Podcasts about twelve

Nick Jones enlisted in the Marine Corps at 18 out of Olathe, Kansas. Mortarman, then scout sniper platoon, then selection and 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, where he came up through element member to element leader. Twelve years, five deployments. On March 8, 2020, his team went into the Qarachogh Mountains in northern Iraq to clear a cave complex and lost their team leader and their team chief. He was shot going back for them and kept fighting until he was pulled off the mountain. Six surgeries and eighteen months later he medically retired as a staff sergeant with a Navy Cross and a Purple Heart. He now runs the Talons Reach Foundation. In 2019 he built a mountain warfare training package for his team in Montana. It got denied. The reason given was that they wouldn't be fighting in the mountains. Ten months later they were. He proposed on top of Lone Peak and told his wife they'd build a family in Montana in ten years. They got there in one. Five years later she broke down on the drive back from Jackson and told him she had no life there. That conversation moved everybody to Wyoming. Talons Reach Foundation: https://www.talonsreachfoundation.org/   Join the Cleared Hot Newsletter: https://www.clearedhotpodcast.com Take the Operator Code Assessment: https://www.theoperatorcode.com   Today's Sponsors:  Black Rifle Coffee:  https://www.blackriflecoffee.com Hexclad:  For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off your order with our exclusive link. Just head to https://www.hexclad.com/clearedhot

Three days. Seventeen hours. Twelve jurors, five possible verdicts, and a door nobody can see behind.Day three of deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy trial ended Monday afternoon with no verdict and instructions to come back Tuesday. Robin breaks down where the case actually stands...the criminal responsibility standard, what "not guilty" would really mean here, and why the jury's request for the pill bottles and the knife tells you they're doing the work.Then the sidewalk: the pink shirts, the twenty-five-plus Etsy designs, the defense attorney fan merchandise, the free coffee at a verdict watch, and the fact that somebody bought the Duxbury house.Plus a viral post arguing that a not-guilty verdict from a nine-woman jury is grounds for repealing the Nineteenth Amendment, and the math problem that argument doesn't survive.And in Philadelphia in the House of Horrors case...fifty hard drives, five urns, four missing women, no bodies, and what investigators say they found on one of those drives this week, which is something Western media very much claims doesn't exist as a theory. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/we-saw-the-devil-unfiltered-political-analysis--4433638/support.Website: http://www.wesawthedevil.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/wesawthedevilRobin's Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/robin_wstdTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/WeSawtheDevilInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/wesawthedevilpodcast.TikTok: tiktok.com/@wesawthedevilpolitics

Houman Z. Emami, a native of Iran (ancient Persia), has a bright academic career in Philosophy and Religion, Holism and Consciousness, with earlier careers in Computer Science, Telecommunications, and a number of educational-institute startups. He has completed undergraduate studies in the above fields, within and without standard academic training, and he continues in his graduate and Ph.D. thesis, “On Intuition, the Heart Faculty, and Theophanies”.Before reaching his eleventh year, Houman had lived through the Iranian revolution of 1979, the Iran and Iraq war of 1981, and the inner-city bombings and atrocities of war. “And that was just the beginning,” he tells us. Miraculous events began as a direct result of these earlier years of awakening and grew in proportion to his yearning. In this way, the dark side of war, and the lesser-known light side of war were made manifest from age five onwards. After several relocations and maturing in both eastern and western cultures before his thirtieth year, Houman had taken part in a relatively successful lifestyle, returned to academia and various spiritual practices thrice, finally taking early retirement in his late twenties, leaving all behind and spending a decade as an independent world-traveler, contemporary monk and spiritual pilgrim. These later awakenings in solitude and on the pilgrim's walk integrated those of his early childhood.At last, returning to worldly life in his late thirties, he continues to impact the world he left behind. Loved ones and relations lovingly refer to him as “scribe,” “pilgrim,” and “scholar.” A “scribe” is one who decodes and deciphers the teachings of the ancient scrolls, which are symbolic representations of transcendent realms made immanent within a simple framework of understanding. A “pilgrim” is one who leaves the mind behind (is a passerby), leads from the heart, “connects the dots,” is a bridge-builder, and a peacemaker. And a “scholar,” from scolere, is one who lives at ease as a student of life, truth, and wisdom. In this respect, he has written:Let the truth of love be & become the love of truth, and the love of truth be & become the truth of love. That means, the soul genuinely desires love and truth, embraced by and swaying this way and that throughout life, in order to teach us that we must love unconditionally but when finding ourselves in the snares of selfish love, we must pursue truth; and we must pursue truth unconditionally but when we find truth become empty tradition and superstition, we must pursue love.In practice, Houman's spiritual invocation consciously began in his early teens, as a result of a near-death experience (NDE)—taking him back to his early childhood visions, and to his native ancestral teachings of the East, Near East, and the Orient. After his near-death experience and remembering his life's calling more fully from age five, Houman recalled all that proceeded from that age in the divine plan, walking them out and remembering them step by step.Years later, these remembrances and awakenings culminated into visionary experiences and embodiments—involving “theophanies,” meaning divine interventions or encounters. Twelve years of practice and integration turned him into an independent spiritual pilgrim in 2003, and he has been traveling the world since. His journey has been one of the most overwhelming stories one might hear.All there is, IS Love for Love IS…

RV parks are quietly turning into industrial worker housing. A $100 billion SpaceX spaceport in Louisiana and a wave of data center construction in Texas and the Midwest are filling campgrounds with long-term crews, and recreational campers are the ones getting squeezed out.In this week's Monday News Edition:RVs as work camps. SpaceX announces a $100 billion spaceport in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, new RV parks are expected to house the construction crews, a Texas park near Abilene advertises 2,300 monthly sites for data center workers, and eastern Iowa campgrounds are already running full year-round.Monsoon season is doing real damage. Eleven hikers are rescued with hypothermia at Bryce Canyon in August, and about 50 people are airlifted out of the Grand Canyon on Saturday after flash flooding tore through Bright Angel Canyon. Phantom Ranch and the North Kaibab Trail are closed until further notice.Why all the rockfalls? A large rockfall closes the Zion Canyon scenic drive, a Glacier National Park visitor is killed by a rock that came through his car roof, and researchers explain the link between heat and falling rock.A Colorado startup wants to cut camper van prices in half. Hunker's removable pod drops into a Ram ProMaster and starts at $55,000, but there is a catch worth knowing about.Twelve years later, a microchip brings Flor home. A chihuahua missing for 12 years is reunited with her Evanston family after a shelter in Indiana scans her chip, plus what every RVer traveling with a pet should check this week.LINKS Free daily RV Lifestyle newsletter: https://rvlifestyle.com/newsletter Show notes and full transcript: https://rvpodcast.com RV Community: https://rvcommunity.com The Complete Guide to RVing in Retirement: https://rvlifestyle.com/retirementguide

Today the cross is jewelry, but for Jesus and His disciples, it was an execution device. In this episode of IDKMYDE, B Daht separates scripture from tradition to find out what we actually know about how the Twelve died and just how dangerous it was to say, "I follow Jesus."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of Strange Tales features Twelve Portraits Of Marcia, the January 21, 1948, broadcast of The Whistler. Listen to more from The Whistler https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/e55e1c7a-e213-4a20-8701-21862bdf1f8a/StrangeTales867.mp3 Download StrangeTales867 | Subscribe | Spotify | Support Strange Tales

Read OnlineA Stark Contrast“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Matthew 16:23This scene likely unfolds in or near Caesarea Philippi, a Gentile region steeped in pagan worship. There, at the mouth of a cave long associated with the entrance to the netherworld—believed by some pagans to be the very gate of Hades—Jesus had just questioned His disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” and then more directly, “But who do you say that I am?” (cf. Matthew 16:13–15). Peter, speaking with conviction on behalf of the Twelve, boldly proclaimed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus responded by declaring him “Peter,” the rock upon which He would build His Church, promising that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”Just moments later, Jesus issues one of the strongest rebukes recorded in the Gospels: “Get behind me, Satan!” The same Peter who had just spoken divine truth now speaks human fear and shortsightedness. In trying to dissuade Jesus from His suffering and death, Peter unknowingly opposes the very mission of the Messiah. Jesus calls this mindset not merely a mistake, but a diabolical temptation—echoing the same temptation He faced in the desert, when satan sought to lure Him away from the Cross with promises of worldly glory.What a stark contrast. Peter goes from being the rock of faith to an obstacle in the Lord's path. But why was Jesus so severe in His response?Because the stakes were eternal. The Cross is not optional. It is the means of salvation—not just for Jesus, but for all who would follow Him. To think otherwise, even with good intention, is to prefer human comfort over divine wisdom. Peter's protest reflects a natural aversion to suffering, but Jesus exposes it for what it truly is: a stumbling block to the will of the Father.This dramatic Gospel scene is recorded for a reason. By calling Peter “Satan,” Jesus wanted to warn him, and us, of the real and ever-present danger of rejecting the way of the Cross. Like Peter, we can easily fall into the trap of wishful thinking and misguided compassion by saying about ourselves or those close to us, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen…” We are saying, in essence: “Lord, please make sure that neither I nor anyone I love ever has to suffer!” But such a prayer, though well-meaning, is clearly mistaken, and Jesus wants that point to be clearly understood.Peter was troubled because “Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” But all that Jesus revealed about His suffering was good—very good. Though His suffering was inflicted by the sins of others, His free and loving embrace of that suffering was the greatest act of love the world has ever known. Peter was blinded to this truth. He could not yet see beyond the horror of suffering to the divine good that would come through Jesus' sacrificial embrace of it.Reflect today on Peter's and Jesus' words: “God forbid, Lord!” and “Get behind me, Satan!” In this exchange, Jesus is also speaking to each of us, saying, “Never run from the Cross!” We must never flee from a selfless and sacrificial embrace of suffering, even when that suffering is unjust. God can and will transform all freely embraced suffering into a means of His eternal glory and our sanctification. With our Lord, reject the evil one's false empathy. Reject the lie that suffering is meaningless. Choose instead to lay down your life in love with Christ, and in doing so, you will rise with Him, victorious over every sin and diabolical lie, overcoming even the sufferings of this life through your free and faithful embrace.My compassionate Lord, Your firm rebuke of Peter was direct, powerful, and loving. Rather than offering false comfort or misleading empathy, You spoke a hard truth to awaken Peter—and all of us—to the spiritual necessity of the Cross. Grant me the grace, dear Lord, to say “Yes” to the suffering I must face. May I embrace it not with fear or resistance, but with a heart filled with Your love and unwavering courage. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Three verdicts. Three completely different futures. Lindsay Clancy's jury begins deliberations after closing arguments Thursday, and the outcome determines whether she spends the rest of her life in a prison, a psychiatric hospital, or back in a courtroom for a second trial.Eric Faddis sits down to walk through every scenario. He covers the jury room first — the Massachusetts legal standard that puts the burden on the prosecution, the two-prong test for criminal responsibility, and why the prosecution's own expert acknowledging severe mental illness matters under a standard that says mental disease or defect without requiring a specific diagnosis.If the jury acquits, Clancy enters a commitment process with no end date. Under Massachusetts law, the state can petition for involuntary commitment after 40 days of observation. Andrea Yates has been in a state hospital for twenty years after a similar verdict. Periodic review hearings require the state to prove Clancy remains mentally ill and dangerous. Reddington continues to represent her through those hearings.If the jury convicts on first-degree murder, the sentence is mandatory life without parole. Clancy transfers from Tewksbury Hospital to the corrections system — a paralyzed woman on 24-hour suicide watch moving from a treatment facility to a prison. The conviction goes to the SJC on automatic appeal with the full trial record, including the rejected mental health evidence.If the jury deadlocks, a mistrial is declared. The Karen Read jury deliberated 23 hours across five days and could not reach agreement even after Tuey-Rodriguez instructions.Faddis covers the mechanics of each outcome and what the legal fight looks like for Reddington after every possible verdict.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#LindsayClancy #LindsayClancyTrial #HiddenKillers #JuryDeliberation #NotGuiltyInsanity #LifeWithoutParole #PostpartumPsychosis #CriminalAppeal #TrueCrimePodcast #TrueCrime

Read OnlineFinal DiscoursesJesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.” Matthew 25:1–4Today's Gospel comes from Jesus' final discourses with His disciples. It was the week of Passover. Jesus had already concluded His public preaching in the Temple and was now offering some final words to His closest companions. Though He was fully aware of the suffering He was about to endure, His disciples did not yet understand what was to come. Therefore, we should recognize in these final teachings the urgency of Jesus' message—an urgent appeal received by the Twelve but not yet fully grasped.The final discourses all center around the theme of vigilance, judgment, and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, knowing that His Passion was near, sought to prepare His disciples for the trials to come—not only the immediate trial of His crucifixion, but also the long vigil of the Church as she awaits His glorious return. In this parable of the ten virgins, Christ emphasizes the need for constant spiritual preparedness. The wise virgins symbolize those who live in a state of grace, are nourished by prayer, perform acts of charity, and remain faithful to God's will. The oil in their flasks represents both good deeds and the inner life of the soul—alive through faith and love, and sustained by the Holy Spirit.The foolish virgins represent those who give the appearance of belonging to the Bridegroom but fail to cultivate the interior life. They are unprepared for the delay, which signifies the mystery and hiddenness of God's providential will and the unpredictability of the moment of our particular and final judgment. The final discourses, therefore, call us to an active and discerning faith that does not grow lax or presume upon last-minute conversion. Christ urges His disciples to “stay awake,” not in fear, but in hopeful readiness, living each day as if the Bridegroom might arrive at any hour.Though this exhortation carries eschatological tones—pointing to our particular death and Jesus' return in glory—it also refers to the countless ways God comes to us by grace, night and day, as we journey through this life. Attentiveness to those graced moments is, in many ways, the most important form of vigilance, because it prepares us to stand confidently before God when this life is over.For that reason, hear Jesus' concluding words in today's Gospel as an exhortation to diligently await every graced moment of your day: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” God's grace can come to us at any time and in any circumstance. We might be shopping, doing chores, eating a meal, or working, and—if our souls are attuned to His coming—we may sense an immediate and clear spiritual prompting by which God inspires us to act or refrain. The good news is that when God communicates His will, He offers more than instruction; He also imparts the providential grace we need to respond at once. Responding to Him is more than a choice we make; it is a cooperation with His grace, by which we act more fully as members of His Body, the Church.Reflect today on the oil in your own flask. Are you spiritually prepared not only for the coming of the Bridegroom at the end of your life or the end of time, but also for the daily, hidden comings of His grace? Seek to live each moment in a state of spiritual readiness, with your heart alert and open. When the Bridegroom comes—whether at the end of days or in the everyday quiet whispers of grace—blessed will you be to rise, lamp in hand, and enter the wedding feast with Him. Responding in this life gives us an immediate foretaste of the joy and peace we will experience in the Eternal Wedding Feast of the Lamb in Heaven.My Lord and Eternal Bridegroom, You invite me, day and night, to enter the wedding feast of grace with You. Help me, I pray, to remain vigilant, to stay awake, and to always discern Your voice when You call. May I be ever ready, with the oil of charity and grace fueling the light of Your joy and peace—now and forever. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Parable of the Ten VirginsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Welcome back, Roadies! Todd and Jim are settling into the newly redesigned Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society, fresh paint and all, for another wide-ranging tasting session. Todd teases an upcoming Monday Meetup celebrating a milestone birthday, and Jim shares highlights from a family trip to Savannah before the two dive into four distinctly different finished and blended whiskeys that span Colorado craft, orchard-inspired blends, Scotch-barrel finishing, and rare American oak. On the Tasting Mat: - Lock & Co. Big Blaze Bourbon: A Denver-based, 95-proof, five-year-old bourbon uniquely finished with charred Aspen wood discs sourced directly from trees destroyed in Colorado's 2020 East Troublesome Fire. The nose opens with smoked maple caramel and a bright, citrus freshness. The palate is clean and straightforward — sweet maple and caramel lead, the smokiness softens mid-palate, and a gentle white pepper spice emerges on the finish. Ten percent of proceeds support Grand County firefighters and first responders. Available in Colorado and online to 48 states for around $56.99. *(00:25:37)* - Chicken Cock Oh Glory Limited Edition Hunter-Proof American Whiskey Blend: A one-of-a-kind collaboration between Chicken Cock and Laird & Company, blending 70% of Chicken Cock's 95/5 Kentucky straight rye (distilled at Bardstown) with 30% Laird's bottled-in-bond apple brandy, bottled at 100 proof. The nose is an inviting walk through an apple orchard in spring — fresh red apples with a subtle rye mintiness underneath. The palate is buttery and remarkably smooth, with a cool sweet wave up front, almost no mid-palate bite, and a warming, peppery finish that builds with each sip. Twelve thousand bottles released at an MSRP of $65. *(00:43:51)* - Bardstown Bourbon Company Lox of Jura Barrel Finish: A bespoke blend of 49% 11-year Indiana bourbon (75/21/4), 30% 10-year Indiana rye (95/5), and 21% 12-year Kentucky bourbon (75/13/12), rested an additional 32 months in single malt Scotch whiskey barrels sourced from the Isle of Jura — 84% ex-bourbon and 16% ex-sherry Scotch casks — and bottled at 104 proof. The nose layers honeydew melon, orchard fruit, and gentle malt in a way that is decidedly un-peated and approachable. The palate achieves a remarkable balance among all three components — bourbon sweetness, rye spice, and fruity Scotch character — with the lines between them blurring beautifully. The finish is long and warming, growing more Scotch-forward with time. MSRP $140. *(00:46:55)* - Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery 2026: A blend of 55% 10-year Indiana bourbon (75/21/4), 25% 11-year Kentucky bourbon (74/18/8), and 20% 7-year Kentucky bourbon (74/16/10), finished in custom Gariana oak barrels hand-toasted for three hours by Oregon Barrel Works and chosen for maximum summer extraction, bottled at 112.8 proof. The nose presents butterscotch, burnt sugar, and a hint of molasses-like richness. The palate leans sweet and thick with cola-like depth, cooked cherry, and a distinct nuttiness; the finish carries a pleasant citrus-cherry brightness with lingering spice. MSRP $140. *(01:01:13)* As a bonus pour, the guys also opened the Lost Lantern United States of Bourbon 1776 Edition, a one-time-only cask-strength blend of bourbons from distilleries in each of the 13 original colonies — from Painted Stave (DE) and Liberty Pole (PA) to King's County (NY) and Reservoir (VA) — hand-numbered to 1,776 bottles at 121.4 proof and MSRP $199.99. It rounds out an episode packed with creative finishing techniques, cross-category blending, and the kind of spirited conversation that makes the Bourbon Road worth every mile. Head to thebourbonroad.com to sign up for the Roadie Bar, watch for giveaways featuring full 750ml bottles of the Discovery and Lox of Jura, and we'll see you down the road!

Twelve weeks of parental leave. Then you're back at your desk, wondering why it feels so hard. Today we're posting an episode from Rattled, our podcast for parents of newborns and babies, because it's about something everybody experiences. It's the final part of our three-part series with Care.com on finding care for your baby, and it's about a transition nobody preps you for: going back to work. Dr. Becky sits down with Lauren Smith Brody, journalist and author of The Fifth Trimester, who's interviewed hundreds of working moms about this exact moment (and lived it herself). Lauren calls her own first day back "the second cutting of the cord." She's got names for feelings you didn't know had names: benevolent discrimination, gatekeeping, the 0.5x version of yourself who has to show up the second you walk through your front door. They also get practical: how to turn decisions into systems before decision fatigue wrecks your evening, what a "ramp up" program actually looks like, and why mom guilt is, in Lauren's words, "a sexist, classist social construct" you can solve for like a math problem. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Care.com. Find background-checked nannies, sitters, and daycares at Care.com, and use code BECKY35 for 35% off your membership. * Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: Pampers Easy Ups: Start your potty training journey with Peppa Pig Pampers Easy Ups Airbnb: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb LMNT: Get a free gift with your purchase at drinkLMNT.com/goodinside Oso & Me: Use the code OSOGOOD15 for 15% off clothes newborn through age ten Care.com: For a limited time, you can use the code BECKY35 to save 35% on a Care.com Premium Membership.* *Offer applies to initial term of Care.com membership subscriptions. Not applicable to add-on features or non-renewing access fees or services. Expires 10/31/26. Care.com does not employ or place any caregiver. Background checks are an important start, but they have limits. Visit www.care.com/safety. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Purple Pants Podcast | The Amazing Race 29 Summer Rewatch: Episode Twelve Finale Recap Brooke and Brice are crossing the finish line on the Purple Pants Podcast Summer Rewatch, and there's no better way to close out Season 29 than with Brooke's winning partner himself, Scott Flanary! The final three race back to the U.S. for one last leg through Chicago, where a spin around Chicagoland Speedway, Windy City riddles, hot dog deliveries, and a final showdown at Wrigley Field stand between them and the $1 million prize. Scott takes us inside the chaos of that final leg as he and Brooke relive the bickering, breakthroughs, and unforgettable moments that took two complete strangers all the way from the starting line to Victory Lane. And with Brice and Scott cutting up all episode like they were the ones who won The Amazing Race together, Brooke may have to pull out the million-dollar check just to remind them who Scott's real winning partner is! The Season 29 rewatch may be officially checked in, but we're not done racing yet: The Amazing Race 39 cast has been announced! Tune in next week as Brooke and Brice give their First Look cast assessment and meet the brand-new teams getting ready to race around the world. You can also watch along on Brice Izyah’s YouTube channel to watch us break it all down https://youtube.com/channel/UCFlglGPPamVHaNAb0tL_s7g LISTEN: Subscribe to the Purple Pants podcast feed  WATCH: Watch and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube SUPPORT: Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks! Previously on the Purple Pants Podcast Feed: Purple Pants Podcast Archives

Purple Pants Podcast | The Amazing Race 29 Summer Rewatch: Episode Twelve Finale Recap Brooke and Brice are crossing the finish line on the Purple Pants Podcast Summer Rewatch, and there's no better way to close out Season 29 than with Brooke's winning partner himself, Scott Flanary! The final three race back to the U.S. for one last leg through Chicago, where a spin around Chicagoland Speedway, Windy City riddles, hot dog deliveries, and a final showdown at Wrigley Field stand between them and the $1 million prize. Scott takes us inside the chaos of that final leg as he and Brooke relive the bickering, breakthroughs, and unforgettable moments that took two complete strangers all the way from the starting line to Victory Lane. And with Brice and Scott cutting up all episode like they were the ones who won The Amazing Race together, Brooke may have to pull out the million-dollar check just to remind them who Scott's real winning partner is! The Season 29 rewatch may be officially checked in, but we're not done racing yet: The Amazing Race 39 cast has been announced! Tune in next week as Brooke and Brice give their First Look cast assessment and meet the brand-new teams getting ready to race around the world. You can also watch along on Brice Izyah's YouTube channel to watch us break it all down https://youtube.com/channel/UCFlglGPPamVHaNAb0tL_s7g Previously on the Purple Pants Podcast Feed:Purple Pants Podcast Archives LISTEN: Subscribe to the Purple Pants podcast feed WATCH: Watch and subscribe to the podcast on YouTubeSUPPORT: Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Smart 7 is an award winning daily podcast, in association with METRO, that gives you everything you need to know in 7 minutes, at 7am, 7 days a week…With over 20 million downloads and consistently charting, including as No. 1 News Podcast on Spotify, we're a trusted source for people every day and we've won Gold at the Signal International Podcast awardsIf you're enjoying it, please follow, share, or even post a review, it all helps... Today's episode includes the following:https://x.com/clashreport/status/2091858891516543313/video/1 https://x.com/i/status/2091871218341179714 https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2091867359518589286/video/1https://x.com/RidgeandFrost/status/2091782209602486394/video/1 https://x.com/BBCBreakfast/status/2091763818808410301/video/1 https://x.com/implausibleblog/status/2091954555613323395/video/1 https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/2092000407513862255/video/1 https://youtu.be/yT28uoWsQZE https://x.com/netflix/status/2091888259383071009/video/1 Contact us over @TheSmart7pod or visit www.thesmart7.com or find out more at www.metro.co.uk Voiced by Jamie East, using AI, written by Liam Thompson, researched by Lucie Lewis and produced by Daft Doris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last time we spoke about the reaction after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. After four years of fighting Japan almost alone, China's Chiang Kai-shek learned of Pearl Harbor with profound relief. Japan's attack, meant to neutralize American naval power, instead galvanized the entire Western world against Tokyo. Within hours, Chiang declared war on the Axis powers, transforming China from an isolated nation to a recognized Allied member. The strategic mathematics were clear to Chiang: America's industrial might would ultimately crush Japan. China simply needed to survive long enough. The United States quickly formalized this partnership, pledging military support through Lend-Lease and elevating Chiang to leadership of Allied forces in the China theater. Yet Pearl Harbor brought catastrophe for Western civilians in China. Americans and Britons, previously protected as neutral foreigners, were suddenly rounded up and interned in camps. For many, decades of presence in China ended in hasty evacuation, leaving behind lives built over generations.   #216 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 1: The Approaching Storm Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Japan emerged as a significant threat to British interests during the 1920s following the collapse of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. This concern intensified dramatically after Japan's invasion of China, with the ensuing Sino-Japanese War escalating tensions further. British assets in the region came under direct assault, including attacks on Western military and commercial vessels such as HMS Ladybird. Yet despite these provocations, the British Government maintained an inconsistent stance toward Japan, responding with only feeble diplomatic and military countermeasures. This contradiction characterized London's approach: while diplomatic channels remained conciliatory, military planners viewed Japan with genuine apprehension. During the 1930s, Singapore and Malaya represented Britain's most valuable and prosperous holdings in the Far East and consequently received substantial garrison reinforcements. By contrast, Hong Kong was widely acknowledged to be indefensible—a conclusion reached repeatedly by successive military studies. Despite this consensus, the British Government proceeded with the Hong Kong Defence Scheme in 1936, which aimed to transform Hong Kong Island into a fortified redoubt while establishing delaying positions in Kowloon and the New Territories. The Hong Kong Garrison's mandate was straightforward: repel external attacks and prevent enemy use of the harbour and dry dock. The underlying strategy relied on a simple principle: hold Hong Kong Island as an impregnable fortress and await relief from the Royal Navy. Consequently, protecting the harbour became the paramount objective. Japanese strategists were correctly identified as Hong Kong's primary threat, with military planners anticipating attack from the sea rather than overland. To counter such an offensive, the defence scheme incorporated five successive layers of protection: naval mines fitted with indicator nets and anti-submarine booms formed the first barrier; coastal artillery provided the second; beach installations featuring pillboxes, wire entanglements and mines constituted the third; infantry strongpoints positioned on commanding heights guarded against amphibious landings; and finally, a mobile reserve force stood ready to counterattack and eliminate any successful enemy incursion. The 1936 plan also mandated extensive fortification of Kowloon's bottleneck approaches through bunkers, trenches and blocked passages, with a principal defensive line—resembling a miniature Maginot Line—constructed across the mountains immediately north of Kowloon. The garrison structure comprised three infantry battalions plus the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC), a unit approximately regiment-strength equipped with armoured cars, engineers, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and infantry. These forces organized into three brigades: mainland, island, and garrison reserve. The air component was planned to be formidable: a reconnaissance squadron, a fighter-bomber squadron, two torpedo squadrons and a flight of auxiliary spotting aircraft operated by the HKVDC. Naval forces consisted of a modest destroyer contingent, an MTB flotilla, gunboats and patrol vessels. When Japan occupied Guangzhou, Hong Kong found itself effectively encircled. In response, limited conscription was implemented, though restricted to non-Chinese males for HKVDC service. Chinese personnel were largely confined to non-combat positions such as air-raid precautions and medical duties. The expanding Japanese threat prompted a substantial expansion of the Hong Kong Garrison to four regular infantry regiments—two British units (one specializing in medium machine-gun support) and two Indian regiments. Supporting forces included two coastal artillery regiments, a field artillery regiment-plus, and an anti-aircraft regiment. The Royal Navy expanded to include the 2nd MTB flotilla (eight 60-foot, 29-knot motor torpedo boats armed with twin torpedoes and eight Lewis guns each, plus two smaller 55-foot vessels), four shallow-draught river gunboats (HMS Cicala, Tern, Moth and Robin), four aging World War I S-class destroyers (HMS Thracian, Thanet, Scout and Tenedos—the last transferred to Singapore in 1939), HMS Cornflower sloop, and various auxiliary vessels including tugs, boom defence ships and minelayers. The Fleet Air Arm deployed three Supermarine Walruses—single-engine reconnaissance amphibians—at Kai Tak Airport. The Royal Air Force remained the weakest service, equipped with only four Vickers Wildebeest torpedo-bombers and a handful of HKVDC aircraft: one Avro Tutor, two Hornet Moths and two Cadet biplanes. When World War II erupted in Europe, Britain's focus necessarily shifted to national survival, inevitably leaving distant imperial outposts like Hong Kong neglected. Rather than receive reinforcements, Hong Kong actually lost capable personnel; many veteran troops were repatriated to Europe, leaving behind a less proficient garrison. Peacetime duties had proven a poor preparation for combat—officers and men had passed their time socializing rather than maintaining combat readiness. Governor Sir Geoffrey Northcote persistently urged London to adopt a firmer stance against relentless Japanese provocations: aircraft incursions, sinking of junks and fishing vessels, and infiltration by Taiwanese fifth columnists (Japan had colonized Taiwan in 1895). Recognizing the hopelessness of his position, Northcote recommended withdrawal in October 1940, arguing that defending the colony would inevitably result in mass civilian casualties and widespread destruction—a pragmatic assessment given Hong Kong's indefensible state. London categorically rejected this proposal, reasoning that withdrawal would demoralize China, embolden Japan and undermine American confidence in British resolve. Underlying this decision was an additional consideration: the long-standing dispute over Hong Kong's sovereignty. Since Britain acquired Hong Kong in 1841, the prospect of surrendering it, even temporarily, raised fears about reclaiming it afterward. Preserving the appearance of British determination was deemed crucial to demonstrating to Chiang Kai-shek, Nationalist China's leader, that Britain intended to retain the territory. Despite these political calculations, London consistently refused fresh troop deployments. Major-General A. E. Grasett, the China theatre commander, requested reinforcements only to face rejection—London offered only Indian or other colonial forces. Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, appointed British commander in the Far East in 1941, likewise pressed for garrison strengthening, to no avail. The situation shifted dramatically after Grasett, a retired Canadian who had recently left his China post, travelled to Britain via Canada. Upon arriving in Canada, he independently approached his former classmate Major-General Crerar, Chief of the Canadian General Staff, and advocated for reinforcement. Grasett argued persuasively that deploying two or more additional battalions would enable the Hong Kong garrison to withstand an extended siege. When Grasett reached London in early September 1941, he presented this case directly to the British Chiefs of Staff, simultaneously proposing that Canada could provide the extra units. His arguments proved persuasive; the Chiefs of Staff altered course and convinced a reluctant Churchill to reconsider. In light of accelerating Japanese pressure, Britain substantially enlarged the Malaysia/Singapore garrison from nine to 32 battalions and despatched two capital ships—HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse—to the region, reasoning that this show of force would deter Japanese aggression against British Far Eastern interests, including Hong Kong. The original defence strategy envisaged holding Hong Kong Island exclusively while denying the harbour to attackers. A single battalion (the Punjabis) would execute delaying actions across the New Territories, followed by a three-battalion defensive stand on the Gin Drinkers Line. This brief mainland resistance would allow time for demolishing stores, power installations, docks and wharves, clearing food stocks and removing vital matériel before withdrawing to Hong Kong Island for a protracted resistance awaiting relief from Singapore or American forces from the Philippines. The Gin Drinkers Line—styled after the French Maginot Line in miniature—ran approximately 18 kilometres south of the Sino-Hong Kong border. Beginning near Gin Drinkers Bay west of Kowloon, it extended 17 kilometres across the Kowloon Peninsula hills toward its eastern extremity. The strategic expectation was that this line would delay the Japanese assault for three weeks or longer, permitting battalion withdrawal to Hong Kong Island for sustained resistance while mainland forces completed evacuation procedures. The 1937 war plan stipulated that four battalions would be necessary for an effective delaying action and seven for an adequate Gin Drinkers Line defence—figures which excluded the aircraft and naval support essential to success. With only a single army brigade available and virtually no air capability, planners abandoned the mainland defence concept, leaving defensive works incomplete and deteriorating under tropical conditions. Chinese personnel were conspicuously absent from initial war preparations and strategic planning, only being incorporated late in the process. The largest Chinese component was the volunteer contingent serving with the HKVDC. On the regular army side, approximately 150 Chinese recruits were enlisted in mid-1941 for the 5th Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The Hong Kong Chinese Regiment, hastily constituted on 3 November 1941, comprised officers borrowed from British and Indian units alongside 52 Chinese junior NCOs and other ranks with minimal training. A Royal Engineers troop staffed entirely by Chinese soldiers saw service, and some Chinese personnel served with the Royal Navy and Dockyard Defence Corps. Chinese participation increased substantially in auxiliary services—air-raid precautions, auxiliary police, nursing, St John Ambulance and fire brigades. This reluctance to fully integrate Chinese forces likely reflected prevailing attitudes of the era. Pre-war British propaganda had frequently mocked Japanese military capability, portraying officers and soldiers as myopic and incompetent. Japanese combat prowess was systematically underestimated; their victories in China were attributed to facing inferior opposition rather than evidence of genuine military strength. Japanese weaponry was dismissed as inferior to European standards. Consequently, British confidence remained high that the colony could hold indefinitely if adequately reinforced. In September 1941, Hong Kong received heartening news: two additional Canadian battalions would be deployed to the garrison. Brigadier John Maltby promptly revived the pre-war plan for defending the Gin Drinkers Line, developing a strategy centred on three mainland battalions (2nd Royal Scots, 5/7 Rajputs and 2/14 Punjab) supported by HKVDC elements and four artillery troop detachments, while three island battalions (1st Middlesex, Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers) bolstered by the bulk of the HKVDC would hold Hong Kong Island. Command responsibility was divided between two brigades: the Island Brigade (Hong Kong Infantry Brigade) under Brigadier Lawson, a recently arrived Canadian, and the mainland Kowloon Infantry Brigade under Brigadier Wallis. The Canadian regiments arrived on 16 November 1941. Maltby was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1911, and  saw extensive service across multiple campaigns: World War I, the Persian Gulf (1913–14), and the North-West Frontier (1923–24). His early promise earned him selection for accelerated advancement through prestigious staff colleges at Quetta and RAF Andover. By 1937, he was again serving on the North-West Frontier, and by 1939 commanded both the 3rd Jhelum Brigade (later the Calcutta Brigade) and the 19th Infantry Brigade in Deccan. In 1940, posted to China, Maltby orchestrated the closure of the North China Command by withdrawing two infantry battalions from Shanghai. Promoted to major-general as GOC China in August 1941, he had only three months to prepare the colony's defenses, a race against time he could not win.  The Gin Drinkers Line occupied a naturally dominant position atop mountains spanning northern Kowloon's breadth, yet possessed inherent weaknesses that would prove fatal. The line lacked defensive depth and remained vulnerable to flanking manoeuvres, with two sectors representing particular danger: Customs Pass and the gap between Golden Hill and Laichikok Peninsula near Gin Drinkers Bay. Given the extended front, each battalion arranged its forces in a string of platoon positions with gaps covered by daytime fire and nighttime patrols. One company per battalion could be held in reserve within prepared positions guarding the most dangerous sectors. The reserve company of the centre battalion (2/14 Punjab) initially advanced as forward troops, screening demolition operations and delaying the enemy's initial thrust. The hasty decision to establish mainland defences meant that essential support systems—communication networks, artillery registrations, mortar calibrations—remained incomplete when combat commenced. Ammunition shortages compounded the problem. For instance, the 2/14 Punjab conducted only a single 3-inch mortar practice session before the attack; adequate ammunition arrived only in November and totalled a mere 70 rounds per battalion for both training and combat. These mortars were registered for the first time in their battle positions, with combat beginning just 12 hours later. The 2-inch mortar situation was even more desperate: troops received live ammunition only as fighting started, making their baptism of fire an actual combat situation. Transportation deficiencies—trucks and animals in short supply—forced manual ammunition transport across Hong Kong's challenging terrain, imposing severe physical demands on already stretched personnel.   On 6 November 1941, Imperial Japanese Headquarters ordered its Commander-in-Chief in China to prepare plans for capturing Hong Kong. The 23rd Army, part of the China Southern Expeditionary Army Group and commanded by Lt. Gen. Sakai Takashi with Maj. Gen. Kuribayashi Tadamichi serving as Chief of Staff, would form the invasion's backbone. All preparations were to be completed by the end of November 1941. The operation, designated 'Operation C', sought to 'seize Hong Kong within ten days'. Takahashi was the son of a factory worker, and rose through the ranks to become a veteran of China campaigns. He was tasked with capturing Hong Kong using the 38th Division normally assigned to the Southern Expeditionary Army Group. Despite setbacks and humiliation over requests for additional resources—particularly following intelligence reports of tanks (actually Bren carriers) in Hong Kong—Sakai remained determined to succeed. He served as Governor of Hong Kong from 26 December 1941 to 20 February 1942. Kuribayashi, best remembered as the Japanese commander at Iwo Jima, graduated from the Army Academy in 1914 specializing in cavalry. He served as deputy military attaché to Washington and Canada and studied at Harvard University. In December 1941, he held the position of Chief of Staff to the 23rd Army during the Hong Kong operation. Operation C followed a straightforward strategic framework. A blocking force would prevent Chinese interference from the rear, while the main invasion force would spearhead the assault. The 23rd Army, comprising four divisions plus a mixed brigade and two infantry regiments, received the assignment to attack Hong Kong. Of these four divisions, only the 38th played a substantive role in the invasion itself. The attack employed a combined-arms approach. Naval forces would establish a blockade and deliver bombardment while aircraft targeted key installations. Ground forces from the 38th Division—specifically the 228th, 229th, and 230th Regiments—would execute the land invasion using a three-pronged strategy. The right column would sweep westward in a wide arc, clearing Castle Peak Road and targeting the western flank of the Gin Drinkers Line near Laichikok Peninsula. The centre force would press directly through the line's middle, while the left column would cross Tidal Cove (Tolo Harbour) toward Kai Tak Airport and eastward toward Devil Peak, a crucial defensive position. The objective was to annihilate British forces on the mainland and compel Hong Kong's surrender through sustained bombardment. Should British forces resist, the island phase of the campaign would commence. Securing the rear against the Chinese National Army of the 7th Military District and Communist guerrillas fell to the 66th Regiment, normally part of the 51st Division but attached to the 38th for this operation. The 66th would simultaneously occupy and secure rear areas throughout the New Territories and Kowloon while the three assault regiments engaged the main defensive forces. This rearguard operation was organised into columns named after their commanding officers: Kitazawa, Kobayashi, Sato, and Araki. The Japanese selected the narrowest approach between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, targeting the eastern coast near Lyemun Passage where only 410 metres of water separated the mainland from the island. Upon landing, forces would rapidly advance inland to seize the critical junction of Wongneichong Gap, then pivot westward and southward to capture Victoria City and the remainder of Hong Kong. The naval contingent divided into two groups: the Bombardment Group and the Attack Group. Approximately 300 personnel from the Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) were attached to the invasion force. Air support came from the First Air Brigade under Col. Habu Hideharu, which contributed 56 light bombers and fighters. Their mission was to neutralise the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, thereby securing aerial and maritime superiority for the ground campaign.   On the eve of war, the British garrison numbered 13,981 all ranks, including nursing staff and St John Ambulance personnel. Of these, 8,919 were British and Canadian, with 4,402 Indian and Chinese. The core infantry force comprised 5,422 regular soldiers, complemented by approximately 6,000 additional personnel across artillery, engineering, naval, and Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC) units. By 1941, the Royal Navy had become a shadow of its former self as the once-dominant China Squadron. Of the three World War I destroyers present on 8 December, two had been sent to Singapore—the third undergoing repairs—by 1930. This redeployment stemmed partly from the futility of defending the colony and partly from a commitment by senior US Navy officers: Britain would reinforce Singapore with Hong Kong's fleet in exchange for four American destroyers at Singapore. This American guarantee, however, never materialized. The defensive infrastructure focused primarily on countering a seaborne attack: twenty-nine coastal guns (9.2in., 6in., 4.7in., and 4in. calibres), ten 18- and 2-pounder beach defense guns, and twenty-eight field guns (60-pounder, 6in., 4.5in., and 3.7in. calibres). The Hong Kong Garrison's infantry comprised four regular army battalions—two British and two Indian—bolstered by five HKVDC infantry companies, each averaging 100 men. The 1st Middlesex Regiment, deployed in August 1937, served as a machine-gun battalion equipped with forty-eight Vickers medium machine guns. Having been abroad since 1931, the regiment had deteriorated through protracted garrison service, Hong Kong being among the softest postings available. From September 1939 onward, all regiments—including the 5/7 Rajputs (arrived June 1937) and the 2/14 Punjab—experienced systematic loss of experienced officers and NCOs to other theaters. The Royal Scots proved particularly hard hit, suffering disciplinary problems and an unusually high court-martial rate. Units like the Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery suffered critical leadership gaps that went unaddressed. By December 1941, many formations fielded inexperienced replacement troops, significantly undermining combat readiness. The Punjabis exemplified these deficiencies. Stationed in Hong Kong since November 1940, they received their vehicles and mortars only in August 1941—three months before combat. Compounding this, forty percent of their strength consisted of raw recruits arrived just in October. When war erupted, artillery regiments found themselves relying on junior officers in senior roles, with British commanders unfamiliar with Urdu directing Indian troops, a handicap that severely compromised effectiveness. Deficient equipment compounded leadership shortages. Shells dating from 1918 detonated prematurely upon discharge, while ammunition shortages crippled operations. On 8 December, all field guns deployed with merely 100 rounds apiece, with 200 rounds held in reserve for the entire campaign, and coastal guns received only 25 rounds each. Insufficient cross-training meant many infantrymen failed to understand the artillery "clock face" targeting system, causing them to miss their objectives. Malaria devastated European troops, particularly the Royal Scots. Of approximately 770 personnel, at least 180 suffered recurring malarial episodes from the Shing Mun Redoubt area's notoriously endemic conditions. Staff shortages forced nearly every unit to promote junior officers to positions beyond their rank, exacerbating structural weaknesses. Although the Canadians' arrival bolstered the garrison, significant handicaps undermined their effectiveness. Both battalions carried a C-class designation—deemed unfit for foreign service—having spent years in soft garrison postings without rigorous training. The deficit was stark: each Canadian soldier received only thirty-five rifle practice rounds. The two battalions incorporated 115 men with fewer than sixteen weeks' training, while sixty-two of seventy-five recruits joining the Winnipeg Grenadiers in June came directly from a training depot lacking even basic rifles. Twelve percent of the Canadian force remained untrained. Equipment deficiencies proved even more damaging. A standard 1941 Canadian infantry battalion required 102 motor vehicles—including twenty-two Universal Carriers, thirty-seven ¾-ton trucks, thirteen 1-ton trucks, thirty-one bicycles, and twenty-two Boys anti-tank rifles. When the Canadians landed, logistical failures left them with only six Bren carriers, two water tankers, twelve ¾-ton trucks, and a single Boys anti-tank rifle. Although they carried 3in. mortars, neither ammunition nor radios accompanied them. Canada possessed only 300 3-inch mortar bombs in its entire inventory at that time, making any allocation to Hong Kong impossible. A second vessel, the SS Don Jose, was dispatched with replacement vehicles and equipment but never reached Hong Kong before 8 December. The Japanese seized it en route to Manila. Despite these shortcomings, the force departed on 27 October with 1,975 men and arrived on 16 November. Intelligence estimates regarding Japanese available forces varied widely, ranging from two to four divisions. On 6 December evening, Chinese reports confirmed the previous day's arrival of three Japanese divisions at Buji township, located eight miles from the border in what is now Shenzhen. Earlier, around 1 November, a Japanese deserter provided intelligence of significant troop concentrations north of the frontier, including large-calibre artillery indicative of at least divisional strength.   The Hong Kong invasion force comprised three service branches: the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) deployed the 38th Infantry Division, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) committed the Second China Fleet, and the Imperial Japanese Air Force (IJAF) contributed the 1st Air Group. Command of the ground assault rested with Lieutenant-General Sano Tadayoshi of the 38th Division, supported by Major-General Ito Takeo heading the infantry group, while supporting arms including artillery, engineers, armor, and transport fell under Sano's authority. The main assault force consisted of three infantry regiments from the 38th Division, each led by a colonel: the 228th under Doi Teihichi, the 229th under Tanaka Ryosaburo, and the 230th under Shoji Toshishige. The 38th Division itself was a standard 1940s B-class infantry division of approximately 20,000 troops (ranging from 18,000–21,000 depending on operational requirements), organized into three regiments with three battalions each. Reflecting the Japanese army's reliance on animal and human transport, each regiment fielded roughly 3,800 troops supported by some 700 horses. Battalion strength averaged around 1,071 personnel, with companies numbering approximately 180 men. Japanese infantry battalions of this period featured a distinctive organization: rifle platoons consisted of four sections (three equipped with rifles and light machine guns, one with light mortars and rifles), complemented by an additional heavy machine-gun company fielding twelve Type 92 weapons and a troop of light artillery—likely Type 92 70mm infantry guns. The divisional field artillery regiment operated 75mm Type 41 mountain guns organized into three 688-man battalions, each with two troops of two guns. Mountain artillery units, numbering 36 guns total, carried additional personnel (3,400) and animals (1,400) to navigate the terrain complexities of Hong Kong operations. Recognizing the need for overwhelming firepower to compel Hong Kong's surrender, the IJA augmented the invasion force with heavy artillery—15cm and 24cm howitzers commanded by Major-General Kitashima Kineo. News of the Canadian reinforcements arriving in Hong Kong forced a reassessment. Commander-in-Chief Sakai Takashi of the 23rd Army informed his superiors that the original ten-day timeline was unrealistic and requested additional troops. Although most formations were already committed to other operations, Imperial Headquarters eventually authorized two depot regiments from Japan to support the campaign. Intended for second-line duties rather than frontline combat, these units were to be returned promptly after freeing experienced personnel for Hong Kong operations. This arrangement allowed the 19th and 20th mixed brigades—approximately 6,000 men organized in five infantry battalions, a field artillery battalion, and an engineer battalion—to be released for Hong Kong. However, Sakai's request for reinforcements met with disapproval from Imperial Headquarters, and he received an unmistakable message: a swift, decisive campaign was essential. His situation worsened when Japanese agents mistakenly identified British Bren carriers as tanks, forcing Sakai to improvise armor by raiding the 1st Reserve Tank Battalion and tankette units from infantry depot divisions. In attempting to secure additional armor from the 11th Army's 9th Reconnaissance Regiment, Sakai encountered resistance. General Hata Shunroku lodged sustained complaints with senior officials, and Sakai received a sharp rebuke—further requests would not be entertained, and his replacement would follow if necessary. Stung by this loss of face, Sakai abandoned all additional requests and became even more determined to achieve success. Vice-Admiral Niimi Masaichi, commanding the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet, oversaw the entire naval element, divided into bombardment and attack groups. His flagship, the light cruiser Isuzu, carried Captain Ura Koichi, who simultaneously commanded the bombardment group. This naval force assembled ships from various China Expeditionary Fleet units, particularly from the Canton Special Base Force, 15 Squadron, and 11 Torpedo Boat Division at Guangzhou. Reflecting Niimi's lack of confidence in the army's air support capabilities, the seaplane tender IJN Kamikawa Maru joined the operation on his insistence, providing organic naval aviation against the threat posed by British Wildebeests. Niimi also petitioned for destroyers IJN Wakaba and Yugure to counter the three British destroyers, though this request was denied. The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) were assigned to conduct diversionary attacks south of Hong Kong Island, intended to distract British forces from the main land invasion thrust. The IJAF's 1st Air Brigade, commanded by Colonel Habu Hideharu, centered on the 45th Air Regiment with 34 Kawasaki Ki-32 Type 98 'Mary' light bombers. This composite force drew aircraft and units from airfields across China and Manchuria—Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Qiqihar—all assembled at Baiyun Aerodrome in Guangzhou on 7 December 1941. Supporting the 1st Air Brigade were the 10th Independent Squadron under Captain Takatsuki Akira with 13 Nakajima Ki-27 Type 97 'Nate' fighters, 3 Mitsubishi Ki-15 Type 97 'Babs' command reconnaissance aircraft from the 18th Independent Reconnaissance Squadron, and the 44th Independent Squadron fielding 6 Tachikawa Ki-36 Type 98 'Ida' observation aircraft. Years before the invasion, the Japanese cultivated an extensive network of agents and sleeper operatives in Hong Kong, methodically gathering intelligence and mapping military installations. This sophisticated network proved remarkably effective: invasion maps carried by IJA officers were actually Hong Kong Government and British military maps, overprinted with Japanese annotations and interpretations. British officers later discovered in captivity that the Peninsula Hotel's regular barber was a Japanese Navy lieutenant-commander who had exploited the intimate setting to extract valuable information about British force dispositions. Intelligence operatives infiltrated every level of Hong Kong society—the garrison tailor and barber both served as spies. This groundwork enabled exceptional accuracy in artillery fire and bombing campaigns. The Japanese further leveraged criminal networks, recruiting gangsters throughout Hong Kong and Guangdong province with money and arms, turning them into irregular auxiliaries supporting the invasion.   On Sunday, 7 December, seven hundred members of the 2nd Royal Scots and Middlesex Regiment marched to St John's Cathedral for the morning service. As Major-General Maltby read a passage from Matthew, his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant I. MacGregor, delivered an urgent message that would change everything. Preparations for conflict had already begun. On 5 December, the HKVDC had mobilized fully, yet Hong Kong's broader population remained unmoved—the Happy Valley racetrack reported record attendance that very day. The contrast was stark: while one institution prepared for war, another celebrated as though nothing threatened. Japanese forces had been positioned advantageously since autumn 1941. The 23rd Army was already stationed west of Guangzhou, with contingents scattered across Foshan Town, Zhuhai, and other locations on the Pearl River delta. Upon orders for war on 1 December, they faced minimal distances to cover. The army regrouped at Humen, Shilong Town, and Guangzhou itself—staging areas for the invasion. The first visible signs arrived on 4–5 December when Japanese forces landed at Mirs Bay; the 228th Regiment moved into its staging area at Buji Town, now part of Shenzhen City. Maltby received these reports and immediately departed the cathedral service to issue urgent stand-to orders. Yet skepticism persisted within military circles. Some dismissed the threat, dismissing such intelligence as "astonishingly erroneous." Meanwhile, the Imperial Japanese Navy massed in the waters beyond Hong Kong's horizon. The Kowloon Infantry Brigade held a stretched defensive line: the 5/7 Rajputs anchored the centre, the 2/14 Punjab the east, and the 2nd Royal Scots the west. Forward positions extended far—C Company, 2/14 Punjab, under Major S. Burns ranged along Castle Peak Road toward Yuen Long. The brigade screen, C Company of the 2/14 Punjab, held Shueng Shui and Taipo Market with four Bren carriers and two armoured cars from the HKVDC, backed by engineers and the 22nd Fortress Company. The Hong Kong Infantry Brigade held Hong Kong Island itself. The Winnipeg Grenadiers occupied Victoria City on the north-west coast, while the Royal Rifles of Canada stretched along the north-east shores from Saukiwan to Lyemun. Brigadier Lawson commanded from his headquarters at Wongneichong Gap in the island's centre. At 0355 hours on 8 December, the code word "Blossom Blossom" was transmitted. Eleven minutes later, Lieutenant-General Sakai ordered the invasion to commence. Fifty minutes after that, at 0445 hours, Major Charles Boxer—a fluent Japanese speaker formerly of the Lincolnshire Regiment—was roused by Radio Tokyo announcing that war was imminent. Governor Young and Major-General Maltby were informed at once. By 0500 hours, the forward demolition points had been blown by Major Gray, OC of C Company 2/14 Punjab, and the HKVDC engineers under Major J. H. Bottomley. At 0645 hours, the garrison received formal notification: Britain and Japan were at war. Seventy-five minutes later, air-raid sirens wailed. Within moments, smoke billowed from Kai Tak Airport as Japanese aircraft destroyed virtually the entire air garrison. The Wildebeests, Walruses, HKVDC biplanes, and several civilian planes were engulfed in flames. Only two Ju-52s of the Eurasia Corporation and one CNAC T-32 Condor escaped destruction—dispersal bays had never been built due to lack of funds. The Japanese then turned to secondary targets, bombing Shamshuipo Camp and the neighbouring police station. The Canadians suffered few large-scale casualties in the initial strikes, though Sergeant Routledge and Signalman Fairley of the signal platoon were wounded—the first Canadian soldiers injured in World War II. Remarkably, Hong Kong Island's theatres, cinemas, and restaurants continued operating as though the island faced no peril. Japanese demolition efforts proved only minor obstacles. Bridges blown were quickly replaced. The invasion proceeded on three fronts: the 230th Regiment advanced westward along the northern route toward Yuen Long and Castle Peak, targeting the northern slope of Tai Mo Mountain. The 228th Regiment drove down the centre, following the Sheung Shui–Taipo–Kowloon road toward Grassy Hill north of the Shing Mun Redoubt. The 229th Regiment, crossing at Sha Tau Kok and by boat at Starling Inlet, proceeded via Taipo toward Tai Shui Hang and Ma On Mountain. Whenever confronted with strongly defended positions, the Japanese bypassed them entirely rather than engage. The first day brought scattered but spirited resistance. Around 1300 hours, the Punjabis inflicted the first serious check, drawing blood from advancing Japanese forces. At 1830 hours, they ambushed and decimated several Japanese platoons south of Taipo market town. The HKVDC's armoured cars and Bren carriers struck similar successes nearby. The 2 Royal Scots' reconnaissance platoon clashed with elements of the 229th Regiment around Yuen Long. Despite these minor victories, Japanese momentum continued. Armed with stolen British maps and guided by fifth columnists, they pushed forward relentlessly. By late afternoon on the 8th, the Punjabis withdrew toward Grassy Hill to avoid being outflanked. The artillerymen of the 12th Battery engaged an IJN destroyer and Japanese forces around Taipo, inflicting heavy casualties. Farther south near Shatin, on the Taipo–Kowloon highway, rapidly advancing Japanese troops surprised the defenders and severed the fuse at an HKVDC demolition point. Their triumph proved momentary; the engineers completed the backup circuit and detonated the bridge, destroying it along with the Japanese soldiers crossing it. By early morning on 9 December, orders came to withdraw all mainland units to the Gin Drinkers Line. The Punjabis, already at Shatin Wai overlooking Tide Cove, held their position under pressure and continuous shelling for the next two days. The HKVDC withdrew to Fotan, a village south of Shatin. Maltby ordered D Company, 5/7 Rajputs, under Captain H. R. Newtons to Smuggler's Ridge to close the gap between the 2 Royal Scots and 2/14 Punjab. HKVDC armoured cars and Bren carriers continued patrols along Castle Peak Road while HMS Cicala, having survived two air attacks, maintained station in Castle Peak Bay. Despite an IJN blockade, the destroyers HMS Thanet and Scout slipped anchor and escaped to Singapore around 2130 hours. The surviving CNAC and Eurasia aircraft took off with high-value evacuees: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's widow and her two equally renowned sisters—the Soong sisters—along with Chinese Finance Minister H. H. Kung. Also departing was Lieutenant-Colonel H. Owen-Hughes of the HKVDC, who carried orders to coordinate with the Chinese Nationalist Army for a rear-guard attack on Japanese forces to relieve the pressure on Hong Kong. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. On 8 December 1941, Japan attacked Hong Kong with the 38th Division, supported by naval and air forces. Despite British defenses manned by undertrained, under-equipped troops, Japanese forces advanced rapidly across three fronts. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed, demolitions proved futile, and British units withdrew toward the Gin Drinkers Line facing overwhelming odds.

Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt grew up in Moscow as the son of the city's chief rabbi, trained in Bnei Brak and Ponovezh, and spent a decade as assistant rabbi at Manhattan's Park East Synagogue — until he was abruptly and very publicly fired. In this raw conversation with Nachi Gordon, he opens up for the first time about that moment: the New York Post headline, the car crash he got into reading about himself, and the isolation of losing not just a job but an entire community. Out of that low point came Altneu, the congregation he and his wife built from nothing — starting with 40 people in their living room, then two and a half years of renting a different Manhattan venue every single week, never knowing until Thursday's email where Shabbos would be. Rabbi Goldschmidt walks through how that instability became the shul's strength, the breaking point that nearly ended the project, his father's advice that turned it around, and how it all led to buying a $35 million building on the Upper East Side. He also gets into what it's like leading a congregation through today's political climate in New York, and the loss of a beloved member that shook the whole community.   This episode is sponsored by:   ► PZ Deals   Download the app and never pay full price again!   https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp   _________________   ► Colel Chabad Pushka App   The easiest way to give Tzedaka   https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful   _________________   ► Shopify Guru   Store looks great but not selling the way it should? Shopify Guru's Daniel gets under the hood and makes it actually work, no developer needed every time you want to make a change. Call 732-534-1404 or go to shopifyguru.io.   https://go.jcn.io/sgmp   _________________   ► Ness Vacation Homes   EDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness.   https://nessvacationhomes.com/   _________________   ► El Al   From the Hebrew announcements to the Israeli atmosphere onboard, flying EL AL feels like Israel before you even land. With nonstop flights to Israel and Jewish comfort from takeoff to landing, there's nothing like hearing: ברוכים הבאים לישראל. Book your next flight with EL AL:   https://www.elal.com/eng/usa?utm_source=meaningful&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=gcny_incoming_usa&cid=s:el%7Cm:what%7Ccp:gcny%7Cct:incoming%7Cau:usa   _________________   ► Rothenberg Law Firm   Personal Injury Law Firm For 50+ years! Reach out today for a free case evaluation.   https://shorturl.at/JFKHH   _________________   ► Town Appliance   Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp.   https://www.townappliance.com   https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp   _________________ Timestamps:   0:00 Intro: A Shul With No Address 2:57 Growing Up in Moscow as the Chief Rabbi's Son 8:47 Sent to Bnei Brak and Ponovezh at Twelve 11:40 Choosing the Rabbinate and the Lakewood "Freezer" Years 18:28 Becoming a Rabbi at Park East at Twenty-Four 23:52 A Decade as Assistant Rabbi at Park East 26:52 Getting Fired: The Sudden, Public Fallout 33:47 Losing a Job, Losing a Community 36:19 His Father's Parallel Story and the Birth of Altneu 44:20 Building a Shul on Wheels Across Manhattan 54:48 The Breaking Point and His Father's Advice 59:05 Buying a $35 Million Building on the Upper East Side 1:01:28 Building Altneu's Identity and Culture 1:10:01 From the Pulpit to Politics: Life in Manhattan Today 1:17:50 Confronting Antisemitism and What Makes a Movement Survive 1:22:00 Remembering Wesley 1:24:37 Closing  

Read OnlineOvercoming the Gates of hellJesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13–16The symbolism associated with Caesarea Philippi is central to today's Gospel. Located north of Jesus' home base in Capernaum, it was a predominantly pagan city known for its shrines to false gods. One of the most prominent was Pan, after whom the region was named Panias (later Banias). Pan, a Greek god, was honored at a shrine near a large cave and spring considered the entrance to Hades. Pan was the god of nature, shepherds, flocks, wild places, fertility, and rustic music, and was often depicted as half man, half goat, with horns and hooves. He played the pan flute and was associated with lust, chaos, and sudden fear—from which we get the word panic.Additionally, the city was the site of a temple dedicated to the late emperor, Caesar Augustus, who was worshiped as a god throughout the Roman Empire. It was into this spiritually dark pagan setting that Jesus led His disciples—on what may have been a two-day journey—for what culminated in a single, monumental question.Jesus took the Twelve away from the comfort of their familiar fishing village and Jewish neighbors for a reason. He wanted them to answer His question not in the midst of the familiar and safe, but in a place marked by spiritual confusion and idolatry. Why? So that faith could be professed even there, and divine grace could confront the darkness that permeated the region.At first, He asked who the people said He was. They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But then He posed the question that reached the heart of His mission: “But who do you say that I am?” This was a moment of divine testing—one which Simon passed with profound faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus' extraordinary and consequential response has enduring significance to this day. He declared:“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17–19).With these sacred words, Jesus founded His Church upon Peter, making him the first pope. In biblical tradition, a change of name signifies a new mission and identity. Simon, son of Jonah, was now to be called Peter—Petros in Greek and Cephas in Aramaic—meaning “rock.” Peter became the solid foundation upon which Christ's Church would be built. No pagan power, false god, or earthly ruler would ever overcome what Christ established with divine authority.Reflect today on the significance of the papacy. Even now, in the successor of Saint Peter, the words of Simon continue to echo throughout the world: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is the pope's first and most important duty—to bear witness to Christ, the Son of God. Despite the personal weaknesses of some popes and the saintliness of others, it is Jesus who established Peter and his successors as the visible foundation of the Church. Pray for the Holy Father, and trust in the timeless witness of every pope since that first moment in Caesarea Philippi—a witness upheld not by human strength, but by Christ's own promise. To profess faith in the papacy is to profess faith in the One who instituted it and endowed it with His divine authority.My Lord, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. With Simon, I profess this truth and place my faith in You, who established Simon, son of Jonah, as Peter—the rock and foundation of Your Church. I believe and profess that the gates of hell shall never prevail against the Church, not because of human strength or perfection, but because of Your eternal promise. I pray for our Holy Father, the pope, and for all his successors. Make them true and faithful witnesses to the confession first spoken by Saint Peter. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Christ handing the Keys to St Peter, by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Welcome to It's A Wonderful Podcast!An under-discussed genre on the show is getting some deserved time under the spotlight this month as Morgan and Jeannine dive into a curious selection of War Movies in WWII ON FILM!Gregory Peck is back as a hard-as-nails general sent to whip a downtrodden bomber unit into shape, while learning to soften his disciplinarian attitude as Morgan and Jeannine talk wartime realism, the power of community, and what it means to be a leader in Henry King's TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (1949)!Our YouTube Channel for all our video content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(17748) It's A Wonderful Podcast - YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The It's A Wonderful Podcast Theme by David B. Music.Donate: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ItsAWonderful1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ItsAWonderful1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IT'S A WONDERFUL PODCAST STORE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teepublic.com/user/g9design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sub to the feed and download now on all major podcast platforms and be sure to rate, review and SHARE AROUND!!Keep up with us on (X) Twitter:Podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/ItsAWonderful1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Morgan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Th3PurpleDon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeannine: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/JeannineDaBean⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠_Keep being wonderful!!

Tony Jones has been getting up early for ten years and refusing to talk to anyone until he has written for hours. Now we know why. Son of Helena is the first book of a trilogy about Constantine — a figure Tony correctly calls a cipher, the empty container into which everyone who loves or hates the marriage of church and state pours their own opinions — and nobody had ever written the historical fiction. Not one. Twenty-five novels about Julius Caesar, several about Nero, Claudius for Claudius, and nothing on the man whose name gets thrown around in every progressive Protestant conversation about Christendom. So Tony wrote it. Or rather, the muse handed it to him during a hypnic jerk on a plane home from the worst family vacation of his life. What follows is a coming-of-age story that ends in 306 — before everything you think you know about Constantine happens — and centers his mother, Helena, the concubine with an unshakeable faith who is the actual argument of the title. We covered why fiction lets him say things nonfiction can't, why he told almost no one he was writing it, the moral imaginary of Rome and why it is so hard to get modern readers inside it, and then a rapid-fire debunking segment where I brought clergy hot takes from the internet and Tony took them apart one at a time. Bring your church history notes. You will be editing them. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Dr. Tony Jones is a theologian, historian, and now novelist — and, by his own count, the most frequent guest in the history of Homebrewed Christianity (he passed Pete Rollins a while back). He was a classics major with Greek and Latin, did a foreign study program in Rome, still leads history tours there, and focused on the early church in seminary. His nonfiction includes Did God Kill Jesus?, The Teaching of the Twelve (on the Didache — whose Eucharistic liturgy shows up in a catacomb scene in this novel), The New Christians, Postmodern Youth Ministry, and his memoir The God of Wild Places. The book at the center of this conversation is Son of Helena, volume one of his Constantine trilogy — available now, with the audiobook out on or before September 1. Volume two, The Sign, releases October 1  and Volume three, The Apostle, releases December 1. All at tonyjonesbooks.com. ⁠⁠JOIN OUR OPEN ONLINE CLASS: The Empire Christ Couldn't Keep⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ever notice how Christian nationalism gets talked about like it's some bizarre new glitch in the faith? It isn't — it's a 2,000-year-old arrangement wearing new clothes, and once you see how the pattern works, you can also spot the Christ who keeps slipping free of it. Join theologian Joerg Rieger and Tripp Fuller for The Christ Empire Couldn't Keep, a free six-week online class tracing the holy alliances, imperial creeds, and stubborn resistance that have shaped Christianity from Paul to the present. You'll get six lectures from Joerg, six live Q&As, weekly readings from his book Christ and Empire, and a community of fellow troublemakers thinking it through together. It's free to join, every session is recorded, and it kicks off Thursday, August 27. Grab your spot at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HomebrewedClasses.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Bible Verse:“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’” — Mark 9:35 Mark 9:35 flips the entire idea of greatness on its head. While the world pushes us to climb higher, Jesus invites us to step lower—not in value, but in posture. True influence, He says, is found in serving, not striving. When we choose humility over self-promotion and compassion over competition, we reflect the heart of Christ. In God’s kingdom, greatness grows from the ground up, where love chooses to kneel before it ever asks to lead. Want more encouragement throughout your week? Subscribe to The Good Word, LifeAudio’s free weekly newsletter. Sign up at LifeAudio.com/thegoodword Meet Today’s Host: Jennifer Dotzler Hear more from Jennifer D on Your Daily Bible Verse at LifeAudio Jennifer Dotzler is a passionate Bible teacher and disciple-maker with a heart for helping others grow in their faith. She brings together her love for Scripture and a practical, compassionate approach to encourage listeners through life’s highs and lows. With a deep desire to see believers strengthened in truth and equipped to walk closely with Christ, Jennifer offers thoughtful, biblically grounded insight in every episode. She’s honored to be part of the Your Daily Bible Verse team, where she aims to inspire and uplift others with truth that transforms.

Welcome to Day 2929 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2929– “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” – Luke 11:1-13 Putnam Church Message – 08/09/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “Lord, Teach Us To Pray.”   Last week, our message was “Exchanging What's Good for What's Best,” and we learned that when good things begin to crowd out the best thing, have the courage to exchange what is good for what is best. Today, we continue with our thirty-third message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “Lord, Teach Us To Pray.” Our core passage today is Luke 11:1-13, on page 1614 of your pew Bibles. Jesus' Teaching on Prayer 1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father,[a] hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.[b] 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c] And lead us not into temptation.[d]'” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Opening Prayer Father, we come before You today as children who need to learn. We confess that we often pray last instead of first. We try to assemble life by our own wisdom, strength, and effort, and only when we have made a mess do we turn to You. Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. Teach us not only the words of prayer, but the heart of prayer. Teach us to come to the Father with reverence, trust, humility, boldness, and surrender. Holy Spirit, open our hearts to receive Your Word, and make prayer not a last resort, but the daily breath of our souls. In Jesus' name, amen. Introduction: When All Else Fails, Read the Instructions There is an old saying many of us know well: “When all else fails, read the instructions.” Some of us live by that saying a little too confidently. We look at a box marked “Some Assembly Required,” and instead of beginning with the instruction sheet, we dump the parts on the floor, glance at the picture on the box, and say, “I can figure this out.” And sometimes we can. / But every now and then, we get humbled. Imagine Christmas Eve. The children are asleep. A hidden box is dragged from the closet. The parts are laid out with great confidence. Screws, bolts, panels, wheels, rods, brackets — all carefully arranged. The project begins smoothly. But somewhere around midnight, the finished product starts looking less like the picture on the box and more like an abstract sculpture. Finally, with dawn approaching, the builder digs the instructions out of the trash. At the top of the page, in small print, some sarcastic soul has written, “Now that you have made a mess of things, please start over and follow these instructions.” That is funny because it is true. And it is often how we approach prayer. We say, “When all else fails, pray.” But Jesus did not live that way. Jesus did not pray only when He was desperate. / He prayed before major decisions. / He prayed after ministry. / He prayed in solitude. / He prayed with others. / He prayed when crowds pressed in. / He prayed in joy. / He prayed in anguish. / He prayed before the cross. Luke has emphasized this repeatedly. / Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray. / He prayed before choosing the Twelve. / He prayed on the mountain before the Transfiguration. / He prayed as His mission moved toward Jerusalem. / Prayer was not a spare tire in Jesus' life. / Prayer was the steering wheel. Last week, in “Exchanging What's Good for What's Best,” we saw Mary sitting at Jesus' feet while Martha was worried and upset about many things. Mary chose the one necessary thing — listening to Jesus. Now, in Luke 11, the disciples watch Jesus pray, and they realize they need instruction. They do not say, “Lord, teach us to preach.” They do not say, “Lord, teach us to heal.” They do not say, “Lord, teach us to cast out demons.” They say, “Lord, teach us to pray.” That request is still one of the most important requests any disciple can make. Let's explore four truths that will help us to understand why this one question is so important. These are found on your bulletin insert on the side that is titled: Lord, Teach us to Pray. Main Point 1: Prayer Begins With Relationship and Reverence Jesus begins the model prayer with one word: “Father.” / That is astonishing. Jesus does not begin with “Distant Creator,” though God is Creator. He does not begin with “Almighty King,” though God is King. He does not begin with “Sovereign Master,” though God is Lord. He teaches His disciples to begin with “Father.” In Greek, the word is pater. In Aramaic, Jesus used the intimate word Abba, which we see in Mark 14 when He prays in Gethsemane. Paul later says in Romans 8 and Galatians 4 that by the Spirit, believers cry, “Abba, Father.” This means prayer begins not with technique, but with relationship. We do not come to God as strangers trying to get the attention of a reluctant deity. We come as children to a Father who already knows us, loves us, and welcomes us. But Jesus also teaches reverence. “May your name be kept holy.” (Hallowed be your name.) God is Father, but He is not casual. / He is near, but not common. / He is loving, but

Twelve men in Ephesus had never even heard there was a Holy Spirit, yet when Paul told them the truth about Jesus that they hadn't heard, they obeyed with no deliberation, no waiting for a sign. Then the Spirit worked in remarkable ways. Keeping “in step with the Spirit” is not a moment of power but a life of simple obedience and frequent repentance. Neither is complicated, but neither is easy. We can can't sustain obedience on our own, which is why repentance is “all the life of the believer,” and why Jesus Christ the righteous stands as our advocate every time we fail.

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Stephen Seized 8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

We hope you enjoyed this episode.If you haven't yet, make sure to leave a review and let us know your thoughts on the content this week. Also, make sure to add our podcast to your library if you haven't yet, so you don't miss our weekly content. Also, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠seedgiver.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and consider becoming a part of this missions initiative. With your spare change, you can change the world!

We hope you enjoyed this episode.If you haven't yet, make sure to leave a review and let us know your thoughts on the content this week. Also, make sure to add our podcast to your library if you haven't yet, so you don't miss our weekly content. Also, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠seedgiver.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and consider becoming a part of this missions initiative. With your spare change, you can change the world!

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Alan Rozenshtein, Michael Feinberg, and Loren Voss to talk through the week's big news in national security, including:“Under Pressure.” Over the past two weeks, hackers have breached the industrial control systems of water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states, prompting an urgent joint warning from federal agencies. The intruders locked operators out of internet-connected control devices, changed passwords, and in some cases caused water-pressure drops and flooding, forcing utilities to switch to manual operation and issue boil-water notices. The attacks came just days after federal agencies renewed their warning about Iranian-affiliated cyber activity targeting U.S. critical infrastructure amidst the ongoing war with Iran—though the administration has not formally attributed them, and President Trump has publicly waved off the Iran theory. How worried should we be about the security of our critical infrastructure? And what, if anything, can Washington actually do about it?“The Shawshank Resumption.” Last week, at the annual Black Hat cybersecurity conference, OpenAI provided a detailed look into the recent high-profile cybersecurity incident in which an AI model being stress-tested by OpenAI broke out of its evaluation sandbox, found its way onto the open internet through a zero-day vulnerability, and hacked its way into the systems of the machine learning platform Hugging Face—apparently in an effort to cheat on the very security test it was being given by stealing the answer key. The account they gave was an extraordinary one, as it described dozens of agents using various frontier and non-frontier models collaborating across a secret messageboard they established to hack an internal software system to access the outside internet—and then doing it again, this time successfully, after OpenAI caught and deleted their first attempt. What does this level of collaboration and persistence mean for the future of cybersecurity? And what can anyone do about it?“Apocalypse Mow.” This week marks one year since President Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., as part of his “Make DC Safe and Beautiful” initiative. Twelve months and nearly 10,000 troops later, the deployment has become a normalized fixture: armed Guard members patrol the National Mall, Metro stations, and neighborhoods, while also picking up trash, spreading mulch, and pruning trees. The Pentagon now projects the mission—which Trump has authorized through Inauguration Day 2029—will cost an additional $1.4 billion. But a year in, it remains genuinely unclear what these troops are actually doing, and whether much of it counts as law enforcement at all. What has the deployment accomplished? And what does its open-ended normalization mean for the use of the military at home?In object lessons, Mike is descending into madness; that is, the Dark Horse Comics manga adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's “At the Mountains of Madness.” Alan is being sucked into the black hole of binge reading “The Expanse” novel series (and then Alan and Scott nerd out to sci-fi generally; bear with it). Scott is voting “yea” on playing “Yea or Nay” today. And Loren is diving into handwritten primary source documents, and you can, too!Note: We'll be on vacation next week, so be on the lookout for our next episode on August 27!To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Alan Rozenshtein, Michael Feinberg, and Loren Voss to talk through the week's big news in national security, including:“Under Pressure.” Over the past two weeks, hackers have breached the industrial control systems of water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states, prompting an urgent joint warning from federal agencies. The intruders locked operators out of internet-connected control devices, changed passwords, and in some cases caused water-pressure drops and flooding, forcing utilities to switch to manual operation and issue boil-water notices. The attacks came just days after federal agencies renewed their warning about Iranian-affiliated cyber activity targeting U.S. critical infrastructure amidst the ongoing war with Iran—though the administration has not formally attributed them, and President Trump has publicly waved off the Iran theory. How worried should we be about the security of our critical infrastructure? And what, if anything, can Washington actually do about it?“The Shawshank Resumption.” Last week, at the annual Black Hat cybersecurity conference, OpenAI provided a detailed look into the recent high-profile cybersecurity incident in which an AI model being stress-tested by OpenAI broke out of its evaluation sandbox, found its way onto the open internet through a zero-day vulnerability, and hacked its way into the systems of the machine learning platform Hugging Face—apparently in an effort to cheat on the very security test it was being given by stealing the answer key. The account they gave was an extraordinary one, as it described dozens of agents using various frontier and non-frontier models collaborating across a secret messageboard they established to hack an internal software system to access the outside internet—and then doing it again, this time successfully, after OpenAI caught and deleted their first attempt. What does this level of collaboration and persistence mean for the future of cybersecurity? And what can anyone do about it?“Apocalypse Mow.” This week marks one year since President Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., as part of his “Make DC Safe and Beautiful” initiative. Twelve months and nearly 10,000 troops later, the deployment has become a normalized fixture: armed Guard members patrol the National Mall, Metro stations, and neighborhoods, while also picking up trash, spreading mulch, and pruning trees. The Pentagon now projects the mission—which Trump has authorized through Inauguration Day 2029—will cost an additional $1.4 billion. But a year in, it remains genuinely unclear what these troops are actually doing, and whether much of it counts as law enforcement at all. What has the deployment accomplished? And what does its open-ended normalization mean for the use of the military at home?In object lessons, Mike is descending into madness; that is, the Dark Horse Comics manga adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's “At the Mountains of Madness.” Alan is being sucked into the black hole of binge reading “The Expanse” novel series (and then Alan and Scott nerd out to sci-fi generally; bear with it). Scott is voting “yea” on playing “Yea or Nay” today. And Loren is diving into handwritten primary source documents, and you can, too!Note: We'll be on vacation next week, so be on the lookout for our next episode on August 27!To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I like that it's hard. I just don't think it needs to be harsh."Chef Duane Keller spent a year turning around the kitchen at Bellmead Country Club in Thomson, Georgia — cutting cost of goods in half and nearly doubling sales — while running on a leadership philosophy he calls gentle pressure. This episode also brings in his sous chef Damon and general manager Josh Morris, so you get the same turnaround from three different seats in the room, and the answer to a much bigger question: what a year of consistent, unglamorous pressure actually costs and returns.Registration for the free monthly Leadership Lab is open — a live working space for chefs ready to lead without losing themselves — @ https://thecheflifebrigade.com/thelabThe Slicer StoryChef Duane didn't walk into Bellmead with a five-year plan. He walked in and asked one question: do we have a slicer? The answer was yes — sitting unused in the storeroom, while the kitchen kept buying pre-sliced deli meat instead of prepping from scratch. In his own words, there had been "no effort, and therefore no results." Twelve months later, cost of goods was cut in half and sales were nearly double what they'd been. Turnaround leadership, it turns out, rarely starts with vision. It starts with somebody finally asking the obvious question nobody else bothered to.The Pathology Report Nobody ReadThen the conversation turns, and Duane tells you something he didn't have to. He survived two cancers at the same time — worked through it, radioactive pill and all, taking $3,000 shots every day while running full food-and-beverage operations. The nurses administering them didn't even know what they were for. It later came out that his own doctors had sat on his pathology report and forgotten to read it — the report that could have caught things sooner. He almost died from an administrative mistake, not the disease itself.He doesn't tell this story for sympathy. He tells it because it's the actual foundation under everything else he says about leadership. "I look at every day as a gift," he says. Not as a slogan — as the thing that happened to him after he nearly lost the option to have any more of them.Trust But VerifySous chef Daymon didn't come up through culinary school. He spent ten years running a Bed Bath & Beyond location before the company folded — cooking was his wife's idea, not a childhood dream. When Duane's first sous chef left, Damon didn't get handed the job because he was next in line. Duane made him earn it: testing his menu ideas, watching how he communicated, waiting to see if the commitment was real. Damon's own framing for it, borrowed from a saying he picked up in a military family: trust, but verify. He got the promotion. More importantly, both of them learned they could rely on each other before either one had to find out the hard way.Cashing In the BoardroomGeneral manager Josh Morris used to just be a member here — then a board director, then the guy who "cashed in the boardroom and headed to the administrative office" when the GM seat opened up. A year later he calls it a brand-new club, a brand-new vibe. He's also honest that it's been "way harder than I thought it was gonna be," and that the cost has been real — time away from a three-year-old daughter chief among it. He credits Duane's collaborative style directly: "It's not a y'all and me. We're all gonna be a team."Cook With Your HeartAsk Duane what he wants his legacy to be and he doesn't reach for a résumé line, even though he's got plenty to reach for — James Beard recognition, cooking for three sitting presidents, a feature in Golf Kitchen. He says it plainly: anybody who believes they can cook with their heart. "Because all that is, is caring." Most of us armor up somewhere along the way in this industry to survive it. The chefs worth working for are the ones who stayed soft enough underneath the armor to still mean it.The Gentle Pressure MethodPut it all together and you get Duane's actual operating system: invest in your people daily, give feedback constantly, his own number is ten times an hour, seventy percent praise — bring people along instead of demanding instant mastery, and let trust compound for about a year before you shift into more warmth. None of it is complicated. All of it requires doing it every single day, without exception, without theatrics."A little bit every day, a little gentle pressure. That's how people improve."Chapters00:00:00 — Gentle Pressure Introduced00:02:42 — Club Turnaround Story00:07:51 — Career Growth and Future00:08:21 — Cancer and Gratitude00:10:38 — Mentorship and Learning00:14:40 — Damon's Kitchen Journey00:18:41 — Earning Trust in the Brigade00:23:58 — Passion Beyond the Hustle00:27:40 — Perspective Shift After Illness00:31:55 — Memorable Events and Math00:35:55 — Teaching Through Food00:37:47 — Leading with Heart00:42:12 — Legacy and Softness00:45:22 — Josh's Club Background00:47:46 — Measuring Renovation Success00:50:41 — Collaborative Leadership00:53:41 — Self-Care and Delegation00:55:49 — Weather and Membership Growth00:58:46 — Wellness and Family Time01:02:13 — Gentle Pressure Philosophy01:04:49 — Advice for Young ChefsResearch LinksBelle Meade Country Club Chef Duane KellerSubscribe to The Recipe for Your Success NewsletterLearn more at Chef Life CoachingFollow Chef Life RadioStay Tall & Frosty. And Lead from the Heart. —Adam.

n August 2026, eCash (ECX) comes out in its alpha phase: leading up to a final complete rollout on October 31st 2026, Bitcoin's 18th birthday. To better explain how this process will take place and why every bitcoiner should try BIP300 this Halloween, Paul Sztorc joins the show for a record-breaking 11th time! Time stamps: 00:01:17 – Welcome: Paul Sztorc for the 11th time, a new record 00:01:42 – Four months since the hard fork announcement 00:02:00 – The three phase rollout: alpha, beta, October 31st mainnet 00:02:25 – Why the launch was delayed: summer, Coldcard hack, BIP 110 00:03:04 – Practice runs: 1,000 test coins convert to 10 real eCash 00:03:55 – Alpha & beta as successors to the drivechain testnet 00:04:25 – How to claim: your Bitcoin private key & splitting transactions 00:04:42 – The fast facts GitHub repo & replay protection 00:05:07 – Why most people should not type in their main keys 00:05:27 – Mining or buying: the other ways to get eCash 00:06:04 – Mining the alpha with SHA-256D hardware 00:06:35 – The 1000:10 conversion threshold explained 00:06:51 – Why old hardware (S9s, Bitaxes) can be profitable again 00:07:17 – The launch difficulty debate: from "difficulty 1" to real data 00:08:14 – Alpha & beta as a glimpse of future price and hash rate 00:09:34 – The other fork's struggles vs planning ahead 00:10:03 – Call to action: withdraw from exchanges, accumulate BTC 00:10:24 – The network only recognizes one owner of the coin 00:10:46 – Self custody advice in a tough summer 00:11:24 – eCash vs BIP 110: honest hard fork vs 100% hash rate claims 00:12:13 – Name picking, PoW changes & the train wreck 00:13:00 – From 5 to 7 to 12 drivechains 00:13:30 – The giveaway announcement & the sponsors 00:16:07 – Thunder: scaling to 8 billion people 00:16:32 – zSide: Zcash Orchard privacy on a drivechain 00:16:48 – BitNames, BitAssets, prediction markets, CoinShift 00:17:17 – Two EVM flavors, an OP_CAT chain & a post-EVM science project 00:18:12 – Elements Plus: Blockstream's own tech, completed by the community 00:19:26 – "How many Lightning implementations at launch?" "Hopefully zero" 00:20:11 – Lightning is a dead project, the evidence is overwhelming 00:20:45 – The giveaway: Paul picks 10, the chat said 77 00:21:17 – Recap: three stages, more drivechains, October 31st 00:22:03 – Try the tech: maximizing what Bitcoin can do 00:22:53 – Rohit wins the prize & the shortest Sztorc interview ever 00:23:59 – The autumn of forks: BIP 110 delays, eCash extends to Halloween 00:24:23 – Bitcoin's 18th birthday on the metzdowd mailing list 00:24:49 – Why drivechains: all fees go to proof of work miners 00:25:38 – Hoping a Bitcoin competitor pushes Bitcoin forward 00:28:02 – Twelve drivechains you can test today

19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”Mark 8:19-211.) The Reason (The stakes are too low).We live in a world that requires us to learn the language of prayer because we live in God's world.16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-174 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-52.) The Pathway (The knowledge doesn't translate to life)But if I try to set forth something of the reasonableness of all prayer, I beg my readers to remember that it is for the sake of action and not speculation; if prayer be anything at all, it is a thing to be done: what matter whether you agree with me or not, if you do not pray?George MacDonaldPrayer is less a thing to understand, and more a thing to be done.3.) Immersion (High stakes, totally practical)Immersion: foreign language instruction in which only the language being taught is used15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”Romans 8:1526 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:2616 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.1 Thessalonians 5:16-18There is a reality of being in which all things are easy and plain—oneness, that is, with the Lord of Life; to pray for this is the first thing; and to the point of this prayer every difficulty hedges and directs us. George MacDonaldLEARN HOW TO “BE” THROUGH PRAYER“The first purpose of prayer isn't getting what we need from God—it's learning to live with God.”14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”Mark 8:14-21We learn to COMMUNE before we learn to COMMUNICATE “God is with me”16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”Mark 8:16-21The paltry solitariness of a loaf was enough to hide the Lord from them, to make them unable to understand.George MacDonaldWe learn to RECEIVE before we learn to REQUEST In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.”Mark 8:1-2“God sees my need before I see my need.”We learn to LIVE before we learn to UNDERSTAND19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”Mark 8:16-21“I learn to live with Him, not how to understand Him.”

Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest instead of going directly to Jesus? In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, Catholic Answers apologists respond to major Protestant objections to the Sacrament of Confession. They explain how a priest can say “I absolve you” without claiming to be God, why the priesthood of all believers does not eliminate the ministerial priesthood, and whether John 20 gives the apostles the authority to actually forgive sins or merely announce God's forgiveness. The discussion also examines how this authority was passed on after the apostles, what the Bible means when it commands Christians to confess their sins, and whether perfect contrition makes sacramental confession unnecessary. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 01:51 – Why do I have to confess to a priest — can't I go straight to Jesus? 5:00 – Because priests are not God, when a priest says ‘I absolve you,' how is that not the blasphemy the scribes accused Jesus of? 07:45 – Why a special priest at all — aren't all believers priests? (The priesthood of all believers — doesn't that make every Christian a priest, with no need for an absolving clergy-caste?) 18:30 – Doesn't John 20 just mean the apostles announce forgiveness, not absolve? (Couldn't that just mean they PROCLAIM God's forgiveness — preach it — rather than personally absolve?) 24:50 – Even if it's real absolution power God gave the Apostles, why think it passed on after the apostles died? (Where does Scripture say it passes on, instead of dying with the Twelve?) 38:38 – When the Bible instructs us to confess our sins isn't that a reference to mutual accountability among believers — not kneeling before an ordained man? 49:31 – If perfect contrition already forgives, isn't the sacrament unnecessary?

Mark 6:6–13 Jesus sent out the Twelve — two by two, with nothing but a walking stick and their sandals. Why twelve? And why send them out with nothing? In this episode, we go all the way back to Jacob and the twelve tribes of Israel to discover what Jesus was really doing — and we learn that the power to do His work is always a gift He gives, never something we pack, earn, or figure out on our own. In this episode: Why the number twelve points all the way back to Jacob and the twelve tribes of Israel How the first twelve tribes struggled to do their job — and how Jesus started fresh with a new twelve What it meant to travel with "nothing" — and who the disciples had to trust What it means to repent ❤️ Shout outs- Support the show Love Kids Bible Stories? You can help us keep making it — and get a shoutout on a future episode! One-time gift → DonorboxGive once, get a shoutout. OR Join the Family Library → Patreon: Either option gets you a shoutout. The Family Library on Patreon adds ad-free listening and bonus resources as our way of saying thank you. ---- Thanks to today's sponsor, ⁠GoMinno!! ⁠You'll want to check out this great resource for your family.

Dispatch Part 2: His Name Is Mister Whisky And No One Knows If He's A Guy In A Suit Square Roots - Episode 525 Hot Gaming Gossip: 0:02:25 Quest Log: 0:24:00 Level Up: 2:01:15 OBSESSION (2026) SPOILERS AT 02:17:00 THROUGH 02:26:00 We become an old person podcast! We don't approve of this Yung Gravy, even if his delivery as Golem is quite good. That's right, we're adding so many more Dispatch episodes. Eight? Twelve? Thirty two?! Also: • Warriors Cats! • Page Doctor Matt For Cruising Analysis • Name One Bad Thing Chevy Chase Has Ever Said • We Finally Remember to Do a Johnny's Bullshit Mini Game Corner This Week: Finish Episode 4 of Dispatch! Next Week: Finish Episode 6 of Dispatch! Our Patreon: http://patreon.com/squarerootspodcast Thanks to Steven Morris for his awesome theme! You can find him at: https://bsky.app/profile/stevenmorrismusic.bsky.social and https://www.youtube.com/user/morrissteven Contact Square Roots! Twitter: @squarerootspod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486022898258197/ Email: squarerootspodcast (at) gmail (dort) com

Shannon's 6:30 Dirty 8-12-2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The internet is officially out of control.

The Whiskey Trip heads deep into the Texas Hill Country this week for a stop in Hye, Texas, and a conversation with Samantha Olvera of Garrison Brothers Distillery.   Samantha takes Chief through her incredible 12-year journey with Garrison Brothers, from the earlier days of the distillery to watching it grow into one of the most recognized names in Texas whiskey. Along the way, they talk about the people behind the bottles, the hard work that happens when nobody is watching, and Samantha's genuine love and respect for the production crew she has worked beside for more than a decade.   Twelve years in one place says something. In a world where people often move on to the next opportunity, Samantha's story is a reminder that there's something special about growing alongside the people and the dream you believed in from the beginning.   "Loyalty isn't about standing still. It's about standing with the people who believed in you until the dream becomes a legacy."  Big Chief, The Whiskey Trip   Of course, you can't visit Garrison Brothers without pouring some Texas bourbon. Chief starts the ride with the smooth and sweet HoneyDew before finishing the first half with Garrison Brothers Bottled in Bond.   The second half takes things up another notch as Chief pours the PX Sherry Cask Ranch Reserve, followed by the Oloroso Sherry Cask Ranch Reserve to close out the show. Two big, bold finishes worthy of a Texas-sized Whiskey Trip.   This episode is about more than whiskey. It's about people, loyalty, hard work, and what happens when you stick around long enough to watch a dream become a legacy.   Pour yourself something good and join us in Hye, Texas.   Keep Taking the Ride

Twelve years is a long time to hurt in silence. Mark 5 gives us a woman who has tried everything, spent everything, and still isn't better and then she makes one brave move: she reaches through the crowd and touches the hem of Jesus' garment. Her pain stops immediately, but the deeper surprise is what Jesus does next. He pauses, turns toward the unseen person, and makes space for her whole truth.We sit with this story as a mirror for chronic illness, emotional wounds, and situations that feel like they will never change. When life is pressing in and your need feels small compared to everyone else's crisis, Jesus' attention in Mark 5 challenges that lie. He is on the way to help a dying girl, yet he stops to minister to one person who reaches for him in faith. That means your suffering is not invisible, and your prayer is not an interruption.This devotional is taken from Strength to Equal Your Days, a 365-day devotional, with ways to find more resources and support the show. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more listeners can find these short, Scripture-filled moments of peace.

Send us Fan MailShe never missed a Monday. Twelve months of weekly billing meetings, every number reviewed, every question answered. And by the end of that year her net collection rate had dropped four points, her ninety-plus AR was up forty percent, and her denial rate had climbed from six percent to eleven. The numbers were there every week. The report was accurate. Nothing changed, because the meeting was structured around reporting instead of around deciding. System 1: the financial snapshot. Three numbers, charges, payments posted, and unlocked encounters, each compared to last week and month to date. Payments lag charges by 30 to 45 days, so a strong week reflects submissions from a month ago. And unlocked encounters, the number most owners skip, is the most controllable revenue lever on the report. On a practice doing $350,000 a month, each day of unsigned encounters at scale represents roughly $12,000 to $18,000 in claims that are not in the pipeline. System 2: AR aging, denials, and stuck claims. AR aging by date of service is the patient-facing view. AR aging by claim date is the payer-facing view. The comparison between them is its own diagnostic: if date-of-service aging is older, you had a submission delay. If claim-date aging is drifting past 90 while date-of-service aging sits at 30 to 60, the payer is holding claims that went out promptly. Denials and rejections are also not the same problem: a rejection happens before adjudication and is a front-end fix, a denial happens after and carries appeal deadlines. System 3: the accountability layer. Patient statements, four trackers, the rolling action item tracker, and the onshore manager review. The rolling tracker is the section that makes the meeting matter: eight fields, every item with one named owner and one due date, no item closed without a resolution note. Without it, the same problems get identified week after week and the meeting becomes a theater of accountability rather than a mechanism for it. THE WEEKLY MEETING AGENDA Financial Snapshot, 5 min. Charges, payments posted, unlocked encounters vs last week and MTD. Ask: did we move in the right direction and do we know why? AR Aging by DOS, 5 min. Ask: is the 90-plus bucket growing or shrinking week over week? AR Aging by Claim Date, 3 min. Ask: where are claims stalling after submission and which payer is holding them? Denial Analysis, 7 min. Ask: what is the root cause of the top denial and what closes it? Rejection Analysis, 5 min. Ask: what front-end information gap is generating these and who fixes it? PM System Status, 3 min. Ask: what is sitting in a status that should have moved by now? Patient Statements, 3 min. Ask: are we sending on schedule and is patient AR moving? Tracker Updates, 5 min. Ask: what is still open from last week and does it have a new owner or date? Rolling Action Items, 5 min. Ask: does every open item have one owner and one due date? Manager Review, 4 min. Ask: what is the team seeing that is not captured in the numbers?READING YOUR AR 90-plus growing week over week. Claims aging without resolution. Ask which payer and what status, and whether this is a follow-up gap or a payer dispute. 0 to 30 growing faster than payments. Strong submission, lagging cash. Ask whether this is normal lag or a specific payer slowing down. 120-plus unchanged for 3 or more weeks. Approaching or past timely filing. Ask which claims, what the appeal status is, and whether any need to be written off. Claim date aging older than DOS aging. Submission delay. Ask what caused it and whether it is still happening on current claims. Unlocked encounters climbing. Charts are not being signed. Ask which providers, how many days open, and who is following up today. THREE ACTIONS THIS WEEK 1. Pull your unlocked encounter count today and bring it to Monday. If it is growing, that is the first conversation before any other section gets opened. 2. Ask your billing manager for the rolling action item tracker from the last four meetings. If it does not exist, that is the answer. 3. Write one specific question for each of the three main sections before your next meeting, and notice what changes when the meeting has a questioner in it. EPISODE BREAKDOWN She never missed a Monday | Reporting versus deciding | The financial snapshot | Unlocked encounters | AR aging, two views | Denials versus rejections | Claims status | Trackers and patient statements | The rolling action item tracker | The manager review | Three things to do this weekResources block 1. FREE: Practice Financial Health Dashboard, https://eligibility.natrevmd.com/free-practice-financial-health-dashboard-for-physicians-natrevmd 2. FREE: Practice Revenue Leak Scorecard, https://eligibility.natrevmd.com/nrm-revenue-scorecard-v3 3. Everything else we have built, in one place: https://natrevmd.com/trusted-resources/ 4. Related listening, EP200 and EP201 on building the billing partnership and the shared operating model: EP200 and EP201

Megarachne as we know it now: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. Megarachne is only known from two specimens, neither of which is complete, which adds to the confusion. It lived around 300 million years ago in what is now South America. It was described in 1980 from the first specimen discovered and was named Megarachne, which means big spider. The scientist who described it thought it was a type of primitive spider related to modern tarantulas, but much bigger. He estimated its legspan was 20 inches, or 50 cm, with a body length of just over 13 inches, or 34 cm. That made it the largest spider ever known by a lot. Other palaeontologists, especially arachnologists who specialize in spiders and their relations, weren't convinced Megarachne was a spider. But it wasn't until 2005 when a more complete specimen was discovered that anyone could say for sure what it was. The second specimen made it clear that it wasn't a spider at all but a sea scorpion, or eurypterid, and not an especially large one compared to some. It probably grew to 21 inches long, or 54 cm. But by then, Megarachne had gotten really popular as a giant spider. It was in the BBC documentary Walking with Monsters, although the producers changed its name to Mesothelae right before it aired, which was just after the new findings about Megarachne came out. Mesothelae is a suborder of big spiders from parts of Asia that retain many traits of ancestral spiders. It was a valiant attempt by the BBC to make the documentary less incorrect, but of course the spider they were talking about still wasn't a spider and no spider known has ever grown that large. But while Megarachne isn't a giant spider, and isn't even a very big eurypterid, it is important since not very many eurypterids are known from South America. It also appears to be closely related to Mycterops and Woodwardopterus, similar-looking euripterids from North America and Europe. But some researchers think it's not as cut and dried as it sounds. Instead of three similar creatures living in different areas, they think there's something else going on. Eurypterids were arthropods, the phylum that includes insects, arachnids, and crustaceans, among others. Arthropods have an exoskeleton that they molt periodically as they grow, and many arthropods have complicated life stages compared to other animals. When a shark hatches, it looks like a miniature adult and just grows larger as it gets older, but when an arthropod hatches, it usually doesn't look anything like its adult form. Some arthropods go through many stages of life before reaching the adult body plan. Crustaceans have numerous larval stages, for instance, that often look very different from the adult. Some researchers think that Megarachne, Mycterops, and Woodwardopterus were all the same animal, and that the differences are due to it being in three different stages of development when it died and was preserved. We don't have any way to know if this was correct, of course, not until we hopefully find more fossil remains. Other eurypterids did appear to go through some physical changes during maturation, as far as researchers can tell with the remains we have, but Megarachne, Mycterops, and Woodwardopterus belonged to a different family from other eurypterids and are much rarer. They might have been quite different developmentally. We can also look at the living relations to see how likely it is that eurypterids had different larval stages where they looked different from the adult form. Eurypterids were probably most closely related to horseshoe crabs, although not everyone agrees. Horseshoe crabs have been around for 445 million years and are really neat animals that we're lucky to still have in the world. The horseshoe crab hatches into a larva that looks a lot like a trilobite. It does indeed go through physical changes as it grows and molts over the course of three years, so it's reasonable to assume that eurypterids did too. On the other hand, some researchers think eurypterids were more closely related to modern scorpions. Scorpions actually give birth to live babies instead of laying eggs, and the female carries the babies on her back for several days up to several weeks, depending on the species. Once the babies have their first molt they look a lot more like miniature adults and pretty soon are able to leave their mother and hunt on their own. So again, it's possible that eurypterids had a system more like this instead of like the horseshoe crab's. While we're talking about scorpions, did you know that scorpions glow blue-green in ultraviolet light? The scorpion's exoskeleton contains fluorescent chemicals, but we're not sure why. Scorpions do have incredibly light sensitive eyes, and can navigate at night using only starlight. Their eyes can't form sharp images like ours can, though. And scorpions have a lot of eyes. Spiders have four pairs of eyes, but some scorpions have more than that. All species have a pair on top of the cephalothorax, which corresponds to the head, and more on the sides of the cephalothorax. Some species have up to five pairs of eyes in addition to the ones on top of the head. Twelve eyes seems like overkill but it works for the scorpion. Eurypterids had both compound eyes and simple eyes. That's all we know about Megarachne right now, at least until we find more fossilized specimens. Let's hope we do, and while we're at it, let's hope we find some more fossilized giant spiders because that would be cool. Thanks for your support, and thanks for listening!

He was numbered among the Seventy. Then, when Judas who betrayed Christ had taken his own life, the disciples (120 men and women) convened to choose one who would take his place among the Twelve. They nominated two, Joseph (called Barsabas or Justus) and Matthias, then cast lots. The lot fell to Matthais, who henceforth was numbered among the Twelve (See Acts ch. 1). Accounts of his Apostolate after this vary. According to some, he preached the Gospel in Ethiopia and met his martyrdom there. According to others, after visiting Ethiopia he returned to Judea, where he was tried and condemned by Ananias the High Priest, and stoned to death, then beheaded.

After a fitting epilogue to the Black Annie Affair, we do a bit of bookkeeping before launching into the next scenario: "Eyes for the Blind"! Featuring Kenny as Malik Abdul Qadir al-Sayf Des as Dr. William Kirby Jen as Editha Wilson

Full Text of Readings Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 115 The Saint of the day is Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross' Story A brilliant philosopher who stopped believing in God when she was 14, Edith Stein was so captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of Avila that she began a spiritual journey that led to her baptism in 1922. Twelve years later she imitated Saint Teresa by becoming a Carmelite, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Born into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau, Germany—now Wroclaw, Poland—Edith abandoned Judaism in her teens. As a student at the University of Göttingen, she became fascinated by phenomenology–an approach to philosophy. Excelling as a protégé of Edmund Husserl, one of the leading phenomenologists, Edith earned a doctorate in philosophy in 1916. She continued as a university teacher until 1922, when she moved to a Dominican school in Speyer; her appointment as lecturer at the Educational Institute of Munich ended under pressure from the Nazis. After living for four years in the Cologne Carmel, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross moved to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands, in 1938. The Nazis occupied that country in 1940. In retaliation for being denounced by the Dutch bishops, the Nazis arrested all Dutch Jews who had become Christians. Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz on August 9, 1942. Pope John Paul II beatified Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in 1987 and canonized her 12 years later. Reflection The writings of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross fill 17 volumes, many of which have been translated into English. A woman of integrity, she followed the truth wherever it led her. After becoming a Catholic, Edith continued to honor her mother's Jewish faith. Sister Josephine Koeppel, O.C.D., translator of several of Edith's books, sums up this saint with the phrase, “Learn to live at God's hands.”Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Twelve thousand five hundred miles above Earth, 31 satellites quietly guide nearly every navigation app on the planet. Newt tells how GPS, developed by the Department of Defense as a military tool, became a free gift to humanity after President Reagan opened it to civilian use following the 1983 Korean Air Lines tragedy. From synchronizing financial markets to guiding precision agriculture, GPS now contributes over $1.5 trillion annually to the U.S. economy alone. It's a case study in the right relationship between government-funded infrastructure and private-sector innovation—and a daily demonstration of Einstein's physics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Posting every day. Chasing the trending audio. Making one more clip that's dead by tomorrow morning. And then getting up and starting over. That's the wide path. It works for some people, and I'm not going to pretend it doesn't. But I don't think it's the one God called you to. In this episode I'm sharing what happened when my entire YouTube platform got shut down two hours after I posted my testimony of Christ. What I built in its place. And the one time I mentioned an application link on this podcast and over 250 women applied. I want to show you the narrow path. Long form content that keeps working for you years from now, and keeps preaching after you're gone. If you're tired of the hamster wheel, this one's for you. Key Points 1. The hamster wheel works. It just isn't the only road, and it isn't free. Mia is careful not to condemn social media. Plenty of people are getting real results there. But daily short form content demands your attention constantly, dies within 24 hours, and makes you start over every morning. The question isn't whether it works. The question is whether it's the life God called you to. 2. Losing everything overnight taught her what "owned" really means. Twelve years ago Mia shared her testimony of Christ, emailed it to her list, and watched her YouTube account disappear two hours later. No explanation. It never came back. That account was her entire lead generation. Around that same time, God gave her the idea for the podcast. 3. Depth compounds. Reach doesn't. She never watched the numbers. She started God-Centered Success to help entrepreneurs keep God first, recorded audio only so nothing stood between her and showing up weekly, and let it build. One hundred downloads per episode became a thousand. Then it doubled. And doubled again. Eventually 30,000 downloads per episode, with listeners in countries all over the world. 4. One mention. Over 250 applications. Before she had a big email list, before the podcast had a large audience, Mia opened a coaching program and simply mentioned the application link on an episode. More than 250 people applied. That's the positioning that long form content creates. 5. Short form content is the first thing AI replaces. AI can generate short clips by the thousands, with a synthetic face, from someone who never shows their own. If short form is all you produce, you are replaceable by definition. Long form builds a voice that can't be duplicated. 6. Trust is what makes any offer sell, and high ticket makes it non-negotiable. Nobody invests thousands of dollars based on a few clips they scrolled past. That level of trust gets built when someone binge listens to you while they're driving, cooking, cleaning. They come to know your mindset before they ever see your offer. 7. Legacy content outlives you. Mia's challenge: if you published weekly for the next thirty or forty years, you could leave behind a thousand episodes still reaching people long after you're gone. A post from Tuesday won't do that. Scriptures That Anchor This Episode Note: these are not quoted in the recording. They're the biblical foundation underneath what Mia teaches, included here so listeners can sit with them. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) — Mia's wide path and narrow path language comes straight from here. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Romans 12:2 (NKJV) — on refusing to build the way the world builds. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." James 4:14 (NKJV) — the urgency behind creating something that lasts. "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Matthew 6:20 (NKJV) — on building what doesn't evaporate. "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Key Takeaways and Your Next Step Takeaway 1: Decide what your revenue actually rests on. Your action: name the single platform your income depends on right now. If that platform disappeared tomorrow, write down what would be left. Takeaway 2: Pick your one piece. Your action: choose one long form format, a podcast or a YouTube video, and commit to one piece per week. One. Not daily. Put the recording time on your calendar this week. Takeaway 3: Let social media be the complement, not the foundation. Your action: keep posting if you want to. Just stop asking it to carry your revenue. Takeaway 4: Build the trust before you need it. Your action: whatever you're selling now or plan to sell later, the trust has to exist first. Start building it this week, not the week you launch. Register for the Free Workshop Mia is teaching The Authority Podcast Blueprint in a live, free workshop. You'll learn how to position yourself as the authority in your space using high value content, how to shape a signature offer your content naturally feeds, and how to generate revenue without living on the hamster wheel. Wednesday, August 12th at 11am Pacific Register at authorityblueprintworkshop.com

The next parable Jesus tells is one of the most debated in Scripture. Unlike some of the other parables, Jesus never explains this one. That means faithful Bible scholars have reached different conclusions. Let’s read it for ourselves. Matthew 13:31-32, “He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” So…what do you think? Is this story about the beautiful growth of God’s Kingdom? Or is it a warning that evil can quietly grow alongside it? So what do we do when Scripture isn’t immediately clear? We go to Jesus. Because Jesus didn’t just tell the truth… He IS the Truth. John 14:6 says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” So I asked Him, “Jesus, what do you want me to see here?” Here’s what I believe the Lord showed me. This parable has two sides. Like a coin. If I flip a coin and it lands on heads, does that make tails false? Of course not. Both are always there. I believe this parable contains both a beautiful promise…and a loving warning. So the heads side of this parable is a story of growth. The mustard seed is known as a tiny seed. This isn’t the only time Jesus talks about the mustard seed. There’s a much more familiar scripture many of us remember. Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.'” Throughout Scripture, the mustard seed represents something tiny that carries incredible potential. God specializes in starting with what everyone else overlooks. A tiny seed. A shepherd boy. A teenage girl. Twelve ordinary fishermen. Five loaves and two fish. Heaven has never been impressed by size. Heaven has always been impressed by surrender. The mustard seed is something that is so small and seemingly insignificant, but within it is potential for big things. Even the tiniest grain of faith can move mountains. So, this tiny grain of the mustard seed can be planted in a garden and become larger than all the other plants in the garden and grow to be a tree where birds make their nests. What begins so small, with God, can grow to become greater than you can possibly imagine. Zechariah 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” We all love the idea of doing something BIG for God. We dream about changing lives. Writing books. Starting ministries. Launching businesses. But most of us don’t love the tiny assignments that produce those things. We want the tree. God hands us a seed. “God, send me across the world as a missionary…” …but I don’t want to pray with my neighbor. “Lord, use me in powerful ways…” …but I don’t want to serve where nobody notices. We want significance. God offers faithfulness. Most of us woke up today holding seeds from God. The problem is… Seeds don’t look impressive. They don’t look like the future God sees. And because we can’t see the tree… we underestimate the seed. We’re not willing to start small. We want big full blown trees, not tiny seeds. People ask me all the time how to build their own mentoring, or a podcast, or retreats. They usually don’t like my answer. I tell them… Start with the seed. Do it when you’re unsure. Do it when you’re uncomfortable. Do it when nobody applauds. Do it when almost nobody shows up. Do it for free. Keep planting. Keep watering. Keep showing up. But we want to be great from day 1. We want immediate success. We want a full blown tree by day 2 please. But Jesus says, “from this tiny seed, something big can grow.” GROWTH TAKES TIME. We all want overnight success. God almost always chooses faithful consistency. Trees don’t explode into existence. They grow. Slowly. Quietly. One ordinary day at a time. There’s one way you grow something great … be willing to be bad at it long enough to get good! I remember my first ever mentoring session in 2012. I was cutting edge hosting live videos before live videos were a thing outside of the nightly news. Facebook live didn’t exist. There was no zoom. I had a full blown studio set up in our master bedroom, special lights and cameras and programs. That first live mentoring session I had like 12 people watching and I was a nervous wreck. I taught my lesson, then I thought I was done. But there was one problem – we had practiced how to start the live broadcast, however we had failed to practice ending the broadcast. We literally didn’t know how to stop recording. My husband signaled to me to continue as he frantically searched for a way to stop recording. By this time I had said absolutely everything I knew to say and I had nothing left. So you know what I did … I started dancing. Yip, just me in front of a live camera dancing. Y’all, I cannot dance. It was so awkward. Finally in desperation my husband just unplugs the entire thing from the wall and cuts power. We both looked at eachother and said, “Whew, now that was a mess! I never want to do that again.” Then the next week, we did it again. And again, and again. Over 700 weekly mentoring sessions later, we’re still just showing up and doing it again. Looking back now, that wasn’t embarrassing. That was a seed. Seeds are awkward. Seeds are unimpressive. Seeds are hidden underground where nobody celebrates them. But without the seed… there is never a tree. It was a small seed and a messy process, but with God, it has grown into more than we could have ever imagined. Again, Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” This is how God has always worked. He works through small beginnings. He works through ordinary obedience. He works through people who are simply willing to keep planting. Never underestimate what God can do with one tiny act of faith repeated over and over again. He works in small beginnings. He works in unseen potential. Don’t let unseen potential become unmet potential because you’re not willing to put in the ground work. But every coin has another side. The same principle is true of evil. Sin rarely shows up looking dangerous. It usually arrives looking small. Harmless. Easy to justify. One compromise. One lie. One bitter thought. One secret. One click. One missed opportunity to forgive. They’re just tiny seeds… Until they aren’t. Left unattended, what began as something small quietly grows in the dark until it takes over far more of your life than you ever intended. Be careful what you’re planting. Tiny seeds always become something bigger. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed. Just days before she was killed, Sara Gilson posted a TikTok saying she was preparing for the day Netflix made a documentary about her soon-to-be ex-husband after she discovered he was allegedly a pedophile. Twelve days later, police allege her estranged husband, Jeremiah "Shawn" Duffey, shot and killed Sara before taking his own life. Today, we're joined by investigative journalist and That's So Criminal host Lynden Blake to unpack the case. You can watch our episodes by visiting our Youtube Channel here. Join our Facebook Group here. Do you have information regarding any of the cases discussed on this podcast? Please report it on the Crime Stoppers website or by calling 1800 333 000. Wanting to hear about certain kinds of crime? Check out our Spotify playlists for a curated list of our episodes. For Support: Lifeline on 13 11 1413 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732Blue Knot Helpline: 1300 657 380CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie Guest: Lynden Blake Producer: Ruby Bartzis Executive Producer: Matthew Tankard GET IN TOUCH:Email the show at AusTrueCrimePodcast@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook Got a question or comment you want played on the show? Get involved by sending us a voice message on our True Crime Hotline here.

Just days before she was killed, Sara Gilson posted a TikTok saying she was preparing for the day Netflix made a documentary about her soon-to-be ex-husband after she discovered he was allegedly a pedophile. Twelve days later, police allege her estranged husband, Jeremiah "Shawn" Duffey, shot and killed Sara before taking his own life. Today, we're joined by investigative journalist and That's So Criminal host Lynden Blake to unpack the case. You can watch our episodes by visiting our Youtube Channel here. Join our Facebook Group here. Do you have information regarding any of the cases discussed on this podcast? Please report it on the Crime Stoppers website or by calling 1800 333 000. Wanting to hear about certain kinds of crime? Check out our Spotify playlists for a curated list of our episodes. For Support: Lifeline on 13 11 1413 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732Blue Knot Helpline: 1300 657 380CREDITS:Host: Meshel Laurie Guest: Lynden Blake Producer: Ruby Bartzis Executive Producer: Matthew Tankard GET IN TOUCH:Email the show at AusTrueCrimePodcast@gmail.comFollow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook Got a question or comment you want played on the show? Get involved by sending us a voice message on our True Crime Hotline here.

Day 1,621.Putin finds himself in a sticky situation this morning after two more Wildberry distribution centres are attacked. There is also more evidence of Russia's drone safari against civilians after a market vendor in Kherson was seen being hunted by a drone. We look at the latest diplomatic developments, which have seen Kyiv's ambassador to the US dismissed, and its ambassador to London Valery Zaluzhny say that Ukraine is unlikely ever to join NATO. And later, a frontline reporter tells us what life is like today in the embattled fortress cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka.Contributors: Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.Lily Shanagher (Foreign Breaking News Report for The Telegraph). @LilyShanagher on X.With thanks to Francis Farrell, Kyiv Independent Senior Reporter.Senior Producer: Lilian FawcettVideo Producer: Sophie O'SullivanSocial Producer: Tom SteedStudio Director: Meghan SearleExecutive Editor: Francis DearnleyCreated by David KnowlesNOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:Learn more about the Kyiv Independent's October event in London:https://kyivindependent.com/live/ Russia's Wildberries to build 260,000 square metres of warehouse space in Kazakhstan (Novaya Gazeta)https://novayagazeta.eu/en/articles/2026/08/04/russias-wildberries-to-build-260000-square-metres-of-warehouse-space-in-kazakhstan-en-news Ukraine energy chief says infrastructure attacks will shape war's outcome (Politico)https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-energy-denys-shmyhal-winter-war/ "Twelve years of fairy tales": former commander-in-chief Zaluzhnyi says Ukraine will never join NATO (Ukrainska Pravda)https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/08/03/8047090/ If you're interested in sponsoring Dom's upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.ukEMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.HIGHLIGHTS:Russia's ‘barbaric' drone safari caught on filmAnother Wildberries warehouse burns in St Petersburg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this 1929 again?Twelve states hackedAIPAC drops $30 million on one raceNinety degrees in the ArcticEighty dead from a rumorPlus, mosquito magnets explainedSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Twelve years of practice, and one of the worst nights of his life, met in the same body. In this episode, Emily Fletcher sits down with Oliver Lehne, an actor, playwright, and Ziva meditator she's known for over twelve years. Oliver came to meditation, by his own admission, to impress people. He arrived anxious, low on self-esteem, and constantly deferring to everyone else's opinion. What's emerged since is a man who trusts himself enough to create from that trust, including a play that landed a London producer within days of one conversation. Oliver and Emily trace his path from meditation into embodied manifesting, and he shares the exact phrase that came through in his first real pleasure prayer, one he still writes in his journal every morning. He also opens up about the night his husband had a brain injury on Christmas Eve, and how the steadiness he'd built over a decade of practice carried him through it. In this episode, Oliver explores: Why he first came to meditation to impress people, and what he found underneath that What adaptation energy is, and why running out of it launches the body into fight or flight How surrender changed the way he shows up with his own parents Why visualizing was always the hardest part of manifesting, and how feeling replaced picturing The shift from performing his emotions as an actor to simply letting them move The mantra that came through in his second pleasure prayer, and why he still journals it daily How his play found a London producer within two days of one conversation The night his husband had a brain injury on Christmas Eve, and the steadiness that carried him through Why he believes meditation and manifesting compound each other Key Moments: 00:33 – Life before Ziva: anxiety and chronic people-pleasing 05:08 – Why he first came to meditation: wanting to impress people 09:52 – Adaptation energy, defined 12:59 – How surrender changed his relationship with his parents 16:31 – The embodied manifesting formula: visualize, alchemize, magnetize 20:03 – Permission over performance 24:12 – The pleasure prayer that gave him his daily mantra 27:02 – How his play found a London producer in two days 31:06 – His husband's brain injury on Christmas Eve 34:09 – The miracle: walking out of the hospital alone 36:33 – His invitation to anyone still on the fence