesn't do the washing-up. Ele não faz a lav

Feature Guest: Brian Schmidt Today we offer a best of from our vault here at The Star Spot. We dug back to a fan favourite, our December 2014 interview with Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt, who won the biggest prize in science for discovering the accelerating universe.  The 1929 discovery of the expanding universe by Edwin Hubble forever changed our picture of the cosmos and our understanding of our place in the universe. In 1998 we learned that wasn’t the only surprise. That’s when two teams of astronomers announced that the expansion of our universe isn’t slowing down as everyone assumed. Its speeding up. Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Distinguished Professor Brian Schmidt who won the Nobel Prize for discovering our accelerating universe. Current in Space Tony and Amelia discuss a new finding from the ALMA observatory: a cool ring of gas encircling the supermassive black hole at the center of the Galaxy. Then Simon pulls you in with the measurement of a tiny black hole at the center of a nearby dwarf galaxy. And finally Tony returns with breaking news from the Jovian satellite system: Sodium chloride, aka table salt, has been found on none other than the ice-covered ocean moon Europa! About Our Guest Dr. Brian Schmidt is Distinguished Professor at the Australian National University Mount Stromlo Observatory and holder of an Australian Research Council Federation Fellowship. In 2011 Schmidt received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his co-discovery that the universe isn’t merely expanding, it’s actually accelerating in its expansion. Shmidt is Fellow of the Royal Society, a recipient of the Pawsey Model, the Dirac Medal and the Shaw Prize in Astronomy.

Feature Guest: Katrin Heitmann The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined by each fascinating speaker as we take you from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our universe. First up, on today’s episode Professor Katrin Heitmann tells how scientists are using the most powerful supercomputers on Earth to model the very origin of space and time, and to predict how events at the birth of the universe continue to shape its destiny. Current in Space Tony reports on the discovery of the brightest quasar ever seen in the early Universe, although its perceived brightness may be a trick of a certain phenomenon. Then Simon shocks with new research suggesting that the volatile elements essential for life on Earth were deposited during the apocalyptic planetary collision that formed the Moon. Finally, Amelia surprises with the finding of a circumbinary disk that orbits a binary star system not at the equator as expected, but at the poles! About Our Guest Dr. Katrin Heitmann is a physicist at the United States' Argonne National Lab and a Senior Member of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on cosmology and in particular on extreme-scale simulations of the evolution of the universe.  

Sunday Service Messageby Apostle Brian Edghill Acts 8:9-13 (KJV)9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

We're taken on through space with ojbartsimpson, an NYC based producer and DJ with ties to Cosmic Compositions, and a 12" forthcoming through Berlin's Index Records. In his words "join me on a journey through the sonic sounds of love. This hour and half vinyl excursion will take us through the lush landscape of House Music. As we shift through the hypnotic BPMs, allow yourself the pleasure for relaxation. Rest inside the frequencies and turn the music up. Thank you for riding with us. This is your captain speaking, Ojbartsimpson. Kia ora." Then Simon brings you back to Earth. *ojbartsimpson* --No Tracklist-- *Simon* Abul Mogard - Over My Head [Ecstatic] Oswaldo Lares - Canto De Amor Jayeechi [TAL] Kareem Lotfy - Equilibrium [Quiet Time Tapes] Donato Dozzy - K1 [Further] Pablo Color - Waves ft. Gigi Masin [Ish] Khotin - Planet B [Khotin Industries] I. Blair - Night Circuits [Cafe Kaput] Tirzah - Devotion ft. Coby Sey [Domino]

Simon asks Luke about the state of the US housing market today and how fintech is enabling 20 minute mortgage applications. Neat Capital also boasts the ability to bid offer and close on a home in two weeks. Then Simon met with Mutaz to discuss budgeting and saving in the digital economy and how to help customers from overspending. Go to survey.11fs.com (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDC9WxbcyInqZKccCS6opwnjeN_be3AJ76uUazQ8xMM6MK_Q/viewform) to share your views. We hope you enjoy the show! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode and if you really love us please leave us a review on iTunes! Let us know your thoughts @FintechInsiders and join the discussion by signing up at Fintech Insider News. Special Guests: Luke Johnson and Mutaz Qubbaj.

Acts 8:4-40Philip in Samaria4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralysed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.Simon the sorcerer9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practised sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.’ 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptised. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’20 Peter answered: ‘May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.’24 Then Simon answered, ‘Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.’25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.Philip and the Ethiopian26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.31 ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’34 The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.36 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’ 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

If this doesn’t send shivers up your spine, I don’t know what will. In this PODCAST, you are about to hear an absolutely amazing story about a most-remarkable individual, whom we barely met last week—Simon the Samaritan Sorcerer. A man, BTW, whose eternal destiny—when all is said and done—remains a question mark, shrouded in mystery. For of Simon we read, “Then Simon himself believed and was baptized” (Acts 8:13). So far, so good! But then we read a mere 8 short verses later, “But Peter replied… ‘Your heart is not right with God.’” Uh oh. Simon the Samaritan Sorcerer—A living, breathing contradiction—as we might expect from someone trafficking on dark side. There is so much to this story that it is hard to know where to begin. So we will start with this… Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it may take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to play. God bless you richly as you listen.

In this episode: Simon and Colin and special guest, Fintech Insider and 11:FS' Jason Bates, break down the top news stories of the week including: -The PBOC declares ICOs illegal - Crypto markets tumble 20% as a result - Messenger app Kik raises funds to launch an ICO for its own currency, the kin. - And… Paris Hilton launches an ICO They also debate why it is that bitcoin is currently considered a no-go zone by big banks? Then Simon catches up with ICO lawyer and token expert Patrick Murck for his thoughts on token sales, ICOs and the Chinese rulings making headlines this week. And finally - let us know which celebrity you'd trust most if they endorsed an ICO - Tweet us @bchaininsider or drop us a line at podcasts@11fs.com. We hope you're enjoying the show - don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Special Guests: Jason Bates and Patrick Murck.

Act 8:9-23, “But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:  10  To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.  11  And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.  12  But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.  13  Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.  14  Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:  15  Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:  16  (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)  17  Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.  18  And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,  19  Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.  20  But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  21  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.  22  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.  23  For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.  

 A Star for Mrs. Blake...a story about pilgrimages moms of WW1 victims made to Europe.  April Smith.  Then Simon highlights upcoming barbeque fundraiser for serviceman.  Has to do with puppies.  John Carlson is bugged about Toys R Us...and his ire is rewarded.  Dr. Jeffrey Singer is with the Doc Squad and gives Obamacare an "F".   Then has soy been rustling come to Iowa?

This week, Simon and Kate fight our way through some unfortunate midseason pilots and premieres in our week in TV before spotlighting The Good Wife‘s most recent episode, “Alienation of Affection”. Then Simon takes a week off while I welcome author, 25-year HBO veteran, and SoS contributor Bill Mesce to the DVD Shelf to talk ... The post The Televerse #19- Spotlight on The Good Wife / The Outer Limits with Bill Mesce appeared first on PopOptiq.