Podcasts about easter sunday

LENT Podcast 2026

"Moving Forward by Faith"Genesis 32The Book of Genesis Series - In The Beginning, GodPastor Nate ClarkeMarch 8, 2026Join us Easter Sunday at our new church building April 5th7339 Atlee Road, Mechanicsville VAHow should Christians respond to wickedness in the world? https://youtu.be/2OJUIM9YRwAVirginia's proposed Constitutional amendments on Abortion & Marriage - How to VOTE BIBLICALLY: https://youtu.be/Y8z8xTFsOn8SERMON NOTES:- Genesis 32:1-12- Genesis 32:21-32- Moving Forward by Faith- To move forward by faith, you'll have to face fear.- What did Jacob have to fear?    - He was stuck between Laban and Esau    - 400 men reported with Esau    - Is Esau still mad and wanting to kill him? (Gen 27:44-45)    - Past sin catching up with him?- Genesis 32:7-8- Genesis 32:9-12- When faced with fear, you can move forward with your own ideas or you can move forward with God, it's your choice. - 2 Timothy 1:7- To move forward by faith, you'll have have to lose a fight.- Genesis 32:21-23- Genesis 32:24- Jacob didn't wrestle with God, God wrestled with Jacob.- Genesis 32:24-25- God didn't break Jacob to destroy him, but to form him to greater faith and dependence on Him.- Genesis 32:25-26- When God comes to wrestle, you win when you realize you've lost.- Matthew 16:25- To move forward by faith, you'll have a new name and a new walk.- Genesis 32:27-28- Israel: Sarah (rules/prevails) + el (God) = he rules with God- Daniel is not “he judges God” but “God judges”   Samuel is not “he heard God” but “God hears”- Israel is not “he rules with God” but “God rules”- 2 Corinthians 5:17- Genesis 32:31Oasis Church exists to Worship God, Equip the believers, and Reach the lost.We are led by Pastor Nate Clarke and are located in Mechanicsville outside Richmond in Central Virginia.STAY CONNECTEDInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OasisChurchRVA/Website: https://oasischurch.online

What Did Jesus Actually Finish? And Why Does It Change Everything About You? Discussion Questions: What are the two greatest events in history? Why? React to the envelope analogy. In what ways has the church left it sealed and guessed at its contents? What is the significance of Day 1 (Friday)? What did it accomplish? What does Day 2 (Saturday) represent? Hint: Think in terms of your old self. Why is Day 3 the most important of all? What happened to us because of Day 3? React to this statement: Christ is your life, your everything. How does this message help you enter this season (Good Friday and Easter Sunday) with a richer understanding of what we celebrate?

We continue our walk through Holy week, leading up to Easter Sunday

Lured by the promise of fertile farmland and a chance to start anew, several hundred thousand men, women and children set out along the Oregon Trail between the 1840s and the 1880s. They rolled west in groups of oxen-pulled prairie schooners through grass prairies, arid deserts, and over snowy mountain passes, bound for California and Oregon.For 19th-century settlers traveling west across America by wagon train, every mile tested body and spirit. Blistered feet, choking dust, and swarming insects were just a few of the many physical challenges along the 2,000-mile, months-long journey. Settlers also had to contend with unpredictable weather in the wide-open West -- dust storms, rain squalls or blizzards.Perhaps the worst physical challenge the settlers faced was severe water shortages, often forcing them to rely on contaminated, alkaline, or meager water sources that caused disease and death. While wagon trains followed rivers like the Platte and Carson for survival, they often struggled to find enough water for animals. Many settlers took shortcuts to get to California, such as the Hastings Cutoff in Utah, which promised a faster route but led directly into harsh deserts. Or settlers would come from the last good water of the Platte 20 miles back when they arrived at Clayton's Slough here in Natrona County. The contaminated water poisoned livestock and humans. Cholera, caused by contaminated water, was the leading cause of death, followed by diseases like dysentery.These settlers were hearty souls, looking for a better land and a better life out West. They needed some water to drink along the way.The Israelites had just escaped from being slaves in Egypt. They had witnessed God's miracles with the ten plagues, the Angel of the Lord appearing as a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire to separate them from the angry Egyptian army, and Moses using his staff to part the waters of the Red Sea. About a month earlier, they complained about being hungry, so God miraculously provided them with manna from heaven and quails that landed in their camp.After receiving this miraculous food in the desert, the Israelites have been traveling for several more days. The hills are getting higher in the Horeb mountain range. The valleys are narrower and full of huge rocks. There are no springs of water to be found anywhere in this mountainous desert.This time the Israelites not only complain. They "quarrel" with Moses. "The entire Israelite community set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin as the Lord had commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people quarreled with Moses and said, 'Give us water to drink'" (Exodus 17:1-2).They even threaten to stone Moses! "Moses said to them, 'Why are you quarreling with me? Why are you testing the Lord?' But the people were thirsty for water there, so they grumbled against Moses. They said, 'Why did you ever bring us up out of Egypt to let us, our children, and our livestock die of thirst?' Moses cried out to the Lord, 'What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me'" (Exodus 17:3-4)!These people are ungrateful to the Lord for rescuing them. They are thankless to Moses for his leadership. Moses is in the same mountain range where he had previously tended sheep for his father-in-law Jethro. Who would have blamed him if he had traded in his leadership staff for a shepherd's staff and gone back to tending sheep! At least they would have been pleasant to be around!The Lord had earlier directed Moses' staff and used water in his miracles by changing the Nile River into blood and then back into water again, and parting the waters of the Red Sea and then having those walls of water come crashing down on Pharaoh and his army. Now the Lord patiently deals with the quarreling children of Israel as a father deals with his crabby kids. He directs Moses to use his staff to strike a rock. As Moses obeys, water comes out of the rock for the people to drink."The Lord said to Moses, 'Go in front of the people, and take the elders of Israel with you. Also take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Watch me. I will stand there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will drink.' Moses did that in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the Lord by saying, 'Is the Lord among us or not'" (Exodus 17:5-7)?It's no wonder that Moses called that place "Massah," which in Hebrew means "testing," and "Meribah," which in Hebrew means "quarreling." Through their quarreling the Israelites were testing the Lord, demanding proof that he was still among them. In his mercy the Lord again gave evidence of his providential love to these undeserving people.We need to understand that we are very similar to these quarreling Israelites kids. God has blessed many of our family members with long lives, but we question God when he takes a loved one away through death. God has blessed us with health, but we grumble when we get really ill. God has blessed us with a home, so we don't have be camping in the desert, but we grumble when we have to do home repairs. God has blessed us with manna and quail ... and a whole lot of other foods in our fridge, freezer, and pantry. Yet we complain that we can't find anything to eat. We have indoor plumbing with water in the bathroom, washroom, and kitchen, yet we still find a way to whine about the water pressure or the temperature or the taste.God calls us today to repent of our self-centeredness, confess our quarreling; admit whining, grumbling, and complaining. We must admit that we fall into the sin of the Israelites when they became so thirsty that they questioned God's love for them asking, "Is the Lord among us or not?" When things go against us, we, too, fall into the Devil's trap of believing that God doesn't care about us.We repent and then believe. Believe that the Lord knows what's best for you. Believe that you learn more through suffering and want than through ease and comfort. That's what St. Paul is teaching in our Epistle lesson, "We rejoice confidently in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patient endurance, and patient endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4). Trust that whether in plenty or in scarcity, whether in suffering or in pleasure, God gives you exactly what you need. As Martin Luther said it so well, "I believe that God has made me and all creatures ... given me clothing, shoes, food and drink... [and] he richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life."Have you ever been really thirsty but had nothing to drink? The books I've been reading have thirst as a major theme in them. The Christian Crusaders leaving Europe and heading to Jerusalem. Magellan and Columbus sailing across the ocean but having no fresh water to drink. Polar explorers surrounded by ice and snow, but again, having no fresh water to drink. Soldiers fighting in the Civil War, World Wars, or wars in the Middle East. They all battled thirst.We, too, battle thirst. But not a physical thirst. A spiritual thirst. St. Paul uses the thirst of the Israelites in the desert and the water from the rock as an application for spiritual meaning to their physical actions. "For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them―and that rock was Christ! Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did" (1 Corinthians 10:1-6).The term spiritual food refers to the manna. The spiritual drink refers to the water that came out of the rock. The food and drink are called spiritual because they were miraculously provided. But the real source of their food and drink, the one who really did accompany and save them, was the promised Savior, the Messiah.God, in his love, quenches thirst. When our physical needs are met, when we have cozy homes, and nourished bodies, when our physical thirst is quenched, it can be easy to stop there and think, "What more could I need." So many in our world are lost in a desert of sin and unbelief and dying of spiritual thirst -- thirst for answers, for acceptance, for purpose. The problem is when we look in the wrong places to have that spiritual thirst quenched -- we become spiritually dehydrated. The danger of spiritual dehydration is eternal death.Jesus Christ is the Rock of our salvation. God called Moses to strike the rock to quench the people's physical thirst. Jesus took the guilt of our sin upon himself so that by his death and resurrection, through faith, God would quench our need for forgiveness. We receive Christ as we read about him as the Rock of our salvation in the Bible. We receive Christ in Holy Baptism as the water and the Word works to create faith, washes away sins, and grants everlasting life.Jesus answered the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty ever again. Rather, the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water, bubbling up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14).What is "living water"? Living water is the gospel message about Jesus. We end each of our Thirsty podcasts with the phrase, "You are thirsty, my friends, so drink deeply from the Water of Life." We become physically dehydrated because we don't drink enough water during the day. We become spiritually dehydrated because we don't drink enough of God's living water during the day and week.Drink deeply from Christ's living water by being in Bible study -- we offer a lot of them. Drink deeply by listening to various Lutheran podcasts. Drink deeply by coming regularly to worship -- we have Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, plus Holy Week is coming soon. Drink deeply by receiving the Sacrament often -- you'll be able to receive the Lord's Supper five times during Holy Week with Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. Drink deeply by reading and meditating on God's Word on your own or with your family. Every morning, speak the words of the invocation, make the sign of the cross, recite the Apostles' Creed, Luther's Morning Prayer, and the Lord's Prayer. Then read a portion of Scripture, meditate on it, and pray about it. Then do the same thing in the evening, except using Luther's Evening Prayer.When we drink of Christ and his Word, we have all that we need. The Holy Spirit enables us to produce the fruits of faith, which "gush" forth from our lives. The living water that Jesus offers, quenches thirst forever, because it springs up like a well inside of people, resulting in eternal life. This is the ongoing effect of Christ and his Word, that satisfies any spiritual thirst forever.The Israelites quarreled with Moses when they said, "Give us water to drink." Let us say those same words to the Lord. But may they instead be a prayer for the Lord to quench our physical and spiritual thirst. "Lord, give us water to drink." Amen.View this sermon (with video and/or audio recording) on our website: https://www.casperwels.com/sermons/give-us-water-to-drink/

Mike & Pam are back in the Studio today as we are answering your Listener Questions on a Friday! We discuss options for Lighting Lanes over Spring break between Epcot and Animal Kingdom Park and best usage based on crowds lately. Also, we talk about celebrating a big 5th birthday at Walt Disney World and how to make that celebration unique! We also give some thoughts on Easter Sunday at Walt Disney World, as well as ideas on how a dad can have some fun with his two daughters outside the theme parks, and much more! Come join the BOGP Clubhouse on our Discord channel at www.beourguestpodcast.com/clubhouse!  Thank you so much for your support of our podcast! Become a Patron of the show at www.Patreon.com/BeOurGuestPodcast.  Also, please follow the show on Twitter @BeOurGuestMike and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beourguestpodcast.   Thanks to our friends at The Magic For Less Travel for sponsoring today's podcast!

Friends of the Rosary,During Lent, we prepare ourselves for the central events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.Because of the sins and disobedience of the human race, Christ, the Son of God in human nature, decided to pay for our redemption with his blood.Through his infinite mercy and love for us, he set us free from the slavery of Satan and of sin.God the Father glorified him with the resurrection.The lesson for humans was clear: if we follow Christ, the new Head of humanity, faithfully in these virtues, joys, and sufferings, we will all be offered a share in an eternal life of glory.The victory of Christ over the power of Satan, proclaimed by the Church, should be ours also. Our strength is His. In our weakness, we are strong. The Lord delights in our effort and grants us the most important thing on earth: His grace!Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠March 4, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

"When God Blesses Somebody Else"Genesis 31The Book of Genesis Series - In The Beginning, GodPastor Nate ClarkeMarch 1, 2026Join us Easter Sunday at our new church building April 5th7339 Atlee Road, Mechanicsville VAHow should Christians respond to wickedness in the world? https://youtu.be/2OJUIM9YRwAVirginia's proposed Constitutional amendments on Abortion & Marriage - How to VOTE BIBLICALLY: https://youtu.be/Y8z8xTFsOn8SERMON NOTES:- Genesis 31:1-7- Genesis 31:22-24- Genesis 31:36-42- Genesis 31:55- When God Blesses Somebody Else- Envy- Genesis 31:1-2- Envy is the sin of anger at the God-given gifts enjoyed by others.- 5 Dangers of Envy- Envy is an unsought, serious sin- 1 Corinthians 3:3 (envy is worldly)- James 3:13-16 (envy is demonic)- Titus 3:3 (envy is fruit of your old nature before Christ)- Matthew 27:17-18 ESV (envy put Jesus on the cross)- Envy provides unlimited opportunity for sin- 1 Samuel 18:6-9- “It is so very easy a thing to be covetous, that no class of society is free from it.” Charles Spurgeon- Envy turns allies into enemies.- Genesis 31:4-7, 9- “The rival moon is unable to share the sky with the sun for fear to discover itself to be the lesser light.” Greg Morse- Envy makes false assumptions about yourself, others, and God.- “God owes me what He has given them.”- “God's plan for their life is God's plan for my life.”- “God's plans are mixed up, His choices are uninformed, and his goodness needs to be redistributed.” - Envy chokes you out of a godly life- “Envy reverses the biblical ordering - ‘rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep' (Rom 12:15), to , ‘weep at those who rejoice and rejoice over those who weep.'” Joe Rigney- How to overcome envy:- Gratitude- 1 Corinthians 4:7- James 1:17- John 3:26-27- Confession- Pray for those you envy- If you envy someone, it positions you against them. If you pray for someone, it positions you with them.- Trust and delight in God- Psalm 37:1-4Oasis Church exists to Worship God, Equip the believers, and Reach the lost.We are led by Pastor Nate Clarke and are located in Mechanicsville outside Richmond in Central Virginia.STAY CONNECTEDInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OasisChurchRVA/Website: https://oasischurch.onlineOasis Church exists to Worship God, Equip the believers, and Reach the lost.We are led by Pastor Nate Clarke and are located in Mechanicsville outside Richmond in Central Virginia.STAY CONNECTEDInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OasisChurchRVA/Website: https://oasischurch.online

LENT Podcast 2026

Feeling hungry? It's march 3rd, Pancake Day ! Which means you have to choose your favourite toppings! Pancake Day is also known as Shrove Tuesday, which marks the day before the start of Lent on the Christian calendar. The date changes every year, as it depends on when Easter falls.    According to Christian tradition, Pancake Day marks the last day of excess allowed before Lent. The following day is Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of 40 days of prayer and fasting. During Lent, practising Christians often give up something as a personal sacrifice to remember the forty days Jesus spent in the desert. Lent ends on Easter Sunday, when Christians celebrate Jesus's resurrection from the dead, after being crucified.  How far back does the celebration of Pancake Day go? Why eating pancakes ? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠How can I use the 80/20 method to save money?⁠ ⁠How are social media influencers making money through rage baiting?⁠ ⁠How much money makes you happy?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast : 15/02/2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Si's speaks in this episode with Nathan Guy. They first chat about Alpha, with Nathan outlining his role in running Youth Alpha in local schools as well as talking about our own Alpha course running on Thursday nights at The Boathouse. They go on to talk about baptism, sharing their stories and encouraging people to think about being baptised during our Easter Sunday service.

  Over the past few weeks we’ve literally been ‘walking with Jesus’ and His disciples trying to follow them chronologically through the Gospel accounts. We now have about 30 days remaining till Easter Sunday, and we’ll spend much of these next days following the disciple John’s unique description of the last weeks of Jesus’ earthly life. (Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today's chapter? I'm ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

While Jesus is in the garden with his disciples, Judas comes with high priests and soldiers to arrest Jesus. “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen this way?” Find out all that is happening on both our campuses during the sacred season of Lent—beginning with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 18 and leading up to Easter Sunday on April 5. Visit villagepres.org/lent.Sunday service times are 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. at the Mission Campus in Prairie Village, Kansas, and 10 a.m. at the Antioch Campus in Overland Park, Kansas. If you are unable to attend in person, you can worship online at villagepres.org/online or here on YouTube. Support the showContact Village Presbyterian Churchvillagepres.orgcommunications@villagepres.org913-262-4200Have a prayer request? pastoral-care@villagepres.orgFacebook @villagepresInstagram @villagepreschurchYouTube @villagepresbyterianchurchTo join in the mission and ministry of Village Church, go to villagepres.org/giving

Join us today as we kickoff our new series called The Way of The Cross. Over the next six weeks we will trace Jesus' journey toward his death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday! This Sunday, Zach W. Lambert is preaching about Jesus' Baptism.We are here live-streaming every Sunday at 9:30am CT. If you'd like to connect with Restore, go to www.restoreaustin.org/connect.Resources Referenced:Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament by Christopher J.H. WrightThe Wilderness by Lana Van EssenThe Gospel of Luke by Joel B. Green

In our series opener, Pastor Jeff looks at the Passion of Christ's last week, known as Holy Week, chronicles the final seven days of Jesus' earthly life, spanning from His triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) to His resurrection (Easter Sunday). It focuses on his suffering, the crucifixion at Golgotha, atoning death, burial, and victory over death.

Dan begins our new series where on the run up to Easter Sunday we will reflect on the 96 hours that changed the world.If you have questions or would like to connect with us at Hope Church further, we'd really love to hear from you.Simply go to:https://www.hopeharrogate.co.uk/connectFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeHarrogate/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope_harrogate​

Sermon Study GuideJoin Pastor Grant Roe for the first message in our new Easter series "Behold the Lamb" as we explore the profound question: Can anything good come from pain? In this powerful sermon on John 12:20-33, discover how Jesus teaches us that true life comes through death, victory through surrender, and growth through letting go. Learn to navigate three types of pain: the inconvenience of sharing your faith, the difficulty of relinquishing control, and the challenge of obedience when your soul is troubled. This Easter preparation message will transform how you view suffering and help you trust God's redemptive work in your most difficult moments. Perfect for anyone seeking hope, understanding the cross, or preparing their heart for resurrection Sunday.#EasterSermon #ChristianFaith #BeholdTheLamb #John12 #GrantRoe #SufferingAndHope #ResurrectionSunday #BiblicalTeaching #ChurchSermon #FaithAndPain

In episode 397 of the Words of the Prophets podcast, Todd, Burke and Rivka discuss the talk “Proved and Strengthened in Christ” by Elder Eyring from the October 2025 general conference.If you would like to study the atonement of Jesus Christ through the Easter season, here's is Rivka's 40 day atonement study:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OQ92PCNfjB2LwjS9fCMYBBVAAwLAFedvdV8EN7ZtqFo/edit?usp=sharingYou should be able to start on Wed Feb 18th and study roughly one section a day until Easter Sunday.  #wordsoftheprophets #generalconference #conference #ldsconference #LDS #ldspodcast #podcast #sharegoodnesshttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/words-of-the-prophetsFind us on twitter, instagram or email us at wordsoftheprophetspodcast@gmail.comFind us at youtube.com/wordsoftheprophetspodcast

On Easter Sunday, April 13, 1895, parishioners at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in San Francisco were shocked when a closet was opened that contained the mutilated body of a young woman. Police detectives who were summoned to the church expected the corpse to belong to a 20-year-old woman named Blanche Lamont, a member of the church's congregation who had gone missing 10 days earlier. But it wasn't her. Instead, the dead woman was 21-year-old Minnie Williams, who was also a member of the church. And that wasn't all the two young women had in common. Both had last been seen with the church's handsome and well-liked Sunday School Superintendent, a man named Theo Durrant – who soon earned a nickname from the press. They called him “The Demon in the Belfry,” because it was almost impossible for anyone to believe that the brutal murders could be the work of an ordinary man.He had to be one of the Devil's minions, escaped from the fiery pits of Hell. Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/hauntings* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code HAUNTINGS for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sydney Leandro was 5 years old on Easter Sunday of 2020 when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Now at age 11, Sydney is feeling and doing well and is able to live a good life. In 2025 her brother Jack, who is now 9 years old, decided to start a non-profit called PUCKS FOR BUCKS in which he shot approximately 200 pucks a day from his driveway into a hockey goal and raised $1.00 for each puck he shot, which he donated in Sydney's honor and to help other Pediatric Cancer Patients. He donated this money to the A Wish Come True Non- Profit which had treated the Leandro family to a trip to San Diego in 2023. Jack will continue his non profit after his current hockey season ends and will begin from where he left off last summer in which he had totaled 10,027 pucks shot.

After surviving five home invasions, including a terrifying assault on Easter Sunday, David Connors explained why he spent $350,000 to move his family and how his local crime watch group grew to 4,000 members. He challenged the Police Commissioner’s "improving" statistics, highlighting a disturbing surge in violent crime and the dangers lurking in popular public parks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump makes the longest-ever State of the Union address, claiming America's enjoying a golden age.But will his message on the economy be enough to persuade voters worried about persistent high prices?Also in the programme: Sri Lanka's former intelligence chief has been arrested in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 270 people; and we'll hear from the small Norwegian club inside the Arctic Circle that's shaking up European football.(Photo shows US president Donald Trump delivering the State of the Union address at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on 24 February 2026. Credit: Kenny Holston/Reuters)

LENT Podcast 2026

Friends of the Rosary,Lent is a period of preparation for the central events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Christ, the Son of God in human nature, died on the cross on Good Friday because of the sins of the human race.By being obedient to his heavenly Father, Christ made atonement for all our disobediences and set us free from the slavery of Satan and of sin.In his resurrection, his human nature was glorified by God the Father, and if we follow Christ faithfully in this life, we will all be offered a share in an eternal life of glory.During the forty days of Lenten, we make a commitment to fasting or giving up certain things in our lives as an act of penitence.The number 40 is significant throughout Scripture; Noah was on the Ark for 40 days, Moses fasted 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments, and Jesus spent 40 days fasting in preparation for His work on earth.The celebration of Lent is not a commandment but an opportunity to renew our faith and edify our spirit.Today is the Optional Memorial of St. Polycarp of Smyrna (69-155), who was converted to Christianity by St. John the Evangelist. He was a disciple of the apostles and a friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch. He suffered martyrdom in 155 by burning at the stake in the amphitheater of Smyrna.Today's Gospel tells us that we must practice charity and perform works of mercy to all, without distinction, in the name of Christ. When our Blessed Lord comes to us in the Eucharist today, he will give us the joy of hearing his invitation to possess the kingdom prepared for us by his Father from the foundation of the world.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠February 23, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

In this Sunday's "Greatest Hits" of Scripture readings presented to us, we hear the story of how man and woman fell pray to the Devil's temptation and were exiled to the desert wilderness. In today's Gospel, where does Jesus go immediately before beginning his public ministry? He goes precisely into the desert wilderness, in search of the exiled Adam and Eve, but first he must contend with the Devil. Jesus does not waver or cower in fear before the Devil like our first parents did, but he goes forth as a Warrior going into Battle, and he triumphs over the Devil's temptations! Jesus will continue to win each battle against Satan until our Enemy is definitively defeated in the Cross and Resurrection. This is why we begin our Lenten journey with Jesus's first battle against the Devil, and we'll end it with His final one: Jesus's victory over sin and death on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection.

The Christian season of Lent is the forty days (not including Sundays) before Easter. The number 40 comes from the days Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Lent is marked by personal and corporate reflection, sacrifice, and repentance. This Lent, we will accompany Jesus through his last two days before he is crucified. Together, we will journey through the five most significant and painful moments of Jesus' life before he enters Jerusalem for the last time. Together, we will carry the cross with Jesus.Find out all that is happening on both our campuses during the sacred season of Lent—beginning with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 18 and leading up to Easter Sunday on April 5. Visit villagepres.org/lent. Support the showContact Village Presbyterian Churchvillagepres.orgcommunications@villagepres.org913-262-4200Have a prayer request? pastoral-care@villagepres.orgFacebook @villagepresInstagram @villagepreschurchYouTube @villagepresbyterianchurchTo join in the mission and ministry of Village Church, go to villagepres.org/giving

We begin a new sermon series to mark the start of the Lent season, focusing one day at a time on the Passion Week leading up to Easter Sunday. Pastor Chris Winans begins the series with the Monday of this week, focusing on Luke Chapter 19 verses 41 to 46, where Jesus famously overturns the tables in the temple. www.cornerstonebrighton.com

Vispera and Adan were two young kids playing together in the park. It was a beautiful park with trails, lush grass, verdant trees, and plenty of wildlife. Vispera and Adan's father let them wander off on their own to explore.While they were by themselves, a stranger approached Vispera and Adan. He was very sharp looking and spoke eloquently, except for a slight lisp. He was very pleasant. He introduced himself as Mr. Vibora. He told the kids he worked for a candy company. He was going through the park giving free samples of chocolate covered fruit candies to all the kids. They were the first ones he had seen in the park.Vispera and Adan whispered together. They knew they shouldn't be talking to a stranger. And they especially shouldn't be accepting candy from him. But it was too enticing. They accepted the chocolate candy and quickly shoved it into their mouths.They were still chewing when their father called out to them, trying to find them in the park. But they hid from him. The candy was delicious. But their guilt was devastating.When their father found them, he could see the guilt written on their faces. Having chocolate lips made it easy, too. He could see they were uncomfortable. They were holding their bellies. They began complaining about stomach cramps. He felt their foreheads. They each had a fever. He felt their hands. They were clammy.He calmly asked them, "What did you do?" But he was a parent. He knew what they had done. They told him everything about Mr. Vibora and the chocolate candies. The dad figured out that the stranger had laced the candies with some kind of poison.The father quickly hunted down Mr. Vibora, and like a good, protective father, he grabbed him by his suitcoat, lifted him off the ground, and pinned him to a tree. You could see the fear flicker in Mr. Vibora's eyes.The father's voice boomed with righteous anger, "I know what you did to my children. I'm a physician. I'll save their lives. But your life is forfeit. I promise you that! I'm not going to do anything to you now. I'm going to take my children out of the park to counteract the poison you gave them.""But when my oldest son, their older brother gets home from his military service overseas, he'll be coming for you. I guarantee that. When he gets home, he'll find you. I have no qualms telling you confidently, he will crush your head."That's my modern retelling of Adam, Eve, and Satan, or in Spanish, Adan, Vispera, and Vibora for viper.The story begins in a park, in a garden -- the Garden of Eden. The Father of creation, God Almighty discovers what the lisping serpent had done to his children. So, he breaks into the world and announces the very first gospel promise. Without this promise there would be no Lent and no Easter. There would only be death and damnation. But the seeds of our salvation were first planted in the Garden of Eden. The Father makes the promise that his older, only-begotten Son will come one day to crush the serpent's head. Those seeds of salvation begin to blossom in the arid desert. Those seeds bloom on the rocky hill of Golgotha. They bear fruit as the sun rises upon the dark grave on Easter Sunday.This promise completely reverses what had just taken place. Satan had tainted his words with the poison of unbelief by tempting Adam and Eve to sin. The unbelief is within his words, "Did God really say" (Genesis 3:1)? The children no longer believed their heavenly Father's words. They ate the forbidden fruit. The poison of the forbidden fruit didn't just infect Adam and Eve. It affected their billions of children throughout the ages.That's what St. Paul means when he writes to the Romans, "Just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, so also death spread to all people because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). All of humanity is born in Adam's sin. That's why we call our sinful nature our "Old Adam." Because of Adam's sin, all people are sinners. They have inherited their first father's sin. Because of Adam's sin, all will receive God's temporal and eternal judgment upon sin. All people became liable to physical death, as well as eternal death.The poison was effective. The children didn't turn to God for mercy. They didn't look to him for a second chance. They ran for cover and tried to hide from God.The Devil's food produced hostility within them. In other words, the opposite of peace. The man said, "The woman you gave to be with me -- she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it." The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate" (Genesis 3:12-13). They shook their fists at each other. They shook their fists at Satan. They even shook their fists at God. They were quick to blame God for their circumstances. They were willing to throw others under the bus if it would save their own skin. This ended up costing the skin of innocent animals to cover their nakedness. "The Lord God made clothing of animal skins for Adam and for his wife and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21).What had seemed like such an inviting friendliness from Satan was now unmasked as a malicious trick to destroy them. In great irony they had become unwitting allies of this serpent who hated them and wanted them doomed like himself. Inside and out, they now felt the permeating, damning hatred that a holy God has for what they had become.Can being enemies ever be a good thing? Normally my answer would be "No." We teach our children it's not good to not fight with other people. We tell our kids, "Say you're sorry," and, "Be nice and make up with each other."But in the case of humanity and the Devil, being enemies isn't a bad thing ... it's a good thing, a God thing, a gift.God announced a reversal of who was whose enemies. Speaking to the Devil, God said, "I will put hostility between you and the woman" (Genesis 3:15). God would change things. The woman would not be an ally to the Devil anymore. God would create hostility between her and the Devil. Instead of being allies with the Devil and being hostile toward God, the Father took action to claim Adam and Eve back as his children.This action of God meant that humanity and God would have to be reconciled to each other. God would have to reestablish peace between sinful humans and a holy God. He would make his sinful children his holy friends again. You see, being an enemy of Satan means being a friend of God. This announcement of friendship was not offered to the woman only, but also to her husband and to all their descendants -- that means you and me. God says to the snake, "I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed" (Genesis 3:15).God does not urge her to do anything to affect the change in relationships. God will do it. He says, "I will put hostility between you and the woman." God administers the antidote of forgiveness to save the life of man and woman and the lives of every man and woman who follow them. The antidote God administers is forgiveness in the promised Savior.But who would this promised Savior be? We know him as Jesus -- whose very name means, "One who saves" (Luke 1:21). Jesus, the promised Savior, would be the offspring of Eve to overcome all the offspring of the Evil One. Jesus, the eldest Son of the Father and the older brother of Adam and Eve, would take on human flesh in defense of humanity, the people he chose to save as his own.God says to the serpent, "He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel." Satan who appears so lively upon the tree in the Garden of Eden would be crushed and almost lifeless under the heel of Christ on Golgotha's hill. The only One in the universe powerful enough to do that is God himself. So, the promised Savior would also have to be God. But since God is spirit, he would need a human foot to be struck, and also a human foot for the crushing. God needed feet ... so in his incarnation, the Son of God took on the flesh and bones, the hands, head, and feet of a Man. True man and true God. The promised Savior would be both.There is no question that Jesus would be able to crush Satan. God's Son is always more powerful than a created angel.In the process of crushing the serpent and saving humanity, the promised Savior would have to suffer. The serpent would strike his heel. As true man, Jesus would step into our shoes. He would be our substitute. He would take on himself the blame for all sin from the very beginning in that first garden to this very day. He would let the poison of sin infect him from the serpent's fangs sinking deep into his perfect heel. As true God, Jesus is too large and too powerfully innocent for death to keep its hold on him. Through the poison of sin, with the wrath of God the Father, and the willing obedience of the Son, Jesus breathed his last on the cross.All seemed dark and hopeless. The Ancient Serpent had struck. It seemed as if all was lost.Until the Son of God breathed again on Sunday morning. Three days of Sabbath rest in the grave was all that was needed to defeat sin, death, and the Devil -- the unholy Trinity. Jesus had crushed the serpent's head. He had defeated death. He had paid for sin. He had won.Now Jesus' victory over death is our victory over death. St. Paul explains, "Just as one trespass led to a verdict of condemnation for all people, so also one righteous verdict led to life-giving justification for all people. For just as through the disobedience of one man the many became sinners, so also through the obedience of one man the many will become righteous" (Romans 5:18-19). Jesus is the second Adam who undoes everything the first Adam did.Just as we are credited with Adam's sin, we are also credited with the second Adam's righteousness. These two verses from Romans 5 are a beautiful summary of God's plan of salvation. Adam's sin of eating the forbidden fruit plunged all of creation -- mankind, the animal kingdom, and even nature -- into sin and death. Jesus' act of righteousness of suffering and dying for the sins of Adam's children has brought salvation to mankind. One action by one man (Adam) was countered by one action by one man (Jesus), which had results for all people, who number in the billions.Jesus broke death's grip not just as God but also as a man. Now, since he is a man like us, he shares his victory from death -- his success in coming back to life -- with you and me and makes it our success. Jesus once said, "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). Death has no more of a grip on people who trust in Jesus than death has on Jesus himself.God says, "I will put hostility between you and the woman." With these words, Adam and Eve were forgiven by God, reconciled to him, and made God's eternal friends and at the same time Satan's everlasting enemies. God intervened and repaired what was broken. He counteracted the poison from the serpent with the fruit from the Tree of Life, which is Christ's cross. So great is God's love for humanity. So great is his love for you. Jesus fulfilled his Father's promise to send his Son to crush the serpent's head. Amen.View this sermon (with video and/or audio recording) on our website: https://www.casperwels.com/sermons/he-will-crush-the-serpents-head/

LENT Podcast 2026

The Chinese New Year is founded on the myth of Nian, a monster who shares its name with the Chinese word for year (nián). Each season, just before spring, the creature would attack villages, killing and consuming both villagers and their livestock. But the people always fought back. They employed loud noises, bright lights and an abundance of items colored red, since these three things frightened the beast most of all. Since the festival is founded on the lunar calendar, based on cycles of the Moon, its celebration date varies by year. It typically occurs between January 20 and February 20, the former of which is called daikan in Japan, a word describing the dead of winter just before the arrival of spring. This provides us with a clear pathway to understanding what Nian really represents, and that is a monstrous personification of the cold darkness of winter. The monster attacks just before spring, giving another meaning to the old adage it's always darkest before the dawn. Nian is terrified of loud noises because it represents the stillness and silence of winter, especially after fresh snowfall; it is freighted by bright illumination because warmth and light are enemies of the cold and dark winter; it is scared of red because this color is emblematic of the sun, warmth, light and, most directly, fire. The monster consumes people and animals because it is an expression of the cyclical death of the earth where plants, animals and humans slow down and enter into a state of dormancy. Its teeth rip apart the flesh just as freezing air drys, cracks, and numbs the skin. The Chinese New Year festival spans more than two weeks, beginning on the new moon of the lunar calendar and ending on the first full moon. The final day is called Lantern Festival, a celebration promoting peace and welcoming the new cycle with fiery lanterns, lion and dragon dances, and an assortment of fireworks and parades. It is traditionally customary to avoid showering, cleaning the home, breaking glass or other items, using most cutting tools, or even using negative words, at least on the first day of a new cycle. Showering could wash away potential luck; breaking something could likewise sever a connection to wealth and success, as could using cutting tools; negative words like “poor” or “pain” could bring a loss of wealth and a health. Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday marking the final day before Lent season begins. It is observed on the eve of Ash Wednesday in most places. Its origins are traced back to older festivals and celebrations recognizing the winter transitioning to spring. Lent is the 40-day period of fasting and penitence observed between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

On Easter Sunday, April 3, 1994, 18-year-old Heidi Marie Allen vanished from the D&W Convenience Store in New Haven, New York, where she was working alone as a cashier, with her last transaction recorded at 7:42 a.m. and the store found abandoned shortly after 7:50 a.m. despite money and personal items left behind. The case was ruled a forcible abduction rather than a robbery, prompting extensive searches involving police, military units, and volunteers, but her body has never been found. Two brothers, Gary and Richard Thibodeau, were arrested and charged with kidnapping; Gary was convicted in 1995 and maintained his innocence until his death in prison, while questions about the case's resolution persist decades later.   Sources:    The Heidi Allen Case: Central New York's Most Enduring Mystery - Podcast - Apple Podcasts   https://youtu.be/NhEie743G30?si=-8Wu3j0Q6bOQstsh   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

Ash Wednesday is a day filled with possibility. Today, the world walks around marked with ashes — repentant, desiring change, longing to become who God created us to be. But most of us don't actually pray for transformation. We pray for small adjustments. In Day 1 of Rise Up, Fr. Jonathan challenges you to stop asking for minor improvements and start surrendering everything. What righteous deeds will you commit to during these 40 days? What in your life needs to change — not be tweaked — but transformed? This journey doesn't end at Easter Sunday. We will walk together through: • 46 days of Lent • 50 days of Easter • All the way to Pentecost 95 days of daily encouragement, challenge, and accountability. Let's rise up. ⸻

In episode 396 of the Words of the Prophets podcast, Todd, Burke, and Rivka discuss the talk “Prophets of God” by Sister Spannaus from the October 2025 general conference.If you would like to study the atonement of Jesus Christ through the Easter season, here's is Rivka's 40 day atonement study:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OQ92PCNfjB2LwjS9fCMYBBVAAwLAFedvdV8EN7ZtqFo/edit?usp=sharingYou should be able to start on Wed Feb 18th and study roughly one section a day until Easter Sunday.  #wordsoftheprophets #generalconference #conference #ldsconference #LDS #ldspodcast #podcast #sharegoodnesshttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/words-of-the-prophetsFind us on twitter, instagram or email us at wordsoftheprophetspodcast@gmail.comFind us at youtube.com/wordsoftheprophetspodcast

On Easter Sunday, April 2, 1972, two EB-66 aircraft, call signs Bat 21 and Bat 22 were flying pathfinder escort for three B-52s, which were assigned to bomb the two primary access routes to the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos. Gene Hambleton, a navigator aboard Bat 21, was shot down behind North Vietnamese lines. His rescue became known as the largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue operation during the Vietnam War. In this episode, Gene Hambleton recounts his dramatic story.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fr. Daniel explains how Lent is a time to grow closer to Christ and His passion, preparing our hearts for the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Also meet Taylor and Brittany Kemp.

On a trip to the Philippines in 2015, Pope Francis met a twelve-year-old girl who captured the hearts of people around the world. She tearfully asked the Pope why God allowed children to suffer? The young girl, Glyzelle Palomar, used to live her life on the streets. She was abandoned by her parents and left to make her own way as best she could. Glyzelle broke down in tears as she asked: “Why is God allowing something like this to happen, even to innocent children? And why are there so few helping us?” Pope Francis, visibly moved, responded, “Only when we are able to cry are we able to come close to respond to your question. There are some realities that you can only see through eyes that are cleansed by tears.” Today's Gospel reading about people rushing to their homes to gather the sick and bring them to Jesus tells us that the question of suffering is one of the most challenging ones of any time to address. We see physical suffering, people with medical conditions and serious diseases carrying great pain. We know there are people suffering from depression, schizophrenia, and other mental disorders. And then there are people spiritually suffering - lost, without hope, in despair - no faith, no meaning to their lives. People suffer all around us. No doubt, we ourselves at times need to embrace the mystery of suffering. Perhaps the most difficult suffering of all is to lose someone, to have someone we love; a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a close friend, or God forbid, a daughter or a son die.  There are no easy answers to suffering. One can read every theology book in the world and still be left with the question of suffering. There is a famous Austrian poet, he is dead now, Rainer Marie Rilke, who said this: “Sometimes we can only live with the questions, stay with them, mull them over in our mind. Perhaps slowly, over time, we gradually live into the answers.”  The people living on the shores of the Sea of Galilee knew where to look in trying to understand the mystery of suffering. They looked to this simple, loving man from Nazareth. They learned from Jesus that God is in every place of pain and suffering. God is there. God is present. God has not abandoned the poor and pain-filled people of the world.  But it is important to remember that our faith is not only a Good Friday faith. Good Friday leads to Easter Sunday. It leads to resurrection, to Christ, overcoming the bonds of death and being raised up by his Father in the Spirit, to life eternal with God the Father in heaven. We live that hope. The funeral Mass prayer sums it up: “There's comes a time when every tear shall be wiped away and we shall see you, our God, as you are and become like you, and be with you, face to face.Peace and Blessings, Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

Chef Ericka Fizer made it her life's work to take care of others even as she endured her own hardships — starting with feeding her siblings when she was growing up. Her mother was frequently absent, battling addiction. Fizer overcame her own challenges but never saw herself as a victim of her circumstances. Then on Easter Sunday 2024, her restaurant was the site of a mass shooting. In trying to stop the violence, she was wounded and became a survivor. Part of her recovery has included telling her own story. She talks to “This Is Nashville” about resilience, breaking cycles and the art of failing.

Guest: Andy Love Hosts: Dave Homewood Recorded: 2nd of February 2026 Released: 2nd of February 2026 Duration:  44 minutes 58 seconds In this episode Andy Love, air display coordinator of the upcoming Warbirds Over Wanaka 2026 International Airshow gives a rundown of what the public can expect to see, and he warns that tickets are selling out fast. The three-day show over Easter Weekend – 3rd to 5th of April 2026 – is looking to be a very good one with some spectacular flying acts lined up. Easter Saturday is now fully sold out but there are still General Admission and Silver Pass tickets available for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Get your tickets here!https://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/httpswww-warbirdsoverwanaka-comairshow/tickets Also selling fast are the bookings for the various aircraft rides available, so go to the links on this page to make your bookings:https://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/flight-experience Check out the line up here:https://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/httpswww-warbirdsoverwanaka-comairshow/aircraft-confirmed The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud.

The body of 24-year-old Lisa Ziegert is found stabbed to death in a field in Agawam, Massachusetts on Easter Sunday of 1992. The investigation yields several leads, but there is no prime suspect. After more than two decades, DNA phenotyping puts a face to the killer.Progressive: Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $75 purchase).For tickets to my UK tour, click here.--Rhett McLaughlin is a comedian best known for creating the internet's most-watched daily talk show, Good Mythical Morning‬, alongside Link Neal. The pair also host a weekly podcast, ‪Ear Biscuits‬.--Timestamps:0:00 – Tour0:32 – Did Rhett Break Christianity on Easter Sunday?6:15 – What About Christianity Needs Rethinking?12:16 – Christians Should Embrace Faith23:39 – Christians Should Stop Relying on Evidence37:01 – Christians Should Stop Relying on Philosophy49:05 – Christians Should Embrace Truth55:15 – Why Do Christians Resist Evolution?1:02:55 – Are Alex and Rhett About to Convert to Christianity?1:07:49 – Christians Should Embrace Jesus1:34:30 – Rhett's New Channel

Apply to Join Churchfront Premium Apply to Join Churchfront Pro Free Worship and Production Toolkit Shop Our Online Courses Join us at the Churchfront Conference Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Gear we use to make videos at Churchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN   Carey Nieuwhof Interview - Podcast Notes Overview Conversation with Carey Nieuwhof about the shift in modern church worship from entertainment-focused to encounter-focused experiences, live streaming strategy, and church growth in the digital age. Key Themes 1. The Shift: Entertainment vs. Encounter The Problem with Modern Church Production Social media created a "copycat phase" where churches could suddenly see what megachurches were doing Churches adopted same equipment, same songs, same production values What was unique became ubiquitous - "we all became copies of each other" Gen Z is "the most marketed to generation in human history" and numb to production Quote: "Gen Z is the most marketed to generation in human history. And we're all kind of numb to the production. I don't think people are looking for hype. They're looking for hope." What People Actually Want Something real and tangible An experience of God, not just information about God Presence, not just presentation Transformation over information The Internet's Limitation Really good at delivering information (especially with AI) Cannot facilitate an encounter "There's something that happens in the room that doesn't happen online" 2. What "Encounter Over Entertainment" Looks Like The Tonal Shift Worship leaders being more sensitive to what's happening in the room, not just rehearsed transitions Preachers leaving space, not just hitting time marks Paying attention to what God might be doing (people crying, leaning in, visible reactions) Creating space to breathe Silence and Space "When I started in ministry, my goal was to get rid of as much silence in church as I could" Now: "Where else are you going to get silence? You don't get it unless you're in church" Don't have to fill every moment with words Can be silent or "noodle" on instruments while creating space Quote: "People's lives are so noisy and so crowded. I mean, we don't even sleep without white noise machines or anything like that. So where else are you going to get silence?" Evoke vs. Manipulate Can't plan a revival - it happens or it doesn't Job is to "set the table" and make space for the Holy Spirit Example: Great movies evoke genuine tears by accessing real emotions Cheap manipulation feels different Quote: "It's not our job as Christians to manipulate. It's our job possibly to evoke, to say, 'I'm going to set the table. I can't control the Holy Spirit.'" 3. The Liturgy Issue Modern Church is "Liturgically Malnourished" Liturgy = order of service (not an outdated term) Modern church handles joy and praise well Missing: contemplation, confession, lamentation, reflection Lost practices: prayers of confession, prayers of the people Carey's Confession Presbyterian background included prayers of approach and confession As church became attractional, prayer became "just an opportunity to clear the set for the sermon" Regrets thin prayers: "God, it's so good to be here today. We thank you so much. Amen." Quote: "It's like confess your sins to one another and you will be healed. We don't do that anymore. What if we did that?" Not Either/Or, But Both/And Keep good lighting, sound, production, and musicians who can play Add breathing room, texture, color, tone, mood Use liturgical calendar and historic practices adapted to modern context Don't approach Sunday as "slots to fill" Creative Freedom 52 Sundays = 52 blank canvases Already do this well at Easter and Christmas Can be more creative without confusing people Example: Good Friday Service Ended in darkness with no announcement Faded to black and stayed there People sat in uncomfortable silence, then slowly left "I wanted them to feel that discomfort... if you can even get a small sampling of that" Easter Sunday picked up in darkness, then sunrise/resurrection 4. Live Streaming Strategy Who Should Live Stream? Not every church needs to live stream everything Need good musicians to sound great online (around 400-500 attendance to have talent base) Need separate mix for online vs. in-house Poor production = "school play" - only interesting to those directly involved Quote: "A lot of churches, and these are well-meaning, beautiful Christian people. If you don't have the talent in production or in worship, you sound like a school play." Alternatives Stream just the message On-demand after, mixed in post-production Audio only if video isn't good Consider what strangers stumbling on feed would think The Discovery Argument Pre-COVID minority of churches streamed Now "everybody you want to reach is online" "All of non-Christian America, all the nuns, all the duns, all the atheists, all the agnostics, they're on the internet" Can't remember last time truly unchurched person hadn't watched online for weeks/months before visiting The New Foyer Online is now the foyer, not the physical lobby People investigate online before visiting By the time they show up, they're ready to go "further, faster" "They've already done their investigating. They've already asked ChatGPT all the questions" 5. Practical Service Design Handling Growth Pressure Multiple services create pressure to program everything tightly Solution: Trim 5 minutes from sermon Do 60-minute service with breathing room between Create more lobby/connection space Leverage outdoor space (if climate allows) Worship Set Strategy Don't need extended mix of everything Maybe two songs and a tag instead of three full songs "Sit in the tag for a while" Find the high-impact moments (example: bridge of "How Great Is Our God") Get to what matters, like talent shows do 90-second versions Quote: "You don't have to do the extended mix of everything, the seven minute version, do the tag. That would be great. Space is something that you can do in three minutes if you know how to do it well." Service Flow Examples Don't make people stand and greet (where else does that happen?) Have emotionally intelligent people on doors, not just available people Greet people the way THEY want to be greeted Consider kids moments, announcements, communion as natural transitions Call to commitment/involvement comes sooner now than 10 years ago 6. Online Presence Best Practices Website Design Design for new people first Show service times and location prominently (mobile friendly) Staff page is #3 most viewed - people want to see "are there people like me?" Use accurate photos (don't show 27-year-olds if congregation is 70+) Show actual diversity if you have it Quote (Seth Godin): "Culture is people like us do things like this. So what people are looking for, are there people like us?" Content Strategy Lead with best sermons, not just latest Most popular videos should be easy to find People don't care if it's from 2 years ago (still watching The Office) Have robust FAQ section for unchurched questions Position yourself for lost people, not just members 7. The Current Moment The Harvest is Ripe People are seeking more than maybe in past decade or two Culture is saturated with production - not the competitive edge anymore Mental health crisis caused by social media People desperate for something real What to Do Pray for it (spiritual activity) Make newcomer journey easy Take them somewhere when they show up Go deeper faster - they're ready Quote: "People come to church looking to find God, but sometimes all they find is us. They found a really cool song, they found a really great message, but they didn't actually find God in the midst of it." Give Them Meat Reference to Tara-Lee Cobble and The Bible Recap Provide historical context (helps Christians AND non-Christians) Don't be afraid to go deep on sin, gospel, redemption Write/speak in accessible "street Greek" like the New Testament Example Opening: "Hey, we're going back 3000 years. And there was a guy named David who was King of Israel. He was trying to keep the kingdom united because there was a north and a south. You can relate to that. These are divided times..." Quote (Tim Keller): "It's worse than you can possibly imagine and better than you can possibly dream." 8. Leadership Advice For Young Church Staff (25-40) Navigating Frustration with Leadership Write down actual issues you're facing (budget, staffing, expertise) Present respectfully, thoughtfully, submissively Good leaders will either provide resources or adjust priorities Identifying Toxic Culture Unrealistic expectations Unsympathetic to staff needs Expects 60-hour weeks with no life Toxic leader will get mad/defensive when approached Options in Toxic Environment Respectfully approach and share difficulties Accept the glass ceiling and stay Build healthy team within unhealthy body (temporary solution) Leave - "unhealthy bodies drive out healthy cells" Interview Questions for New Positions Ask to talk to current staff (not the pastor) Ask to talk to FORMER staff Find out who left and why Read Google reviews Have meals/experiences together (reveals character under pressure) Quote: "Ask around, ask if you have permission. Don't ask the pastor. Don't ask the pastor. Are you healthy? The toxic people, 'I'm so healthy.'" 9. Team Building & Growth Hiring Philosophy Only hire A players C players: you know immediately (late, unmotivated, incomplete work) - should be gone B players: good but not great - "it's too bad but we'll survive" A players: if they quit you'd need 3 people to replace them Quote (Netflix): "Adequate performance gets you a generous severance package." A Player Test If they knocked on the door saying "this is my last day," how do you react? C player: "Thank goodness, now I don't have to fire them" B player: "Too bad but we'll survive" A player: "Grabbing the waste basket and throwing up" Growth Wisdom Don't settle on staff because you're panicking Will eventually become bloated with no profit Profit = "permission to do this again tomorrow" (Seth Godin) Most businesses fail not from lack of vision but lack of cash Use tools like Working Genius to find right fit Don't just find A players - find A players with gifts your team needs Cultural Values Write them down and review regularly Ritz-Carlton: 26 values, reviewed 2-3 daily in team meetings Use to evaluate: "Where are we winning/losing with our values?" Catch team members exemplifying values Values help instill culture as org chart grows 10. Upcoming Projects Carey's New Book Topic: AI and the Future Church Thesis: "As the world becomes more artificial, we need to become more human as Christians" Church's future direction is human connection Expected publication: 2026 Latest Book "At Your Best" - about time, energy, and priorities Notable Statistics & Data Points 72% of teenagers have tried AI chatbots 31% prefer AI companionship to human companions Pre-COVID: minority of churches streamed services Can't recall single unchurched person who didn't watch online for weeks/months before visiting Around 400-500 attendance: churches start having talent base for good production 80-95% of church growth in America is conversion growth (not transfer) Top 3 website pages: Homepage, Messages, Staff/About Production Quality Basics Good Enough to Stream Great singing (doesn't need to be phenomenal) Decent lights Pretty good mix Can work with church of 150-200 with good coaching Everything else can be helped with technology Bare Minimum Great guitarist + great vocalist = "off to the races" Don't feel pressure to have full mediocre band Add musicians as you find/afford great ones Practical Takeaways Create space in services - silence, breathing room, sensitivity to the room Recover lost liturgical practices - confession, lamentation, contemplation Go deeper faster - people are ready for meat, not just milk Design for online discovery - unchurched people are investigating you Lead with best content - not just latest content Only hire A players - don't panic hire when growing Build real human connection - counter to increasingly artificial world Make newcomer journey easy - they're ready to engage quickly Be creative with 52 Sundays - not just slots to fill Focus on encounter over entertainment - production supports experience, doesn't replace it Questions for Further Reflection How can we create more space for confession in our services? What would it look like to "evoke" rather than "manipulate" in worship? Are we positioning our online presence for unchurched discovery? Is our production supporting encounter or replacing it? What emotions are people carrying into our services, and how do we acknowledge that? Are we moving too fast for the Holy Spirit to work? Memorable Quotes "I don't think people are looking for hype. They're looking for hope." "People aren't looking for more information. They're looking for presence, not just presentation." "The internet is really good at information, especially with AI. You want to know anything, you can find out anything, but the internet can't really facilitate an encounter." "It's not our job as Christians to manipulate. It's our job possibly to evoke." "Where else are you going to get silence? You don't get it unless you're in church." "If you don't have the talent in production or in worship, you sound like a school play." "Everybody you want to reach is online." "Your foyer has moved online." "People come to church looking to find God, but sometimes all they find is us." "As the world becomes more artificial, we need to become more human as Christians." "Adequate performance gets you a generous severance package." "Profit is permission to do this again tomorrow."

Lani Hilton is a dedicated enthusiast of the Easter Season. She has lived a Christ-centered Easter season with her family for 20 years and has been teaching about it in settings like BYU Education Week and firesides since 2015. She published a book called Celebrate Sunday and has written articles for the Liahona and LDS living. Along with her husband, John, she is the proud parent of six children, four currently at Brigham Young University. Lani finds great joy in the simplicity and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Watch the video and share your thoughts in the Zion Lab community Links lanihilton.com/easter A Christ-Centered Easter: Day-By-Day Activities to Celebrate Easter Week Easter-themed resources from Deseret Book Connecting Others to Jesus Through the Cross at Calvary | An Interview with John Hilton III Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community Highlights Lani Hilton talks about the importance of making Easter a season rather than just a single day of celebration. Lani shares her journey of creating meaningful Easter traditions and how she has implemented these ideas at both home and community levels, particularly focusing on Palm Sunday. 00:04:04 – Lonnie’s Journey to Celebrating Easter 00:05:24 – Simplifying Traditions as a Busy Mom 00:06:08 – Church’s Focus on Easter as a Season 00:06:40 – Elder Stevenson’s Call for a Christ-Centered Easter 00:09:51 – Expanding the Easter Celebration Timeline 00:10:57 – Encouragement to Start Early with Planning 00:12:44 – Involving Youth in Easter Activities 00:13:57 – Lonnie’s Experience with Stake Activities 00:15:41 – The Importance of Creating Meaningful Experiences 00:17:16 – Organizing a Palm Sunday Celebration 00:20:24 – Keeping the Celebration Engaging and Short 00:22:07 – Community Involvement and Outreach 00:25:06 – The Joy of Praising the Savior 00:27:16 – The Impact of a Large Gathering 00:29:03 – Advertising the Palm Sunday Event 00:31:01 – Encouraging Family Participation 00:32:24 – Resources for Planning Easter Activities 00:35:35 – Reflection on the Success of the Event 00:39:15 – Looking Ahead to Future Celebrations Key Insights Easter as a Season: Lani emphasizes the need to extend the celebration of Easter beyond just Easter Sunday, suggesting that it can encompass a period of reflection and worship leading up to and following the holiday. Inspiration from Church Leaders: Elder Stevenson's talks have encouraged members to recognize Palm Sunday and the Easter season more thoughtfully, prompting a shift in how Latter-day Saints approach these celebrations. Community Involvement: Lani highlights the importance of involving the entire community in Easter celebrations, suggesting that events should be inclusive and accessible to all, not just church members. Simple Traditions: She advocates for simple, Christ-centered traditions that can be easily integrated into family life, making it possible for busy families to participate without feeling overwhelmed. Worshipful Experiences: The focus should be on creating worshipful experiences that allow participants to praise and adore Jesus Christ, fostering a deeper connection to the Savior during this holy time. Leadership Applications Planning Ahead: Leaders should begin discussions about Easter celebrations in January to allow ample time for planning and community involvement, ensuring that activities are well-organized and meaningful. Encouraging Participation: Leaders can facilitate events that invite participation from all ages, such as a Palm Sunday celebration, which can help foster a sense of community and shared worship. Flexibility in Activities: Leaders are encouraged to adapt ideas and resources to fit their local context, recognizing that not every ward or stake will have the same capabilities or traditions, but all can create impactful experiences centered on Christ. The award-winning Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints’ mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Find Leadership Tools, Courses, and Community for Latter-day Saint leaders in the Zion Lab community. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Benjamin Hardy, Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Kirby Heyborne, Taysom Hill, Coaches Jennifer Rockwood and Brandon Doman, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 800 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

January 4, 2026Today's Reading: Matthew 2:13-23Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 63:15-65:7; Luke 2:41-52“And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.'” (Matthew 2:14-15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.There is a deep thread of exodus that flows through Holy Scripture. And so often, that exodus crosses a body of water. God calls his people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River into Canaan. Jacob wrestles with an angel at the Jabbok. Even Noah and his family in the ark is a kind of exodus: at God's command, they flee sinful earth, cross over the waters, and step ashore in a new land, unburdened with the sin of the past. And John the Baptist conducts much of his ministry at and in the Jordan.Over and over again, this image repeats itself in God's Word. God's people end up in Egypt so that God can preserve them from a famine, but that isn't their ultimate home. Even the Promised Land they return to under Joshua's leadership isn't their ultimate home. There are more exoduses to come.The ultimate exodus for God's people is the one from death to eternal life in the New Creation. And that exodus can't happen unless the way, the path to that life, is blazed and made known. So Jesus goes into Egypt, into the historic land of bondage and slavery, to establish that way.He is put into the shoes of every child of God and begins a journey out of that land of sin and death, bondage and slavery. He is called out of that place by God onto the way prepared by John the Baptist to show us the way to eternal life and righteousness.And in this journey, Jesus is made into Israel, reduced to one. He is the entirety of the Christian Church contained in one man. He becomes man to lead sinful humanity into perfection and righteousness.God the Father calls Jesus out of Egypt as a child so that He may later call him out of death and into life again on Easter Sunday. Jesus goes into death for you to pull you out of death and into life by His Word, your Baptism, and His Supper.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for The Second Sunday after Christmas)Author: Rev. Duane Bamsch, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Wichita Falls, TX.Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.Work through the first ten chapters of Matthew and learn more about who Jesus is. As you move through this study, you'll ponder the theological, practical, and historical considerations of the text. With ample room for personal notes, this study will have you feeling confident in your understanding of Matthew's Gospel. Matthew 1:1-11:1 of the new Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series is available now.

Cade Gibson is a Diamond Dog to the core. The former left-handed hurler for the Bulldogs made his MLB debut for the Miami Marlins this past Easter Sunday. Gibson, a Ruston native, reveals the emotions associated with reaching the big leagues, the challenges he overcame, and how those closest to him helped elevate him to baseball's biggest stage. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To be fair, the Vikings attacked Paris several times, but it's the major sieges that get remembered -- the one in 845, when they invaded Paris on Easter Sunday, got bought off with a fairly large ransom, and then the one that started in 885 and ended in 886, after nearly a year of a siege wherein the Vikings,  branching out from their usual plundering, used catapults and battering rams and other such non-Viking military paraphernalia, in an attempt to invade the city again. They were doing this on and off, though, and finally the surviving Vikings that hadn't gone off to sack other Frankish towns  dragged their longboats over to another river and went elsewhere. So the Franks had won, though the Vikings had managed to destroy one of the bridges and much of the surrounding countryside, and later one of their leaders, Rollo, would swear allegiance to Charles the Simple of France and become the first Norman, in what became Normandy. Michelle, naturally, found an epic poem written by a monk who was in Paris during that last siege, a poem modelled on Virgil, which contained so many difficult and impressive words that monks would pass it around for decades, to be consulted when they wanted to sound really intelligent. (Hint: Greek sounds fancier than Latin.)

Scripture: Philippians 2:3-11  Who, for us and for our salvation came down from heaven,  and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried;  and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father…  John 17:5  John 17:24  "...the supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us...lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter Sunday message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation. The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man - that the second person of the Godhead...took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as he was human. Here are two mysteries for the price of one - the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus." – JI Packer, Knowing God.   + The Triumph of the Son's Obedience Luke 2:51  "What Christ saw in Gethsemane was God with the sword raised. The sight was unbearable. In a few short hours, he would stand before that God answering for the sin of the world: indeed, identified with the sin of the world... Consequently, to quote Luther again, 'No one ever feared death so much as this man.' He feared it because for him it was no sleep, but the wages of sin: death with the sting; death unmodified and unmitigated; death as involving all that sin deserved. He, alone, would face it without a 'covering', providing by his very dying the only covering for the world, but doing so as a holocaust, totally exposed to God's abhorrence of sin. And he would face death without God, deprived of the one solace and the one resource which had always been there. The wonder of the love of Christ for his people is not that for their sake he faced death without fear, but that for their sake he faced it, terrified. Terrified by what he knew, and terrified by what he did not know, he took damnation lovingly." – Donald Macleod, The Person of Christ.  + The Triumph of the Son's Cross Colossians 2:13–15 Hebrews 2:14–15 "When Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, was nailed to the cross, Satan thought that he had won the day. The old serpent had stung him to death, vainly imagining that all was over with him. I think I see the arch-fiend gloating over the awful agonies of the dying Savior, and maliciously taunting him as he hung there apparently forsaken by God and man. "Ah!" says he, "Seed of the woman, I have indeed bruised thy heel. I have made men reject thee and put thee to death; I have vexed and tormented thee, I have scorned and scouted thee, and thou hast not a word to say for thyself, and now thy soul must soon depart out of thy body." Yet as the devil was still pouring out his vainglorious boasts and taunts, with a mighty voice the expiring Savior cried, "It is finished;" and in that moment his soul sprang upon the enemy and utterly routed him forever." – Charles Spurgeon, Christ Triumphant.   + The Triumph of the Son's Exaltation Ephesians 1:20–23 Isaiah 45:22–25 + You must decide about Jesus; You cannot be neutral about him + You must imitate Jesus. You cannot confess him but refuse to conform to him 2 Corinthians 8:9

Scripture: John 1:1-5; 14-18 + The Incarnation Philippians 2:5-8 "...the supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us...lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter Sunday message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation. The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man - that the second person of the Godhead...took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as he was human. Here are two mysteries for the price of one - the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus." JI Packer, Knowing God. + To Reveal the Father to us Hebrews 1:1 + To Reconcile us to the Father 1 Timothy 2:3–5 + To Rescue us from our greatest enemies Hebrews 2:14–18 + To Relate to us in our weakness and suffering Hebrews 4:14–16 "All other men were lost sheep; he had come as the Good Shepherd to seek and to save them. All other men were sick with the disease of sin; he was the doctor who had come to heal them. All other men were plunged in the darkness of sin and ignorance; he was the light of the world. All other men were sinners; he was born to be their Savior and would shed his blood in death for the forgiveness of their sins. All other men were hungry; he was the bread of life. All other men were dead in trespasses and sins; he could be their life now and their resurrection hereafter." – John Stott, Basic Christianity. 1 John 1:1–4 2 John 7 Colossians 1:19 Colossians 2:9

Episode #1,109 of The Clay Edwards Show (Thanksgiving Eve 2025)    Clay kicks off the Thanksgiving Eve show in high spirits, watching the sunrise from the studio and proudly declaring he's taking a well-earned four-day weekend with zero apologies. After grinding for years in the car business where the only guaranteed days off were Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Sunday, he's finally in the “back half of the rat race” and plans to hit the reset button while still creating content from home.   The tone quickly turns fiery as Clay announces he's likely pressing charges today against a woman named Natalie (the “lawyer's daughter”) who allegedly posted death threats and appeared to solicit someone to kill him. He revels in the “FAFO” (F*** Around and Find Out) scoreboard: every person who has come after him hard over the past five years has ended up in jail, dead, or both. He calls it a sport at this point—collecting screenshots of vile threats and pairing them with mugshots—and notes that court clerks now know him by name.   A new daily segment awards the “Insufferable Turd of the Day.” Today's winner is Houston-based attorney/comedian Elizabeth Booker Houston, who bragged on a podcast that she deliberately overcharges white clients and does pro bono work for black clients and nonprofits, proudly declaring “a white person just cut me a check” to fund her passion projects. Clay points out the blatant racism (and illegality) and gleefully notes she's married to a white man.   Clay plays and wholeheartedly endorses a viral clip of Tucker Carlson on the Shawn Ryan Show asserting that America's leaders have engaged in an organized campaign of hatred against white men—labeling “toxic masculinity” and “white racism” as the twin evils, drugging boys with fake ADHD diagnoses, and pushing an anti-white-male narrative. Clay declares, “All we did was build this damn country… how about a little thank you?”   The second hour turns reflective and heartfelt. Listeners flood the text line with what they're thankful for this Thanksgiving:   -Growing up in 1970s–90s South Jackson -Gen X childhoods before everyone became offended by everything -Children who pulled parents out of dark places -Spouses who stood by through the worst times -Military family members home for the holiday -And many simply thankful for family, health, and still having parents alive   Clay opens up about losing his best friend Corey earlier this year, the sting of no longer having that 5 a.m. ride-to-work phone call, attending his aunt's funeral, and how death sharpens gratitude for the people still here. He admits his biggest life regret is pushing good women away in his younger “conquest” days and warns young men never to take a good woman for granted.   He pushes back hard on “red-pill/manosphere” dogma that dating single mothers makes a man a cuck, calling it one of the best things a man can do—watering another man's garden and being a positive influence. He declares, “If a man is willing to adopt your child, that man loves you—marry him yesterday.”   Other rapid-fire topics: -Clay has never killed a deer and wants to change that this season -He's diving back into his bourbon collection over the long weekend -He's anti-turkey (“there are two things I'm not putting in my mouth tomorrow—one goes without saying, the other is turkey”) -He awards an epic FAFO championship to D'Allen Tyreke Washington (one of the Kingston Frazier kidnappers/murderers) who, after being paroled early, immediately sold meth in Rankin County and just got sentenced to 20 years day-for-day   The show closes with Clay sincerely thanking listeners for letting him do what he loves for a living, promising he'll probably pop up live from home on Friday, and wishing everyone—haters included—a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  

Cade Gibson is a Diamond Dog to the core. The former left-handed hurler for the Bulldogs made his MLB debut for the Miami Marlins this past Easter Sunday. Gibson, a Ruston native, reveals the emotions associated with reaching the big leagues, the challenges he overcame, and how those closest to him helped elevate him to baseball's biggest stage. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in May 2019. Tad R. Callister served as Sunday School general president, in the Presidency of the Seventy, as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, an Area Seventy, president of the Canada Toronto East mission, regional representative, stake president, bishop, and as a full-time missionary in the Eastern Atlantic States Mission. Brother Callister held an accounting degree from BYU, a Juris Doctorate degree from UCLA, and a master's degree in tax law from NYU Law School. He is the grandson of apostle LeGrand Richards and the author of several books, including The Infinite Atonement and A Case for the Book of Mormon. He and his wife, Kathryn Louise Saporiti, are the parents of six children. Links A Case for the Book of Mormon God's Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community Highlights 2:30 Moving on from being released as General Sunday School president 4:20 Which came first, the book or the talk? 5:15 How his law practice helped him crystallize thoughts when writing 5:50 His approach to personal study 6:10 Lesson to seek and ponder his own insight first before turning to doctrinal commentary 8:00 Studying first thing in the morning, and writing along with reading has helped him summarize his thoughts while studying the scriptures 8:50 Questioning and discussing with others is part of pondering 10:00 Reason can strengthen faith, and logic and the Spirit can go hand-in-hand 11:40 The audience for the book is first people who have testimonies that can be strengthened and who can help strengthen the testimonies of others, as well as those who may have questions, and finally critics 12:40 A partial truth, when presented as a whole truth, is an untruth 13:00 Less than 2% of the archeological finds in ancient America have been unearthed 16:00 An intellectual witness of scripture does not come from archeological findings, whether regarding the Bible or the Book of Mormon 16:40 His grandfather LeGrand Richards was a common-man leader, related to everyone, and simply loved people 19:15 Ward Sunday School presidents are not merely bell-ringers because they are in charge of the teacher councils, and they have the responsibility to help improve the teaching of every teacher in every organization, and to see that the individual and family curriculum is being implemented in every home 21:50 One purpose of the Come Follow Me curriculum is to take us from reading the scriptures to pondering the scriptures and discussing them. In the homes, it is the catalyst for discussion and learning the gospel together. 23:30 There has been a substantial increase in individual and family study, and class members from children to adults are better prepared for Sunday meetings 24:10 He and his counselors traveled internationally and were able to get a good idea of what was happening with teacher council meetings 25:10 Practicing through role play at the end of teacher council meetings was one thing they observed and recognized as an effective implementation in those meetings 25:45 Another effective implementation is the change to Christ-centered Easter Sunday and Christmas services so that members can invite others to come worship with them 27:30 Surprised at his call as the General Sunday School president 28:20 They were given a lot of latitude but there was a clear expectation to improve teaching in the home and at church 30:20 Traveling and visiting as a Sunday School general auxiliary president was to teach in general how to teach more like the Savior, to help teachers make teacher counsels more effective, and to discuss in focus groups what was working or not working in areas around the world 31:40 In the presidency of a Quorum of Seventy, they were given responsibility for a specific area, and were to train area seventies,