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Board games that represent real historical events face a problem that fiction can largely avoid. The designer can't start with a blank page. Players are going to expect that the game somehow mirrors what actually happened in the past. Yet, a board game can't faithfully reproduce an entire historical period. The designer has to select and simplify, turning the subject into rules and mechanisms. A historical board game can't ever be completely accurate. The question really is how designers decide which parts of reality belong in the game, which can be abstracted, and which should be left out. In this article, I look at this question from the perspectives of five designers, each with a different answer to the problem.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/09/29/reality-realisation-how-board-games-represent-reality-topic-discussion/Useful LinksVotes for Women review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/02/10/votes-for-women-digital-eyes/Pax Pamir 2e review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/08/27/pax-pamir-second-edition-saturday-review/Sebastian Bae, "Designing Littoral Commander: Indo-Pacific, a professional educational wargame": https://sdhist.com/designing-littoral-commander-indo-pacific-a-professional-educational-wargame/Mark Herman, "Empire of the Sun: Monograph on U.S. Air Operations versus Japanese Fleet Bases - Truk example": https://medium.com/%40markherman54/empire-of-the-sun-ca2287fe3effThe Players' Aid interview with Tory Brown, Designer of Votes for Women from Fort Circle Games: https://theplayersaid.com/2020/09/07/interview-with-tory-brown-designer-of-votes-for-women-from-fort-circle-games-currently-on-kickstarter/Game Design Deep Dive interview with Cole Wehrle: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/episodes/12096335SDHistCon, "Designer roundtable: Gaming the unpleasant": https://sdhist.com/designer-roundtable-gaming-the-unpleasant/Amabel Holland, "Theme & Mechanisms": https://hollandspiele.com/blogs/hollandazed-thoughts-ideas-and-miscellany/theme-mechanismsMusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Music: "I Want To Go Out" from the soundtrack to SILO: Season 1 by Atli Örvarsson, copyright by Apple Video Programming LLCMusic: "Fate", "Fragile Hope" and "Our World" by AShamaluevMusic.Website: https://www.ashamaluevmusic.comSupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash)
Awareness Explorers episode 222: Mystery and Motivation In this episode we discuss motivations for spiritual practice, contrasting suffering-based motivation with curiosity and the desire for truth, especially around anomalous and miraculous experiences. • Includes a guided meditation helping you to remember events in your life that might be outside of the way you normally look at the material world, and showing you how an open heart is a doorway to mystery and wonder. To learn more about Jonathan's new book, Opening to the Miraculous: True Stories and Investigations into the Weird and the Wonderful, please visit: OpenMiracles.com Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature. To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/ If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z Or on our Awareness Explorers website: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one. To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit https://findinghappiness.com/ and https://www.playawarenessgames.com/ You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n Enjoy, Jonathan and Brian Photo by Yann Stenson on Unsplash
Values work is awesome! AND, unfortunately, values work sells well. So invitations into values work are everywhere in our culture: at work, at school, at church last week, in therapy, on the internet, every ad we see or hear. How do we distinguish the healthy invitations from the predatory ones? (Original photo from Jannet Serhan via Unsplash, edited)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate
Values work is awesome! AND, unfortunately, values work sells well. So invitations into values work are everywhere in our culture: at work, at school, at church last week, in therapy, on the internet, every ad we see or hear. How do we distinguish the healthy invitations from the predatory ones? (Original photo from Jannet Serhan via Unsplash, edited)Join our live chat! https://discord.gg/MNXJSM8New here? http://brownlinechurch.org/connectResources http://brownlinechurch.org/resourcesLinkTree https://linktr.ee/brownlinechurch Donate http://brownlinechurch.org/donate
As we all know, there are a good number of board games that haven't aged well, if I may put it like that. In the past, games happily made colonialism their central setting and gameplay, gave women little or no place in their worlds, or treated cultures through the eyes of the oppressor. Yet, these games remain in people's collections and come back to the table. In this article, rather than asking whether we should still play these problematic games, I explore why we don't just choose different games from the large swathe of new releases.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/09/22/political-correction-why-we-forgive-problematic-games-topic-discussion/Useful LinksBoardGameGeek: “How Puerto Rico 1897 Came to Be, an Interview with Jason Perez”: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/133975/how-puerto-rico-1897-came-to-be-an-interview-withPuerto Rico 1897: https://www.ravensburger.us/en-US/products/games/strategy-games/puerto-rico-1897-27348Votes for Women review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/02/10/votes-for-women-digital-eyes/MusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Chill Vibes by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_USUrban Rainfall Rhythms by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comSupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by T on Unsplash)
Dostępność? Większość z nas nie widzi tu problemu. Gość tego odcinka zna go z codzienności. Adrian Wyka jest niewidomy i zarówno zawodowo, jak i po godzinach zajmuje się testowaniem dostępności, bo chce, żeby świat był lepszy dla wszystkich, których dotykają różne niepełnosprawności. Od jakiegoś czasu sporo się dzieje w kwestii przepisów i wytycznych związanych z dostępnością. Ale czy realnie coś się zmienia? Rozmawiamy o tym, z jakimi problemami borykają się osoby niepełnosprawne w świecie cyfrowym i co możemy zrobić, żeby było lepiej. Zamiast cytować paragrafy, skupiamy się na prawdziwym życiu.Dźwięki w audycji: kolekcja "107 Free Retro Game Sounds" , pobrana z https://dominik-braun.net (Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0)Zdjęcie w grafice do audycji: wykonane przez Davida Underlanda, pobrane z Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/photos/a-white-mannequin-with-a-red-band-on-its-head-FSwYHC5ymxE)Linki:"Odbieram paczkę z Allegro One Box bez wzroku. Testuję nowe udogodnienia", Niewidomy Tester: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX5P24ECQWs"The WebAIM Million. The 2026 report on the accessibility of the top 1,000,000 home pages", WebAIM: https://webaim.org/projects/million/"Wprowadzenie do Lighthouse", Chrome for Developers: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/lighthouse/overview?hl=pl"Four accessibility checkers, one page, thirty known defects", Accessibility.build: https://accessibility.build/research/accessibility-testing-tools-benchmarkIKEA: https://www.ikea.com/pl/pl/Koleo: https://koleo.pl/Jakdojade: https://jakdojade.pl/Time4BUS: https://time4bus.com/Silktide: https://silktide.com/W stronę ciemności, WOMAI Kraków: https://womai.pl/inspiracja-dla-gosci-indywidualnych/w-strone-ciemnosci/Niewidzialna Wystawa, Warszawa: https://niewidzialna.pl/Niewidomy Tester: https://niewidomytester.pl/Profil Adriana Wyki, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianwyka/"#47 Tech Writer zgłębia tajniki dostępności cyfrowej, czyli jak tworzyć dokumentację dla wszystkich", Tech Writer Koduje: https://techwriterkoduje.pl/blog/2022/10/13/47
Jesus tells a story about day-laborers; a story in which day-laborers all receive a living wage and return home with both dignity and provision for the thriving of their families and communities. And Jesus says this is what God's kin-dom is like. This is good news. Matthew 20: 1-16Series: FallSermon: Megan RamerResources:“Seattle Hilton workers end strike after ‘tremendous wins' in contract,” by Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, The Seattle Times, September 11, 2026.“WA ICE arrests reach new high, just-released data shows,” by Nina Shapiro, The Seattle Times, August 27, 2026.image: Photo by Javad Esmaeili on Unsplash
48 Hour Film Project Poland, czyli konkurs na film w dwa dni! Czy da się stworzyć kompletny film krótkometrażowy w zaledwie 48 godzin? Uczestnicy 48 Hour Film Project udowadniają, że tak. Już 18–20 września 2026 roku w Warszawie odbędzie się 15. jubileuszowa edycja międzynarodowego konkursu filmowego, w którym twórcy mają tylko dwa dni na napisanie scenariusza, zdjęcia, montaż i dostarczenie gotowego filmu. Z Marią Leśnodorską-Lis, producentką filmową i organizatorką konkursu, oraz Katarzyną Karankiewicz, kierowniczką produkcji i laureatką ubiegłorocznej edycji 48hfp rozmawiał Franek Kowalewski. Zapisy do piątku do godziny 12:00! Więcej informacji: 48 Hour Film Project Poland (Fot. Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash)
Rev. Craig Troxel continues the Podcast discussion of qualifications for elders, emphasizing the need for godly character. Ruling elders are to be sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, and hospitable. On today's episode we also discuss a recent article by Murray J. Smith“An Overseer must be…Able to Teach” (1 Tim 3:2): ΔΙΔΑΚΤΙΚΟΣ as the Center of the Character Chiasm in 1 Timothy 3:1–7” JETS 69.2 (2026): 301–320An online pdf is available here.Lawerence Eyres says, “hospitality does not mean just an open door to one's home. The hospitable man is one whose heart is first open to the lonely, the rejected, the alien among men of all kinds, and in all conditions.” (The Elders of the Church, p. 30)Craig's Three Book Recommendations:The Pastor: His Call, Character, and Work. Written by faculty and friends of Old Princeton, with an introduction by Sinclair B. Ferguson. Banner of Truth, 2021. (The chapters in this book have been selected from the two-volume Princeton and the Work of the Christian Ministry, also published by the Banner of Truth.)Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry, With an Inquiry into the Causes of its Inefficiency, Banner of Truth.Samuel Miller, The Ruling Elder: The Warrant, Nature, and Duties of the Office in the Presbyterian Church. Available in various formats.Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash
On today's show, we turn our attention to the DR Congo where the Ebola virus has spread to a 7th district. The new numbers demonstrate 7200 cases, almost 4000 dead. Meanwhile the war rages on. Cat Brooks talks with Maurice Carney to debunk how the billionaire class and multinational corporations have been extracting massive wealth from Africa and undermining public health institutions and worsening the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Maurice Carney is co-founder and Executive Director of the Friends of the Congo. Image: CDC on Unsplash —- Subscribe to our podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post The Ebola Virus Spreading in The DR Congo w/ Maurice Carney appeared first on KPFA.
Waiting for your turn is very common in board games. One person has all the fun while everyone else just watches. Too much waiting is often described as a flaw in game design, particularly when players have nothing useful to do and gradually lose interest in what's happening. Modern board games tend to avoid downtime, yet waiting isn't necessarily wasted time. Sometimes it gives us something to think about, sometimes it leaves us with nothing to do, and sometimes it gives us something that a game cannot provide on its own: a chance to talk.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/09/15/downtime-chat-allowing-for-social-interaction-in-board-games-topic-discussion/Useful LinksFilip Wiltgren, “Down Time vs. Dead Time in Sequential Games”, Game Developer, 2015: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/down-time-vs-dead-time-in-sequential-gamesBrass: Birmingham review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/04/01/brass-birmingham-deluxe-saturday-review/Five Tribes review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/08/08/five-tribes-saturday-review/MusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Lazy Aftermoon by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comForest by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comSupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash)
A 22-minute audio guided meditation in Mark's Gospel, in the contemplative Christian tradition. The beginning of the good news…. As it was written in the prophet Isaiah, “See! I am sending my messenger ahead of you… the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (From Mark 1:1-4) We prayed with Mark 1:1-8 last week, but I wanted to come back to these opening verses, to linger longer, to give you space to dive deeper and allow them to open more fully in you. What would it mean in your inner being to prepare the way of the Lord, to make the path straight? What is blocking or tangling your freedom of spirit just now? What is demanding your best? The beginning of the good news of the LORD has to do with clearing space, making room, releasing the things that no longer serve the Living Spirit. How might you invite the Lord afresh? I invite you to breathe through this text, to listen for the thread of the Holy Spirit, to notice the word or phrase that transports you into a new seeing, hearing or tasting. Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina. Sign up for Lissy's newsletter “The Contemplative Window” to find out about monthly mini retreats on Zoom or in person, and Retreats in Daily Life. You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much! Meditation and shownotes written and spoken by Lissy Clarke, music by Pete Hatch, editing by Kristy B Lust. Photo by Jurre Houtkamp on Unsplash. We send our audio through Auphonic which uses AI software to mix the levels. Our production is otherwise AI-free. The post Prepare the Way : Lectio Divina : Mark 1:1-4 appeared first on Contemplative at Home.
Dan Tyler speaking on God's Plan: Humble Endurance (John 13:1-17) Photo by Danka & Peter on Unsplash
Art is often something we look at, listen to or watch, while board games are discussed in terms of entertainment, strategy and social interaction. Yet, board games are created through imagination, skill and deliberate choices. Board game designers can shape emotions, represent ideas and create systems that shape how players experience a perspective. Of course, the artwork in a board game is art in the traditional sense, but that is not what I want to explore in this article. Instead, I want to look at how board games themselves, their mechanisms and systems, function as a form of artistic expression in their own right.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/09/08/artistic-board-games-how-board-games-are-more-than-visually-pleasing-topic-discussion/Useful LinksOxford Dictionary of English's definition of "art": https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199571123.001.0001/m_en_gb0041510?d=%2F10.1093%2Facref%2F9780199571123.001.0001%2Fm_en_gb0041510&p=emailAQmRX9Y8JWyEkWingspan review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/03/16/wingspan/Natalia Rojas interview: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/11/11/natalia-rojas-let-me-illustrate/Nemesis review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/06/18/nemesis-saturday-review/Undaunted: Normandy review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/07/23/undaunted-normandy-saturday-review/Brass: Birmingham review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/04/01/brass-birmingham-deluxe-saturday-review/MusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Easy by Ron Gelinas Chill Beats | https://open.spotify.com/artist/03JYfsI9Ke7JFuxHD239m2Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comDowntown Glow by Ghostrifter Official feat. Devyzed | https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-officialhttps://soundcloud.com/devyzedRoyalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-ND 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/SupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash)
An 18-minute audio guided meditation in Mark's Gospel, drawing on the contemplative Christian tradition. John the Baptiser appears in the wilderness with clarity of mind and heart and speech. He offers those who come the “baptism of metanoia”. Metanoia comes from two greek words: ‘meta’ which means after or beyond and ‘noein’ which means perception or way of thinking. There is an invitation to step into a whole new understanding of yourself, the Spirit, and your role in the world. We can think of it as ‘life change’. It is often translated as ‘repentance’. In this meditation we also hear the following words: “It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. We are workers, not master builders; ministers not messiahs. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realising that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. Amen” for Oscar Romero by Cardinal John Dearden, quoted from The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O’Brien SJ, pg 128 Just for these few minutes, I invite you to leave your dogma, your creed, your thoughts, and your rational mind aside, and become present to your deeper self, your true self or essential self. I invite you to a way of unknowing, a place of deep being. Blessings as you pray. Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina. Sign up for Lissy's newsletter “The Contemplative Window” to find out about monthly mini retreats on Zoom or in person, and Retreat in Daily Life. You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much! Meditation and shownotes by Lissy Clarke, music by Pete Hatch, editing by Kristy B Lust. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash. Audio is mixed by Auphonic using AI software. We are otherwise AI-free. The post A Baptism for Metanoia : Lectio Divina : Mark 1:1-8 appeared first on Contemplative at Home.
On our dream themed episode we read 'The Method' by Nazaret Ranea and 'Sundays' by Aoife Lyall. Photo by [2Ni] on Unsplash. This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
Steve Gaukroger speaking on God's Plan: Where to Next? (Isaiah 43:16-21) Photo by Astrid Schaffner on Unsplash
Research indicates as many as 2 million vehicles collide with large wildlife in the United States each year, resulting in as many as 200 human deaths, more than 26,000 injuries and billions of dollars in property damage.Officials in Michigan hope to join other states in finding creative ways to address the problem.On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Amanda Novak, a resource specialist at the Michigan Department of Transportation, talks about her work in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to study these collisions and ways to create safer crossings.Environment America reports that a survey of Americans about their views on wildlife crossings found that nearly 90 percent of them support the concept. Other relevant links:https://www.pew.org/en/trust/archive/summer-2026/states-act-to-reduce-wildlife-collisions https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/wildlife-crossings Podcast Photo by Da-shika on Unsplash
When I play a board game with my friends, I know that they have the same intention: to win. Yet, they actually all want quite different things. One friend is happiest when they find a strategy that works and keeps working. Another wants to take a game apart until they understand the most efficient route to victory. I want to win too, but as a reviewer, I am usually more interested in understanding what a game is trying to do, how its mechanisms produce an experience and how the people around the table respond. Listening to episode 673 of the 99% Invisible podcast, I found that C. Thi Nguyen, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Utah and author of the book "The Score", has really well described these differing expectations of wanting to win a board game.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/09/01/striving-for-achievements-the-difference-between-achievement-play-and-striving-play-topic-discussion/Useful LinksEpisode 673 of the 99% Invisible podcast: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/673-the-score/The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game by C. Thi Nguyen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/Wingspan review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/03/16/wingspan/MusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Komorebi by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comBirds of a Feather by Purrple Cat | https://purrplecat.comRoyalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_USSupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Eunice De Guzman on Unsplash)
The Gospel is a practical continuation of last week's way-of-the-cross language. If we are going to follow Jesus together, how do we handle it when we hurt each other? Matthew 18 gives us one of the most concrete passages in the New Testament about how a Christian community handles conflict — a text often preached badly and often skipped altogether.Track One brings us the institution of Passover — the community meal that will define God's people, remembered forever. Track Two brings us Ezekiel as watchman — the prophet made responsible to warn, but not responsible for the response. The Epistle gives us the ethical grounding for all of it: owe no one anything except love, for love is the fulfillment of the law.For preachers continuing a series: last week we heard about taking up the cross and following. This week, the road brings us into a specific and hard question — what does following look like when the person following alongside us has hurt us?Photo curated by Unsplash.comThe ReadingsExodus 12:1–14First Reading (Track One) — Passover InstitutedSummaryGod gives Moses and Aaron detailed instructions for a meal — one that will mark a whole new calendar, and one that will be remembered for generations. Each household takes a year-old lamb without blemish, keeps it until the fourteenth of the month, and then slaughters it at twilight. The blood is put on the doorposts and lintel. The lamb is roasted whole, eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and the family eats in haste — dressed to travel, sandals on their feet, staff in hand. It is the Passover of the Lord. And this night is to be remembered as a festival forever.Key Ideas for Preaching* The instructions are elaborate and detailed — a whole liturgy for a meal. Israel's freedom will begin with a shared table and a specific practice of remembering. Where in your congregation has the shared table been reduced to a formality, and how might this text restore its weight?* The lamb is to be shared — if your household is too small, join with a neighbor. Even the meal of deliverance requires community. What might it mean for your people to hear that no one is meant to eat this meal alone?* The meal is eaten “in haste, ready to travel.” This is not a celebration of arrival but a meal for the road. God's people are being fed for a journey they have not yet made. Where in your congregation has faith been imagined as arrival, when the biblical picture is more often provision for the road?* Jesus will later use this meal as the frame for his own last supper with his disciples. Christian preachers should honor both readings — the meal as it is celebrated by our Jewish neighbors, and the meal as it has shaped the Christian eucharist — without letting the second erase the first.Significant Cautions* Do not preach the Passover in a way that reduces its meaning for Jewish communities who continue to celebrate it. The Christian tradition of reading Jesus into this meal is real, but it does not replace the meal's own meaning.* The tenth plague, which frames this text, involves the death of every firstborn in Egypt. Do not skip this or celebrate it. It is a hard, painful part of the story that deserves acknowledgment rather than triumphalism.Psalm 149The Psalm (Track One) — The Lord Takes Pleasure in His PeopleSummaryA short psalm of praise for the community of the faithful. Sing a new song. Praise God in the assembly. Let the faithful dance and rejoice, for the Lord takes pleasure in his people and adorns the humble with victory. The closing verses take a sharp turn toward warfare — a two-edged sword, vengeance on the nations, binding kings — that has troubled Christian readers for centuries.Key Ideas for Preaching* “The Lord takes pleasure in his people.” That is one of the most tender lines in the psalter — God as a delighted parent, not a distant judge. Where has your congregation quietly assumed God's default posture toward them was disappointment?* “He adorns the humble with victory.” The word for adorn is not the language of grim reward — it is the language of dressing up, decorating, honoring. God does not merely permit the humble to succeed; God delights in decking them out. What might your sermon do with a God whose delight in the humble is that concrete?Significant Cautions* The closing verses about the two-edged sword and executing vengeance have been used in some of the worst chapters of Christian history — to justify religious violence, crusades, and colonial conquest. Do not preach the joyful opening without acknowledging what the closing verses have done in the world.Ezekiel 33:7–11First Reading (Track Two) — The WatchmanSummaryGod appoints Ezekiel as a watchman for the house of Israel. He is to warn the wicked when he hears God's word — and if he fails to warn them and they die in their iniquity, their blood will be on his hands. But if he warns them and they refuse to turn, he has done his duty. The passage ends with a striking word from God: “As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live. Turn back, turn back... why will you die, O house of Israel?”Key Ideas for Preaching* The watchman is responsible to warn, not responsible for the response. That is a distinction many faithful people have not been given. Where in your congregation are people carrying the weight of outcomes that were never theirs to control?* “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live.” That is God's own posture. The God we serve is not eager for judgment; God is longing for return. Where in your congregation has God been imagined as more eager to judge than the text actually depicts?* The plea “why will you die?” is the heart of this passage. It is not the voice of a wrathful judge; it is the voice of a heartbroken parent. What might it look like to preach a God who genuinely does not want the people God loves to be destroyed?Significant Cautions* The watchman role has been used throughout Christian history to justify harsh, aggressive, and self-righteous confrontation. That is a distortion. Ezekiel is not being given license to browbeat; he is being given a solemn responsibility of loving witness.* The “blood on your hands” language is meant to weigh on the prophet, not to be used to weigh on ordinary Christians who are silent for good reasons. Be careful.Psalm 119:33–40The Psalm (Track Two) — Turn My Eyes from VanitiesSummaryAnother section of the long acrostic psalm on God's word. The psalmist prays to be taught God's statutes, given understanding to keep them, turned from vanities, and given life. The prayer is not that God's law be made easy but that the psalmist be shaped to receive it.Key Ideas for Preaching* “Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.” That is a beautiful pairing — asking to be turned from what wastes attention and asking, in the same breath, for life. Where in your congregation are people whose eyes have been captured by vanities they cannot easily look away from?* Every verb in this section is a request. The psalmist is not boasting about his obedience; he is asking to be made able to obey. What might it look like to preach a faith that begins with asking, not with claiming?Significant Cautions* The psalm's love for God's law is not legalism. Do not preach against a strawman the psalm never sets up.Romans 13:8–14The Epistle — Love Fulfills the LawSummaryPaul turns to specific ethical instruction. Owe no one anything except the debt to love one another — for the one who loves fulfills the law. The commandments — do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet — are all summed up in one word: love your neighbor as yourself. Then Paul shifts key. You know what time it is, he says. The night is far gone; the day is near. Wake from sleep. Lay aside the works of darkness. Put on the armor of light. Live honorably as in the day. And put on the Lord Jesus Christ.Key Ideas for Preaching* “Owe no one anything except to love one another.” Paul frames love as a debt that cannot be paid off — it is owed continually, freshly, to every neighbor. Where has your congregation quietly imagined love as a finite currency, when Paul describes it as a debt you carry always?* Love, Paul says, is the fulfillment of the law. Not its opposite. Not its softening. Its fulfillment. What does it mean for your sermon to hold together the demands of Christian ethics and the primacy of love, without letting one erase the other?* “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” is one of the most striking phrases in Paul. He treats Christ like a garment we put on each morning. Where in your congregation might people be helped by the practice of consciously beginning the day this way?Significant Cautions* “The night is far gone, the day is near” has been misused as fuel for end-times prediction. Paul is describing a posture of expectant readiness, not a timetable.* The love-fulfills-the-law language has been used to argue against Christian ethical seriousness — “as long as we love, anything goes.” That is not Paul's argument. He names the specific commandments and says love is what actually makes them possible.Matthew 18:15–20The Gospel — If Your Brother Sins Against YouSummaryJesus gives his disciples a specific process for handling harm within the community. If a member sins against you, go first alone and speak with them privately. If they will not listen, take one or two others as witnesses. If they still will not listen, tell the church. And if they still refuse, treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector. Then Jesus repeats the binding and loosing language he gave Peter two chapters ago — but now given to the whole community. And he closes with a promise that has become one of the most quoted verses in the New Testament: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”Key Ideas for Preaching* Jesus takes it as a given that members of the community will hurt each other. He does not offer a formula for avoiding conflict; he offers a process for handling it faithfully. Where in your congregation has the desire to avoid conflict been mistaken for the practice of peace?* The process starts private. Alone. One-on-one. Not a public accusation. Not a group text. Not a whispered campaign. The person who has been hurt is asked to go to the person who hurt them, face to face. What would your congregation look like if this were the default rather than the exception?* “Treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector” is one of the most misinterpreted lines in the Gospels. Matthew's Jesus eats with Gentiles and tax collectors constantly. He calls a tax collector to be his disciple. The instruction is not “shun them” — it is closer to “regard them as one who is still being invited in.” What might your sermon do with the possibility that this passage is not about excommunication but about the persistence of love?* “Where two or three are gathered in my name” is almost always quoted as a promise for small groups, retreats, and prayer meetings. In context, it is the promise that Christ is present in the community's hardest work — its discernment about hurt and reconciliation. What might it change to hear this verse in its actual context?Significant Cautions* The whole passage has been used throughout Christian history to justify shunning, excommunication, church trials, and harsh discipline. Jesus is not endorsing any of that. The process he outlines is designed to protect the offender's dignity at every step, keeping the circle as small as possible for as long as possible.* The “two or three gathered” verse has been so thoroughly severed from its context that many congregations have never heard it in the passage where it actually appears. If you can restore that connection, do.* Do not use this passage to force conflict-avoidant congregations into confrontation they are not ready for. The text describes what a mature community's process should look like; it does not weaponize confrontation for its own sake.Thematic ConnectionsThe Gospel is the natural center — a specific, practical passage about how a following community handles its own harm.On Track One, Passover pairs with the Gospel in a specific way. Both texts are about how a community holds itself together — one through a shared meal remembered across generations, the other through a shared process for repair. Both assume the community is worth preserving, and that preservation requires practice.On Track Two, Ezekiel's watchman pairs directly with the Gospel's opening instruction to go and tell your brother. Both texts insist that loving witness includes the willingness to speak. And both temper that responsibility with a limit — the watchman is not accountable for the response, and neither is the disciple in Matthew 18.Romans 13 gives us the ground under all of it. Owe no one anything except love. If love is genuinely the fulfillment of the law, then the Matthew process is not a code of church discipline; it is what love looks like when it refuses to give up on someone.For preachers continuing a series: last week's “get behind me” was about following. This week's passage is about what happens when the ones following alongside us hurt us. Next week will bring the parable of the unforgiving servant — a continuation of the same Matthew 18 arc on community life. This is a public episode. 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Awareness Explorers episode 220: Shadow Work In this episode, we explore various approaches to shadow work, that is, becoming conscious of hidden parts of the psyche and bringing them to awareness, which helps reveal and release emotions stored in the body that might otherwise cause trouble in life and relationships. • Includes a guided meditation focused on dissolving resistance to unwanted emotions by fully experiencing feelings in the body and dropping associated storytelling. Mentioned in this episode: Adyashanti's instructions for "Working with Negative Emotions" is included in the set from Sounds True called "Guided Meditations" "The Work" documentary about a group therapy retreat in Folsom Prison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Work_(film) https://releasing.dogwoof.com/the-work Angelo DiLullo's Group Transformation Process Mindvalley Blog "75 shadow work prompts for healing and growth" Internal Family Systems (IFS) https://ifs-institute.com/ Effortless IFS with Sid Friedman Voice Dialogue https://www.voicedialogueinternational.com/ https://www.voicedialogueinternational.com/global/IVDA/select_Bridgit_Dengel_Gaspard.htm Scott Kiloby Transformative Emotion Work https://kiloby.com/ Sam Roff: Secrets To Great Shadow Work (Regulate Unstable Energy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTxwFD5P_Pk Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature. To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/ If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z Or on our Awareness Explorers website: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one. To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit https://findinghappiness.com/ and https://www.playawarenessgames.com/ You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n Enjoy, Jonathan and Brian Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
As students return to school, some can't help dreading their assigned books. Even good readers in good schools will feel burdened by reading classic novels. So how can we remind ourselves and others that we're not made to read as a duty to adults, but made for reading as part of our joy in Christ? Katherine Briggs, author of The Threshold Duology and part of the upcoming Classics Rebooted series, will teach us how fantasy fans can learn to love timeless classic fiction.[1. Photo by Iñaki del Olmo on Unsplash.] Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Winter's Dawn by Morgan L. Busse Realm Makers fundraiser for ongoing defamation lawsuit The Talismiths: The Secret Saboteur by M. L. Hodder King Justice: The Legend Begins by Evelyn M. Exley Mission update New at Lorehaven: new review of Winter's Dawn Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Backstory: Katherine Briggs Katherine Briggs crafted her first monster story at age three. Since graduating from crayons to laptop, she continues to devour and weave fantasy tales while enjoying oolong or chai tea. She, her coadventurer husband, and rescue dog reside outside Houston, where she classically educates amazing middle school students, teaches ESL to adults, and studies other languages. Katherine is the author of The Eternity Gate and The Immortal Abyss from Enclave Publishing as well as Hunting the Forgotten Planet in Volume II of the upcoming Classics Rebooted collection. 1. How to learn the dutiful joy of reading How Katherine found biblical truth and fantastical imagination. Career choice to become a classical educator and a novelist. Reviewing any differences between “literary” and “genre” fiction. Discerning definitions of “dutiful” versus “joyful” reading of books. This dutiful joy is unique to reading, starting with Scripture itself. 2. Tips to help anyone read more deeply We can say that yes, reading books gives greater joy than screens. Alas, attention spans are hard to practice for more complex books. On this podcast we often hear guests tribute read-aloud parents. Start small with abridged/illustrated versions, but don't end there. Practice hard habits of digital device limitation, except audiobooks. The Kickstarter for Classics Rebooted begins in September 2026. 3. Enjoy ‘remixes' like Classics Rebooted This new series retells literary classics in YA sci-fi settings. More about Katherine's story in Volume II of this collection. And more about every other author who's contributed to this. Support the Kickstarter fundraiser that begins in September! More about the future for Katherine and her own fantasy creations. Com station Top question for listeners Which classic story would you like to read rebooted? Next on Fantastical Truth Last summer the new He-Man movie kind of failed at theaters. Stephen enjoyed the film! Others did not care so much, especially if they didn't grow up in the 1980s. But then last month, Masters of the Universe wielded the power of Grayskull to rule streaming media. And no matter your age, big franchises from forty years ago have shaped the fantasy worlds we know today. How can Christians look back on this era with discernment and appreciation for good nostalgia?
Trick-taking games have been around for centuries, and they continue to inspire new designs. Everyone has their own idea of what makes for a great trick-taking game, but mine was shaped by growing up in Germany playing Skat and, especially, Doppelkopf. Those games use mechanisms that still appear in modern games, yet designers keep finding new ways to create new twists on them. So in this article, I want to look at the trick-taking mechanisms I find most interesting, why they work, and how modern trick-takers have changed them while keeping the characteristics that make the genre so long-lasting.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/08/25/magic-tricks-what-makes-trick-taking-games-great-topic-discussion/Useful LinksThe Crew: Quest for Planet Nine review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/12/05/the-crew-the-quest-for-planet-nine-saturday-review/The Fox in the Forest: Duet review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/04/30/the-fox-in-the-forest-duet-saturday-review/The Six of VIII review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/12/07/the-six-of-viii-saturday-review/Enemy Anemone review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/10/14/enemy-anemone-saturday-review/Haggis review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/12/14/haggis-saturday-review/Rascally Rabbits review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/27/rascally-rabbits-saturday-review/Cat in the Box review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2025/08/23/cat-in-the-box-digital-eyes/MusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Late-Night Decaf by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comDowntown Walk by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comSupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Julius Drost on Unsplash)
This week's edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features another conversation with Joann Muller, who writes the Axios Future of Mobility newsletter. Muller talks about her recent reporting on Amazon's Zoox (pronounced "zooks") robotaxis. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) granted a temporary exemption to commercially deploy up to 2,500 robotaxis annually for two years. All of this comes as Waymo, Uber and other companies make investments in the rapidly evolving automated vehicle (AV) industry and encounter hiccups along the way. Muller also talks about a recent road trip she made through Wisconsin in a Rivian R2. She was pleased to find a robust charging network eliminating any range anxiety. She was also impressed with Rivian's use of adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlights and talked about why the technology has been developed more slowly in the U.S. From the newsletter: A decade after shape-shifting headlights changed nighttime driving in Europe, the technology remains remarkably scarce in North America - a case study in how U.S. regulations can slow the arrival of proven safety innovations. Photo by Remy Gieling on Unsplash
Like a lot of people, the board game hotness excites me because it potentially offers new mechanisms or clever twists on something familiar. Sometimes a new game draws me in because it has my favourite setting. When I finally hold the new game in my hands, the excitement continues when I read the rulebook, set up the game and pull levers or push buttons to see what happens. Yet, as amazing as new games often feel, the ones I return to most often are games that have become familiar friends. Somehow, knowing them so well has not made them any less interesting, but it has changed what I enjoy about them.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/08/18/the-new-old-classic-games-vs-the-cult-of-the-new-topic-discussion/Useful LinksTapestry review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2019/11/09/tapestry-saturday-review/Knarr review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/07/20/knarr-saturday-review/The White Castle review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/04/04/the-white-castle-digital-eyes/MusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Games We Used to Play by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comDay Ahead by Joe Crotty | https://soundcloud.com/joecrottyRoyalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_USSupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash)
In this episode of Community Pulse, the hosts explore why storytelling is one of the most valuable skills in Developer Relations. Through examples from conference talks and internal product meetings, they show how relatable stories capture attention and make ideas more memorable than lists of facts alone. The episode shares practical insights on using storytelling to better engage audiences, advocate for developers, and communicate customer feedback effectively, while also discussing when a simple, fact-based approach is appropriate. Checkouts Wesley Faulkner Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great by Eric Ries, The Lean Startup PJ Hagerty Monk & Robot book series by Becky Chambers Ohwell.net - a comic on life in the 90s Mary Thengvall The Magic & Chaos Ink Club Enjoy the podcast? Please take a few moments to leave us a review on iTunes and follow us on Spotify, or leave a review on one of the other many podcasting sites that we're on! Your support means a lot to us and helps us continue to produce episodes every month. Like all things Community, this too takes a village. Artwork phto by Nong on Unsplash
For 17 August 2026, Memorial of Saint Hyacinth (Jacek), Priest, based on Matthew 19:16-22, sent in from Turin, Italy . (Photo by Daphné Richard on Unsplash)
WiscoJazz-Cast Episode 253 mixed by dj lukewarm Episode Two Hundred and Fifty Three features Deep House... 01 - Magic Number - Good Morning Sunshine [BBE Music] 02 - Barry Can't Swim - Childhood [Ninja Tune] 03 - Axel Boman - Ohh Baby [Studio Barnhus] 04 - Joe Goddard - Make It Right [Greco-Roman] 05 - One Half of Bent - Marimba Mimosa [NuNorthern Soul] 06 - Mr. Scruff - Get A Move On (Andy Buchan Edit) 07 - Parov Stelar - A Night In Torino [Etage Noir Recordings] 08 - Wayne Cooper - The Piano Song (Teddy Douglas Remix) [Basement Boys Records] 09 - Purple Disco Machine feat. Dabeull - Paradisco [Sweat It Out Music] 10 - Tycho - Hours (Total M Treatment) 11 - Julien Jabre - Swimming Places (Purple Disco Machine Re-Work) [Glitterbox Recordings] 12 - Souleance - La Fete [First Word Records] 13 - Zimmer - Looking At You (Moullinex Remix) [Roche Musique] 14 - Parcels - Lightenup (Alex Metric Remix) [Because Music] 15 - Barry Can't Swim - Sunsleeper [Ninja Tune] 16 - O'Flynn - Ashiko [Blip Discs] 17 - Purple Disco Machine feat Tasita D'Mour - Rise [Sweat It Out Music] Hope you enjoy. -dj lukewarm https://wiscojazzcast.lukewarm.app https://linktr.ee/djlukewarm http://djlukewarm.com http://hearthis.at/djlukewarm http://www.mixcloud.com/djlukewarm http://djlukewarm.podomatic.com https://soundcloud.com/wiscojazz http://www.youtube.com/WiscoJazzCast RSS: http://djlukewarm.podomatic.com/rss2.xml Photo by Lynn El Khoury on Unsplash
Archibald Allison introduces the Biblical qualifications of ruling elders. Archibald is pastor of Emmaus OPC in Fort Collins, CO. His 1994 article in Ordained Servant (Vol 3, No.4. pages 80-96) is available here. That article, combined with a subsequent article on qualifications for deacons, is also available as a free CCE ebook here.Over the next several issues of the ruling elder podcast several men will outline the Biblical qualifications for elders.Sinclair Ferguson's comments about the Fruit of the Spirit in proper proportion can be found on Things Unseen here.Archibald's Book RecommendationsFollowing God Fully: An Introduction to the Puritans, by Joel Beeke and Michael Reeves, Reformation Heritage Books, 2022.Devoted to God's Church: Core Values for Christian Fellowship by Sinclair Ferguson, Banner of Truth, 2020.The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance―Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters, by Sinclair Ferguson, Crossway, 2016.Photo by Alberto Bigoni on Unsplash
Awareness Explorers episode 219: Fooled into Dualism In this episode, we explore how language, culture, and survival instincts create a dualistic view of the world, which is at odds with the underlying reality of interconnectedness and oneness. • Includes a guided meditation helping us to see beyond the dualistic nature of language, and to sense how everything is interconnected, and nothing, including you, is truly separate from everything else. Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature. To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/ If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z Or on our Awareness Explorers website: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one. To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit https://findinghappiness.com/ and https://www.playawarenessgames.com/ You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n Enjoy, Jonathan and Brian Photo by 愚木混株 Yumu on Unsplash
Christian kids, do you recall all those old warnings against fantasy fiction?[1. Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash.] Some people implied that if you made up too much stuff, you'd lose track of reality. Alas. For some cases, they’re absolutely right. Too many people are abusing God's gift of imagination. They cast people they do not know as villains in a fantasy world in which they are the big moral heroes. This habit is taking over social platforms and podcasts. How can Christian fans respond with wisdom? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Winter's Dawn by Morgan L. Busse Realm Makers fundraiser for ongoing defamation lawsuit The Talismiths: The Secret Saboteur by M. L. Hodder King Justice: The Legend Begins by Evelyn M. Exley Mission update New at Lorehaven: Conqueror of Shadow and Light review Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Concession stand Some “conspiracy theories” are issues of wisdom, not sin. And in fact, some ideas labeled “conspiracies” turn out to be true! For more, listen to our episode How Can Christians Engage Wisely With Conspiracy Theories? | with Mike Duran Or read Mike's article: Christians Who Engage Conspiracy Theories Must First Believe God's Sovereign Rule Yet we've always had seen conspiracy theories based on fiction. And today more people are building bigger and worse idols. This makes the problem more than foolishness. It's actual sin. And this false accusation hurts true people we know and respect. It also hurts people who still struggle after real abuse and lies. Maybe you've been hurt by a real offense by a trusted someone. In that case, you don't need people weaponizing your empathy. We'll give you strong Bible tools to defend your calling and time. 1. False accusers are hurting true people. By now you may know about the Realm Makers defamation suit. Our friends and allies, Scott and Becky Minor, are suing a defamer. Two weeks ago, they released their need for legal cost support. So far, they've reached nearlry $20,000 of a $50,000 funding goal. We support them with 20 percent of new Lorehaven sponsors. But first, about the opponent, don't just speculate. Donate! Scott and Becky's open letter with the fundraiser: Defamation Against Realm Makers & the Minors Standing Together for Truth: Protect the Realm Makers Community Dear Realm Makers Family, Authors, and Friends, If you've ever sat in a Realm Makers keynote, chatted on the RealmSphere, or exhaled once you found “your people” at our annual conference, you know how much creative Christians benefit from being a part of our community. Realm Makers has always sought to be a safe haven for Christian writers of speculative stories. Today, we're coming to you with hearts heavy with a burden that impacts many members of our creative family. For the past year, we have been fighting a devastating battle to protect not just ourselves, but all of you. But we've reached a point where we can no longer carry the weight alone, and we desperately need our community to stand with us. The Attack on Us All Since early 2025, our authors, Realm Makers, and we (Scott and Becky personally) have been the targets of a malicious campaign of online defamation. A podcast organization has published dozens of episodes leveling unthinkable accusations against us that include fabrications of child trafficking, cyberbullying, running a cult, and engaging in criminal conspiracies. THESE CLAIMS ARE CATEGORICALLY UNTRUE. If you want to take the deep dive into the events that precipitated the battle, we have created a page that should answer most questions here: https://www.realmmakers.com/lawsuit/ Initially, we hoped these claims were too outlandish to be taken seriously. We chose to monitor the situation and proceed prudently through the legal system rather than engage in a public online war. But despite our efforts to do things legally and with level heads, our attackers have only doubled down. New videos continue to be published—with one posting as recently as the end of June 2026—directly threatening not just Realm Makers' reputation, but also questioning the character of prominent members of the Christian writing community. The more we researched, the bigger we realized the issue was–we were just the most recent targets in our accuser's “information” campaign against a growing list of Christian authors. The repeated contact with or calling out of people we know and love goes back to 2012 or earlier. Exclusive statement from author Bryan Davis David Solomon has used multiple aliases over the years, but he has always been consistent in his demonizing of people whom he thinks have crossed him. Ever since I declined meeting with him at my home more than ten years ago because I had to go out of town, he has used various media to publicly accuse me of everything from an alliance with former VP Mike Pence to traffic hundreds of children internationally, to trying to bomb a church, to grooming children in a church I supposedly pastored, to conspiring with famous murderers across the country, and on and on and on. If anyone tries to do anything to stop him or even speak against him, that person becomes a fellow trafficker in his mind and joins in the circle of those he attacks. That's what happened to Scott and Becky Minor of Realm Makers. When David and his allies joined Realm Makers, they started spreading lies about me to other members, so Scott rightfully banned them from the group. Of course, that action made Scott and Becky targets for David's lies, and he found a podcaster who was willing to be a platform for a new round of absurd claims. Hoping to keep Realm Makers safe from attack, Scott started civil legal proceedings against David and the podcaster. As you all know, such action costs a lot of money, but Scott and Becky have stepped up to try to stop this lying grifter from hurting them or anyone else, which is why I support their fundraiser and I am thankful for their efforts. I would like prayer for myself and other authors who have been maliciously attacked by David, that people would not be deceived by him and that he would stop his evil actions. 2. Scripture condemns a malicious witness. This is a real problem, as grown-up people treat slander as truth. Even professing Christians repeat clear lies about whole groups. Whatever their motives, they're crossing into our business: fiction. Yet we know the difference between made-up stories and reality. They don't. Or they pretend they don't. They claim it's all true. These defamers raid reality for spare parts to fit in their narrative. They adapt real people, groups, and plotlines for their “fanfiction.” Who's the star? Often themselves. Or “you,” the faithful listener. But this episode isn't for or even about any specific false accuser. Nor is it about similar accusations, at scale, all over the world. Our audience: anyone who wonders if we must hear “both sides.” And anyone who thinks “better safe than sorry” in wrong ways. So now, let's explore how Scripture condemns all such figures. God’s word says Christians who accuse others have two options. First, if the offense is a personal sin issue, talk with the person. Or then try 2-3 witnesses. Or take the conflict to church leaders. Their job is to attempt to bring reconciliation (Matthew 18). Second, if the offense is about law, you need two-plus witnesses. And you need to take the matter before diligent judges. “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) Our own justice systems often reflect Old Testament principles. That's because God has ordained the civil magistrate (Romans 13). He also gives stern warnings against “a malicious witness.” “If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Deuteronomy 19:16–21) Defamers, even professing Christians, ignore these biblical laws. Instead they follow (and don't even argue for) a third option. They go onto podcasts to hire you as a backup “elder” or “judge.” But is that our job? To be a church elder or judge over this “case”? Jesus Christ Himself refused to get dragged into that (Luke 12:14)! So before we even listen to an accuser's words, we should ask: Did you take this to your church? Or to the civil magistrate? And if the reply is no: “Who appointed me a judge or an arbiter?” We can also discern a malicious witness who denies plain reality. Some accusers go further and have ulterior motives, like Sanballat. 3. Biblical heroes reject bad actors' attacks. Many biblical prophets and kings faced false accusations. And yet one man comes close to the Christian creator: Nehemiah. Here's a professional, a diplomat, a creative leader of exiled Jews. His book is mainly about his quest to build something new. Nehemiah longs to rebuild Jerusalem's wall and guard his people. Also, he's one of the few biblical authors to speak in first-person! Quick recap: the secular king sends Nehemiah to do this work. Nehemiah's position and calling are legitimate by all authorities. This quickly attracts jeering and slander by several villains. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 2:19–20) What's their first tactic? False accusation of breaking the law. Nehemiah doesn't record a long defense. Just a quick rejoinder. Here he doesn't record their motives. Maybe people already knew. Commentaries like this one reveal his possible political rivalries. So keep that in mind with all his strategies. None are sincere. One chapter later, the enemies return. What do they do now? Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” (Nehemiah 4:1–4) No more legal threats now. Instead they just troll the builders. Watch now how Nehemiah responds. He knows not to feed them. Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. (Nehemiah 4:5) What's next for Sanballat and co.? He escalates from trolling. But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. (Nehemiah 4:7–8) Today's similar tactics: death threats, doxxing, and swatting. Nehemiah responds with both prayer and wise self-defense. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. (Nehemiah 4:9) So after legal threats, trolling, and violence plots, they get sneaky. Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. (Nehemiah 6:1–2) Today false accusers try this tactic: “I just want to meet with you.” “I think we got off on the wrong foot. Now let's talk. On my terms.” And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. (Nehemiah 6:3–4) Nehemiah responds professionally and brushes them aside. He avoids distractions. He focuses on the work he's called to do. This doesn't feel very “Christian.” After all, Sanballat needs God! And yet Nehemiah knows he's a proven bad-faith manipulator. Sanballat repeats the attempt. Nehemiah just repeats himself. No need for new arguments or attempts to persuade the accuser. He sticks to what he knows, grounded on the truth, and says no. What's next? They try the old “people say this about you” trick! In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.' And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” (Nehemiah 6:5–7) It's not Sanballat who says this. It's those other people out there! This is a flagrant appeal to our desire to protect our reputations. And it is “spiritual” concern-trolling of the worst possible sort. Frankly, Sanballat should have led with this one. It's fooled many. Important background: Nehemiah's people did sin against God. So he could have been vulnerable to “spiritual” accusations. Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. (Nehemiah 6:8–9) He didn't buy it. He simply states they made all this up. We get another quick prayer in-narrative. Before one final trick. Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” (Nehemiah 6:10) Again, Sanballat should have tried this strategy earlier. It sounds so spiritual. The house of God! Only it's misused. It's almost persuasive, mixes truth with lies, and appeals to fear. But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. (Nehemiah 6:11–12) Our hero doesn't attempt some “spiritual” argument to Shemaiah. In fact, he refers to his own character and gives a simple refusal. That's because he knows this isn't a spiritual attack. It's political. Nehemiah's enemies resorted to cold hard cash as a motivator. In modern terms, we would say he recognizes foreign collusion. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. (Nehemiah 6:13–14) Deftly our hero avoids the trap. And prays to God for divine justice. He even calls out unnamed prophets who tried to intimidate him. One can only imagine the “spiritual” language they may have used. In all cases, Nehemiah knew none of the strategies were sincere. And in the end, he avoids every trap and keeps to the project. Today, similar villains will try any tricks to stop people of integrity. And today they may use what plays well: accusations of abuse. Not even Sanballat knew to try that tactic. It's often effective. That's because Scripture does warn about abusive leaders. But God's word equally warn about the malicious false witness. Against false accusations, apply biblical justice and wise rebukes. One way or another, they will be defeated. And hopefully repent. Com station Top question for listeners Have you had a “Nehemiah” moment of standing up for your calling? Next on Fantastical Truth Now that we've talked the tough topics, let's talk about subjects more epic and fun. Like dragons! Possibly ones in our midst! The author we mentioned earlier, Bryan Davis, doesn't even have time to run all these conspiracies. That's because he'd been too busy with bestselling novels. So next week, we'll finally invite Bryan into the studio to share more about the castle walls he's built over the last many decades.
Imagine playing your very first indoor bowls game, but there is no jack. Everyone simply rolls a bowl towards an imaginary target. Somehow, your experienced opponent seems remarkably confident, while you try to copy what they do and hope for the best. At the end of the first end, someone reveals where the jack had been all along and awards the points accordingly. Then the second end goes in the same fashion, with a target that no one can see. Every end, you know how well you've done, but you never have any hope of getting better. Learning to bowl that way would feel practically impossible because every bowl would be complete guesswork. Surprisingly, some board games seem to want us to learn them in very much the same way.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/08/11/score-in-game-vs-end-game-scoring-topic-discussion/Useful Links99% Invisible podcast, episode 673: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/673-the-score/C. Thi Nguyen's book The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735252/the-score-by-c-thi-nguyen/Ahoy review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/03/18/ahoy-saturday-review/Flamme Rouge review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/07/13/flamme-rouge-saturday-review/Azul review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/09/19/azul-saturday-review/Duck & Cover review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2025/06/21/duck-cover-saturday-review/King of New York review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2020/04/25/king-of-new-york-saturday-review/Borealis: Arctic Expeditions review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/08/08/borealis-arctic-expeditions-saturday-review/MusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Flowers by FSCM Productions | https://fscmproductions.bandcamp.comRoyalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comWonders by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_USI Feel Alive by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_USFlourish by Purrple Cat | https://purrplecat.comRoyalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_USA Weekday In A Small Town by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.comSupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Seth kane on Unsplash)
The microphones were set metres away from the lions as the light dropped off and the temperature shifted. The lions are close. This is by far the most dangerous recording I have ever done. Their voices hold weight, spreading slowly across the savannah, overlapping in uneven intervals. There is a sense of space in the gaps between each call. What carries first is distance, low frequency calls moving across open ground, travelling further than expected in the cooling air.This was not a controlled recording. The position was exposed, visibility was low, and movement nearby could not always be placed. The decision was deliberate but dangerous, but the outcome was worth it.If you listen beyond the foreground, there are secondary layers: hyenas further out, thinner and more erratic in pitch, and closer still, intermittent movement from baboons, short, nervous gestures in the mid range.Well, the sound of a savannah at its best.Recorded in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania by Rafael Diogo. Photo by Keyur Nandaniya on Unsplash.
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. Why are stories spoken aloud? Why do we lean into the music of the spoken word? And why do we need to hear a woman's voice speaking her truth from her heart, her identity? Written text is processed intellectually by the brain but the spoken word resonates deeply. When we hear a woman's voice take a breath, pause, and speak from the heart, we feel it emotionally. The pauses, the unhurried rhythm, and the warmth of delivery invite listeners to feel like they are right in the moment of the story sitting side-by-side. For just a moment let's sit together. I've been reflecting on how we transform our lived personal experiences, the memories, the moments into story magic that captivates the listener with its universal meaning. Hint: It's the archeological dig. The archeological dig uncovering the treasure trove of our lived experiences is where we challenge ourselves to discover and make sense of what our story is really all about. Not just the quick, cheap, easy, and superficial answers but what flows like a river under the frozen ice. You and I know we aren't just talking about words on a page here. We're talking about how we hold our own lives. Most of the time we're taught to just report the facts. "Here's what I did today. Here's who I took care of. Here's my role." It's polite... it keeps the peace...it's empty and boring. We women of “middle earth age” can no longer deny the quiet, restless ache that shows up in the middle season of our lives. It's the emotional weight of a deeper question: Who am I... when no one is asking me to be anyone for them? When you finally stop and attend to that ache... that's where your real story begins. That is the moment of self-discovery and, more importantly, identity. You realize you aren't just a collection of jobs and titles; you are your own unique engagement with this world. And what about the thing you've actually come here to say? The wisdom you've earned? It doesn't need to be shouted out loud. It just needs to be true. It's the moment of self-definition... where you stop asking for permission to occupy your own life. It's looking at yourself in the mirror and realizing... my perspective matters. My voice does not need to be softened to be acceptable. When you lean into that... you aren't just letting life happen to you anymore. You are claiming your narrative. You are saying what you mean... and maybe for the very first time. That's what depth of inquiry means. It's having the courage to sit in the quiet... until the surface noise fades... and the truth of who you really are finally rises up. CTA: Today, don't just live the plot of your life. Lean into the rich, unfolding, joyful, wisdom of it. Say what you mean, mean what you say and let yourself be known - to yourself. You're invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! AND! Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction, email me [info@quartermoonstoryarts.net] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Conversation, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on SUBSTACK. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with the final Motivate Your Monday episode and your host, Diane Wyzga. As you know, the ending of every story holds the beginning of a new one. I'm retiring 60 Seconds and Motivate Your Monday episodes. Instead of ending these changes are evolving to Begin Anew. I launched my podcast, Stories From Women Who Walk in April 2020 as a platform for conversations with women who were walking their lives until their lives were flipped upside down by something unexpected, how they met the challenges, and changed to becoming stronger, even more confident women. I loved every single moment of listening stories out of my guests! COVID flipped our lives upside down, too. We were no longer commuting to work over long distances or in cars. Who would have the time to listen to a 30 or 40-minute conversation? What to do? Pivot to 60 Seconds. No one was offering this format. Turned out that I was really good at distilling topics, ideas and stories into soundbytes to inform, illuminate, delight, and comfort my listeners. At the same time I created a Listener Location Shout-out to kick off each episode to acknowledge and thank you for listening. How did I know where you were listening? The Simplecast platform provides a global map with yellow dots that light up the villages, towns and cities where your feet touch the ground all around the world. Each shout-out included a URL linked to the location so that other listeners could “armchair travel” to that place. Imagine how much I learned about my global audience. Some 1,330 episodes and close to 250,000 plays later it's time to do something different. But what? Running like a river beneath the surface of the lived experience moments of our lives is a deeper, truer one waiting to be acknowledged. How do I acknowledge that deeper truth? What will I hear when I let my Life speak? Where will it lead me next so that I can make the transitions I seek while inviting you to come along with me on the journey? I promise you this: the voice you have come to know and trust for over 6 plus years on the airwaves, along with the stories, insights, questions and prompts that speak to each of us as if to say, “What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.” [C.S.Lewis] I'd like to focus my creative efforts on producing “Diane on Mic” short-form episodes—maybe 7 minutes or so of spoken word—for Wednesdays on Whidbey and Story Prompt Friday. CTA: Let's continue making the very most of the time we have together, uncovering, discovering, shaping and sharing our stories. Let me know what you think. If there is something you're curious about, something you'd like to hear as my podcast begins anew, please email me and let me know: info@quartermoonstoryarts.net or subscribe on Substack. Comments Create Community. We are in this together for the long haul. And thank you for continuing to listen. You're invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! AND! Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction, email me [info@quartermoonstoryarts.net] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Conversation, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on SUBSTACK. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.
What stories have you inherited about where you belong? This week's reflection uses art and psychology to help you revise your own narrative.Join psychologist and researcher Leila Ainge for the first Reflection Room prompt, where psychology, art and curiosity come together to help you see yourself—and your work from a different perspective.Inspired by Coral Woodbury's Revised Edition series and the work of artist Lubaina Himid, this episode explores how the stories we inherit shape our sense of identity, belonging and possibility. Drawing on ideas from social identity psychology, Leila reflects on why representation matters, how assumptions influence the way we see ourselves, and why some of our most meaningful insights arrive when we're walking, wandering or simply paying attention.Listeners are invited to consider one simple but thought-provoking question: Where could your contribution be revised? Through a guided reflection and an optional creative activity, this episode encourages you to notice where you may have underestimated yourself, overlooked your own potential, or quietly written yourself out of opportunities before anyone else had the chance.Perfect for anyone who enjoys reflective practice, psychology, art and evidence-informed personal development, this is an invitation to spend fifteen minutes looking again at the story you're telling yourself and whether it's time for a revised edition.https://artuk.org/discover/curations/art-design-gcse-2026-theme-womanhttps://artuk.org/discover/stories/seven-questions-with-coral-woodburyhttps://vimeo.com/665634788?fl=pl&fe=sh - video interview with Coral WoodburyCover art credit : collage made by Leila Ainge, including Photo by Dan Farrell on Unsplash, Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash , Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash
We discuss 'Strawberry Jaw' by Jocelyn-Anne Harvey and 'My Uncle's Favorite Coffee Shop' by Naomi Shihab Nye. Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash. This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
When a part of a system changes, the rest of the system rearranges in response. That happens now with relationships. Stand firm in yourself, and don't be shy. As if the sky would let you now. Astro-Insight for August 3-9, 2026. Please do not forward w/o copyright notice intact, which is: Text & recording ©℗ Kathy Biehl 2026. Photo by "My Life Through A Lens" on Unsplash. Transcript Intro to Astrology at Rocky Mountain Academy of Energetic Arts Read my 2026 guide at OMTimes It's Human to Be Upset Now Use code: AQUARIAN30 for 30% off a purchase of $99+ or AQUARIAN20 for 20% off any purchase at https://tinyurl.com/3jw3muvc Check out my Witchy & Whimsy apparel Energy management tips in my Actions You Can Take playlist Bonus content at Patreon Join my mailing list Listen to Celestial Compass on OM Times Radio and TV Support this podcast Find out what this means for you! Facebook: Empowerment Unlimited and the Astro-Insight Lounge Bluesky, Instagram & Threads: @kabiehl
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. I remember this advice from decade ago"If you want to become a storyteller, tell stories. If you want to become a better storyteller, tell more stories." But what's a good story? A good story starts here: you have a treasure trove of lived experience memories. Are they all worthy of blossoming into well-crafted meaningful stories captivating to your listeners? How will you know unless you begin? The point is you have a brain, an imagination, and more than reasonable ability to begin transforming those lived experience memories into storytelling magic. Take a course. Get a coach. Invest in your desire to see what you are capable of creating. You can do all three with me. Email me for an no-obligation Discovery Chat! Here's what I believe: When someone comes to me with a story they need to tell, they are bringing me something they've been processing, shaping, and trying to make sense of—possibly for decades. The story is already there. It has been there the whole time. My job—as witness, as story doula—is not to give you a story. It is to help you find the one you are already living. Let's have a no-obligation Discovery Chat. Meanwhile, the very best use of your time might be spent as a spy to your life, as Don Murray wrote: "I am a spy to my life, maintaining an alertness to the commonplace, the ordinary, the routine where the really important stories appear. I am never bored. I overhear what is said and not said, delight in irony and contradiction, relish answers without questions and questions without answers, take note of what is and what should be, what was & may be. I imagine, speculate, make believe, remember, reflect. I am always traitor to the predictable, always welcoming to the unexpected....." [Don Murray, Pulitzer-prize winning American journalist & English professor] Story Prompt: We read the work of others so that we can say, "Look here! We're not the only ones.” What memories and sensations came alive in you when you heard Don Murray's words? Write that story and share it out loud! You're invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! AND! Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction, email me [info@quartermoonstoryarts.net] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.
At a time when many people feel democratic culture is under strain, it is worth looking at our own everyday behaviours that allow democracy to function. Elections, laws and political institutions are all important, but democracy also depends on how people treat one another every day. Listening to different opinions, accepting compromise, respecting agreed-upon rules and recognising opponents as people rather than enemies are all part of a healthy democracy. Maybe unsurprisingly, board games are a place to look for those values. I mean, the simple act of sitting down together to play a game, following the same rules and taking on a role, is an opportunity to act out democratic values.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/07/28/tabletop-democracy-what-board-games-can-teach-us-about-democracy-topic-discussion/Useful LinksEpisode 408 of Der Boardcast, a German board game podcast: https://boardcast.podigee.io/408-neue-episodeMusicIntro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)Music: Cruising (Romeos Erbe)Produced by Sascha EndeLink: https://ende.app/en/song/3140-cruising-romeos-erbeMusic: Sunday Morning CoffeeProduced by Sascha EndeLink: https://ende.app/en/song/13693-sunday-morning-coffeeMusic: Chill VLOG Beats 7Produced by Sascha EndeLink: https://ende.app/en/song/12914-chill-vlog-beats-7Music: Podcast Music Vol. 26Produced by Sascha EndeLink: https://ende.app/en/song/13782-podcast-music-vol-26SupportIf you want to support this podcast financially, please check out the links below:Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/TabletopGamesBlogPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tabletopgamesblogWebsite: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/support/(Photo by Isai Ramos on Unsplash)
The kingdom of God - it should first be said - is NOT a kingdom. Jesus makes that pretty clear with his many dozens of “kingdom” parables eschewing crowns and rulers for seeds and bread. It was always a cheeky and politically provocative move for Jesus to use the language of “kingdom.” Some days we might lean into the subversiveness of cheeky kingly language, and some days (like today's sermon) we decide to make plain that we're talking about a KIN-dom of God, in which all our relations (all creation!) live in beloved kinship communities of justice, peace, interdependence, flourishing, and liberating love. The KIN-dom of God is like… a library, a quilt, watercolor paints or a drop of red dye, household dust and/or stardust, a jazz ensemble or perhaps more rightly a festival of jazz ensembles. And it is alive and within us now. We must imagine it to create it, and we need ALL the imaginations contributing to the collective collage that can only ever sniff at the wild and wooly and vastly all-encompassing dream of God.Series: A Call to Christian Discipleship Amidst a Culture of Christian NationalismScripture: Matthew 13.31-33Resources:A Call to Christian Discipleship Amidst a Culture of Christian Nationalism, a resolution passed by the delegates to Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference (PNMC) in 2025Companion Worship Resource, created by a team from PNMC to accompany the 2025 resolution“The Kin-dom of Christ,” Melissa Florer-Bixler, Sojourners, November 20, 2018.“Freely Lent,” by Margaret Kearney, The Christian Century, October 20, 2021.“The Quilt We Make Together,” a poem written by Dwight J. Friesen following the 2026 Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference (PNMC) Annual Meeting, published in the PNMC e-Bulletin, July 20, 2026.Images: Quilt photo and Library photo by Megan Ramer; Jazz Ensemble photo by Jens Thekkeveettil on Unsplash; Stardust photo (detail) by David Babayan on Unsplash.
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. What happens when we women focus on self-definition? Maybe like me you come closer to your wisdom and insight. The insight—the thing you have actually come to this earth to say—doesn't look like a loud announcement. It looks like self-definition. It's the moment you stop asking for permission to occupy your own life. It's the wisdom that says: My perspective matters, my creativity is not a luxury, and my voice does not need to be softened to be acceptable. When you look at your life through that lens, you aren't just narrating a sequence of events anymore. You are claiming your own narrative. You are meaning what you say, perhaps for the very first time. Focusing on the internal feeling of self-definition is the courage to sit with yourself until the surface noise fades, and the truth of who you are finally whispers to you So today, don't just live the plot of your life. Lean into the wisdom of it. Story Prompt: Recall a time when you said what you actually meant and let yourself be known. What happened next? Write that story and share it out loud! You're always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! AND! Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction, email me [info@quartermoonstoryarts.net] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.
We are back in Greece, but it's not what you think! A surprise 2D adventure takes Max Roberts and Logan Moore back to Kratos' youth to explore, battle, and learn about an untold story. Does Kratos and Deimos' origin bring glory to Sparta or is it unworthy of the God of War? God of War: Sons of Sparta Developer – Mega Cat Studios and Santa Monica Studio Platform – PlayStation 5 Release Date – February 12, 2026 Game Directors – Zack Manko and Nate Flynn Producer – Jeff Ketcham Composer – Bear McCreary (and Logic) Metacritic – 64/100 Links God of War: Sons of Sparta Wikipedia God of War Greek Trilogy Remake in Development - PlayStation Blog God of War TV Series First Look Logan's Review of Sons of Sparta God of War: Betrayal Review - IGN How Long to Beat God of War: Sons of Sparta Super Mario Titans and the Duality of Leaks - Max Frequency Zelda and Star Fox Rumored for Nintendo's 2026 - Max Frequency The Leak of Ocarina of Time's Remake Robbed Us - Max Frequency Mega Cat Studios Wikipedia S7E6 - Metroid Prime 4 - Beyond Rotoscoping - Wikipedia Some Things Never Change - Max Frequency Screenshot of Sons of Sparta HD-2D Soundtrack Music Spotify YouTube Halo Epilogue John Mayer - Martin O'Donnell All Upcoming Santa Monica Studio Games in Development (Confirmed & Rumored Projects) - Fandom Wire Where Did the Price Drops Go - Max Frequency PS3 $299 Ad God of War: Laufey Gameplay Reveal - PlayStation MFP 52 - "Not Anymore You Filthy Sony Ponies" with Logan Moore This episode was originally recorded on April 28, 2026. Logan Moore Comicbook.com Max Frequency - Max's home online The Max Frequency Podcast - Join Max Roberts and guests to talk about video games, creativity, and life. This is podcasting at Max's frequency. Researcher, Editor, and Producer – Max Roberts Hosted by Logan Moore & Max Roberts Episode Cover Art "Headless roman statue in black and white" by Salvatore Favata on Unsplash, designed by Max Roberts
Get ready for the invasion of small humans. It's THAT time again, people will visit, tiny creatures will devour your brain cells AND energy. Grandparent artists will find their days filled with love and sticky fingers; parent artists will become personal chauffeurs, chefs, and/or entertainment officers. There will be tantrums (mainly from artists who need some creativity time).Then again, how do we incorporate some sketch-paint-stick into our jolly travels? What's art again? Who am I? There's time to plan, even if it's just to accept there will be no time whatsoever to work until September…but maybe an hour here and there could be negotiated. All eventualities covered. It's all okay. We can only do what we can do. Whatever the situation you're in, Karen and Gaynor have a few ideas to navigate summer. Are you ready? Let's hear your ideas too. Oh and if you're new to the artchatter podcast, maybe it's time to subscribe so we pop up automatically in September. Thank you, too, to all who listen, DM, send messages and have made the last five years so much fun with #artchatterpodcastSign up to receive Karen's Studio News https://www.karengeorgeart.co.uk/ and Gaynor's emails https://gaynorljart.com/pages/contactLinks and mentions:Photo by Yulia Matvienko on Unsplash@suebulmer @ginabelfordart Karen's blog on art travel @rebeccachapmanart@johounsome Sketch and explore com https://www.sketchandexplore.com@manchesterartfair Women's Business Club https://womensbusiness.club/awards@karengeorgeart @gaynorljart@artchatterpodcastAbout the podcastArtchatter: Podcast of the Year Award Runner UpWomen's Business Awards 2025 https://womensbusiness.club/awardsGaynor Leverett-Jaques and Karen George are both full time artists, living and working in South West of the UK, sharing lessons and experiences of the ups and downs of living their best artist lives.You can find more about them and their work on their websites or by following them on instagram where they share their work and practice on a regular basis. Karen George Art https://www.karengeorgeart.co.uk/@karengeorgeart on instagramGaynor Leverett-Jaques https://www.gaynorljart.com/@gaynorljart on instagramThanks always to our wonderful sound editor, Ben Leverett-Jaques, who also wrote and performs the opening song 'Strangler Fig'Ben's IMBD page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7425880/ Ben's Music - Low Cinnabar: https://low-cinnabar.bandcamp.com/album/four-songs-from-the-tree
Not just Independence Day, but all month long, American citizens are celebrating our nation's semiquincentennial called “America 250.” Other fans from around the world are joining in! But some folks, of course, feel uncertain about such patriotism. Don't our countries have a lot of problems? Isn't our eternal citizenship in Heaven? Let's explore how Scripture endorses “the glory and honor of the nations.” And let's recall how fantastical stories illustrate this good love of our country.[1. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.] Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Worlds Collide by Clint Hall Above the Circle of Earth (softcover) by E. Stephen Burnett Iffy Eats Monsters for Breakfast by Bryan Timothy Mitchell Lorehaven Guild: July 2026 book quest for The Silver Chair Mission update New at Lorehaven: review of All That Glows Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild 1. Why some struggle to love their homeland We'll disclaim illegitimate hatred or homeland, called oikophobia. Some prefer imaginary or opposite “homes” rather than real ones. Still others are rank traitors for bad reasons, and can be rejected. Yet more legitimately, “home” has a bad stigma for some people. We must not let “home was bad for me” turn into “it's bad for all.” Nor should we let this impulse turn into “the nation is bad for all.” Yes, a few countries are built on truly wicked foundations. But most are not—certainly not those with listeners to us now. Even if people do like America, however, they may feel guilty. A similar impulse occurs to Christians who like other earthly gifts. “Our treasure is in heaven, so nothing here on Earth matters.” Subtle gnosticism: if it all burns, why value these temporal places? 2. How stories remind us of good homelands Naturally we begin with the classics by authors who loved England. Lewis and Tolkien saw bad battles and offered critiques at home. But their stories remind us how good heroes fight for their peoples. Hobbits foresee the danger to the Shire and leave home to stop it. Aragorn loves his people and his country, despite their flaws. Faramir doesn't love weapons but “that [land] which they defend.” Narnia's kings and allies fight for her and for other good countries. The Horse and His Boy is about the good country of Archenland. Even harsh Calormenes, opposed to Narnia, have good qualities. Classic sci-fi by the French Jules Verne honors American spirit. Japanese stories adore American heroes, and we return the favor. On this side of the pond, stories show America's flaws and heroes. Independence Day (1996) shows a pulpified-U.S. fighting aliens. Transformers and Top Gun movies tend to follow that tradition. Overtly “patriotic” stories are more about flavor, not philosophy. Back in the UK, Stephen thinks Harry Potter shows this differently. Spoilers: Harry learns Prof. Dumbledore made a lot of mistakes. Yet the grown-up Harry chooses to stay on his mentor's side. And really, such open-eyed loyalty is the root of good patriotism. 3. And yes, good countries could last forever. These are good enough reasons to love even temporal gifts. But let's add more. I believe great nations are in fact eternal. Why? Because of direct promises about eternity in Scripture. By [the city's] light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. Revelation 21: 24-26 John could have said “earthly kingdoms get destroyed.” He didn't. He clearly means us to think that earthly authorities can continue. And he specifically says “the glory and the honor of the nations.” It would appear that nations (groups of people) are not sinful. New Earth is the fulfillment of God's original purpose for Earth. So why not New Israel? New India? New Britain? New America? Could the “glory and honor” include fireworks? Hot dogs? Ideas? Jesus is King of all eternity. Yet other “kings” will also be known. Other verses refer to saints having leadership in the New Earth. Could some lands try different models? Monarchy? Democracy? Perhaps in the New Earth, we'll see the best of all those systems. Voting could continue, in some ways, certainly at smaller scales. If this seems weird, recall that nations are just large people groups. No prophecy implies a removal of today's diversity of humans. Nor does it imply that everyone will love everyone else the same. New Earth will not sanctify “everyone belongs to everyone else.” Surely, after loving Jesus most, we'll also love others differently. You'll love your own family “more” than other people's families. And if you were married, you'll love him or her more than others. So it is with countries. It's okay, even good, to have preferences. We want people to like their own spouses/families/countries most. So if that impulse will be right forever, it can also be right today. For more, read this: Why I Look Forward to America 250,000. Com station Top question for listeners Have you ever struggled to love your homeland? Next on Fantastical Truth Lots of folks have said plenty about Christopher Nolan's controversial retelling of Homer's classic The Odyssey. We might see the movie. Or we might not. In either case, this book is an absolute cornerstone not just of human literature, but of fantastical fiction. How did this hero's journey change the course of all other heroic legends after him?
Daniel Funke highlights the unique opportunities of the morning, and the value of sanctifying our waking hour for the glory of God. Featured Resources: Daniel Funke, 'Waking the Dawn with Praise,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 752 (May 2026). Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast Featured photo in episode artwork by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash.
Awareness Explorers episode 216: Types of Thought In this episode, we discuss different types of thoughts and how to distinguish between helpful and harmful thinking patterns. We cover practical thoughts versus emotional ruminations, the importance of intuitive wisdom versus egoic thinking, and how to recognize beneficial thoughts that come from outside the normal mind. • Includes a guided meditation leading you through a suite of games to quiet the intrusive mind, as well as a practice to open your heart to intuitive guidance. Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature. To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/ If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z Or on our Awareness Explorers website: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one. To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit https://findinghappiness.com/ and https://www.playawarenessgames.com/ You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n Enjoy, Jonathan and Brian Photo by Quilia on Unsplash
Food, safety, and strong relationships are essential to our survival. Psychologist Lisa Miller says our brains also crave something else: transcendence. She suggests that spirituality is a universal human capacity, and that feeling connected to something larger than ourselves may be essential to a fulfilling life. If you enjoy listening to Hidden Brain, we think you'll enjoy watching it, too! Check out our new YouTube channel, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of our videos. Episode illustration by Karem Adem for Unsplash. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
You're not the same person with your friends as you are with your co-workers or your kids. So who are you, really? This week, political scientist Eric Oliver explores why we often feel divided within ourselves, and how we can learn to live more peacefully with those contradictions. Then, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman answers your questions on the science of intelligence. Should you worry about your memory? For many of us, forgetting a name or losing your keys feels like a small failure. But what if forgetting is actually one of the most important things your brain does? Check out our new video on the surprising (and reassuring!) science of forgetting to learn more. Episode illustration by Eva Corbisier for Unsplash+. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We tell ourselves that meaning comes from impact, passion, or finding the “one right path.” But these beliefs can leave us feeling stuck — even when our lives look perfectly fine on paper. Behavioral scientist Dave Evans describes a new approach, borrowed from design thinking, to help us build lives that feel more alive, flexible, and real. What makes brave people different from the rest of us? It isn't a lack of fear — instead, it's a trait that might surprise you. Learn more in this video on our new YouTube channel. Episode illustration by Getty Images for Unsplash+. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.