Podcasts about though alex

View this sermon (with video and/or audio recording) on our website: https://www.lordoflords.org/sermons/a-better-sympathizer/Every morning, Alex passed the same old man sitting on a weathered bench in the park, feeding peanuts to the squirrels. The man always looked nice in a buttoned-down shirt and coat. But he also always had a lonely look in his eyes. Alex was too busy to slow down to say "hello," and certainly too busy to stop and have a conversation.One day, as Alex rushed through the park, he noticed the old man on his hands and knees picking up the peanuts that had spilled from his broken bag. Alex stopped to help. They put the peanuts in Alex's backpack. They sat down together on the weathered bench and introduced themselves. The man said his name was Tom. He used to come to the park every day with his wife to feed the squirrels. But she had recently passed away. For the first time, Alex truly saw the old man, not just as a passerby, but as a person carrying deep pain.The next day, Alex left his house earlier so he could spend time sitting next to Tom, hopefully to help heal the loneliness. They talked about the weather, Alex's work, Tom's retirement, Alex's girlfriend, and Tom's memories of his wife. Over the following weeks, Alex made it a habit to visit, bringing coffee and listening as Tom shared stories of his past, his dreams, and the weight of his loss. In turn, Alex shared his own struggles, finding comfort in the shared silence. Though Alex couldn't erase Tom's grief, he realized that sometimes the most meaningful connection comes from simply sympathizing with someone.The writer to the Hebrews gives us this encouragement, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus purposely spends his time with us. You can talk to him about the weather, your work, your retirement, your children, your losses and gains, your joys and pains. He will sit with you on the park bench or the church pew or at the dining room table. He is always available for you to converse with. You talk to him in your prayers. He talks to you in your Bible.What a blessing to know that when you talk to your Savior, he's not at the edge of some distant galaxy in deep thought. Because of his divinity, he is at God's right hand in heaven and at the same time right here with you. Because of his humanity, he has been right here in this world to know exactly what you're going through.Poverty? He knew it. Pain. He suffered it. Rejection? He endured it. Temptation? He felt it. Betrayal? He lived it. Loneliness? He experienced it. God's wrath? He tasted it. Death? He let it touch him. Innocent suffering? He could write the book on it. Loving the unlovable? He did write the book on that.But remember: Jesus did this not only so he could feel what we feel. He did it to be our perfect Substitute. He willingly took the punishment for our failures and paid for them completely at the cross.God had been teaching his people about the need for substitution even before he started anointing men like Saul and David as king. Several centuries earlier, he anointed men like Aaron to serve as high priests. The high priest was selected from among the people to represent them before God. He was able to sympathize with the people he represented because he knew temptation like they did.The writer encourages us to approach God's throne. It is a heavenly throne of infinite majesty and divine justice. As sinners, we should approach God's throne with terror and remain mute with guilt. But Jesus turns us from sinners into saints. As our Greater High Priest, Jesus turns the throne of justice into a throne of grace. Instead of being mute with guilt, we can approach with shouts of praise with forgiven hearts and lips. The writer encourages us, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).Now we can approach God's throne of grace in our congregational prayers or in our personal prayer life. In the nick of time, right when we need it, when temptations come and troubles abound, we can approach our Greater Sympathizer who knows exactly what we need and knows just how to give it.We approach this throne to give God our sins and receive back his forgiveness. We pour out our sorrow and receive resurrection comfort. We lay down our weakness and receive strength from the Almighty. We tell God our needs and he gives us what we need at the right time.I've been told in my ministry that I'm not always very sympathetic. And that's probably true. First, I'm a guy. And guys may often not be very sympathetic. Second, out of the 34 strengths on my StrengthsFinder test, empathy is number 28 -- way at the bottom. Third, I married a woman whose number one strength is empathy. Her strengths cover many of my weaknesses. Pastors, teachers, parents, friends, counselors, can all give you advice or counsel, but none of them have experienced what you are going through. They don't know what you know. But there is One who does. He understands. Jesus knows. He is the Better Sympathizer. He felt repeated and very real temptations, so he understands what it's all about. Jesus experienced what we experience, so he can sympathize with us.Jesus had this in common with the Old Testament high priests. He had been tempted in every way, just as we are. The battles he experienced against the great enemy of the Devil are not all that different than the ones we experience. He knows what it's like to face the temptations we face, like every high priest before him.That's part of what makes Jesus so much better. In his life on earth, when he took on our human nature and became true man, Jesus was also "tempted in every way just as we are." From the beginning to the end of that earthly stay, Jesus faced temptations more severe than we will ever know. He felt the full force as hell's barracks emptied as demons stormed against him. He felt Satan's temptations even more than we do because while we so often fall under temptation's first round, he remained standing to the final bell to receive every assault.He willingly underwent hunger, thirst, cold, heat, exhaustion, ridicule, persecution, sorrow, poverty, scourging, the piercing of thorns, and even a cursed death on a cross. How wondrous is this kind of love that plunged our Savior willingly into a sea of that kind of suffering for miserable and ungrateful slaves such as us. We committed the crime. He underwent the punishment. We plundered. He made amends. We caused the debt. He paid that debt.Because of everything we have done, because of everything we have left undone, because of who we are, and what we have become, we rightfully deserve to be assigned to the unceasing, scorching flames of hell. But our Better Sympathizer boiled with the fire of love on the altar of the cross, setting us free from those hellish flames. We should be cast away from God's presence forever. But our Great High Priest chose to be abandoned by his heavenly Father as he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" We deserve to be taunted daily by the Devil and tormented eternally by demons. But with immeasurable love, Jesus cried out that all of that is finished!Jesus was tempted in every way as we are, yet he remained without sin. Have you ever wondered about some of those temptations? As Jesus lay down on a hard mat in Peter's guest room, because he had no place of his own, do you think Jesus was ever tempted to reclaim the majesty of his heavenly mansion? In the middle of a long trip, did he ever consider transporting himself to the next city? When the rain chilled his bones, was he tempted to change the weather? When the heat parched his lips, did he give thought to popping over to the Caribbean for some refreshment?If ever Jesus entertained such thoughts, he never gave in to them. Not once. Stop and think about this. Not once did Christ use his supernatural powers for personal comfort. With one word he could have transformed the hard earth into a soft bed, but he didn't. With a wave of his hand, he could have boomeranged the spit of his accusers back into their faces, but he didn't. With an arch of his brow, he could have paralyzed the hand of the soldier as he braided the crown of thorns. With a single word, he could have called down a legion of angels to wipe out his enemies. With the breath of his mouth, he could have wiped out this whole earth and started over. But he didn't do any of that.Why is all of this so important? How is Jesus' coming so vital for us to understand? What is the coolest thing about everything Jesus did do and didn't do leading up to his death on Good Friday?It's not that in a few moments of time, Jesus went from needing nothing to needing air, food, and water. He needed a diaper change and to take a bath. It's not that he kept his cool while his twelve best friends felt the heat and got out of the kitchen. It's not that he gave no command to the angels who begged, "Just give the nod, Lord. One word and these demons will be deviled eggs."It is not that he literally turned the other cheek so the high priest could strike another blow. It is not that he prayed for his disciples before they fled or that he reached out to Judas before his betrayal. It is not that he declined the tears of the women but told them to weep for Jerusalem. It is not that the Palm Sunday King was crucified as a criminal on Good Friday. It is not that a crowd cheered for him on a bright Sunday morning, while a mob jeered him on a gloomy Friday morning.It is not that he refused to defend himself when God blamed him for every sin since Adam. It is not that he endured the poisonous bite of the serpent on his perfect heel, while then stepping down with that bloody heel to crush the Ancient Serpent's head. Or that he stood silent as the Ancient of Days' verdict of judgment was pronounced upon him.It wasn't even that after three days in a dark hole, Jesus stepped into the Easter sunrise with a smile on his lips, a swagger in his step, and a question for lowly Lucifer: "Is that your best punch?"That was cool. Undeniably cool. Incredibly cool.But do you want to know the coolest, most vital, most important thing about the One who gave up the crown of glory for a crown of thorns? He did it all ... for you. Just for you. To save you. To live with you. So, you can live with him. To sympathize with you. Amen.

Daithí is joined by not one, but two special guests this week! Climate Ambassador Alumni Claire Romito and Alex Reilly share their experiences of being in the programme and the changes that it brought about in their lives. Though Alex comes from a background in television production, and Claire is a primary school teacher and entrepreneur, they share a lot of the same sentiments and thoughts around community climate action, offering up many wise words for current Climate Ambassadors and general listeners alike. From career pivots to tackling climate anxiety and the power of finding your own strengths and community, this episode takes an honest look at the imperfect, yet inspiring nature of individual climate action journeys and the ripple effects they have on our wider communities. Thanks very much to Sorcha O'Carolan Murphy for support with research, design and promotion.     Links: Thanks its vintage – Alex's Fashion Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thanks_its_vintage/     Teachingplans.ie – Claire's website of teaching resources: https://teachingplans.ie/    Albert Certification for sustainable film and TV production: https://wearealbert.org/ 1% for planet: 1% for the Planet | Accelerating Environmental Giving Patagonia makes Earth its only shareholder: https://eu.patagonia.com/ie/en/ownership/?srsltid=AfmBOoq3dmBx_G4RbdxP1xdnNjlqMZHa--hjuobEgfMOkyBrzwaq6DZ0    Friends of the earth: https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/      Virgin Media Sustainability: https://sustainablemedia.ie/case-studies/sustainability-in-programming-how-one-sustainability-project-in-virgin-media-tv-created-a-ripple-effect/

Alex Wilson conducts this interview with his grandmother and former Kentucky State Representative, Marie Rader. Coming from humble beginnings on Horse Lick Creek in Jackson County, Marie has always been one to defy all odds stacked against her. She shares a story of her childhood telling about how her mother would pin her dress tail under a table leg while working in their family's store, before the family moved up to Sand Gap. She has made it a point to involve herself with anything she could to better the community, and has never shunned hard work. Playing a key role in getting the road established up to Rocky Hill (McCammon Ridge Road). After the passing of her husband and her being 52 years of age, Marie decided to run for State Representative. With most of the State politicians being men, and her being one of only three women in the Republican Party, the odds were definitely not in her favor. She worked hard, traveled from county to county and developed good relationships with everyone she possibly could. With a heart for the people and a drive to get things done, Marie held her position for 22 years before retiring. In her time as State Rep. Marie had a huge role in the new road up Big Hill and also the new Highway 30 on the south end of Jackson County. Though Alex conducted the interview, we here at Appalachian Imagination found it an honor to be a part of preserving a conversation between a man and his grandmother. IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW, REACH OUT!!! We will do our best to set it up and help you preserve some of your family's history. You can reach us via email appalachianimagination@gmail.com We thank God for folks, who truly love our region! We thank you for listening and your ongoing support! We thank our sponsors- The Jackson County Sun www.jacksonsunky.com WWAG 107.9 www.wagoncountry.com and our good friend in Oklahoma, John Caywood. If you see negative in your world, we encourage you to be the difference. STAY AWESOME APPALACHIA!!! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/robert-bowman42/support

The Nerds return to talk about the third episode of season 1 of Orphan Black, where things get crazy with a serial killer gunning for the clones. Though Alex and Vader are still not sure if they like the show that much.If you'd like to hear the FULL retrospective review of this episode, as well as reviews of other classic shows like Doctor Who and Stargate Atlantis, be sure to check out the members area here:http://www.saltynerdclub.com

In this episode of Art Grind, hosts Dina Brodsky, Marshall Jones, and Tun Myaing road trip to interview artists Alex Kanevsky and Hollis Heichemer in New Hampshire. With the faint sound of crickets setting the stage, Alex and Hollis speak about their different paths to becoming artists and how thought, experience, memory, and painting converge—usually as the same thing. Though Alex paints more representationally and views painting more as investigation, whereas Hollis paints more abstractly and views painting more as insight, they share their “curate[d] life” in agreement that “painting never ends.” Tune in not just for Art Grind’s first episode interviewing two artists simultaneously, but also for an episode which proves as frank as it is profound.Show Notes:1:15 A word from our sponsor: New York Academy of Art - Peter Drake (Provost) & John Volk (Director of Continuing Studies) 13:14: Show begins16:20 : Hollis’ background19:00: Alex’s background35:20: How Alex & Hollis function as an artist couple38:05: What motivates Hollis to paint45:30: What motivates Alex to paint52:30: Alex on artist statements1:02:30: A typical day in the studio1:09:00: How Hollis’ paintings become her own1:10:50: How the outside world influences Alex & Hollis1:16:05-1:16:15: Break1:16:20: Alex on deconstruction in his work1:24:50: Hollis on what makes a good painting1:26:50: Hollis on J.M.W. Turner & Mark Rothko1:31:10: Alex on models as studio company1:35:45: Alex’s satisfaction with his work1:36:34: Hollis’ satisfaction with her work1:39:55: Hollis’ advice to young artists1:43:10: Alex on William Carlos Williams1:45:55: Alex & Hollis on the Charles DeMuth Museum1:49:00: Dina on The Waking by Theodore Roethke1:55:12: End creditsLearn more about Alex Kanevsky by visiting his Website or by following him on InstagramLearn more about Hollis Heichemer by visiting her Website or by following her on InstagramAlex Kanevsky’s Recent/Upcoming Exhibitions:Scrambling for Grace, The Dolby Chadwick GalleryOctober 1st-31st, 2020Hollis Heichemer’s Recent/Upcoming Exhibitions:Happenstance, Hollis Taggart April 4th-May 4th, 2019Lonely Man by Hazmat Modine, courtesy Wade SchumanGive us a call on our Art Grind Podcast hotline and tell us what's on your mind! 929-267-4830Support the show (https://paypal.me/TMARTNY?locale.x=en_US)

In May of 2002, a pregnant Evelyn and her 5 year old son Alex Hernandez went missing from the Amazon-Crocker neighborhood of San Francisco. Initially not considered a serious case everything changed when a month later her wallet was turned in to police after being found in a ditch in South San Francisco. In July of 2002, part of Evelyn’s body was found near the Bay Bridge and police opened a homicide case. Though Alex has never been found, he and his unborn brother are considered both deceased by SFPD. We talk about the details of the murder, the lack of media attention and attempt to spread the word in this 18 year old cold case. Website and show notes: http://www.californiatruecrime.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calitruecrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/calitruecrimeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/calitruecrime/

On this weeks Episode of the Nerds Who Lift Podcast: NWL welcomes Hybrid Performance Method Director of operations, veteran Strength coach, & Hypest Hype Man in the fitness industry; Mr. Alex Uslar. Though Alex is known for his signature yells of encouragement to his friends, Dr. Stefi Cohen, Hayden Bowe & all the Hybrid Performance team; he is a seasoned strength coach in CrossFit, weightlifting, & powerlifting and has been in the game for almost 10 years fully immersed in it at 110% which is how he does all things. On top of coaching, Alex is in charge for most, if not all of the logistics and operational aspects of the Hybrid Performance Method gym and Online coaching programs. He is a man of MANY hats and behind them his story of how he went from a life of self destruction, to a life of raising other people up is an inspiring one. We hope you enjoy Alex as much as we did and of his story. So kick back and tune in to the latest episode of the Nerds Who Lift Podcast. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

  Thank you to our sponsors: Hatched at Home-Midwife Carrie LaChapelle: www.hatchedathome.com https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/ 864-907-6363 Stephanie Sibbio’s Glowing Mama To Be Course: www.myhappyhomebirth.com/glowingmamacourse  (15% off with the code: happyhomebirth15 ) Instagram: stephsibbiofitness   Show Notes: Sarah and her husband have been together for 10 years now, and have lived all over the world. She has two children: Manning and Alex Sarah’s first birth was in a birth center setting. As a child and teen, she never had exposure to out-of-hospital birth.  However, her mother did refuse epidurals, chose to breastfeed (in the 80’s- when breastfeeding was going through quite an uncommon spell). Sarah and her husband had their eyes opened to the idea of natural childbirth outside of the hospital. “Birth is a natural, healthy process. There’s no need for it to take place in a hospital.” Of course, hospitals can be a fine place to give birth- and especially important for emergencies, but Sarah certainly sees the benefit of the out-of-hospital experience. Her first birth, which took place in Alaska, was attended by a number of Certified Nurse Midwives, as well as Certified Professional Midwives. Sarah’s first birth was long- 36 hours from her first contraction until baby was born. Sarah’s friend attended her birth as her very first doula training birth, and now she is a very successful midwife! Sarah’s midwife, after quite a while, called her directing midwife to check and see if all was well, or if they needed to transport. The head midwife came and assessed the situation, saying that all was well and a transport was not necessary.  The setup of this birth center is incredible: Being able to call other providers to come help and support, even though her original midwife did stay all the way until the very end. Sarah and Katelyn discuss the “what if’s” of had she gone into the hospital at the time she went to the birth center, she very possibly could have ended up with a c-section. Sarah’s second child, Alex, was quite a surprise! Sarah began searching for options in Mississippi, where midwifery is not regulated.  Certified Nurse Midwives are unable to practice outside of the hospital at all.  Luckily, Sarah was able to locate a CPM in the lower part of the state of Mississippi. At least at that time, she was the only CPM that Sarah could find who resided in Mississippi. “She had not only a level of training, but also a level of accountability that I appreciated.” -Sarah on selecting a CPM This midwife does not take on many clients, and even more difficultly, she lived 3 hours away from Sarah. Upon agreement of working as her care provider, her midwife required Sarah have an OB backup care provider who would be able and willing to take care of her in a hospital should any situation arise.  Having an OB backup made Sarah feel even more comfortable with the process, and it helped space her visits out, especially towards the end. She was able to see her OB for some of the prenatals as they got closer together, allowing her not to have to drive the 6 hour round trip drive bi-weekly and weekly.  Her OB would not officially condone her blessing for Sarah having a homebirth, but she did not try to strong-arm her into the hospital setting, which was quite a relief for Sarah. Sarah and Katelyn touch on the accountability of a CPM and how these care providers are held to a certain standard based on their credential- no matter what their state regulations may be. This allows for consistency and trust between midwife and clients. Before committing to using a midwife, Sarah toured the local hospital first and met with an OB practice. The pamphlet that they gave her stated two things that made her very uncomfortable: 1. Patients could not eat or drink during labor (this would not be feasible if she had another long labor like last time) and 2. Photography was not allowed during the birthing process.  This made Sarah feel very unhappy and uncertain, especially because some of her most precious photos she has are directly during and after the birth of her first child.  She sent a picture of the pamphlet to her husband without mentioning her concerns, and he immediately responded saying that was not going to work for them! When it came to estimating her due date, there was a small level of uncertainty on Sarah’s end, though she felt fairly confident about her dates. She measured along with her dates, too. However, when she had an ultrasound, the results said that she was actually about 2 weeks further along than expected. Based on Sarah’s calculated due date, Alex came 2 weeks early, though based on the ultrasound estimation, he came right at 40 weeks. As labor approached, Sarah did not notice much different in her level of activity. However, when she looks back, she realizes, “I did actually clean out my car and my husband’s truck and install the baby seat!” Alex was born very quickly. She went to bed on Sunday night with no indication that anything was coming.  Around 11:45, she went to the bathroom and though, “Oh, what was that?  Did I pee myself?  Nope, something’s definitely still coming out… oh, there’s more….”  She then realized her water had indeed broken.  Sarah called her midwife to let her know that her water had broken, and no, she was not having any contractions. Sarah called her mother who was in Dallas, and told her to head their way. Sarah’s midwife’s assistant, who lived about an hour away, began to head their way to check on Sarah. About an hour later, contractions started. By the time her birth assistant arrived, they were getting stronger, though she was able to still speak.  Sarah’s midwife arrived and was very pleased with the way she was progressing. At some point, Sarah got into the bath tub, which was helpful in some ways, but did not help with her back labor (which she had with both labors). Alex was born at 5:50 in the morning, so only about 6 hours of labor as opposed to 36! “My body eased me into labor and my brain was able to keep pace with what was going on.” Though Alex, like his brother Manning, came out with his hand up over his face, Sarah had no problems with the pushing phase. Once Alex arrived, Sarah found out that he was a boy! She had not wanted to know his gender beforehand.  However… Her husband Thomas had found out the gender earlier on in the pregnancy!  He was able to keep it a secret from Sarah for the remainder of the pregnancy! Alex was born on their anniversary! Back to the first birth: Early in the morning on New Year’s Day, Sarah began contracting. These were slow building, and they did not initially stop her from doing anything.  After a while they decided to go to the birthing center, and stayed there for the rest of the labor. Manning was in an awkward position, and Sarah had a cervical lip.  This all culminated in quite a long labor… and quite a lot of pushing.  Manning came out facing Sarah’s right side with his hand up by his face.   Episode Roundup: 1. Just because your labor is long or arduous the first time does not mean it will always be that way.  Each labor is different. 2. Sarah took the time to see out a CPM even when it was difficult.  She felt it important to have a certified midwife who is held to very specific standards, no matter what the state requires or does not require. 3. Disclaimer: I will begin adding a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode to remind you that the views expressed in these interviews are not necessarily my own, but this is a space for all to share their stories.  

Sometimes life happens and tragedy strikes. Maybe it’s the loss of a loved one, a rough childhood, or maybe you’ve had a life-altering accident. These things can inhibit us from seeing the bigger picture. It can become so easy to succumb to a negative mindset because we feel like we can’t move past our circumstances. So many times we feel like giving up when things go wrong over and over again. As for our guest this week, however, hard times are just simple bumps in the road to be learned from. Alex Plaski is a quadriplegic motivational speaker, author, and life coach. Though Alex has been in a wheelchair due to an accident in the 9th grade, he is not bound to his limitations. Alex is able to see the positivity all around him, even through tough situations. By helping other people understand their greatest assets in the midst of tragedy, Alex is able to help others create the life they want to live. Alex teaches us that there is always room for growth and that you can build from any life situation. Resource Mentioned: The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins (Read my Review Here!) Train the Trainer by Jack Canfield   Topics Discussed: How to go from tragedy to triumph with a simple mindset shift. Learning to find positivity in tragic circumstances. How to re-build your life with the resources you still have. Finding your greatest assets in the midst of tragedy. How to grow further by helping other people grow themselves.   Connect with Alex: Facebook --

“Things can be true on one level, and on another, not true at all. Wisdom is to know how to hear and see on different levels at the same time.”  - Richard Rohr Let's think about the typical life cycle of a public sexual misconduct allegation. The conversation that surrounds each accusation tends to center around what's right and what's wrong. We want--no, we need--clear answers. Was it a harmless joke? Or, was it a clear violation of sexual boundaries? Is it right to fire him over that? Is it wrong to suspect the victim may be exaggerating? Is going to “sex addiction treatment” just a way for the perpetrator to try to shirk responsibility for his actions? What if the perpetrator isn't a man? What if the victim isn't a woman? Dr. Alexandra Katehakis returns to the show to help Dan finally and definitively answer all of these questions--JUST KIDDING! There, of course, are no definitive answers to these questions. That's one of the many things that makes this gender-based cultural upheaval extremely confusing and sometimes painful. While at the extreme ends of the sexual misconduct spectrum, we can clearly label some people as criminals and others as victims, there's a lot of room in between for varying degrees of nuance. Though Alex and Dan don't provide us with all the answers, they do make a convincing case for embracing the chaos in a way that forces us to be more honest with ourselves and with each other, and for seizing the opportunity to have these conversations in our homes, workplaces, churches, and schools, so that we can build a better future based on true gender equality. 

As the co-founder of Elite Invest, Alex Al-Sabah's efforts to improve the housing stock within the South Side of Chicago were recently profiled by Crain's Chicago Business. Though Alex is a California native, he discovered an opportunity to fix up homes in Chicago after creating a real estate valuation company to help banks determine market prices for foreclosures. On today’s episode of Target Market Insights, Alex shares his strategy for selecting neighborhoods, uplifting communities, designing desirable rentals, and working with investors. Key Market Insights Chicago has great market opportunities despite negative press Social impact on a neighborhood can create future opportunities for residents to move from tenants to property owners, a win-win situation Target Sub-Markets for Elite Invest: Woodlawn, South Shore, Chatham, Chicago Lawn, Auburn Gresham, Greater Grand Crossing, Park Manor, South Chicago Chicago is a renters’ city Elite Invest puts high-quality rentals on the market, encouraging tenants to stay longer How Elite Invest acclimates potential investors to the Chicago market: Has initial conversations about where and why they invest in an area, Encourages them to visit, Conducts investor tours, Hold in-person consultations about their investment goals Advice to outsiders looking to invest in Chicago: Be open and objective about potential investments, Do your research, Identify your ideal investment What Alex wants investors to know about Chicago: It’s still priced right. Properties are likely to appreciate based on fundamentals What Alex considers when assessing opportunities? Focuses on neighborhoods and demand of tenants How Alex stays on top of market changes: Talking to residents, property managers, owners, checking sites like Trulia, Zillow, Google Street Maps One thing Alex does to stay focused on goals: Meetings with his staff and listening to clients Resources Mentioned Crain’s Chicago Business Article featuring Alex Al-Sabah Trulia https://www.trulia.com/ Crain’s Chicago Business http://www.chicagobusiness.com/ Zillow https://www.zillow.com/   Tweet This: “Your dollar goes a lot further in the Midwest, Chicago being the 3rd largest metro certainly attracted us.”  “We make it feel like home, but to a renter so they stay longer.”   Places to Grab a Bite in Chicago: Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse https://www.gibsonssteakhouse.com/ Giordano’s Pizza https://giordanos.com/   Connect with Alex: Website: http://www.eliteinvest.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-al-sabah-532066135 Email: info@eliteinvest.com Partners: The Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever Podcast – joefairless.com/show

Christian cinema doesn't have the greatest reputation. Even though faith-based movies have exploded in popularity ever since the success of 2004's "The Passion Of The Christ", the genre has rarely received much critical acclaim.Still there seems to be a booming marketplace for films which touch on faith-based issues. Many of them even attract A-list actors like Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver, Russell Crowe, Emma Watson and Nicolas Cage.All of this got us to thinking:What Would Jesus Watch?Are these movies any good? Are they just looked down upon because of a Hollywood bias against Christianity? Or are they worthy of the bashing most critics give them?Join hosts Alex and Kate Doriot on this new podcast as they explore the high, the low and the "Huh?" of Christian cinema one movie at a time, giving a fair chance to faith-based films big and small.Though Alex and Kate come to the podcast with a sense of humor, the goal of What Would Jesus Watch? is not to make fun of bad movies.Instead, the purpose of the podcast is to encourage those willing incorporate faith-based themes into their art and inspire them to strive for excellency when doing so.Each week we'll celebrate what worked in bad movies, what didn't work in good movies and explore the impact this rapidly growing genre of films can have on our faith. It all begins today with our debut episode:Ever wonder what it would be like to hang out at a diner with Jesus? Pretty exhausting, apparently!That's the lesson learned in our premiere episode as we watch the 2010 film "The Encounter".It stars legendary wrestling superstar Sting and tells the story of 5 weary travelers convening at a mysterious diner run by Jesus himself. What will they discover about themselves over the course of dinner? Is Jesus a good burrito chef? How long will it take for Jesus to multiply a loaf of bread? And why isn't Jesus more attractive? Find out all of this and more on What Would Jesus Watch!

Inside this edition of "Without a Curse," Alex previews the NL West with Eric Stephen, the managing editor for the True Blue LA Dodgers blog on SB Nation. Alex and Eric talk about the Dodgers heading into the season, and if they have the best 40-man roster in the league. They also talk about whether the Dodgers are the most enviable organization in Major League Baseball due to their seemingly unlimited financial resources, and how Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett have been perceived in Los Angeles. The Giants feature virtually the same core that captured the championship in 2012, even though they won 76 games in 2013. Alex and Eric attempt to prognosticate the Giants season, and whether they'll be closer to where they were in 2012 or 2013. The Diamondbacks are coming off a .500 campaign, and acquired slugger Mark Trumbo and closer Addison Reed over the offseason. Did they improve enough to make a run at the division title, or does their roster still fall short? Though it's unlikely that the Padres or Rockies will win the NL West in 2014, both clubs have the potential to be competitive if all breaks right. The Red Sox signed David Ortiz to a one-year, $16 million contract extension with vesting options for 2016 and 2017 Sunday even though they didn't have to. This decision makes little baseball sense, and it appears it was made for public relations purposes. The Red Sox have set a potentially dangerous precedent with the decision to reward Ortiz with an extension for complaining about his deal all spring long. John Farrell has strongly implied that Grady Sizemore will begin the year as the club's starting center fielder, which should've been evident when he was signed in January. If Sizemore was healthy at the end of Spring Training, the plan was probably always to have him begin the season in the Major Leagues while Jackie Bradley receives more tutelage in Triple-A. The Boston Globe published a terrific, but disturbing investigative piece about Jared Remy's extensive criminal history in Sunday's paper. Though Alex previously believed Jerry Remy should stay on Red Sox telecasts despite his son's upcoming murder trial, the revelations outlined in the article may be too much for him to bear. In the "Around the League" segment, Alex rants against MLB's seemingly asinine decision to begin the regular season overseas in the wee hours of the morning Saturday. A few more Australian kids may have signed up for little league, but millions of fans were unable to watch the first game of the season because it aired at 4:00 a.m.! A new potential destination for Stephen Drew, top prospect George Springer's possible lawsuit against the Astros for sending him to minor league camp and more is touched upon as well. Email Alex at ajreimer0@gmail.com, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1. Alex will be a regular fixture on "The Big Show Unfiltered," as he'll appear every Friday at 4:00 p.m. for the next several weeks. Opening Day is next Monday! We've almost made it through another long, harsh winter, baseball fans.

Alex analyzes the decision to put the TNA Heavyweight Championship on Rob Van Dam. Though Alex is on board with the decision, he questions the timing of it. Alex also talks about the week in the WWE, including a RAW without RAW wrestlers, and an Extreme Rules preview. In addition, Alex offers a prediction about the future (or lack thereof) of Jack Swagger's title reign. The "piledrivin' post of the week" (www.thesportsstuff.com/boards) is handed out, and in the "finisher" segment, Alex says that it's time to abolish the brand split for good. "The Alex Reimer Show" airs every Saturday from 4-6 PM EST on 1120 AM WBNW Boston, www.moneymattersradio.net, and www.livestream.com/wbnw1120.