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ABOUT THIS EPISODE Daniel Shapiro is a University of Chicago Law School graduate. He has been a trial lawyer for many years and is a lifetime Chicagoan. He spends his free time reading and socializing with his grown children. His debut book, The Thin Ledge i,s a raw and real telling of coping with his wife's severe brain trauma. He's currently working on his second book, a novel about an aging lawyer, late-career ambition, and ethnicity in a changing, awakened society. In the The Thin Ledge, Daniel recounts the realities of living through his wife's mental and physical decline as a result of a dreadful illness in this very honest book. When Daniel's wife, Susan, suffered a brain bleed and was told her prognosis was uncertain, he was a successful attorney in his early forties. The couple, stunned and with three small children, made the best of the next few years before a major second hemorrhage changed everything. Susan's physical abilities to speak, see, and walk were severely hampered. Mentally, she descended into sadness and underwent a significant personality shift. ​In this episode, Daniel shares his experiences as a caregiver to his wife and how he was able to cope with the difficult diagnosis. He discusses how he looked to Judaism for help and why he chose his faith to find answers among the confusion and fear. He also talks about how his life transformed and the love, commitment, loss and resilience he faced throughout this profound period of his life. HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Daniel's early life and education 13:08 The power of authenticity and sharing personal experiences to make an impact 17:51 The amazing achievements of the Jewish community 21:07 Coping with news of a loved one being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury 24:47 Losing yourself and your state of being 26:21 How did your life transform after the diagnosis? 30:27 The limitations of a caretaker 35:18 Calling on Judaism during times on confusion and uncertainty 42:26 What made you decide to look to Judaism? 46:15 Leaning on Judaism when dealing with death 49:29 The Young Leadership Award of The Brain Research Foundation 51:29 Gender bias and society's reaction to a male caregiver 53:50 Where are you in your life now? Connect with Daniel: The Thin Ledge: https://www.amazon.com/Thin-Ledge-Husbands-Unexpected-Circumstances-ebook/dp/B09746NNQW Website: https://danielpshapiro.com/ Connect with Ari: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jewsyoushouldknow Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewsUShouldKnow Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rabbi.K Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-koretzky-18b12217/ --------------------------- ABOUT THE SHOW Jews You Should Know introduces the broader community to interesting and inspiring Jewish men and women making a difference in our world. Some are already famous, some not yet so. But each is a Jew You Should Know. The host, Rabbi Ari Koretzky, is Executive Director of MEOR Maryland (www.meormd.org), a premier Jewish outreach and educational organization. MEOR operates nationally on twenty campuses and in Manhattan; visit the national website at www.meor.org.  

Episode 121 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 7 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: (Bible quotes from the God’s Word Translation) Gabriel [said] "Seventy sets of seven time periods have been assigned for your people and your holy city. ... from the time the command is given to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the anointed prince comes .... Jerusalem will be restored and rebuilt with a city square and a moat during the troubles of those times. But after the sixty-two sets of seven time periods, the Anointed One will be cut off and have nothing. Daniel, Chapter 9, verses 21 through 26, God’s Word Translation ******** VK: Hello. I’m Victoria K. Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth. Today we are continuing our look at “The Intertestamental Period” - the 400-plus year period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. I’m in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, today we’re going into our 7th episode in this series. Last time we talked about how the formation of the Pharisees and the Sadducees during the intertestamental period influenced the religious environment which Jesus confronted during His earthly ministry. Today we want to talk at some length about why we have called this series on the intertestamental period Perfectly Quiet. But before we get to that, RD, how about doing a brief refresher on why we’re so interested in helping listeners understand more about the Sadducees and Pharisees? RD: Greetings to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. We really appreciate you taking some time to be with us for this episode. We know that you are with us because you have a genuine desire to understand scripture more thoroughly. We also know that it might seem a little odd to focus as much attention as we have on a time period when no new books of the Bible were being added to the canon. But the truth is that having some familiarity with the intertestamental period is essential to a thorough understanding of both the Old and New Testament such as how the Sadducees and Pharisees developed and became instrumental in the story that would unfold in the four Gospels. Neither the Sadducees nor the Pharisees were mentioned at all in the Old Testament yet during in the Gospels the two parties had become so influential that they comprised the Jewish ruling council that was called the Sanhedrin. VK: But, of course, the trial itself was illegal according to Jewish law and the trial did not conform to Jewish law. So, it’s probably not fair to really call it a trial. But whatever label you want to put on it, the Sanhedrin was the group that held it. And the Sanhedrin was comprised of Sadducees and Pharisees which were two of the most important religious and political bodies of the day. Many scholars believe that at the time of Jesus’ trial there were more Sadducees on the Sanhedrin and many scholars believer that the high priest at the time was a Sadducee. RD: Right. So, we talked about the differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees and the possibilities for the factors during the intertestamental period that gave rise to their formation and influence. The main point we emphasized was that the fact that the Greek Empire and its successor empires had controlled Palestine for almost 200 years during the intertestamental period. And even after the Jews revolted and obtained their independence in 142 B.C. the Greek influence didn’t vanish. The leaders of the revolt founded the Hasmonean Dynasty that ruled Israel for several decades and the Hasmoneans seemed to have perpetuated the incorporation of Greek ideas and culture into the nation. So, even though the Hasmoneans were Jews, they were Jews who were comfortable with the Greek culture and ways of life. VK: And the Sadducees seemed to have been comfortable with the continued Greek influence, or Hellenization, but the Pharisees weren’t. The Pharisees were committed to retaining or returning to the traditional Jewish ways of life and religious practices. So, this would partially explain why the Sadducees were so threatened by Jesus. Jesus was the promised Messiah who had been predicted to come. Jesus was the very embodiment of the Jews’ hopes and aspirations. RD: Yes. And, of course, the Sadducees would have been even angrier at Jesus after he so decisively refuted their contention that there was no such thing as the resurrection. I think that the Sadducees held that opinion because Greek philosophy had a very low opinion of the “body” as opposed to the “spirit” and the Sadducees had readily embraced Greek ideas and thought. So, knowing that the Greeks controlled Palestine during the intertestamental period is very helpful in understanding the situation confronting Jesus. So, studying the intertestamental period gives us insight into the background of the New Testament. But studying the intertestamental period also helps us get a much clearer understanding of key portions of the Old Testament and today we want to talk about another very important implication of this. VK: Which is what? RD: The length of the intertestamental period. We’ve spent a lot of time during our series talking about what went on during the intertestamental period – such as the changes in empires that controlled Palestine. VK: So, just to set the stage. In our Bibles the last book of the Old Testament is Malachi which most scholars believe was written sometime between 430 B.C. and 458 B.C. The Persian Empire was in control of Palestine at that time and remained in control until around 332 B.C. when Alexander the Great entered Jerusalem having conquered the Persians. Alexander died in 323 B.C. and about 20 years later his empire was split among four of his generals including Ptolemy and Seleucus. A successor of Ptolemy or Seleucus controlled Palestine until 142 B.C. when the Jews regained their independence. The Romans took control of Palestine in 63 B.C. when the Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem. RD: Right. So, we’ve talked a lot about the changes in empires during the intertestamental period. We’ve talked about which foreign power controlled Palestine and we’ve talked about the impact those changes had – one of which was to actively spread their language and culture in the territories they controlled. During the lifetimes of Jesus and the Apostles Greek was the international language of commerce and trade. The most common version of the Old Testament in circulation among the dispersed Jews was the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. Even though the Romans were in control politically and militarily Greek influences were everywhere. VK: The Greek language was so pervasive Roman youth were taught it. In fact, one of the most famous Roman statesmen and philosophers, Cicero said, "The Greek language is spoken in almost all nations; the Latin is confined to our comparatively narrow borders." And one of the most famous of the Roman historians, Tacitus, lamented that, "An infant born now is committed to a Greek nurse." So, despite the fact that the Roman Empire had displaced the Greek Empire the Greek influence continued to be felt both in and out of Palestine. RD: Correct. But, the Greek language was being used to communicate in a Roman empire and the Romans controlled trade, commerce, politics, and travel. One upside of Roman control was that Romans ensured that their roads and seaways were safe to it was easy to move around within the Roman Empire. So, we’ve talked about the changes in empires and how those changes affected Palestine. But up to this point we haven’t talked about why the intertestamental period lasted as long as it did. VK: Which was a period of over 400 years. You know that does seem to be a very long time during which God did not make any new revelations. RD: To our contemporary minds which are so used to instant responses from phones and computers 400 to 450 years is an eternity. But hundreds of years are of no consequence to an eternal God. VK: Which the Apostle Peter made plain in 2 Peter 3:8 and 9 where he wrote, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” RD: Exactly. God was being “quiet” insofar as new special revelations were concerned, but God was never inactive. During the intertestamental period God’s prophetic and redemptive time clocks were continuing to tick away. So, let’s make sure we have our time frames firmly established because today’s discussion is all about time. And establishing the beginning and ending points of the prophecy Daniel recorded in chapter 9 is crucial. So, first of all let’s note that Daniel received his vision around 539 B.C. At the time Daniel received the prophecy we heard in our first scripture Daniel himself had been in captivity close to 70 years. In all probability, he was part of the first group of Jews to be deported when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem around 605 B.C. At that time the Babylonians didn’t destroy Jerusalem. They just installed a vassal king and collected taxes. VK: Ultimately, though, after continued rebellions the Babylonians did completely destroy the city. Then, the remaining population, except for a very few of the poorest people, either went into exile or were scattered. At the time Daniel received the vision he recorded in chapter 9 Jerusalem had been a heap of rubble for decades. So, when the angel Gabriel told Daniel that Jerusalem was to be rebuilt would have been as astonishing as it was welcome. In the ancient world conquerors didn’t go around rebuilding cities and nations they had destroyed. RD: But, of course, Jerusalem had a special role to play in God’s plan of redemption so God was going to be sure that it was rebuilt. It didn’t matter how pagan emperors might ordinarily behave. Kings and empires are all going to do whatever God tells them to. So, when the Medo-Persian confederation conquered Babylon the Persian emperor, Cyrus, gave the first of four decrees that ultimately would result in Jerusalem’s complete restoration. Cyrus’s initial decree was given in 538 B.C. That decree allowed the Jews to return to their homeland but primarily concerned the rebuilding of the temple. That decree really did not say anything about rebuilding the city. Over the next not-quite 100 years three more decrees from Persian emperors concerning Jerusalem followed. The final of the four decrees came in 444 B.C. from the Persian emperor Artaxerxes. VK: Well, how can we be sure which of those four decrees started the prophetic time clock ticking and exactly what time period we are concerned with? RD: To answer your question we’re going to rely heavily on chapter 6 of Dr. Harold Hoehner’s book, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ. I would highly recommend that book for anyone who is serious about developing their faith. So, let’s take the second part of your question first. Commentators are pretty much universally agreed that when the angel Gabriel, who delivered the prophecy to Daniel, referred to “Seventy sets of seven time periods” he was referring to 70 seven-year periods. Some translations refer to 70 “weeks” but for a variety of reasons, which Dr. Hoehner covers thoroughly, most commentators agree the prophecy concerns a total period 490 years or 70 seven-year periods. VK: But the 490 year time period was not one continuous period of 490 years. The total period is broken into 3 smaller periods: a 49-year period (7 times 7), a 434-year period (62 times 7), and one final seven-year period for a total of 70 seven year periods. And it was to be after the end of first two of those periods that the Anointed One, or Messiah, will be cut off. Before that happens, two of the three prophesied periods will have elapsed. The 49 year period and the 434 year period will have ended. That’s a total of 483 years. In other words, 483 years were prophesied to elapse between the decree issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and the cutting off of the Messiah? So, to evaluate the prophecy’s accuracy we need to know which of those four Persian decrees started that 483 year time clock ticking. RD: Right. As Dr. Hoehner discusses in his book, only one of those decrees, the last of the four, really meets the criteria given in Daniel chapter 9. That was the decree which is discussed in Nehemiah, chapter 2, verses 1 through 8. The first three decrees either had to do with rebuilding the temple or the ratification of the first decree when local opposition arose to rebuilding the temple and some surrounding locals tried to get it stopped. Only the Nehemiah decree talked about rebuilding the city’s walls which would have been an essential part to having a safe city which is implied in the prophecy’s discussion of the city square and moat. The “city square” implies a broad open place that is protected within the city and the moat would be a supplement to the defensive fortification a wall provides. According to Dr. Hoehner’s calculations Artaxerxes issued his decree, based on our calendar, on either March 4th or 5th of 444 B.C. VK: So that takes care of the start of the time clock and how long the clock would run, right? RD: Well, not quite. Remember that the ancient Jews did not use the Gregorian calendar which is the one we use. The Gregorian and Julian calendar both use a 365 day period for a year based on the solar cycle – the earth’s period of revolution around the sun. Now, of course, every 4th year in the Gregorian calendar is a so-called “leap year” to account for the fact that the solar cycle is actually slightly longer than 365 days. The ancient Hebrews used a calendar for a year that consisted of twelve even periods of 30-days. So, our current solar calendar year is not identical to the ancient Jewish calendar’s year. VK: In other words the ancient Jews year was 360 days long and not 365 days like ours. So, to make our calculation correctly we have to convert the years to days. So, 483 years times the 360 days the ancient Jews used for their calendar comes out to 173,880 days. So according to the prophecy 173,880 days would elapse between issuing the decree to restore Jerusalem and the Messiah being “cut off.” Are we just about ready to check Daniel’s accuracy? RD: Just about – one more detail. Today we actually know that the solar year is actually slightly longer than 365 and a quarter days. The solar year is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45.975 seconds. VK: And 45.975 seconds? Yeah. Don’t want to forget those. RD: No you don’t because God didn’t. If we didn’t make an adjustment for those extra hours and seconds when you translate the Hebrew calendar days into the Gregorian calendar you would be off by 3 days. But the bottom line is that when you add those 173,880 days to March 5th of 444 B.C. and translate that result to our Gregorian calendar you come out to March 30th of 33 A.D. That is the day that we call Palm Sunday – the day Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem that we read about in scripture. Palm Sunday occurred just before Jesus’s crucifixion. Naturally, being crucified is a pretty dramatic way of being “cut off” and “having nothing.” A great many New Testament commentators agree that it was on Palm Sunday when Jesus’s role as the Messiah, the Anointed One became most visible during his pre-resurrection lifetime. On Palm Sunday Jesus visibly fulfilled a number of Old Testament prophecies including Zachariah 9:9 which prophesied that the Messiah would come to his people riding on the foal of a donkey. VK: This is starting to be another one of those moments that, when you think about it very much, gives you a headache. Let’s review for just a second. Sometime around 539 B.C. the angel Gabriel visited Daniel who was still in exile and far outside his homeland. Gabriel told Daniel that at some point in the future a decree would be issued that would allow the Jews to rebuild their city including the walls that would permit it to have a safe city square and interior. Gabriel told Daniel that 483 of their years later, after the issuance of that decree, the Jewish Messiah would appear to the people only to be “cut off and have nothing.” RD: Exactamundo, as I sometimes say to Jerry. VK: And we now know from history that all that unfolded exactly as Gabriel told Daniel that it would. Almost 100 years after Gabriel visited Daniel the Persian emperor Artaxerxes issued a decree that is recorded in Nehemiah chapter 2 and for which secular history provides confirmation. Then another 173,880 days later – which is 476 or so of our years - the prophecy was fulfilled on the exact day that was foretold. And this prophetic fulfillment accounts for the fact that the solar year actually contains not only 365 days we typically think about but also an additional 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45.975 seconds. That’s not amazing. That’s mind boggling in the most literal meaning of the term. RD: That’s God. He is mind boggling – literally. So, this explains why the intertestamental period lasted as long as it did. Chronologically speaking, the book of Nehemiah, which contains the information we need to date the start of the prophetic time clock may be the last book of the Old Testament. It is certainly one of the last 3. But with the completion of the book of Nehemiah the world had all the information from the Jewish scriptures, our Old Testament, needed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah when He came. We even had the beginning of an exact time schedule. So, all that awaited was for the time to elapse to bring God’s plan of redemption to fruition. VK: So, what you’re saying is that God paused in His special revelation once He had given the world all the information it would need to know the Messiah when He came. So, just as God did with the 7 days of creation, God completed His work and then rested. That’s kind of an amazing thought. God treats time the way we treat distance. God measured out 173,880 days along the plane of history for a specific part of His plan of redemption. Then, God sent Gabriel to Daniel to tell Daniel about what He was planning. About 100 years later God put the plan into motion. And 173,880 days after that God completed His plan to reveal His Messiah at a specific point in earth’s history. Only an all-knowing, all-powerful God could do that. RD: But there’s one more thought I want to cover that is almost even more amazing than the prophetic precision we’ve just been talking about. VK: Not sure we can take much more. What we’ve already learned is a lot. You’ve already given us enough to meditate about for days. RD: Well, I think one more aspect of this prophecy needs to be emphasized. Clearly, only an omniscient and omnipotent God could give such a prophecy to one of His people and then orchestrate the events to bring it about. So the prophecy and its fulfillment alone illustrate that the Bible has a supernatural origin. But think about this. When Daniel heard about the prophecy, his world didn’t even know that the earth revolved around the sun much less know its orbital period. But God did and so do we. That means we can see the amazing accuracy of God’s activity within history that Daniel couldn’t. For that matter, from our vantage point within redemptive history, we have evidence of God’s existence, power, and faithfulness that even Jesus’s disciples didn’t possess. VK: Oh. I think I see where you’re going with this. Sometimes, Christians in our era will say to themselves how much stronger their faith would be if they had only seen Jesus turn the water into wine or feed 5,000 people with only a few loaves and fish. But, in an oddly ironic way, we have evidence to support our faith that even the people who lived alongside Daniel or Jesus didn’t possess. RD: Precisely. The Bible is so commonplace in our society that sometimes we miss the amazing attributes it possesses. Jesus’s audiences had access to the Old Testament so they could verify His claims about being the Messiah from the prophecies contained in it. But on Palm Sunday – the day He actually entered Jerusalem as the foretold Messiah – there probably wasn’t anyone in the crowd, including his own disciples, who had the same degree of information we have about the amazing display of prophetic perfection that was occurring right before their very eyes. But we have that – if we will take the time to get to know the Bible and to do a little bit of investigation about the astounding evidence that the Bible contains that it is the very word of God. The Bible not only tells about God and Jesus but properly studied, used, and understood it helps provide confirmation for its claims and our faith. In other words, contrary to some modern believers’ contentions, we have evidence that supports our faith that can be just as compelling as those who witnessed the water turning to wine or the loaves and fishes being multiplied. In an odd way we may have better evidence. VK: I see what you’re saying. Even if you had been standing next to Jesus and saw the water being poured into the barrel and then saw the lid being lifted and the wine drawn out – that would have been a single experience. It would have been a powerful experience, to be sure, but over time memories fade. Many of the witnesses to Jesus’s miracles might have had only that single experience with him. With the passage of time even the power of their experience might start to dim. But we have the Bible with us all the time and we can go to it daily or even multiple times a day. And every time we do we can have our faith reinforced not only by the comforting passages – like the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us. But by the fact that the Bible displays in every book the fact that God has given us evidence and reason to support and sustain our belief in Him. Sounds like a great time for a prayer. How about if today we pray a prayer of adoration for the Holy Spirit who is the one who attests, in our hearts, that Jesus came to bring us salvation. ---- PRAYER OF ADORATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quotes from the God’s Word Translation) Daniel, Chapter 7, verses 2 through 7, God’s Word Translation https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1293/the-arrival-of-the-king

In Episode 361: Creatures Between the Veil, Daniel has many experiences to share with us, including the paranormal, doppelgangers, UFOs, bigfoot, orbs, and more! I initially interviewed Daniel for one episode, but following our first talk, he contacted me again because more activity had started kicking up in his life. Daniel then came back on the show to record an Overtime episode, giving us updates and sharing a childhood memory of a creature he saw lurking in the woods in an abandoned house. When Daniel returned home with his friend, they realized that whatever they had seen had followed them. SPONSORS GET SIMPLISAFE TODAY: https://simplisafe.com/confessionals GET Hello Fresh: https://hellofresh.com/confessionals14 Promo Code: "confessionals14" for 14 FREE MEALS!!! GET ACORN.TV: https://acorn.tv/ Promo Code: "tony" (Code must be applied in all lowercase letters!) Get Emergency Food Supplies: http://www.preparewiththeconfessionals.com Get Beard Oil: https://bit.ly/2FbOhN5 CONNECT WITH US Website: www.theconfessionalspodcast.com Email: theconfessionalspodcast@gmail.com Text Community: Text "YUP" to 844-215-0819 Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.theconfessionalspodcast.com/the-newsletter SOCIAL MEDIA Subscribe to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/2TlREaI Discord: https://discord.gg/KDn4D2uw7h Show Instagram: theconfessionalspodcast Tony's Instagram: merkification Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheConfessionalsPodcast Twitter: @TConfessionals Tony's Twitter: @tony_merkel SHOW INTRO Show Intro INSTRUMENTAL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyub39AXxUw Show Intro FREE DOWNLOAD: https://bit.ly/2HxNcw3

Daniel 4–6 Daniel 4–6 (Listen) Nebuchadnezzar Praises God 4 1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 3   How great are his signs,    how mighty his wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,    and his dominion endures from generation to generation. Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream 4 2 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods3—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.' 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” Daniel Interprets the Second Dream 19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! 20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived—22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,' 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Nebuchadnezzar's Humiliation 28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws. Nebuchadnezzar Restored 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,   for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,    and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;35   all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,    and he does according to his will among the host of heaven    and among the inhabitants of the earth;  and none can stay his hand    or say to him, “What have you done?” 36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. The Handwriting on the Wall 5 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father4 had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared5 to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. 10 The queen,6 because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.7 In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Daniel Interprets the Handwriting 13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods8 is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son,9 Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered10 the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL, you have been weighed11 in the balances and found wanting; 28 PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”12 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 13 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Daniel and the Lions' Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement14 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared15 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,   for he is the living God,    enduring forever;  his kingdom shall never be destroyed,    and his dominion shall be to the end.27   He delivers and rescues;    he works signs and wonders    in heaven and on earth,  he who has saved Daniel    from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Footnotes [1] 4:1 Ch 3:31 in Aramaic [2] 4:4 Ch 4:1 in Aramaic [3] 4:8 Or Spirit of the holy God; also verses 9, 18 [4] 5:2 Or predecessor; also verses 11, 13, 18 [5] 5:7 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 10 [6] 5:10 Or queen mother; twice in this verse [7] 5:11 Or Spirit of the holy God [8] 5:14 Or Spirit of God [9] 5:22 Or successor [10] 5:26 Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered [11] 5:27 Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed [12] 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia [13] 5:31 Ch 6:1 in Aramaic [14] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 [15] 6:16 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20 (ESV)

No one wants to make sacrifices. But if you want to have success, you're going to have to make compromises. When Daniel first started, he realized he was going to have to make sacrifices with his family. He had to work to figure out the best strategy to make money. He knew the future would be better if he made these sacrifices. Keep fighting for your success, and you will get there.

Welcome to Episode 152 of Building My Legacy.In a recent podcast Daniel Stafford and Robby Switzer talked about their company, Shopanova, a modern growth buying agency for eCommerce shops and the advantages of “live selling” as part of online marketing. As informative as that discussion was, their backstory was so fascinating that we invited Daniel and Robby to talk with us again and share more about their entrepreneurial journey. Just six years ago they were making a good living in the commercial fishing business, but events — including the loss of a boat that put Daniel $50,000 in debt — made them realize this wasn't the life they wanted. Their experience, which includes a great deal of uncertainty and a number of challenging setbacks, illustrates what you can do if you have determination and perseverance.As so many individuals and businesses have struggled during the last year, you, too, may be wondering where to go next. Daniel and Robby realized that, to have the lives they wanted, they needed a mindset shift. Their inspirational story provides important lessons for all of us. So if you want to know:– How following the career model set for you isn't always the best idea– Why making money actually starts with your mindset– How setting limits on the length of your workday can help you work more efficiently– The importance of thriving professionally and personally — for you and your employees– Why learning from experience is the slowest way to learn — and how a mentor can help you avoid this About Daniel Stafford and Robby SwitzerDaniel Stafford and Robby Switzer, the founders of Shopanova, are both from a small town in Alaska where they worked in commercial fishing. When Daniel survived his boat capsizing, he realized there had to be a safer way to make money. He teamed up with Robby — who would eventually become his brother-in-law — and decided to try something completely different: a video production company. In determining what additional value they could bring to their customers, Daniel and Robby figured out how to use a marketing asset and run a paid ad strategy. Today, as a service provider for eCommerce brands, Shopanova has been able to grow its clients' revenues from five figures all the way to seven figures and beyond. More information is available at www.shopanova.com About Lois Sonstegard, PhDWorking with business leaders for more than 30 years, Lois has learned that successful leaders have a passion to leave a meaningful legacy. Leaders often ask: When does one begin to think about legacy? Is there a “best” approach? Is there a process or steps one should follow?Lois is dedicated not only to developing leaders but to helping them build a meaningful legacy. Learn more about how Lois can help your organization with Leadership Consulting and Executive Coaching:https://build2morrow.com/Thanks for Tuning In!Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you'd like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.Don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates.And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show, and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get.Please leave a review right now. Thanks for listening!Building My Legacyhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/building-my-legacy/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/episode-152-daniel-stafford-and-robby-switzer-on-the-right-mindset-building-my-legacy-with-lois-sonstegard-phd

Welcome to Episode 152 of Building My Legacy.In a recent podcast Daniel Stafford and Robby Switzer talked about their company, Shopanova, a modern growth buying agency for eCommerce shops and the advantages of “live selling” as part of online marketing. As informative as that discussion was, their backstory was so fascinating that we invited Daniel and Robby to talk with us again and share more about their entrepreneurial journey. Just six years ago they were making a good living in the commercial fishing business, but events — including the loss of a boat that put Daniel $50,000 in debt — made them realize this wasn't the life they wanted. Their experience, which includes a great deal of uncertainty and a number of challenging setbacks, illustrates what you can do if you have determination and perseverance.As so many individuals and businesses have struggled during the last year, you, too, may be wondering where to go next. Daniel and Robby realized that, to have the lives they wanted, they needed a mindset shift. Their inspirational story provides important lessons for all of us. So if you want to know:– How following the career model set for you isn't always the best idea– Why making money actually starts with your mindset– How setting limits on the length of your workday can help you work more efficiently– The importance of thriving professionally and personally — for you and your employees– Why learning from experience is the slowest way to learn — and how a mentor can help you avoid this About Daniel Stafford and Robby SwitzerDaniel Stafford and Robby Switzer, the founders of Shopanova, are both from a small town in Alaska where they worked in commercial fishing. When Daniel survived his boat capsizing, he realized there had to be a safer way to make money. He teamed up with Robby — who would eventually become his brother-in-law — and decided to try something completely different: a video production company. In determining what additional value they could bring to their customers, Daniel and Robby figured out how to use a marketing asset and run a paid ad strategy. Today, as a service provider for eCommerce brands, Shopanova has been able to grow its clients' revenues from five figures all the way to seven figures and beyond. More information is available at www.shopanova.com About Lois Sonstegard, PhDWorking with business leaders for more than 30 years, Lois has learned that successful leaders have a passion to leave a meaningful legacy. Leaders often ask: When does one begin to think about legacy? Is there a “best” approach? Is there a process or steps one should follow?Lois is dedicated not only to developing leaders but to helping them build a meaningful legacy. Learn more about how Lois can help your organization with Leadership Consulting and Executive Coaching:https://build2morrow.com/Thanks for Tuning In!Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you'd like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.Don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates.And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show, and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get.Please leave a review right now. Thanks for listening!Building My Legacyhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/building-my-legacy/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/episode-152-daniel-stafford-and-robby-switzer-on-the-right-mindset-building-my-legacy-with-lois-sonstegard-phd

Welcome to Episode 151 of Building My Legacy. In this podcast we talk with Daniel Stafford and Robby Switzer, the founders of Shopanova, a modern growth buying agency for eCommerce shops. Their journey is fascinating as we learn how they moved from commercial fishing in Alaska to starting a video production company, which evolved into an eCommerce growth agency.Daniel and Robby prove that dreams can come true if you break outside of your current limitations and change your beliefs. They learned that the people they looked up to — the people who are doing great things — are just people. They have their own stories and are learning their own lessons. Daniel and Robby realized that, by building the skills they needed, they, too, could succeed. And, in their words, they became “the most unlikely success story.” Their agency has generated more than a hundred million dollars for their clients, taking one client from $10,000 in monthly revenue to a million dollars. Daniel and Robby's story about trying to make a difference in people's lives will be of interest to anyone building or growing a business or building their legacy.So if you want to know:– How “live selling” on Facebook Live can be effective for online and brick and mortar businesses– Why it all comes down to providing value in a way that's relevant to people right now– The importance of connecting with people through authenticity– How to determine what you should spend on eCommerce marketing– The two most important metrics for online marketing About Daniel Stafford and Robby SwitzerDaniel Stafford and Robby Switzer, the founders of Shopanova, are both from a small town in Alaska where they worked in commercial fishing. When Daniel survived his boat capsizing, he realized there had to be a safer way to make money. He teamed up with Robby — who would eventually become his brother-in-law — and decided to try something completely different: a video production company. In determining what additional value they could bring to their customers, Daniel and Robby figured out how to use a marketing asset and run a paid ad strategy. Today, as a service provider for eCommerce brands, Shopanova has been able to grow its clients' revenues from five figures all the way to seven figures and beyond. More information is available at www.shopanova.com About Lois Sonstegard, PhDWorking with business leaders for more than 30 years, Lois has learned that successful leaders have a passion to leave a meaningful legacy. Leaders often ask: When does one begin to think about legacy? Is there a “best” approach? Is there a process or steps one should follow?Lois is dedicated not only to developing leaders but to helping them build a meaningful legacy. Learn more about how Lois can help your organization with Leadership Consulting and Executive Coaching:https://build2morrow.com/Thanks for Tuning In!Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you'd like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.Don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates.And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show, and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get.Please leave a review right now. Thanks for listening!Building My Legacyhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/building-my-legacy/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/episode-151-daniel-stafford-and-robby-switzer-on-building-your-business-through-live-selling-building-my-legacy-with-lois-sonstegard-phd

Welcome to Episode 151 of Building My Legacy. In this podcast we talk with Daniel Stafford and Robby Switzer, the founders of Shopanova, a modern growth buying agency for eCommerce shops. Their journey is fascinating as we learn how they moved from commercial fishing in Alaska to starting a video production company, which evolved into an eCommerce growth agency.Daniel and Robby prove that dreams can come true if you break outside of your current limitations and change your beliefs. They learned that the people they looked up to — the people who are doing great things — are just people. They have their own stories and are learning their own lessons. Daniel and Robby realized that, by building the skills they needed, they, too, could succeed. And, in their words, they became “the most unlikely success story.” Their agency has generated more than a hundred million dollars for their clients, taking one client from $10,000 in monthly revenue to a million dollars. Daniel and Robby's story about trying to make a difference in people's lives will be of interest to anyone building or growing a business or building their legacy.So if you want to know:– How “live selling” on Facebook Live can be effective for online and brick and mortar businesses– Why it all comes down to providing value in a way that's relevant to people right now– The importance of connecting with people through authenticity– How to determine what you should spend on eCommerce marketing– The two most important metrics for online marketing About Daniel Stafford and Robby SwitzerDaniel Stafford and Robby Switzer, the founders of Shopanova, are both from a small town in Alaska where they worked in commercial fishing. When Daniel survived his boat capsizing, he realized there had to be a safer way to make money. He teamed up with Robby — who would eventually become his brother-in-law — and decided to try something completely different: a video production company. In determining what additional value they could bring to their customers, Daniel and Robby figured out how to use a marketing asset and run a paid ad strategy. Today, as a service provider for eCommerce brands, Shopanova has been able to grow its clients' revenues from five figures all the way to seven figures and beyond. More information is available at www.shopanova.com About Lois Sonstegard, PhDWorking with business leaders for more than 30 years, Lois has learned that successful leaders have a passion to leave a meaningful legacy. Leaders often ask: When does one begin to think about legacy? Is there a “best” approach? Is there a process or steps one should follow?Lois is dedicated not only to developing leaders but to helping them build a meaningful legacy. Learn more about how Lois can help your organization with Leadership Consulting and Executive Coaching:https://build2morrow.com/Thanks for Tuning In!Thanks so much for being with us this week. Have some feedback you'd like to share? Please leave a note in the comments section below!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.Don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic episode updates.And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on iTunes. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show, and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get.Please leave a review right now. Thanks for listening!Building My Legacyhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/building-my-legacy/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/episode-151-daniel-stafford-and-robby-switzer-on-building-your-business-through-live-selling-building-my-legacy-with-lois-sonstegard-phd

When Daniel's wife and child go out he meets Alex at the office after a sinple flinge Alex cinqs on Daniel --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

We’ve all done it. A call drops, but we keep talking. Sometimes it takes a few seconds and sometimes it takes a few minutes, but eventually, we realize no one is listening. Few things can be as frustrating or make us feel as foolish as recognizing we aren’t being heard. It’s the reason we cringe when customer service transfers us for the sixth time, and it’s the reason many of us struggle with prayer. We pour our hearts out to God, but we wonder: Is God listening?How do I know He heard me? Daniel can relate to that feeling. When Daniel found himself in a difficult situation, he humbled himself and prayed. When Daniel didn’t get an immediate answer from God, he fasted and prayed some more. It wasn’t easy, but Daniel kept calling out to God the same way we keep calling back when an important call gets dropped. The difference between calling God and calling another person is that God never loses touch with us. God’s messenger reassured Daniel that God heard every word and started working in Daniel’s life the moment he cried out (Daniel 10:12-13). God always hears our prayer. Fighting through the frustration and persevering in prayer is about our hearts more than it is about getting God’s attention. With each prayer, we remind ourselves where our help comes from and we make space in our day to hear from the Lord. God is working and we can trust Him, even when it seems like nothing is happening. Take heart in knowing God hears you and is working all things, even the hard things, together for your good (Romans 8:28).  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/yourdailybible)

This Daniel 9 commentary will explain the 6-fold purpose of Daniel's 70th week.--When Daniel 9-24 is explained biblically, you'll understand that the 6-fold purpose has National Israel in view, NOT the New Testament Church.--This Daniel 9 commentary will help you understand WHY you, as a New Testament Christian, will NOT be going through any part of Daniel's 70 week.--Some bible teachers try to force the church into Daniel 9-24. But once Daniel Chapter 9 is explained in it's correct context you'll see why there is no way you could fit the New Testament Church in it.--Pilgrim Baptist Church is a King James Bible-Believing Church.--For more info about our church visit- https---pilgrimbaptist.church

3 Easter First Psalm: Psalm 105:1–22 Psalm 105:1–22 (Listen) Tell of All His Wondrous Works 105   Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;    make known his deeds among the peoples!2   Sing to him, sing praises to him;    tell of all his wondrous works!3   Glory in his holy name;    let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!4   Seek the LORD and his strength;    seek his presence continually!5   Remember the wondrous works that he has done,    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,6   O offspring of Abraham, his servant,    children of Jacob, his chosen ones! 7   He is the LORD our God;    his judgments are in all the earth.8   He remembers his covenant forever,    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,9   the covenant that he made with Abraham,    his sworn promise to Isaac,10   which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,11   saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan    as your portion for an inheritance.” 12   When they were few in number,    of little account, and sojourners in it,13   wandering from nation to nation,    from one kingdom to another people,14   he allowed no one to oppress them;    he rebuked kings on their account,15   saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,    do my prophets no harm!” 16   When he summoned a famine on the land    and broke all supply1 of bread,17   he had sent a man ahead of them,    Joseph, who was sold as a slave.18   His feet were hurt with fetters;    his neck was put in a collar of iron;19   until what he had said came to pass,    the word of the LORD tested him.20   The king sent and released him;    the ruler of the peoples set him free;21   he made him lord of his house    and ruler of all his possessions,22   to bind2 his princes at his pleasure    and to teach his elders wisdom. Footnotes [1] 105:16 Hebrew staff [2] 105:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome instruct (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalm 105:23–45 Psalm 105:23–45 (Listen) 23   Then Israel came to Egypt;    Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.24   And the LORD made his people very fruitful    and made them stronger than their foes.25   He turned their hearts to hate his people,    to deal craftily with his servants. 26   He sent Moses, his servant,    and Aaron, whom he had chosen.27   They performed his signs among them    and miracles in the land of Ham.28   He sent darkness, and made the land dark;    they did not rebel1 against his words.29   He turned their waters into blood    and caused their fish to die.30   Their land swarmed with frogs,    even in the chambers of their kings.31   He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,    and gnats throughout their country.32   He gave them hail for rain,    and fiery lightning bolts through their land.33   He struck down their vines and fig trees,    and shattered the trees of their country.34   He spoke, and the locusts came,    young locusts without number,35   which devoured all the vegetation in their land    and ate up the fruit of their ground.36   He struck down all the firstborn in their land,    the firstfruits of all their strength. 37   Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.38   Egypt was glad when they departed,    for dread of them had fallen upon it. 39   He spread a cloud for a covering,    and fire to give light by night.40   They asked, and he brought quail,    and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.41   He opened the rock, and water gushed out;    it flowed through the desert like a river.42   For he remembered his holy promise,    and Abraham, his servant. 43   So he brought his people out with joy,    his chosen ones with singing.44   And he gave them the lands of the nations,    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,45   that they might keep his statutes    and observe his laws.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 105:28 Septuagint, Syriac omit not (ESV) Old Testament: Daniel 6:1–15 Daniel 6:1–15 (Listen) Daniel and the Lions’ Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement1 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” Footnotes [1] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 (ESV) New Testament: 2 John 2 John (Listen) Greeting 1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Walking in Truth and Love 4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we1 have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. Final Greetings 12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Footnotes [1] 1:8 Some manuscripts you (ESV) Gospel: Luke 5:12–26 Luke 5:12–26 (Listen) Jesus Cleanses a Leper 12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.1 And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus2 stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 15 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Jesus Heals a Paralytic 17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.3 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Footnotes [1] 5:12 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 [2] 5:13 Greek he [3] 5:17 Some manuscripts was present to heal them (ESV)

Anneshirley Nyako & Chris AB are back on the PR Podcast along with Austin Freeman and special guest Daniel Erik. Daniel is full time "music". When Daniel is not touring the world or cutting tracks in the studio, he fills his time teaching the next generation the pleasure of learning and interacting with an instrument. Daniel starts the show with three original tunes and then sits back with the crew and talks about life as a musician during these trying times and life in general.

When Daniel was taken into captivity he made the choice to stay faithful to what God had called him to. Because of his resolve and faithfulness, God blessed him and his friends in the eyes of the king. Share your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this video in the comments below. If you would like to know more about who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church.

When Daniel was taken into captivity he made the choice to stay faithful to what God had called him to. Because of his resolve and faithfulness, God blessed him and his friends in the eyes of the king. Share your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this video in the comments below. If you would like to know more about who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church.

When Daniel was taken into captivity he made the choice to stay faithful to what God had called him to. Because of his resolve and faithfulness, God blessed him and his friends in the eyes of the king. Share your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this video in the comments below. If you would like to know more about who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church.

When Daniel's friends remained true to character and to God by refusing to worship the state idol, they were thrown into a furnace. Their salvation from that trial was a witness to Nebuchadnezzar who gave glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's conversion was later complete when God humbled him for a season, by giving him the mind of a beast.

Can you stay the course when things get tough? Doug's interview with Kingdom Ninja, Daniel Gil, of the American Ninja Warrior TV series will both inspire you and provide principles to see God's word come to fruition in your life!  When Daniel ran his first course in 2015 he had no idea how God would use that unique platform to influence others for Christ. But he has followed the way of a spiritual warrior to remain tethered and focused to Jesus in the midst of the stress, pressure, and attention. Listen in to be encouraged that God can use your unique gifts and simple obedience to further the Kingdom of God! Become part of the Net that Works with a donation to support disaster response efforts here! To get the latest updates on disaster responses, visit SomebodyCares.org. Share this message with a friend and subscribe for weekly encouragement and inspiration! Learn more about the ministry at SomebodyCares.org, or by following us on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. You can also receive weekly Provoke-a-Thought emails, monthly teaching emails, periodic ministry updates, or  join our prayer team by signing up here!

Morning Worship Sermon with Pastor Cameron Davis. Scripture ref. Daniel 6:1-27 (in part) 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Part one of our series, "Kingdoms in Conflict: A Study of the Book of Daniel." Reflection/Discussion: Section 1 1. In your life and the world around you, how do you see the paradigm of kingdoms in conflict playing out? King Belshazzarmade a great feast for a thousand of hislords and drank wine in front of the thousand. -Daniel 5:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. -Daniel 10:1 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. -Romans 14:17 2. How are the values of the kingdoms of man different from the kingdom of God? 3. What are some ways that you have found yourself in the midst of conflicting kingdom values in your work, school, recreation, relationships, social life, etc? The earthly city has made for herself, according to her heart's desire, false gods out of any sources at all, even out of human beings, that she might adore them with sacrifices. The heavenly one, on the other hand, living like a wayfarer in this world, makes no false gods for herself. On the contrary, she herself is made by the true God that she may be herself a true sacrifice to Him. -St. Augustine, City of God. Section 2 1. What might it look like to love, serve, and live among our friends, family, and neighbours whos values we are at odds with? Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. -Colossians 4:5-6 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbour. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.Forthe earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go,eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience So, whether you eat or drink, orwhatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or tothe church of God, just asI try to please everyone in everything I do,not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. -1 Corinthians 10:24-27, 31-33. 2. What does it mean that we are exiles and strangers in this world? How have you experienced that reality? 3. How is it possible for Biblical faith to thrive in the midst of that exile? 4. What forms might intentional discipleship of ourselves, our families, our friends in Christ take in the midst of our exile? 5. How are you practicing intentional discipleship...what has been fruitful...what are you convicted to do more of? conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. -1 Peter 1:17-19 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. -Daniel 6:10 Section 3 1. Where have you seen or experienced pressure to conform to the ways of the kingdom of man with: A) The carrot? what you will get B) The stick? the threat of punishment or loss 2. In those cases, what has made it difficult to resist? Easier to stand strong? And the herald proclaimed aloud, You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. -Daniel 3:4-6 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:2 3. How can we fulfil our call to remain firmly planted as faithful believers and diligent workers where God has placed us? 4. Why does it matter for us today that every kingdom of man will come to an end, but the kingdom of God is eternal and unshakable? 5. What might it look like for the church to not run and hide, but rather to live with conviction and steadfast hope in the world right now? I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. -John 17:15-19 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. -Daniel 2:44 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. -Daniel 7:13-14 For final reflection and prayer: We are setting out to study the book of Daniel with joyful anticipation that through it, God will open our eyes and speak to our hearts with clarity and power. Lets pray that through this book, God teaches us: -To grasp the difference between His kingdom and the kingdoms of man -To thrive in our faith in the midst of the kingdom of man -To understand and be ready for the different shapes of pressure coming at us in the kingdom of man -To keep one eye on the past, one eye on the future, and two feet planted firmly in the present -To hold on to our sure hope and optimism in His eternal kingdom and promises -To see and treasure Christ with a deeper love and greater zeal. If God is convicting you of ways that you are walking more like a citizen of the kingdom of man than of the kingdom of God, bowing down to the idols of our age and culture, bring those ways before Him. Know that you are forgiven and free by the cross of Jesus Christ if you are in Him by faith. Know that He is calling you to walk with Him as a citizen of His greater kingdom which will never fall. Know that in every trial that comes with walking as an exile, a sojourner in the world, He is with you and for you. A thriving faith and a steadfast hope are ours in Christ, even in the midst of kingdoms in conflict, because He has already won the victory, He will establish His kingdom, and He is on the throne. Will you open your heart and make room for what the Lord wants to do in you personally, and in us as a Church over the next number of weeks. Praise God that He is alive, moving, and working in us and in the world right now.

When Daniel was taken into captivity in Babylon along with the rest of Judah, he had no rights. Even though he was singled out to be indoctrinated as a Babylonian, he knew he could not compromise his convictions. Two different times, he fasted--once as a teen slave who didn't want to accept defiled food, and another time as an older adult who was burdened by mankind's sin and his nation's rebellion. He knew that fasting draws us nearer to the Lord, renews our hearts and opens us up to change. As we launch 2021, we are called to a 21 Day Fast. This will renew our spiritual focus, expose what has become too important to us and prepare us for a new initiative from the Lord. This study details several ways in which we can both deprive for focus and advance in the Lord's fresh work.

The first steps toward Israel's return from exile and their rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 1) are full of interest:(1) A person without much knowledge of history might be forgiven for thinking that Israel was the only national group released from the bondage of exile. Historically, that is not true. When the Persians took over from the Babylonians (who had sent Judah into exile), King Cyrus of Persia reversed the Babylonian policy. The Babylonians (and the Assyrians before them) transported the aristocracy and leading citizens of subjugated territories. Rebellion in the ancient world was often suspended on the threefold cord of people, land, and religion. If one of these three strands could be removed, there was less likelihood of revolt. By transporting all the leaders of every branch of a culture to some new territory far removed from their own land (thereby disconnecting people and land), these empires secured a kind of peace. Obviously they also introduced enormous dislocation, which must have had many negative effects, not least economic. Whatever the reasons, Cyrus not only stopped this policy, but permitted exiles—including the Jews—to return home.(2) But Ezra is right in understanding this to be the work of God: “The LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia” (Ezra 1:1). At another time, the Lord would cause a census to be taken of the entire Roman world, to bring a pregnant woman to Bethlehem—once again to fulfill an ancient Scripture (Luke 2).(3) The prophecy in this case, according to Ezra, is that of Jeremiah (Ezra 1:1), probably referring to Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10–14; 51. It would be a mistake to read Ezra 1:1 as if God were somehow bound by Jeremiah’s word, instead of the other way around. The point is that the prophecy of Jeremiah is nothing other than the word of God. God is bound by his own word. When Daniel understood that the prescribed time of exile was coming to an end, he set himself to seek the face of God for his people (Dan. 9)—which of course was exactly the right thing to do. And here we find the answers both to Daniel’s prayers and to God’s promises.(4) As usual, when God works decisively, there are no loose ends. On the one hand, he moves Cyrus the King to make his proclamation; on the other hand, he moves in the hearts of many Jews to return home (1:5). After all, we are dealing now with a generation that had grown up entirely in the Tigris-Euphrates valleys. It would be like asking the second or third generation of immigrants to the United States from, say, Japan or Germany, to return “home.” But God’s people become willing in the day of his power. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

THE GREATEST PROPHECY EVER GIVEN - PART THREE Daniel 9:24-27 has been called "The Greatest Prophecy Ever Given." It is certainly one of the greatest! It contains an overview of God's special prophetic dealings with Israel from the time of the command to rebuild Jerusalem (see Neh. 2:1-8) until the setting up of the Messianic kingdom. This prophecy is commonly called "The Seventy Weeks of Daniel". A "week" is a unit of seven. Daniel 9 speaks in terms of a week being a unit of SEVEN years. Seventy weeks (units of 7 years) tallies out to a total of 490 years. Outline of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel – Dan. 9:24-27 v. 24 - A Summary Overview of the 70 Weeks v. 25 - 69 Weeks (483 years) culminating in the Triumphal Entry [Past - Has been fulfilled] v. 26 – The GAP period [Present - Being fulfilled] v. 27 – 70th Week (7-year Tribulation Period) [Future - Will be fulfilled] We live at the time of the END! How close precisely we can't say, but Paul in 1 Cor. 10:11 said that we are those “upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” But someone says, “that has been true for 2000 years.” I would agree, but of special note is that Israel is now back in the land reconstituted as a nation. That is a very significant development. In order for “last days” prophecy to be fulfilled Israel once again has to be back in the land. Much of last days prophecy relates to Israel as a nation and to Jerusalem as a city. In order for the 70th week of Daniel to be fulfilled, Israel physically has to be in the land. They are there. In order for Antichrist to sign a 7-year covenant with Israel they have to be in the land. They are there. In order for this development to happen Israel has to be desperate for peace. They are there. Following an unspecified amount of time in the GAP period, characterized by Israel experiencing ongoing war and desolations, comes the FINAL 70th week of God's special prophetic dealings with Israel/Jerusalem. This final 7-year period of time will begin with Antichrist signing a 7-year covenant with Israel as dealt with in Daniel 9:27. Daniel 9:27 (NKJV) 27 Then he [Antichrist] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” In my view the stage is right now being set for the 70th week of Daniel. We don’t know when that will happen, but Israel being back in the land is a major stage setting reality. For this reason Israel being back in the land as a nation is called “The Last Days Super Sign”. Antichrist will sign a 7-year covenant with many for one week. "Many" evidently refers to the MAJORITY of the Jews who will enter into this covenant with him. In this covenant Antichrist will evidently guarantee peace for Israel with the liberty to once again build and worship in their temple on the temple mount. This will undoubtedly be heralded as the greatest “peace deal” of all time. Little will Israel realize that this reality is a “covenant with death” as it is called in Isa. 28:15-18 (cf. Zech. 11:15-17). Note the word “covenant” is a very strong word emphasizing a BINDING agreement. It is the very same word God used when He made a covenant with Abram in Gen. 15:18. But then in the middle of the week (that is 3 and ½ years in) Antichrist pulls one of the greatest “double-crosses” of all time as he breaks this STRONG covenant by going into the rebuilt Jewish temple and declaring himself to be God (cf. Dan. 7:25; Rev. 13:5-8). 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (NKJV) 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. When Daniel 9:27 says, “on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate”, note that this is the phrase Jesus referenced as “the abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel in Matt. 24:15. The word “wing” is thought to refer to the high point of abomination or perhaps to the idea of “overspreading” in the sense that this one will cover all he does with abomination. Antichrist will carry on until the consummation which is determined is poured out on him, which will be his destruction personally carried out by Jesus at the Second Coming (cf. Dan. 7:11, 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:20). Note that three times in this text in Dan. 9:24-27 the word “determined” is found, as seen in verses 24, 26, and 27. None of this is left to “chance”. It is all according to the determined PLAN of God. Just as the first 69 weeks were literally fulfilled to the letter culminating in Jesus being presented as the KING of Israel on Palm Sunday (cf. Zech. 9:9; Lk. 19:28-44); and just as that which relates to the GAP PERIOD involving Christ's death and the destruction of the temple has literally been fulfilled; just as ongoing war and desolations related to the GAP PERIOD is literally being fulfilled; so also, will all that which pertains to the 70th week literally be fulfilled, just as it is determined. They keep saying that we are living in “uncertain times”. They couldn’t be MORE wrong. The times are CERTAIN, and they have a determined outcome. What God has said regarding the Times of the Gentiles has been and is being fulfilled to the letter. What Christ has said regarding the building of His Church is being fulfilled in this the Gap Period. What God has said regarding His special 490-year dealings with Israel has been and will yet be fulfilled to the letter. One final climactic 7-year period (the 70th week) remains to be fulfilled. What God has determined will have a fulfillment! Psalm 33:10–11 (NKJV) 10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. The book of Daniel writes in BOLD LARGE PRINT, “GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER THE TIMES!” He is sovereign over ALL times. Daniel 9:24-27 stands out as a monumental prophetic testament to the reality that God is sovereignly in control of history thus making it ONE OF GREATEST PROPHECIES EVER GIVEN!

Old Testament: Daniel 6–7 Daniel 6–7 (Listen) Daniel and the Lions’ Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement1 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared2 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,   for he is the living God,    enduring forever;  his kingdom shall never be destroyed,    and his dominion shall be to the end.27   He delivers and rescues;    he works signs and wonders    in heaven and on earth,  he who has saved Daniel    from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts 7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,3 “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. The Ancient of Days Reigns 9 “As I looked,   thrones were placed,    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;  his clothing was white as snow,    and the hair of his head like pure wool;  his throne was fiery flames;    its wheels were burning fire.10   A stream of fire issued    and came out from before him;  a thousand thousands served him,    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;  the court sat in judgment,    and the books were opened. 11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The Son of Man Is Given Dominion 13 “I saw in the night visions,   and behold, with the clouds of heaven    there came one like a son of man,  and he came to the Ancient of Days    and was presented before him.14   And to him was given dominion    and glory and a kingdom,  that all peoples, nations, and languages    should serve him;  his dominion is an everlasting dominion,    which shall not pass away,  and his kingdom one    that shall not be destroyed. Daniel’s Vision Interpreted 15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me4 was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’ 19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,   there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,  and it shall devour the whole earth,    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.24   As for the ten horns,  out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,    and another shall arise after them;  he shall be different from the former ones,    and shall put down three kings.25   He shall speak words against the Most High,    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,    and shall think to change the times and the law;  and they shall be given into his hand    for a time, times, and half a time.26   But the court shall sit in judgment,    and his dominion shall be taken away,    to be consumed and destroyed to the end.27   And the kingdom and the dominion    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven    shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;  his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,    and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’5 28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Footnotes [1] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 [2] 6:16 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20 [3] 7:2 Aramaic answered and said [4] 7:15 Aramaic within its sheath [5] 7:27 Or their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 132 Psalm 132 (Listen) The Lord Has Chosen Zion A Song of Ascents. 132   Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor,    all the hardships he endured,2   how he swore to the LORD    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,3   “I will not enter my house    or get into my bed,4   I will not give sleep to my eyes    or slumber to my eyelids,5   until I find a place for the LORD,    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 6   Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;    we found it in the fields of Jaar.7   “Let us go to his dwelling place;    let us worship at his footstool!” 8   Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,    you and the ark of your might.9   Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,    and let your saints shout for joy.10   For the sake of your servant David,    do not turn away the face of your anointed one. 11   The LORD swore to David a sure oath    from which he will not turn back:  “One of the sons of your body1    I will set on your throne.12   If your sons keep my covenant    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,  their sons also forever    shall sit on your throne.” 13   For the LORD has chosen Zion;    he has desired it for his dwelling place:14   “This is my resting place forever;    here I will dwell, for I have desired it.15   I will abundantly bless her provisions;    I will satisfy her poor with bread.16   Her priests I will clothe with salvation,    and her saints will shout for joy.17   There I will make a horn to sprout for David;    I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.18   His enemies I will clothe with shame,    but on him his crown will shine.” Footnotes [1] 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb (ESV) New Testament: Hebrews 11 Hebrews 11 (Listen) By Faith 11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two,1 they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Footnotes [1] 11:37 Some manuscripts add they were tempted (ESV)

Old Testament: Daniel 6–7 Daniel 6–7 (Listen) Daniel and the Lions’ Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement1 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared2 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,   for he is the living God,    enduring forever;  his kingdom shall never be destroyed,    and his dominion shall be to the end.27   He delivers and rescues;    he works signs and wonders    in heaven and on earth,  he who has saved Daniel    from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts 7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,3 “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. The Ancient of Days Reigns 9 “As I looked,   thrones were placed,    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;  his clothing was white as snow,    and the hair of his head like pure wool;  his throne was fiery flames;    its wheels were burning fire.10   A stream of fire issued    and came out from before him;  a thousand thousands served him,    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;  the court sat in judgment,    and the books were opened. 11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The Son of Man Is Given Dominion 13 “I saw in the night visions,   and behold, with the clouds of heaven    there came one like a son of man,  and he came to the Ancient of Days    and was presented before him.14   And to him was given dominion    and glory and a kingdom,  that all peoples, nations, and languages    should serve him;  his dominion is an everlasting dominion,    which shall not pass away,  and his kingdom one    that shall not be destroyed. Daniel’s Vision Interpreted 15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me4 was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’ 19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,   there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,  and it shall devour the whole earth,    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.24   As for the ten horns,  out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,    and another shall arise after them;  he shall be different from the former ones,    and shall put down three kings.25   He shall speak words against the Most High,    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,    and shall think to change the times and the law;  and they shall be given into his hand    for a time, times, and half a time.26   But the court shall sit in judgment,    and his dominion shall be taken away,    to be consumed and destroyed to the end.27   And the kingdom and the dominion    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven    shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;  his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,    and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’5 28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Footnotes [1] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 [2] 6:16 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20 [3] 7:2 Aramaic answered and said [4] 7:15 Aramaic within its sheath [5] 7:27 Or their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them (ESV) New Testament: John 7:53–8:11 John 7:53–8:11 (Listen) [The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]1 The Woman Caught in Adultery 53 [[They went each to his own house, 8 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]] Footnotes [1] 7:53 Some manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11; others add the passage here or after 7:36 or after 21:25 or after Luke 21:38, with variations in the text (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 132 Psalm 132 (Listen) The Lord Has Chosen Zion A Song of Ascents. 132   Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor,    all the hardships he endured,2   how he swore to the LORD    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,3   “I will not enter my house    or get into my bed,4   I will not give sleep to my eyes    or slumber to my eyelids,5   until I find a place for the LORD,    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 6   Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;    we found it in the fields of Jaar.7   “Let us go to his dwelling place;    let us worship at his footstool!” 8   Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,    you and the ark of your might.9   Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,    and let your saints shout for joy.10   For the sake of your servant David,    do not turn away the face of your anointed one. 11   The LORD swore to David a sure oath    from which he will not turn back:  “One of the sons of your body1    I will set on your throne.12   If your sons keep my covenant    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,  their sons also forever    shall sit on your throne.” 13   For the LORD has chosen Zion;    he has desired it for his dwelling place:14   “This is my resting place forever;    here I will dwell, for I have desired it.15   I will abundantly bless her provisions;    I will satisfy her poor with bread.16   Her priests I will clothe with salvation,    and her saints will shout for joy.17   There I will make a horn to sprout for David;    I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.18   His enemies I will clothe with shame,    but on him his crown will shine.” Footnotes [1] 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 29:23 Proverbs 29:23 (Listen) 23   One’s pride will bring him low,    but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. (ESV)

Morning: Daniel 5–6 Daniel 5–6 (Listen) The Handwriting on the Wall 5 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father1 had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared2 to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. 10 The queen,3 because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.4 In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Daniel Interprets the Handwriting 13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods5 is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son,6 Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered7 the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL, you have been weighed8 in the balances and found wanting; 28 PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”9 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 10 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Daniel and the Lions’ Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement11 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared12 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,   for he is the living God,    enduring forever;  his kingdom shall never be destroyed,    and his dominion shall be to the end.27   He delivers and rescues;    he works signs and wonders    in heaven and on earth,  he who has saved Daniel    from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Footnotes [1] 5:2 Or predecessor; also verses 11, 13, 18 [2] 5:7 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 10 [3] 5:10 Or queen mother; twice in this verse [4] 5:11 Or Spirit of the holy God [5] 5:14 Or Spirit of God [6] 5:22 Or successor [7] 5:26 Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered [8] 5:27 Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed [9] 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia [10] 5:31 Ch 6:1 in Aramaic [11] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 [12] 6:16 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20 (ESV) Evening: 1 John 4 1 John 4 (Listen) Test the Spirits 4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. God Is Love 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot1 love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. Footnotes [1] 4:20 Some manuscripts how can he (ESV)

When Daniel and Tana Amen first began their relationship, Tana was carrying plenty of baggage from her past experiences. Daniel suggested a unique treatment method for getting over trauma, but Tana wasn’t convinced. Yet when she finally gave in and decided to give it a try, it changed everything. In this episode of the podcast, the Amens explain what EMDR is, and how it can help you to finally leave your traumas where they belong - in the past.  For more information on Tana's new book, "The Relentless Courage of a Scared Child", visit relentlesscourage.com For info on Tana Amen's upcoming free live virtual event, visit tanamen.com/event  

Imagine being setup like the prophet Daniel. The bureaucrats of his time could find no fault in him, but their hatred pushed them to fabricate a trap. When Daniel learned of their schemes, he did something unexpected by others. He did something we as caregivers can model in our lives today. From Hope for the Caregiver’s Broadcast 11/14/2020 www.hopeforthecaregiver.com  

Mike McCoy 11-4-2020 Nebuchadnezzar's dream was of a great image. When Daniel interprets the dream his description is clear. This was a massive and spectacular image made of different materials. The materials descended in value from top to bottom. In this message Brother Mike unpacks the world powers this image represents and most importantly we look at the stone that smote them. Crossville First Free Will Baptist Church www.crossvillechurch.com

If you were in the forest and were looking for evidence that a particular kind of animal lived in the area, you would look for the unique signs and tracks that would tell you the animal had been there. The devil also leaves tracks—and they’re not very hard to find. The prophet Daniel had been fasting for 21 days. Why he was fasting is not entirely clear except that he wanted to understand some earlier prophecies. He was in Babylon - more specifically, in the old region of Persia, along the banks of a river called Hiddekel. As he stood there, staring into the water, he sensed a presence. Looking up, he saw what appeared to be a man. It was, however, a most singular man. Daniel describes him as dressed in white linen, with a solid gold belt. His body, according to Daniel, was like beryl, his arms and legs like polished brass. But what turned Daniel’s knees to jelly and left him trembling was the face of the man. The best Daniel could do was to describe his face as the color of lightning and his eyes like lamps of fire. When Daniel saw this “man,” he collapsed in a heap, face down upon the ground. He was sure enough that what he saw was a spirit, but he did not know how to respond. The “man” (by now we suspect he is an angel) put out his hand and took Daniel and pulled him up on to his hands and knees. This is what Daniel heard him say: Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. Daniel 10:12–14 KJV Now the vision Daniel received in answer to his prolonged prayer is fascinating enough, but in the process of revealing the vision, the messenger of God dropped a small piece of tantalizing information. Most of us believe that God is all powerful, that all He has to do is say the word and all powers, human and demonic, fall down before Him. Yet here is an emissary of God who is held up for three weeks by someone called the “Prince of Persia.” Who is this “Prince of Persia” and how was he able to thwart an angel of the Almighty? Consider the picture. Daniel fasts and prays to God. God hears him and immediately dispatches an answer. The problem is that Daniel is inside the Kingdom of Persia, and God’s messenger has to fight his way in! It is no small battle - it takes three weeks to make it. Think what this means. There was a spirit being, called the Prince of Persia, who was strong enough to stand off an angel of God for three weeks. In the end, it takes two to one odds to win, and the battle is still not over. Michael, another Prince of God, keeps the Prince of Persia busy while the angel comes to Daniel to deliver the message. One would have thought that God could have whispered in Daniel’s ear, or that the angel could simply have materialized in Daniel’s room. Apparently not. What this story reveals to us, almost as an aside, is that there is a spiritual world alongside our world, invisible to us, but real, vibrant, alive and dangerous. We use the word infrastructure to describe the physical structure underlying our society - water pipes, sewers, utilities - things underground and invisible, but real and necessary nonetheless. What comes as a shock is the fact that there is also a spiritual infrastructure - unseen, not sensed, invisible, but nonetheless real and powerful. Not only is there a spirit world co-existing with our own, but there are spiritual battles routinely fought around us, and the outcome is by no means automatic. The angel revealed to Daniel, not only that he had to fight his way in, he was going to have to fight his way out. “Now you understand why I have come to you,” he said, “and now I must return to fight with the Prince of Persia” (verse 20). Then, he introduced a newplayer: “. . . and when I am gone forth, lo, the Prince of Grecia shall come.” If you know your history, you might suppose the Prince of Grecia was Alexander the Great, but the context seems to be running at a different level. This seems to be yet another spirit being, identified with yet another country, for he proceeds to say, “There is none that holds with me in these things except Michael your prince” (verse 21). So this angelic messenger, alongside Michael, will be in full combat with two other spirit beings, the Prince of Grecia and the Prince of Persia. One can almost imagine the clashing of great spiritual swords. There is no one place in the Bible where you can read all about the spirit world. We find a hint here, an idea there, a glimpse over there. We are left to put it altogether and draw inferences about the nature of this spirit world. Presumably, God wants us to know it is there, but He does not want us to know too much about it. He certainly doesn’t want us to dabble in spiritism. The more attention you give to the devil, the more likely he is to show up. Nevertheless, it is in our interest to understand what God does reveal to us about this spirit world. Take a moment to read Isaiah 13 and 14. The prophet calls it “the burden of Babylon.” It is a prophecy dealing with Babylon in history, and Babylon at the end time. Late in this prophecy the prophet takes up a proverb against the King of Babylon. In an initial reading, you find yourself assuming that he is talking about a human being who ruled over the Kingdom of Babylon. Then, the prophet names the King of Babylon and describes him: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12–14 KJV This is not a description of a human being. Lucifer had been in heaven. He had been cast out of heaven. He had actually engaged in a revolt against the Most High God. Lucifer is universally understood to be the devil. We commonly think of a great archdemon when we speak of the devil. What we often don’t consider is the possibility that there is more than one demon prince. Ezekiel describes yet another. He calls him the King of Tyre and says of him: […] Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Ezekiel 28:12–15 KJV As we read this passage, the realization grows that we are dealing with a great spirit being who was once at the very throne of God, who is called “the anointed cherub,” and who apparently turned against God. Now we either have Satan in two separate situations - one is the King of Babylon, and the other is the King of Tyre - or we have a king of Babylon and a king of Tyre, both of whom are powerful spirit beings. Our knowledge of spiritual things is somewhat limited and we have to be careful about the inferences we draw. Nevertheless, we can be absolutely certain that there is a spirit world out there and that major events take place in that world - some of these things affect our world. Spirit Warriors Joshua had an encounter with one of these great warriors just before the Battle of Jericho. Shortly after the Passover, Joshua was standing not far from Jericho. He turned and saw a man standing opposite him with a sword drawn in his hand. This was not just any man. Joshua challenged him: “Are you for us or are you for our enemies.” The man looked at him and said, “No, but as captain of the Lord’s host am I come” (Joshua 5:13-14). If you have one of those Bibles with marginal notes, you will see that the word captain comes from the Hebrew word for prince. This “man” identified himself as the prince of the Lord’s host. He isn’t named in this passage, but “The great prince which stands for the children of thy people” is none other than Michael (Daniel 12:1). Michael seems to be a major player. Jude calls him an archangel and shows him in conflict with the devil (Jude 1:9). John, in the Book of Revelation, saw him as a leader of a band of angels fighting against the dragon who is also identified as the devil (Revelation 12:7). So at the moment when Israel is about to do battle under God’s direction for the very first time, Michael the prince is there as captain of the Lord’s host. We can’t know for certain, but it seems likely that there was a spiritual prince of the Canaanites. Joshua needed to understand that not only would he fight a physical battle, but a spiritual battle as well. We would love to know more about these things. For example, why did the devil want the body of Moses and why did Michael have to go to battle with him over it? But Jude didn’t bring it up to explain all that. His point was that even when Michael the archangel was disputing with the devil he dared not bring a railing accusation against him (verse 9). Whatever else Michael may have felt about the devil, the devil was a prince with great power. That power had to be respected. I sometimes think of this when I see some holiness preacher dancing across the stage claiming he’s going to “twist the old devil’s tail tonight.” If Michael, the archangel, dared not bring a railing accusation against the devil, who are these preachers to say “I’m going to handle the old devil; we’re going to get a hold of the devil tonight; we’re going to root him out of here.” They aren’t going to run the devil anywhere. They don’t even know where he is, and they have little idea of what he is doing. Jude gave us one other passing clue about the devil. The devil wanted the body of Moses. One can only presume it had something to do with the confirmed necrophilia that exists in so much of the occult. You see it everywhere in occult objects and occult books. Perhaps Satan was going to turn Moses’ body into a cult object. Seven Churches, Seven Angels John is introduced to seven angels in the first part of the Book of Revelation. Once again, they are not the point of the story. We learn about them almost as an aside. John fell into a vision and in the vision he saw a man standing in the middle of seven golden candlesticks holding seven stars in his right hand. An angel told John that the seven candlesticks were the seven churches and the seven stars were the angels of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). We would love to know more about that, but that is all we get. Then he proceeds to address a letter to each of the angels. This is one of the puzzling things about Revelation 2 and 3. The letters in this passage are not addressed to the brethren of these churches, their elders or their deacons. Each letter is addressed to the angel of each church. One would gather from this that all angels are not alike, because each of these churches develops a totally different character, a different spirit, a different attitude. And when God says, “I have somewhat against you,” He is criticizing the angel, not the church. Not everything in this spirit world is sweetness and light. These are intelligent, active, creative spirit beings who are thinking, working, fighting, arguing, and bickering. They are there. We don’t see them - thank God. We are largely unaware of them. It’s only on very rare occasions that a little tear between our world and theirs allows us somehow, momentarily, to interact with someone in that other world. But the other world is there, it is active, and it is powerful. Guardian Angels You may have heard of guardian angels. You may even have wondered if they are biblical. Well, they are. Jesus let drop this nugget of information while He was talking to His disciples about little children. He warned them severely against offending or harming little children, saying: Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 18:10 KJV Now you may wonder where your child’s guardian angel was when the child fell out of a tree and broke his arm. What we forget is that there are many things in this world more dangerous to children than climbing trees. There are worse things that could happen to a child than falling out of a tree and breaking an arm. The charge given to guardian angels is not to prevent your children from getting hurt while they are having a good time. Children get hurt as a part of living. They take chances, they have successes, they have failures. It’s all a part of growing up and a part of developing character. It teaches us how to handle pain, how to learn from disaster, how to live with broken arms and even broken heads. As bad as physical danger is, that is not where the most serious danger lies with children. There is danger to children from a spirit world and from the wars that rage unseen around us. Seeing to it that your child doesn’t get hurt physically is your job. Your guardian angel is there to see to it that the child is protected from that spiritual war. The Dominant Spirit Among all the spirits that ebb and flow in this world, there is one that is dominant. There is a familiar passage in the fourth chapter of Matthew that describes one of those rare occasions where a human being finds himself in direct confrontation with the devil. It is the temptation of Christ. It is not what one might have expected. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights and had become very hungry. The devil came to Him and said, “Here are some stones. If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” His first challenge to Jesus was a challenge of His relationship with God. Jesus’ response was simple. He said, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds our of the mouth of God.” Defeated on this issue, the devil took Him up to the pinnacle of the Temple. He said, “If you be the Son of God, cast yourself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee: in their hands they shall bear thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Once again Jesus answered, “It is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” As an aside, notice that Jesus’ defense against temptation every time is the written Word of God. Also notice that each time Satan’s challenge is to His relationship with God: “If you be the Son of God.” Finally there is the third temptation. The devil took Jesus up to an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and promised, “All these things will I give thee, if thou will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8). Satan was the dominant spirit of this world. He was able to give the power of the Prince of Persia, the Prince of Grecia, the Prince of Tyre, all to Jesus Christ - if only Jesus would worship him and accept his dominance. Once again Jesus appealed to the written Word of God, saying, “It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” This was the strongest response Jesus gave to Satan, because this is the commandment Satan had broken. Jesus did not rail at the devil. He did not call him names. But He faced and defeated him precisely on the point where Satan had failed. The question of obedience to God and the maintenance of the relationship with God was a major difference between Jesus and the Son of God, and Lucifer as the prince of this world. Later, when Jesus was giving His last instructions to His disciples, He said, “I’m not going to be able to talk with you much longer because the prince of this world comes and has nothing to do with me” (John 14:30). Now all that was coming toward Jesus at that time was Judas, some priests, and some soldiers. They were merely flesh and blood human beings. But by this time, Satan had entered Judas. The prince of this world was instrumental in the murder of the Son of God. It was a part of his plan. It was a part of his efforts to defeat the Father in whatever effort the Father might make. Spirits That Work And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience[.] Ephesians 2:1–2 There are three important things to understand from this Scripture. First, the prince of the power of the air is a spirit. The wording suggests a discrete spiritual being. Second, this is a spirit that works. “Work” is a simple word, and a word we easily understand. In this passage it’s in the present tense, which means he is working - that there is a constant, deliberate working of the prince of the power of the air. The third point to note is that the prince of the power of the air works in a certain category of people - the “children of disobedience.” These are people who simply do not obey God. Paul says that in time past we walked “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.” Walking according to the course of this world is nothing but “going with the flow.” What happens when you decide not to go with the flow? There is another short passage dealing with Michael the prince that sheds some light: And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Daniel 12:1 KJV Where is the connection between Michael standing up and the beginning of the Great Tribulation? Surely Michael isn’t the one who carries out the Great Tribulation. The tribulation is a time of trouble upon Israel. Michael is the prince who is the “guardian angel” of all Israel. Why should he be the one who causes all the trouble? Think about it for a moment. When you “go with the flow” in this world, when you don’t disagree and merely drift along with what people want to do, do you get much “tribulation?” If there is a temptation that comes your way and you merely give in to it, where is the struggle? When you go with the flow, when you walk according to the course of this world, you have relatively less conflict in your life. You probably have no spiritual conflict at all. All you’re doing is making yourself comfortable. But when you stand up for what is right, when you start resisting the flow, when you start trying to do the right thing, that is when the opposition starts. Satan will not resist you when you’re going with the flow - after all, it’s his flow. It’s when you start resisting the flow that you get enemies - human and spiritual. This is a point that bothers many people. When they make a decision to obey God, it is then that their lives seem to fall apart. They are naturally disturbed by this because they believe that obeying God ought to bring blessings, peace, happiness - everything ought to work. Why, people wonder, are all these things happening to me? The answer is simple. God is not the one doing these things to you. You have stood up for God and now you have made enemies and those enemies are the enemies of God. Jesus said plainly, “If they hate me they will hate you.” Then if we stand up for Him, will we not be hated by somebody? If it works this way at the individual level, you can expect the same thing when it applies to the nation of Israel as a whole. As long as our nation is going with the flow, as long as the spiritual world around us is not doing anything in particular, then there is no war to be fought. But when Michael, the prince that stands for Israel, stands up to resist the devil, all hell breaks loose - quite literally. When this all begins to break, the prophet lets us know that it is going to spill over into our world in ways that we cannot even imagine. There will follow a time of destruction and death in the world that your Bible describes as the Great Tribulation. A Time of Trouble And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:7–9 KJV Michael is obviously a major player in this drama. The devil apparently mounts assaults against the throne of God, and Michael and his angels fight against him. Also interesting in this passage is that the devil has angels. Apparently, one-third of the original cast of angels joined Satan in his rebellion and were cast out of heaven with him. The bad news for us is that they were cast out into the earth (verse 9) - and they’re still here. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Revelation 12:12 KJV Satan is your enemy. He is called “the accuser of the brethren,” and he is busy accusing us before God day and night (verse 10). The Book of Job is the story of what can happen to a man when God allows Satan to have access to him. What exactly is our protection? How is it that the devil is not able to wipe us out? Having said that he is our accuser, the prophecy goes on to say, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (verse 11). It is the blood of the Lamb that stands between us and the evil infrastructure of this world. They cannot touch us unless God allows it. The saints also overcame the devil by “the word of their testimony,” by what they stood for, by what they confessed in their life, what they did, what they said. They also overcame him because they didn’t love their lives unto the death. They knew what was at stake in this great combat for God, and that it was God’s duty to see that they survived. When the prophet says “woe unto the world” because the devil has come to us - along with the host of his fellows - what is it that the world has to fear? From the Bible we learn that there are many kinds of spirits in the world. There is an ebb and flow of them in, through, and around all society. On occasion, what the Bible describes as a “spirit” may sound like a mere human attitude. But the implication as you read about them in the Bible is not that they are merely attitudes. These attitudes have come from somewhere. The Bible describes many “spirits.” On the one hand, there is the Holy Spirit. Then there is a ministering spirit, a spirit of judgment, and “the spirit of Elijah” which seems to be distinct in and of itself. There is a spirit of truth, a spirit of glory, a spirit of knowledge, a spirit of prophecy, a spirit of understanding, a spirit of wisdom. On the other hand there is a hardened spirit, a dumb spirit, a foul spirit, a perverse spirit, an unclean spirit. There is a spirit of antichrist, a spirit of bondage that will bind people where they cannot move. There is a spirit of divination that has to do with calling up messages from the dead. There is a spirit of error where some people can’t seem to ever get their feet in the right way. There is a spirit of fear that keeps us from being able to be confident, going ahead in our lives. There is a spirit of jealousy that comes upon people so that they are unreasonable. There is a spirit of slumber which keeps us from being spiritually awake when we need to be. There is a spirit of whoredoms that probably accounts for those people who are obsessed with sex and carried away with it. There is a spirit of infirmity that leaves people too weak to do the things they need to do. These are all given to us in the Bible as though they were discrete spirits that work and do things in this world. How do they work? A demon spirit can possess a person, but demon possession is rare. What is much more common in this world - and is very familiar to us all - is simple temptation. But the Bible tells us very little about the mechanics of temptation. I presume God doesn’t tell us because we don’t need to know that - in fact, it might be better for us if we didn’t. The truth is that you and I are rarely tempted by demons. It may happen that we find ourselves thinking thoughts that are not our own - thoughts that we believe came from a source other than ourselves. These are not difficult to deal with. It is simply a matter of prayer, of turning to God, of asking for God’s help, and then putting your mind on things that are good. It’s not a complicated problem to solve as long as you overcome it by “the blood of the Lamb” and by your testimony. There is however, a much more grave type of temptation in the world. It is more serious, because we usually don’t recognize it as temptation - at least we don’t recognize it as coming from the devil. Tracks Imagine yourself standing in a forest with a friend. Your friend turns to you and asks, “What kind of wildlife do you suppose there is in this forest? Have you seen any?” Standing where you are, you will see birds, perhaps a squirrel. You’re not likely to see much else, but you know that is not all the wildlife there is in this forest. But even as a total amateur, if you’ll take the time to slow down, study the ground, look at the trees, look at the bark, you’ll become aware that there is more here than meets the eye. For example, you may see branches of a bush that are broken and you might suspect that there has been something there to break those branches. You may see trees with bark knocked off. If you look carefully at the ground, you may see little brown pellets on the ground. As you study the ground a little more carefully, you see the distinctive tracks of deer. You may be lucky enough to find where the deer have bedded down. Their beds are very distinctive and it’s obvious what they are. You don’t have to be a professional tracker to see these things. You can kneel down and look at the dung and see if it’s shiny. If it is, it’s very recent. The deer may have passed this way a moment before you. If it’s obviously dried out, then it may have been some period of time. If it rained last night, and you see a clearly formed deer track, you’ll know that the deer passed this way since the rain. There has been no weathering of the tracks. If you’re walking down a snowy mountain trail, following the boot tracks of one of your friends, and you see a deer track in his boot track, you can conclude that the deer had passed between you. You don’t have to know a lot if you’re in the forest or the field. You just have to look. Now the world is like a forest in this regard. All you have to do is slow down, take a look around you and tell me what you see. If you realize there is a spiritual infrastructure in the world and that there are spirits that work in the children of disobedience, there ought to be something that gives you hints. For example, if you attend a PTA meeting at your children’s school, you may learn that some of the teachers and parents are concerned about children dabbling in the occult. Some parents are concerned because their children have been bringing home games that have to do with wizards, witches, trolls, and dragons. It isn’t as though some demon came along and gave these to the children. They get these things, these ideas, from other kids who get them from other kids. If you look at some of the games children are playing - especially some of the computer games that are out - you don’t have to be a specialist to see the tracks of the devil going right through the middle of your local school. The tracks are there. You just have to look. Drop by your local video rental store and take a look at the different kinds of movies that children can rent. Talk to the clerks at the video store. Who rents these splatter movies, horror movies, demon movies? The largest number of viewers of them are children and teenagers. The video stores aren’t supposed to rent adult movies to children, but they get them anyway. Take a look at the titles, the jackets. Can you see the tracks of the devil through your local video rental store? If there is a horror movie on in the local movie, make your way down there about the time the movie starts and see who is going in. Read the movie reviews. You’ll find the tracks of the devil walking right through the movie industry. But don’t make the mistake of looking for traditional demons and hobgoblins when you look for the tracks of the devil. It’s much more subtle than that. How many movies have you seen in your lifetime that make religion look good? One observer made a strong case that Hollywood hates religion. Movie after movie makes ministers, Christian people, or devout people look like fools, idiots, and worse. Why do they do that? One would naturally suppose that they do it to make money. But the truth is that movie after movie of this type has consistently lost money. When you’ve lost money on film after film making fun of religion, why would a movie studio come along and make a turkey like The Last Temptation of Christ? Perhaps they made it for its artistic value. But the critics panned the movie as art. It was, they said, one of the worst movies of that type to come along. The truth is it would have lost even more money if religious people had not given it so much publication by picketing the movie houses. Oddly enough, the movies that make religion look good make money. The movies that make religion look bad don’t make money. Then why do they do it? Do you see the tracks of the devil in the movie industry? It has been well publicized recently that some of the greatest talent in the movie industry has been lost to AIDS. The reason is that so many people in the arts are homosexuals. Now does it take much imagination to understand why a class of people, whose conduct is condemned in both the Old and the New Testament, might hate God or hate religion? Can we understand why they might want to make religious people look like fools or idiots? The tracks of the devil are all over the movie industry. Higher Education I stumbled across the tracks of the devil where I should have expected them but didn’t. I found them in academia. I read an excerpt from a speech by Christina Hoff Sommers, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Clark University. In the speech, she expressed her concern over the inroads the feminist movement was making in university curricula. However, she drew a very sharp distinction between what she called equity feminists and gender feminists. Equity feminists, she said, are those women who are simply concerned about equality - equal opportunity and equal rights. They are the women who have fought for the right to be able to go into a bank and borrow money on the same basis as a man. In years gone by, banks were reluctant to lend to women to start a business or build a home. It didn’t matter if she had the same income as a man, they just didn’t do it. Equity feminists fought for a change in this area and they were right. On the other hand, there are what Ms. Sommers calls the gender feminists. According to her, the gender feminists are those who are out to abolish gender altogether. In doing her research, she looked at dozens of textbooks in use in colleges across the country. She found evidence of a clear anti-family agenda coming from gender feminists. One, for example, claimed that the family “is a cornerstone of oppression that enforces heterosexuality and imposes the prevailing masculine/feminine character structures on the next generation.” According to gender feminists, the family is the problem. The family, they say, is the root of oppression that imposes heterosexuality on our society. Some feminists look forward to the day when the miracle of science will allow us to alter basic human functions like insemination and lactation and gestation. Perhaps one woman could inseminate another, even men could lactate and nurse a baby. Fertilized ova could be transferred into women’s or even men’s bodies. There probably is a little revenge written into that last one. Gender feminist literature is replete with proposals for abolishing marriage and the family in favor of various forms of androgyny or bisexuality. Yet another authority, Richard Wasserstrom, former president of the American Philosophical Association, argues that all the differences between the sexes are arbitrary and irrelevant. He concluded that in a truly just society we would no more notice the sex of a person with whom we were romantically involved than we would notice the color of their eyes. He recommended bisexuality as the ideal romantic relationship because heterosexuality, even homosexuality, is a reflection of bigotry. Ms. Sommers concludes that war has been declared, not on inequality, but on gender. She saw that the hidden agenda of the gender feminists could not be achieved without reeducation. They are pursuing their goals vigorously through colleges and universities. The gender feminist’s highest priority today is getting rid of the traditional curriculum in colleges and ensuring that feminists and their views occupy a prominent place in every college and every university. They have had a lot of success. For example, you can send your daughter to the University of Nebraska where she can take a course in Twentieth Century Lesbian Novels. The University of New Mexico would offer her a course in Heterosexism and the Oppression of Women. Perhaps she could go to Queen’s College City University of New York, and take a course called The Lesbian in Literature and Honors Tutorial. As I read all this, I slowly became aware that there are two hidden agendas. The front line agenda of the feminists movement is equality. The hidden agenda below that is the elimination or abolition of the family. But there is still another agenda even more hidden and even more serious. I saw it because I was standing still and looking for tracks. There were tracks enough in the mere idea of the elimination of the family. But because I was looking, I found yet another hidden agenda: The Abolition of the Father. Men and women are prone to blame one another for the destruction of the father’s role. They are both right. The men went a long way down that road before women ever started. The fathers have failed, and the mothers have failed, so there is no reason to point fingers at one another because of our gender. What we need to understand is that the devil has been among us. He has come and he has gone, but his tracks are still here. The attack on the family has very nearly succeeded. We’ve gotten to the place where we have one divorce for every marriage in our society. That is not a practical maximum for divorces. We’ll need to have two divorces for every marriage for a while until we get rid of all the marriages. The goal, you see, is the elimination of marriage and the family altogether. Babies are being killed off before they can be born. In the name of reproductive freedom, women and their doctors are destroying the results of fatherhood. The very idea of the father is fading away. This is not merely a war on men who father children. It is a war on the very idea of father. But even the most radical gender feminists don’t understand the depths of what they are doing. They are not the author of the anti-father agenda. It is buried deeper than that. Think about it. Who is there in this world who has more reason than anyone else to hate the Father, despise the Father, destroy everything the Father stands for? It is the devil, of course. And the destruction of everything the Father stands for is the hidden agenda behind the abortion movement. It is the hidden agenda in the hard core feminist movement. Who suffers, who gets hurt? The children, of course. What most people don’t realize is that most of the poor people in this country are children. Not only that, but most of the poor children are poor because of the destruction of the family - they have no father. It is so simple. Ninety-four percent of the married couples in the United States are not poor. The poverty problem in this country is a direct result of the systematic destruction of the family. Poverty is a spiritual problem. Child abuse is a spiritual problem. The sexual abuse of children is a spiritual problem. The solution of these problems will have to be spiritual. Not only does Satan have to be bound, this entire rotten spiritual infrastructure in the world has to be taken away. Satan Bound It seems that it is ultimately God’s plan to gather all this corruption together in one place. John saw it in vision: And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Revelation 18:1–2 The truth is that the Kingdom of God cannot be established on this earth until God deals with this corrupt spiritual infrastructure. For Christ to return and to attempt to impose His government on this earth while all that is still here would be an exercise in futility. In fact, it would be destructive because of the continuing war. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this one event in the plan of God. All the foul spirits must be gathered together and dealt with, and Satan himself must be bound. What do we do until then? We are stuck here, and the spirit world ebbs and flows and backs and fills all around us constantly. The tracks are everywhere to be seen. There is a short passage in the book of James that is helpful: But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:6-7). That will take care of one side of the issue, but there is more here. In verse 11, James admonishes us, “Speak not evil of one another, brethren.” Bear in mind that Satan is the accuser of the brethren, and that there is no better way to conjure up the devil than to start accusing one another. When we’re doing that, we can’t have the protection we need from the accuser of the brethren. You’re helping him make his tracks. And this brings us directly to another point. Stay involved with a church. When there is a war on, the last thing you want is to be alone. One person by himself might fall, while two can stand. You need support, you need encouragement from people who care about you. There are many times when you know what to do - you just need someone else to say, “Yes, you’re right - do it!” You need to have a place to go for knowledge so you can be taught, so you can learn, so you can grow. You need to have a place to go so there will be someone to pray for you, someone who knows about you, someone who is aware of you, someone who cares about you. If you are alone, you don’t have that. You need a place to go for correction, where there will be someone to tell you when you’re wrong. You need a preacher every once in a while to admonish you from God’s Word and to warn you against doing stupid things with your life. Above all, you need a place to go for love - where there are people who care. If there is no place at all to go, write a letter. Keep in touch. Use the telephone. Use the cassette recorder. Do what you can to reach out and stay in touch with God’s people. It’s a jungle out there, and the jungle is full of wild animals. You have no business going out in the dark alone. You should reach out to one another. You should support one another and care about one another. But remember, when all is said and done, you don’t need to be afraid of these spirits running around in the jungle. Those who are with us are greater than all the powers of all of them. Michael Medved - Hollywood vs. Religion Christina Hoff Sommers - Feminism and the College Curriculum

With family: 2 Kings 2; 2 Thessalonians 2 2 Kings 2 (Listen) Elijah Taken to Heaven 2 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.” 4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. Elisha Succeeds Elijah 15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” 17 But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him. 18 And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?” 19 Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” 20 He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” 22 So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke. 23 He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. 25 From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. (ESV) 2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen) The Man of Lawlessness 2 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,1 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness2 is revealed, the son of destruction,3 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Stand Firm 13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits4 to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 13, 15 [2] 2:3 Some manuscripts sin [3] 2:3 Greek the son of perdition (a Hebrew idiom) [4] 2:13 Some manuscripts chose you from the beginning (ESV) In private: Psalms 112–113; Daniel 6 Psalms 112–113 (Listen) The Righteous Will Never Be Moved 112   1 Praise the LORD!  Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,    who greatly delights in his commandments!2   His offspring will be mighty in the land;    the generation of the upright will be blessed.3   Wealth and riches are in his house,    and his righteousness endures forever.4   Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.5   It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;    who conducts his affairs with justice.6   For the righteous will never be moved;    he will be remembered forever.7   He is not afraid of bad news;    his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.8   His heart is steady;2 he will not be afraid,    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.9   He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;    his righteousness endures forever;    his horn is exalted in honor.10   The wicked man sees it and is angry;    he gnashes his teeth and melts away;    the desire of the wicked will perish! Who Is like the Lord Our God? 113   Praise the LORD!  Praise, O servants of the LORD,    praise the name of the LORD! 2   Blessed be the name of the LORD    from this time forth and forevermore!3   From the rising of the sun to its setting,    the name of the LORD is to be praised! 4   The LORD is high above all nations,    and his glory above the heavens!5   Who is like the LORD our God,    who is seated on high,6   who looks far down    on the heavens and the earth?7   He raises the poor from the dust    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,8   to make them sit with princes,    with the princes of his people.9   He gives the barren woman a home,    making her the joyous mother of children.  Praise the LORD! Footnotes [1] 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [2] 112:8 Or established (compare 111:8) (ESV) Daniel 6 (Listen) Daniel and the Lions’ Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement1 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared2 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,   for he is the living God,    enduring forever;  his kingdom shall never be destroyed,    and his dominion shall be to the end.27   He delivers and rescues;    he works signs and wonders    in heaven and on earth,  he who has saved Daniel    from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Footnotes [1] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 [2] 6:16 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20 (ESV)

When Daniel comes across a strange door that takes him back to his old life, he celebrates with a midnight pizza with his bff Lola. But things aren’t as simple as he thought, and his decision leads to a distressing consequence.Written by Vera Greentea and Jasmine Brown. Co-produced with Mike Umile. Music by aBird.Find more information about MY PARALLEL LIFE at https://www.jumpycatstudios.com/. If you like the show and want to buy us a coffee, you may do so at https://ko-fi.com/jumpycatstudios.

Finding someone with integrity, that is beyond reproach, seems impossible in today’s online public world. Even the Bible’s pages are full of characters who were murderers, adulterers and deceivers. But there was one role model we should study and try to emulate, Daniel. When Daniel’s peers became jealous and decided to destroy him, they unsuccessfully [...]

When Daniel rolled into the kitchen late the next afternoon he was feeling about as good as he’d felt since the night before the double chump battle back at the Rebel Moon. In spite of the abuse he’d taken since then, after a few more servings of soup, a scalding hot shower, and another fourteen hours of sleep in the Emily Dickinson room (the bed turned out to be pretty comfy), not to mention just the right amount of booze to keep him even, he felt like a new man.Support the show (https://www.valentinelux.com/contribute)

When Daniel's three companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue, the Babylonian king was infuriated. He had the three men thrown into a fiery furnace. When Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth figure walking with the three, and all were unharmed by the blazing fire, he was astonished (Daniel 3:25).

Daniel 4–6 Daniel 4–6 (Listen) Nebuchadnezzar Praises God 4 1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 3   How great are his signs,    how mighty his wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,    and his dominion endures from generation to generation. Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream 4 2 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods3—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” Daniel Interprets the Second Dream 19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! 20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived—22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation 28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. Nebuchadnezzar Restored 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,   for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,    and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;35   all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,    and he does according to his will among the host of heaven    and among the inhabitants of the earth;  and none can stay his hand    or say to him, “What have you done?” 36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. The Handwriting on the Wall 5 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father4 had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared5 to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. 10 The queen,6 because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods.7 In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Daniel Interprets the Handwriting 13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods8 is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son,9 Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered10 the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL, you have been weighed11 in the balances and found wanting; 28 PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”12 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 13 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Daniel and the Lions’ Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement14 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared15 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,   for he is the living God,    enduring forever;  his kingdom shall never be destroyed,    and his dominion shall be to the end.27   He delivers and rescues;    he works signs and wonders    in heaven and on earth,  he who has saved Daniel    from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Footnotes [1] 4:1 Ch 3:31 in Aramaic [2] 4:4 Ch 4:1 in Aramaic [3] 4:8 Or Spirit of the holy God; also verses 9, 18 [4] 5:2 Or predecessor; also verses 11, 13, 18 [5] 5:7 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 10 [6] 5:10 Or queen mother; twice in this verse [7] 5:11 Or Spirit of the holy God [8] 5:14 Or Spirit of God [9] 5:22 Or successor [10] 5:26 Mene sounds like the Aramaic for numbered [11] 5:27 Tekel sounds like the Aramaic for weighed [12] 5:28 Peres (the singular of Parsin) sounds like the Aramaic for divided and for Persia [13] 5:31 Ch 6:1 in Aramaic [14] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 [15] 6:16 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20 (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 34 Psalm 34 (Listen) Taste and See That the Lord Is Good 1 Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. 34   I will bless the LORD at all times;    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.2   My soul makes its boast in the LORD;    let the humble hear and be glad.3   Oh, magnify the LORD with me,    and let us exalt his name together! 4   I sought the LORD, and he answered me    and delivered me from all my fears.5   Those who look to him are radiant,    and their faces shall never be ashamed.6   This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him    and saved him out of all his troubles.7   The angel of the LORD encamps    around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8   Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!9   Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,    for those who fear him have no lack!10   The young lions suffer want and hunger;    but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11   Come, O children, listen to me;    I will teach you the fear of the LORD.12   What man is there who desires life    and loves many days, that he may see good?13   Keep your tongue from evil    and your lips from speaking deceit.14   Turn away from evil and do good;    seek peace and pursue it. 15   The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous    and his ears toward their cry.16   The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,    to cut off the memory of them from the earth.17   When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears    and delivers them out of all their troubles.18   The LORD is near to the brokenhearted    and saves the crushed in spirit. 19   Many are the afflictions of the righteous,    but the LORD delivers him out of them all.20   He keeps all his bones;    not one of them is broken.21   Affliction will slay the wicked,    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.22   The LORD redeems the life of his servants;    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. Footnotes [1] 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 25 1 Samuel 25 (Listen) The Death of Samuel 25 Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. David and Abigail Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’” 9 When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. 10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12 So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. 13 And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage. 14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.” 18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs1 of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. 22 God do so to the enemies of David2 and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.” 23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal3 is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 26 Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, because the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. 29 If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30 And when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince4 over Israel, 31 my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.” 32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.” 36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 38 And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. 39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41 And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife. 43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. Footnotes [1] 25:18 A seah was about 7 quarts or 7.3 liters [2] 25:22 Septuagint to David [3] 25:25 Nabal means fool [4] 25:30 Or leader (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Daniel 6 Daniel 6 (Listen) Daniel and the Lions’ Den 6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” 6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement1 to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. 10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. 12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him. 15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.” 16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared2 to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. 19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,   for he is the living God,    enduring forever;  his kingdom shall never be destroyed,    and his dominion shall be to the end.27   He delivers and rescues;    he works signs and wonders    in heaven and on earth,  he who has saved Daniel    from the power of the lions.” 28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Footnotes [1] 6:6 Or came thronging; also verses 11, 15 [2] 6:16 Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20 (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Luke 3:23–4:13 Luke 3:23–4:13 (Listen) The Genealogy of Jesus Christ 23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,1 the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. The Temptation of Jesus 4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,   “‘You shall worship the Lord your God,    and him only shall you serve.’” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,   “‘He will command his angels concerning you,    to guard you,’ 11 and   “‘On their hands they will bear you up,    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. Footnotes [1] 3:27 Greek Salathiel (ESV)

How do we stand strong in the face of discouragement and against our enemies? When Daniel heard the news that anyone who worshiped any god or man aside from King Darius would be thrown into the lions’ den, he went to pray (and even prayed in a bold manner!). Daniel did not suddenly pray because he feared what would happen; he prayed as he did before -with HUMILITY, CONSISTENCY and DEPENDENCY. God does not promise to deliver us from the ‘lion’s den’ in our lives but promises us that HE is in control of the outcome. Through this familiar story of Daniel, we learn that Daniel was not saved because of his own works, but rather by the sovereignty of God and a faith that starts with prayer.

Episode 27.   Robber Gods, Aristocrat Gods and Marshmallow Gods – August 3, 2020 Intro: Welcome to the podcast Coronavirus Crisis:  Carpe Diem, where you and I rise up and embrace the possibilities and opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth in this time of crisis, all grounded in a Catholic worldview.   We are going beyond mere resilience, to rising up to the challenges of this pandemic and becoming even healthier in the natural and the spiritual realms than we were before.  I'm clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski your host and guide, with Souls and Hearts at soulsandhearts.com.  Thank you for being here with me.  This is episode 27, released on August 3, 2020 and the title is Robber Gods, Aristocrat Gods and Marshmallow Gods. For those of you who are new to the podcast, first of all, a very hearty welcome to you, I'm glad you're joining us.  I want you to know that each episode can stand alone, and I will provide you with the background you need to understand each episode.  However, if you want more of a conceptual background for God images, check out episodes 22, 23, and 24.     Brief review:  let's just circle back around and review, what are God images again?  My God image is my experiential sense of God it's how my heart sees God, what my feelings tell me about God.  My God image is very subjective, it doesn't necessarily follow what I know about God in my head.  My God image is formed out of the relational experiences I've had.  Different God images can be activated at different times, depending on my emotional states and what psychological mode I am in at any given time.  So what's important to remember is that your God images are not necessarily what you profess to believe with your intellect.  Rather, they are the unfiltered, spontaneous, uncensored, gut-felt sense of God in the moment. Similarly, my self-images are much more driven by emotion, much more intuitive, subjective, and they vary a lot more from moment to moment.  My self-image is who I feel myself to be in a given moment, it is who my passions are telling me that I am in the moment.  Self-images go together with God images – they impact each other.   In the last two episodes, episode 25 and 26, we looked at a total of six different negative God images originally identified by Christian psychotherapists Bill and Kristi Gaultiere in their 1989 book Mistaken Identities.  Those were the Drill Sergeant God, the Statue God, the preoccupied managing director God, Unjust Dictator God, the Vain Pharisee God, and the Critical Scrooge God.   I do want you to know that I'm going beyond their initial conceptualizations and adding much more in these podcast episodes, most of it derived from my clinical experience and also my own experience in my journey with God.  So I just want you to know that I am adding a lot of new material, but I do think their initial pioneering work really deserves to be credited. All right, so let's go to listener questions.  Ryan from Texas has this question: “After identifying problematic God images in my own life, I want to know how deterministic God images are.  Are they imprinted from childhood or do they change with time?  And what we do to make our God images align with the loving and caring God we profess to know in our God concept?” Great question, Ryan.  Let's get into that just briefly right now, and I will say much more about it in future podcast episodes.  I also very much want to do a much more in-depth course at Souls & Hearts on God images, particularly how to respond to them, and also how to bring them into greater harmony with who God really is.   That's one measure of mental health, is when our God images reflect the reality of our loving and caring God.  So if you are interested in a course like that, let me know.  Once I have 25 people that would be committed to a much more in-depth course, and would be willing to pay for it, I could begin to set aside the time to create it.  If you're interested in that, call me or text me at 317-567-9594 or email me at crisis@soulsandhearts.com and let me know, and I put you on the list.   So back to Ryan's question Initially, God images are formed in us from our first days.  Even as infants, we are learning about the world and nonverbal assumptions are being formed in us.  Imagine an infants, I will call him baby Joe, who has an attuned, psychologically healthy mother who can really enter into the baby's experience.  The mother is able to intuit what the baby needs, and meet those needs in a loving, competent way.  The baby has a sense of being seen and known, and also has safety and security, which are the first to conditions of secure attachment.  This sets the baby up to have a greater sense of safety and security, a greater sense of being seen and known by God. Contrast that baby's experience with another, who I will call baby Tom, whose father recently divorced his mother.  Baby Tom's mother is stressed out, having to reenter the workforce, feeling a deep sense of shame and abandonment, and is struggling with depression and anxiety.  Unconsciously, baby Tom's mother blames baby Tom for driving away her husband.  This is going to have a huge impact on baby Tom's sense of being seen and known, of being safe and secure. So it's clear that baby Joe and baby Tom are going to have different starting points with regard to their God images.  The impact of parents' ways of relating with children is difficult to underestimate when it comes to the generation of children's God images.  Nevertheless, and this is very important, there is another factor that has an even greater impact on what the ultimate God images are.  And that, my dear listeners is what is our experience of the actual living God.  These God images that are formed in us beyond our control will change over time, if we bring ourselves into contact with God really is.  The reason that so many God images seem to be so sticky, they seem to hang around so much, is because they have not yet been corrected by God.  Sometimes God delays correcting these God images, to draw us into deeper relationship with him.  Other times though, we refuse to allow God into our lives in a way that would help us see and know who he really is.  We default to our negative God images and we don't invite him into our lives.  And there are reasons for that, and will get into those in future episodes.  For now, Ryan, I want you and the rest of the listeners to know that the way we engage with the living God, as he is, the way we allow him into our lives into relationship with us – that is going to have much more of an impact on our God images over time than our original upbringing. So our God images can and should change over time.  As we deepen in the spiritual life, as we deepen our relationship with God, our God images will conform more to our God concept, which will conform more to who God really is. Ok, with that, let's dive into the three God images we are reviewing today, these are the Robber God, the Elite Aristocrat God, and the Marshmallow God.   Robber God:  This God robs me of good things, and prevents me from having good fortune. He seems jealous when I succeed, he is like a “wet blanket,” a God who spoils things I enjoy. God is a thief who pries cherished possessions and relationships out of my hands, deprives me even of the things I need.  All of this is under the pretext of making a better Christian and loving him more. This God feels unjust, stingy, and jealous. Bible verse:  Psalm 88: 4-8   I am reckoned among those who go down to the Pit; I am a man who has no strength, like one forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom thou dost remember no more, for they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep. Thy wrath lies heavy upon me, and thou dost overwhelm me with all thy waves.  Thou hast caused my companions to shun me; thou hast made me a thing of horror to them. You can see all the losses the psalmist is experiencing.  The loss of strength, the loss of relationship with God, feelings of imprisonment, like in a dark deep pit, the loss of companionship, friendship. The loss of my respectable, curated image to others. It's all in there. Self-image:  Because my robber God really doesn't want to have good things, things that I enjoy, I must hang onto all that I can lay my hands on. I have to sneak pleasures and enjoyment, because God doesn't believe they are good for me. I'm conflicted about whether I am worth having good things. I feel insecure, that my grasp is tenuous on the things that I treasure. I have to be very careful with this robber God, to not overstep so that he won't take any more good things from me.  This leads to a lot of spiritual frustration and hiding from God. I'm expecting losses.  I consciously or unconsciously blame God for my losses. I wonder, consciously or unconsciously if this robber God enjoys taking things away from me.  I have difficulty giving cheerfully because so much feels taken from me, without my consent.   Lent is often miserable for individuals with prominent robber God images.  Very little concept of redemptive suffering. Suffering seems meaningless, unless it is somehow satisfying to God. One client of mine many years ago described having a target on his back, a target that attracted God's attention, leaving God to take away any good things that he was able to achieve. Anger tends to be prominent, and others may experience individuals with a prominent robber God image as having a chip on their shoulder. Attachment history:  Frequently the attachment history may be characterized by grief due to losses that have never been adequately resolved. The attachment history may also feature parents who were jealous of their child's talents, possessions, relationships, or other goods, and who put themselves in competition with their child. These parents were too enmeshed with their children to be able to celebrate their children's accomplishments. Rather, their children's achievements make the parent feel inadequate or insecure.  Thus, the parents may work subtly and unconsciously to undermine their children's successes. This God image can also be present when a child loses a parent in some way, to death or divorce or to chronic health problems or mental health issues. It can be very confusing to a child why God would allow such losses to occur.  The child whose mother died could say: Since he is all-powerful and all-knowing, he must have wanted me to be robbed of my mother, he must have wanted my father to drown in his grief and his vodka.   This God image can also emerge when a child is victimized by cliques at school, or by bullies who cut them down to size, stole their money or food, or were jealous and undermining of the friendships that they formed. Coronavirus crisis: I think many of us can see how the coronavirus crisis might exacerbate a robber God image. Many good things have been taken away from us in this crisis. Losses can range from life to health to income to employment, to relationships – we could lose relationships due to death, but also relationships can be compromised by social distancing, lockdowns, and disagreements about how to respond to the coronavirus. Why did God send us this virus, anyway?  Is he just trying to strip me down again, make me survive with just the bare minimum?  Like slave owner who gives his slave just enough to survive, but not to thrive? Vignette:  David was born in 1948, into a relatively healthy, close-knit Catholic, working-class family. He grew up in the 1950s and 1960s surrounded by relatives and good relationships.  At age 19 he was about to be drafted so he decided to enlist in the Marines. He went through boot camp and in late 1967 was ordered to Vietnam. There he saw combat and was drawn into some horrible atrocities against civilians in the 1969 Tet Offensive as new infantryman.  His world was turned upside down, and he know he was changed.  During the Tet offensive, he was wounded by mortar fire, which caused extensive damage to his right leg and some disfigurement to his face.  He also lost two of his closest buddies.   David's leg never fully recovered, and he walked with a limp. The woman he loved, rejected him upon his return, having found another boyfriend. He struggled with flashbacks and night terrors. He saw God is robbing him of all the good things that he had had in his life. He found it hard to relate with his family anymore, actually, he felt like he had no home anymore, as he did not fit in with his parents and siblings. He felt that only other Vietnam vets understood his experience, so we never talked about it unless he was drinking with old comrades in arms. His reactive mission to civilian society was slow, operating in fits and starts, with many gains and losses, and he never seem to get ahead. He blamed this on God. David saw God is stealing from him his happiness, his peace, his joy, the woman he loved, his buddies on the battlefield, and his integrity.  David had a Robber God image.  This is an example of a God image that developed later in life, after his childhood.   He eventually married, but remained self-absorbed, silently struggling with internal conflicts over guilt, shame, rage, fear. Others experienced him as cool, detached, and generally very self -controlled and very proper in his demeanor.  His war buddies kidded David and told him that  when he wasn't drinking, David seemed like a 19th century English butler.   David concluded that God didn't want him to have good things that God wanted him to suffer for the sins and crimes he committed. David clung to cigarettes, bourbon, sports, and movies as a way to distract himself and cope. Emotionally, he was very closed off from his wife and his children and spent most of his time alone.   It wasn't until his children are grown and gone that he actually sought help. David benefited from some specific trauma treatments, including EMDR that broke him out of the downward spiral he had been in.  He is just now, late in life praying again, and beginning to make sense of his experiences, bring them for the first time in decades back to God.    Elitist Aristocrat God:  This God considers himself to lofty, too good, too perfect to connect with the likes of someone like me. He has a superior attitude, and he doesn't seem to need me or care about me. He operates in an entirely different plane, up in the sky, apart from mere mortals like me.  God just isn't there for me.  He has his favorites, the ones who are more like him, of higher stature, of greater importance. But I'm not one of his favorites. I get the cold shoulder from God. Bible verse: Psalm 88:9, 13-14 Every day I call upon thee, O Lord; I spread out my hands to thee. …But I, O Lord, I cry to thee; in the morning my prayer comes before thee.  O Lord, why dost thou cast me off? You can see all the psalmist is crying out to God, and feeling cast off, ignored, the prayers, seemingly disregarded. Maybe there's a part of you that can resonate with these feelings, feelings of being disregarded, or set aside by God. Self-image:  I feel like I was born under an ill-fated star, I was born on the wrong side of the tracks. God doesn't associate with low-class people like me. God just doesn't even notice me, I'm too far beneath him.  He ignores me. On the rare occasions he does notice me, he puts me down.  When I pray, my words just get lost in the void. He is not there to hear my prayers. I'm excluded from the circles of the people he favors. I get the crumbs under the table, like the dogs.  I'm not good enough to be in God's good graces. God doesn't need me for anything, he doesn't really want me in his sight. If he knows me, he knows me from afar, and he doesn't really like what he sees. Attachment history:  The Elitist Aristocrat God image can emerge when a child feels very distant from his or her parents. The child's parents may have been self-absorbed, caught up in their own social or professional images, the ways they were seen by the world.  A child may accurately or inaccurately assume that he or she is not mom or dad's favorite one.  Children like this are sometimes grown by their parents rather than raised by their parents.  An Elite Aristocrat God image can form when her daughter experiences her father or mother is all caught up in professional work, with the family always playing second fiddle to the importance the parent places on his or her occupation. Perhaps the child's parents are caught up in “keeping up with the Joneses.”  The experience is not so much of rejection by God as never being accepted by God in the first place. Coronavirus crisis: the coronavirus has caused significant distress for many Christians with this particular Elite Aristocrat God image. It is easy for many people to imagine that God is not interested in their sufferings and in their trials and miseries, that God has left them to their own devices out of a sense of superiority. He does not deign to stoop down and help me, a lowly one, in my time of need. He helps others to have access to greater resources. They can adapt and adjust with minimal inconvenience. The impact of the coronavirus on me is severe, and more evidence of God's disregard for me. Vignette: so let's discuss Michael, David's oldest son. Michael was born five years after his father returned from Vietnam, and David never really bonded with his son. Michael grew up realizing that his relationship with his father did not look like how the boys in the neighborhood played with their fathers. Their fathers came to the baseball games and the basketball games. Many of their fathers were warm and engaging. It was his friend Tim's father that taught him to throw and catch, to hit and field. David's mother was preoccupied with caring for her husband, desperately wanting his attention too.  Tim's father saw Michael, in a way that Michael's own father didn't. In the logic that youngsters use to sort these things out, Michael assumed that his father's distance, reserve, and aloofness were his fault. He desperately tried to get his father's attention, to no avail.  Dad seem like an elite aristocrat – very proper, very distant, very uninterested in him.  Michael unconsciously imported that image and transferred it to God. Michael saw himself as unworthy of his father's attention, not good enough to be noticed by his father. This wounded self-image led him to conclude that God also saw him that way. Michael struggled with a deep sense of inadequacy and shame about not being good enough. Michael vowed never to treat others that way. So even though he himself felt fairly distant from God, he tried to be warm and caring in his relationships, to be the exact opposite of his father, especially to his own children. Marshmallow God: God is nice, but he is also either weak or incompetent. God is very soft, and quite passive. When others harm me or persecute me, he doesn't safeguard me, he doesn't advocate for me, he doesn't defend me, he just wants me to take it, and “turn the other cheek.” God doesn't want conflict, he wants to be liked, and he is likely to follow those who dominate him.   Bible verse:  Psalm 13: 1-2  How long, O Lord? Wilt thou forget me for ever?  How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?  How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all the day?  How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Alternative Bible verse:  Psalm 25:1-2 To thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  O my God, in thee I trust, let me not be put to shame;  let not my enemies exult over me. Self-image:  When others take advantage of me, God believes it would be wrong for me to stand up for myself. I should be passive like God is. If I set boundaries and limits on others' behaviors, that would not be good. It would be wrong for me to move away from my dependency. Since I'm helpless, I need to stay away from danger, and avoid and hide from trouble as best I can. Attachment history:  when this God image forms in children, those children often have parents who are friendly, warm, but who have not adequately protected their children. They may have resisted recognizing or intervening when their children were being harmed out of a sense of fear of offending others. For example, they may not have advocated for a child who is being unfairly singled out and harassed by a teacher or coach.  The child may have seen his parents be pushed around or dominated by more powerful others, to the detriment of the whole family. Alternatively, sometimes this God image develops when parents are overprotective, and communicate to the child that he or she is weak, hopeless, and dependent and that is how it should be. The child can then form the idea that this is how God must be as well.  We must be nice, we must be like God, so God must be nice. Coronavirus crisis: in the coronavirus era, God may seem passive, just letting things unfold without any divine intervention.  We may have parts of us that feel that God is not up to the challenge of helping us through the coronavirus.  We may have a sense that our bishops and priests have not helped us through the crisis, and may have made our lives even more difficult by unnecessarily blocking churches and restricting access to sacraments, even going beyond the restrictions that were required by government decrees  We may have gotten the message from civic and church leaders that we are naïve children that would have unnecessarily risked our own lives and the lives of others if we had been able to attend Mass, that we could not make appropriate judgments, so the these leaders needed to protect us from ourselves. We may have parts of us that feel that God is not up to the task of administering justice to those criminals who really need it.  God seems to be very nice and soft towards those who undermine the Church from within, wayward bishops and cardinals, priests, and others. The much-maligned fire and brimstone from previous centuries may seem wholly absent to us, now.  It may appear, in this coronavirus era, God does not seem to set limits on anyone-- lying, cheating, fraud, and all kinds of misbehavior go unchecked in the government and in our culture. This all can exacerbate a Marshmallow God image. Vignette:  so Michael married and had two children of his own. He worked hard to be caring and gratifying to everybody. Unconsciously, he equated firmness with coldness.   Indeed, Michael had difficulty setting boundaries and limits with others, as he was so conditioned to want others to like him.  Thus, when his oldest son Daniel went off to school, and experienced bullying on the bus, he tried to help his son understand bullies' point of view and why the bus driver did not intervene. Michael didn't advocate for little Daniel in a way that would have been helpful. When Daniel had a Little League coach that rode him mercilessly, calling him names and mocking him in front of the other boys, his father did not stand up for him. His father was more invested in maintaining a good relationship with the coach, and trying to win him over to treating Daniel better that way.  Daniel's experience of his father was that he was very nice, warm, gregarious, but powerless in the face of conflict. As a seven-year-old, Daniel generally saw his father as a good man, he assumed that God must be like his father.  This also fit his experience, because no one advocated for him when he was persecuted by authority figures. OK. So those are the three God images for today.  The Robber God, the Elite Aristocrat God, and the Marshmallow God.  This episode is already getting fairly long, so I don't have time to go into how these three God images are commonly generated in children who are sexually abused.  I see this a lot.  Abuse and neglect have really harmful effects on God images, as you may imagine.  So just for the members of the Resilient Catholics Carpe Diem Community, I am going to do a little bonus episode, a premium episode on sexual abuse and these three particular God images.  That particular episode may be a little more intense for people, so it's also better to be done in our community.  Bonus episodes are one of the benefits of becoming a member.  Go to soulsandhearts.com, click on the all courses and shows tab and register for the Resilient Catholics Carpe Diem Community, free for the first 30 days and then $25 per month after that.  Those memberships are what makes this podcast possible, the RCCD members offset the costs of producing this podcast and the overhead for Souls and Hearts.   Other benefits for RCCD members include the pdfs I reprinted for the God Image Questionnaire by Bill Gaultiere, who has given us permission to reformat and reprint it.  Check that out, it can help you determine your God image, it's a 28 item questionnaire that reviews these 14 God images. One more thing is that we are having an RCCD community meeting on Friday, August 7 from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM Eastern time.  and we will be discussing any questions you have about God images and self-images.   And finally, RCCD members now have access to our Mighty Networks app, which allows us to connect much more easily.  Community members can email me at crisis@soulsandhearts.com and we'll get you set up with that, it's by invitation.  Patron and Patronness.         

Jim and Jakob break down episode 2 of season 2, “Back In Black”. When Daniel starts teaching his first karate students, he questions whether he can fill Mr Miyagi’s shoes. Johnny invents some unorthodox training methods with help from an unlikely source. What’s your opinion? Email us at showswhatyouknowshow@gmail.com or tweet @showswhatuknow. Please subscribe and...

Jim and Jakob break down episode 2 of season 2, “Back In Black”. When Daniel starts teaching his first karate students, he questions whether he can fill Mr Miyagi’s shoes. Johnny invents some unorthodox training methods with help from an unlikely source. What’s your opinion? Email us at showswhatyouknowshow@gmail.com or tweet @showswhatuknow. Please subscribe and...

Get taken right inside the Bulldogs’ new Queensland home in the football hub edition of the Barkly Street podcast this week.Bob Murphy, co-hosting from Melbourne, is joined by Marcus Bontempelli from the Mercure Resort on the Gold Coast.Dogs’ dashing defender Caleb Daniel also ‘zooms’ in (from the room next to Bont’s) to have a chat about adjusting to a new home away from home, and the team’s recent run of good form.Bob and Bont discuss the frantic few days leading into the Victorian teams vacating the state for their new temporary accommodation, developing ‘isolation fitness’, and the empathy they feel for their fellow Victorians doing it tough ahead of the next phase of Stage 3 lockdown restrictions.When Daniel jumps into the conversation, the crew drills down on what hub life is like, including the “cruisy” shared flight with Richmond on the way to the Gold Coast, the ‘Mercure Cup’ between the three tenants of the resort (the Dogs, Blues and Kangaroos), and the joys of living around babies and young children.There’s plenty of time for footy talk too, including Easton Wood’s ‘golden knee’, Ling Jong’s continued bad luck with injury, Caleb’s own form, and the emergence of Bailey Williams.

Update on our week:    The guys start off with sharing a few more places we are available to listen. Check us out in all of our available platforms. Daniel talks about doing pickups at Walmart by curbside, but it has recently become more crowded and made this once convenient option a challenge. Andy himself tried instacart at Aldi and found it satisfactory, but not stellar. When Daniel tried it himself and found that he was in communication more with Aldi than Walmart, it showed Aldi has a more personal touch between store and customer. What are you using to shop for your groceries during this time? There seems to be an increasing shortage for certain foods like ground beef and steak.Daniel talks about catching up on Better Call Saul. Season 5 just finished this year and it brings things closer to the end of the series. Andy goes in depth on Netflix expanding their partnership and how they are probably going to be doing big things with Viacom. Andy believes Netflix needs more content and that their current releases are barely receiving any promotion aside from word of mouth and viewership recommendations. There are rumors of many potential purchases happening within Hollywood. Amazon may end up purchasing AMC Theatres to allow for the possibility of airing Amazon Original Movies in theatres thus opening them up for possible Academy Awards.   Article of the week: The latest TikTok challenge encourages users to pee in their pants.   https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/the-latest-tiktok-challenge-encourages-users-to-pee-in-their-pants-and-its-creator-said-he-started-it-as-a-parody-to-show-that-social-media-trends-are-pointless/articleshow/75494654.cms   Warning: May have Strong Language and Content.   ========== Thank you to everyone who enjoys what we do.  If you like what we do, please spread the word of our show. Email questions or suggestions to ffnquestions@gmail.com ========== See FACEBOOK page https://www.facebook.com/freeformnetwork Follow us on TWITTER https://twitter.com/FFRpodcast ========== Free Form Network and all our podcast are available on many platforms including STITCHER, ANDROID, IPHONE, IPAD, IPOD TOUCH and PODBEAN   IPHONE, IPAD & IPOD TOUCH http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/free-form-network/id995998853 SPREAKER http://www.spreaker.com/show/free-form-network STITCHER http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/free-form-network OVERCAST https://overcast.fm/itunes995998853/free-form-network SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/0QKRhkXDmQ9cxItaiu49Vy GOOGLE MUSIC https://play.google.com/music/listen?authuser&u=0#/ps/Iefi4cm2cahq6dg6upjs2exf52e IHEART RADIO http://www.iheart.com/show/53-Free-Form-Network/ TUNE IN RADIO http://tunein.com/radio/Free-Form-Network-p784190/ PLAYER FM https://player.fm/series/free-form-network  TUMBLR https://freeformnetworkpodcast.tumblr.com/ WORDPRESS https://freeformnetwork.wordpress.com/ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj0LNZRJHyW7sQwM5ZdOCQg DEEZER https://www.deezer.com/show/1215892 PODCHASER https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/free-form-network-1193319 PODCAST ADDICT https://podplayer.net/?podId=2920676 PODBEAN DESKTOP https://freeformnetwork.podbean.com/ PODBEAN MOBILE https://freeformnetwork.podbean.com/mobile   ========== Free Form Radio - Episode 118 - 05/24/2020 Hosted by Daniel and Andy ==========   FREE FORM NETWORK

In today's episode we are going to look at habit that Daniel had formed that served him well when life took a sideways turn. Here is Daniel 6:10:10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Da 6:10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.I hope you enjoy!Music: Still Pickin by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5707-still-pickinLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

I was reading through the book of Daniel this week, and I came across the part most of us learned about in first-grade Vacation Bible School: the part where King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue and told everyone they had to bow to it. When Daniel and his buddies refused to comply, the king promptly decided the next best step would be to turn up the temperature on the ol’ furnace and throw them in it. Daniel, committed to living the truths of his faith in God, said these profound words as he faced the possibility of going down in flames: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16–17). And God did deliver them, not allowing even one little scorch to their bodies. I was thinking about what a Daniel kind of faith looks like for us at present, as we’re experiencing the angst of this potentially life-threatening pandemic.  Are we sharing Daniel’s sentiment with those around us?  Are we sharing that our God is able to deliver us?  Even if he does not, we will not fall to the temptation of fear, faithlessness, and despair? In his commentary of this passage, Warren Wiersbe says, “The devil tempts us to destroy our faith, but God tests us to develop our faith, because a faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted.” As we face these days of uncertainty, many will find their faith tested. But even in the midst of the testing, we have hope knowing that, in the refining process, we will come out with a faith that’s even more trusted. On today’s podcast, five-time cancer survivor and founder of Truth Becomes Her Erin Weidemann talks about the importance of praying for both the physical and spiritual health of our kids. Erin’s testimony reminds me a lot of David’s. After beating cancer five times, she has complete confidence that her God is able to heal her over and over again.  But even if he chooses not to in the future, she will choose to live each day at peace without worry or despair. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONTENT DISCUSSED...• No Boss Talk: https://nobosstalk.com• Monday Morning Routine: https://www.bethholdengraves.com/routine• The Camp Elevate Facebook Group: https://thecampelevategroup.com• Beth’s Instagram: @bethholdengraves• Beth’s website: https://www.bethholdengraves.com• Profit HER Way Course: https://www.bethholdengraves.com/profit• 10 Ways: https://www.bethholdengraves.com/10ways KEYNOTES DISCUSSED:• Words are the most powerful thing that you have while you're thinking about the idea of recruiting and sharing. (02:22)• I want you to throw away those words that aren't working for you. This is a little thing that I want to share with you is that sound vibration travels through water four times faster than it goes through open air. Considering that your body is 70% water, you'll understand how quickly the vibration from negative words actually resonates with your cells. (04:15)• So before I do those reach outs and before I have conversations and before I start talking to people about being a business partner, the very first thing I do is make sure that I have my belief in line, make sure that I have my vibration high, make sure that I have that vision. (07:33)• If you're going to recruit, you have to have a list being who is it out there that you have on your list, on your phone, on your social media, in your community. (12:57)• There's a lot of different ways that we can get connected with people in different challenges, but this, every single week I have specific action toward an event. (17:25) WHEN DOES IT AIR...March 02, 2020EPISODE TRANSCRIPT...Beth:Welcome to ‘You’re Not the Boss of Me’. If you are determined to break glass ceilings and build it your way, this show is for you. I’m your host Beth Graves, and I am obsessed with helping you to not just dream it, but make the plan, connect the dots and create what you crave. Are you ready? Let’s get started.Everybody I talk to is negative. Nobody's working for my team. I don't know how so and so recruited. She must have had it. Big warm market. My family is laughing at me. I can't recruit. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what to say. I'm getting crickets. Nobody's open to this opportunity. Stop and pause. Did you hear all that negativity in my voice? Did you hear all of that? Disbelief and what I was sharing. Did your vibration just kind of drop to the floor? Words are the most powerful thing that you have while you're thinking about the idea of recruiting and sharing. So, we're going to start there. I am going to tell you exactly some shifts that you need to make and then I'm going to end with a strategy that I have used over and over and over again to recruit over a thousand people into the network marketing business that I'm in and to help others to do the same. And you don't have to be an influencer, you don't have to have a podcast. You can be, as I was, I share this all the time. A regular everyday person. I had an AOL account; I had a couple of hundred friends on Facebook. I didn't understand the online space, but I was willing to present. I was willing ask the question. So hearing from somebody that's like on a podcast, Oh, all these accolades, I want you to go back with me to 2014 I want you to go back to the person that said, okay, I'm going to trust this business model. I'm going to trust that this is the way that I can break the glass ceiling that I had if I was going to head back to work, to be a teacher. And so first of all, I had to have that belief. So, let's talk about all that negativity.  You heard my voice; I hear it all the time. And if you're a leader or maybe it comes out of your mouth, I can tell you that the person that's saying those things, people are feeling that vibration. People are feeling that negativity. So of course, they're not answering you. Of course, they don't want to talk to you about the business. You don't even believe that it works yourself. So, the first thing I want to tell you is let's shift those words. All right? So, when you hear recruit and grow rich, I want you to have affirmations around your business. I want you to throw away those words that aren't working for you. This is a little thing that I want to share with you is that sound vibration travels through water four times faster than it goes through open air. Considering that your body is 70% water, you'll understand how quickly the vibration from negative words actually resonates with your cells. You guys, it's science, right? I love that little science. So, I read this in an article. I think it's a Goop article, but it was like so incredible to think about the power of the words that we're using. And as I was doing this recruit and grow rich content, I started to think, yes, I can give you all kinds of strategies, but if we don't start with the vibration being high, if we don't start with having affirmations and vision and a positive mindset around the success of our ability to recruit and bring people into the business, and also the belief that that person will have success as a business partner with you, then yeah, might as well hang it up. So, let's start there. And if you haven't listened to my episodes or you're not over in Camp Elevate, it takes a lot of work, you guys to keep that vibration high. It takes working on the mindset daily. Having those affirmations around your business, having affirmations. I have them all over the place because the words create my reality. So, if I'm constantly saying, Oh, gosh, nobody's answering my messages. Nobody wants to do the business. I don't even know why I bother. Guess what's going to happen? Nothing. So, I want you to shift your words. I want you to get rid of those. Throw away words that say, nobody's going to join me. Everybody's crickets. Nobody wants to do this. I want you to create affirmations around how many people or waiting for your message, how many people were like I was in 2014 who is desperate, desperate for a change, desperate for a business that could help us to pay off the debt. And do you think Blair Critch on the day that she sent me a message was like, Oh, this is never going to work. She's never going to answer me. Uh, I don't know why I bother. I don't what to say. Is this spam? Oh, my goodness. No. She had total belief that she was sharing something with me that could change my life. I felt it. And she was just getting started. She borrowed the belief from our other friend that was already having success and she believed in the industry and her words were simple. Her words, we're so simple that I was curious, and I was interested, and I was excited, and it never crossed my mind that she didn't believe it would work. So, if she had sent like, I don't know, Beth, I don't know about this thing, but I actually like the products, but you know, I don't really know. It could be one of those things, but let's just take a look at, and I'm not so sure. No, she was like, listen, I'm all in. This company looks to be incredible and I'm having the best experience with these products. I want you to be a partner with me in this. Let's do this. It could be a great adventure with something like that. I was like, Oh, okay. So, I'm not telling you those are the exact words, but Blair's energy and her vibration and her belief was there. And so, I'm going to say to you, I want you to start with how do you view your business? Do you have gratitude around it? Do you have those five reasons that we talked about? Wait, this is the most insanely amazing thing for someone to become a partner with you. So before I do those reach outs and before I have conversations and before I start talking to people about being a business partner, the very first thing I do is make sure that I have my belief in line, make sure that I have my vibration high, make sure that I have that vision. I mean I visualize people saying yes to me. I visualize people having success. I visualize their life changing and so that vibration, it's high. It's like you have that friend. I know you do. I have that friend and she's like, come on, we're headed out. We're going to it to be so much fun. My friend's name is Heather and she's like, where to play? Ping pong. It's going to be a blast. Everybody's there instead of like, Oh, my gosh, like let's get dressed. It's so cold outside. Let's not go. I'm going to read you a quote. It's Gary John Bishop. Yeah. Has the book an F yourself, and this quote says, retrain your brain one word at a time. We can determine our emotions by steering our thoughts. We can shape those thoughts by being conscious and diligent about our words and the kind of language we engage in. So if you're engaging in any negativity around your business, around your conversations, around what is happening, that's the first step. So, switch it. Figure out a way to have those affirmations. Have a vision for what you're doing with the company. If you need help with this, join me over in camp elevate. We talk about it all of the time, or send me a DM and say, I don't even know what you're talking about so that I can guide you to a training on it. Okay? There's many penny podcasts. If you go back and listen about those routines, now let's talk about a recruiting roadmap. There are 10,000 people out there telling you 10 ways that you could make six to seven figures in your business if you follow this exact action plan. So, my friend Daniel Pope is a brilliant marketer. Brilliant. He's brilliant. And I said to him, everybody out there like I'm doing a challenge coming up and I'll tell you how to get on that challenge list.  I'm doing a challenge March 14th it's absolutely free and I'm going to give you five days of, I don't even know if it's called a recruiting roadmap because that sounds so like everybody has one. But my challenge is making money your way and it's feeling aligned with how you recruit. You're recruiting plan an actual way that you're going to create an event to share your opportunity. But we're also going to go way into the mindset. So today I'm going to give you a strategy. You're going to walk away with something that you can do today that you feel excited about, aligned with, and have a conversation with somebody that is your Beth from 2014 we're going to talk about that. But I want to talk about what Daniel Pope said and Hey, Hey Daniel, if you're listening, and I said to him, it's like Daniel, everybody out there is sharing a roadmap, a bootcamp. Everybody's saying, here's the way to earn six and seven figures. If you follow this exact social media blueprint or you follow this exact plan, and he said, Beth, it's like chicken pot pie and I want you to think of your business-like chicken pot pie. If you go to all recipes and you look up chicken pot pie, there's like but 272 that you're going to come across and there's different pictures and there's different ways that you can make the chicken pot pie the way that you recruit. It might have the exact same steps as me, but your recipe will always be different because your ingredients, everything that's making up your chicken pot pie. Is this making sense to you? When Daniel said it, it sounded way more brilliant. I'm going to have to interview him on the podcast about this. But when he said that to me and I was talking about this challenge I'm putting together and I said, I want it to be different. I want my listeners of the podcast and my followers that want a really good free training. I want them to come in and I want them to really feel confident, aligned, excited, not feel that icky and be excited to reach out to someone and say, okay, Hey, take a look at this. Here's what I want to show you. It's like show and tell in kindergarten. And he said, Beth, yeah, of course a lot of people like the buzzword’s you guys recruit and grow rich recruiting roadmap, the six and seven figure way to recruit hundreds and three to five new customers a day. Right? And he said that the way that it's delivered, the way that it's received, the spices that you put in yours, everybody has a little bit of a different shift. So that's what I'm sharing with you today is my recipe for chicken pot pie. But I want you to remember that there are certain elements of recruiting that have to happen along the way. I think for you to have success, and the very first one is that mindset. Is that okay? The mindset, the affirmations around, I am going to have a conversation with someone, and they are going to be blown away by what I'm sharing with them. I cannot wait to hear the difference. Oh my gosh, this week is going to be such a successful week. I cannot wait to connect with so many women that are ready and looking for a way for financial freedom, without having to sit in their cubicle. I can't wait to connect and share this incredible, incredible opportunity to hear the difference. Oh my gosh. I feel like tomorrow my inbox is going to be flooded with women that are asking me about how they can make an extra $200 to $500 a month, diversify their income and do it online and be a part of an amazing community. I can't wait. So, when I put that out there, did you guys feel the difference between why are there crickets in my inbox? Right? So that belief, so we obviously have to have a list. Everybody has to have a list. If you're going to recruit, you have to have a list being who is it out there that you have on your list, on your phone, on your social media, in your community. I don't care where it is that would be aligned with building a business with you that's looking for what you have. So, first of all, you've got to determine where is that list coming from? No, I hope that if you follow me at all, you know that I am consistently saying five, four, three, two, one, add two to your list today. Where does your Emily, that's my avatar. Where does she hang out? So, first of all, what is the pain, the frustration, the benefit of recruiting to your opportunity, going to give to someone. Do you know that that is first you cannot recruit? If you do not know that answer, what do you solve? Why would someone want to join you in the business? Well, for me, I absolutely positively wanted no glass ceiling. I wanted unlimited income potential. I want it to be able to have a flexible place to work. I wanted a first to market product. I wanted mentoring and leadership that was top, top, top in the industry. I had all these, these things. What are the things that you have? What are the things that you offer? What are the benefits of your opportunity? Because it is a crowded market out there. So, I want you to know what are the benefits of your opportunity, and just know that you don't have to explain it all to your prospect, but you've got to be able to know these things. Because if you were explaining to me why I should go to this new restaurant, because they have the very best cauliflower tacos, you are excited. I don't need to know what ingredients are in the cauliflower tacos cause I'm not a foodie, but I love cauliflower tacos and I am like, and they have skinny margaritas. I am so there. What night are we going Jessie? Think about that. So when you have decided that you have something that people are going to be waiting for you, they're like waiting for you to reach out and we know what paid and frustration we solve, then it's time to take some action. And I know that we have all kinds of things that say, Oh, never reach out. If you put the best content out there, they're going to come to you. Well, we can be strategic in our content and we can be strategic in that strategy. And we can put a lot of things in our stories that connect all of the dots. And very often when we're consistent and connecting those dots, we do have people that say, what is it that you do? But if you want to go to seven figures, I've got news for you. You cannot passively sit back and wait. Even if you have the best opt in and lead magnet and you've got people that are showing up every day saying, I want what she has. You still have to have a conversation. You still have to have an invite. So, let's back up a little bit. We've got that list. We've grown that list. We're connecting with people. Let's say that I have, I've connected with people in my Peloton group and I'm not saying go into these groups and recruit. I'm saying these are friends that you've connected with. I'm going to give you an example of a new connection. And how that works is I'm really learning about intermittent fasting for my health. Of course, weight loss is a great benefit, but for my health, I've read about regenerating cells when you go without food and I'm learning. So, I'm in some intermittent fasting groups and I'm genuinely sharing information. I'm genuinely cheering for people. I'm genuinely sharing because it's a group that I'm interested in. So I made a few connections with people that were giving me advice and I shot them a friend request adding two to my list and went over, you know, did some commenting and posting over on their wall to get to know them as you would a new friend, just like you meeting a new friend in real life. So now we've got, you know, we've added to the list, right? So you're thinking about, okay, I'm putting all this great social media out. I've got these curiosity posts, I've, I've got things in my stories and my new friends aren't asking me. This is what they said works in attraction marketing, right? If you put it out there, people will show up in your inbox. I am all about curiosity. I am all about sharing with people genuine content that aligns, but I am also about, you've got to take some action. If you don't take some action and you just wish that people show up, you will have a very, very slow build, a very slow build. So every single week, this is one of the big strategies that I used in still use in recruiting and every single week I create some sort of an event that I'm going to invite to that's going to inform and the purpose of this event is to get information about my specific opportunity. There's a lot of different ways that we can get connected with people in different challenges, but this, every single week I have specific action toward an event. Do you hear that specific action toward an event? I've done all the affirmations, I've done all the visualization, I know exactly what it is that we have. I've got groups that I can add to that are corporate wide or team wide. But if you are going to recruit, and I don't know if you guys heard my vending machine analogy, I might've shared it last week and I heard this in… who shared this. Somebody that was in Rob's group shared that network marketing is like having a vending machine and having a lot of them, right? You can like sell one big house as a realtor and make a really great commission, but once that house is sold, you've got to find another house to sell with the network marketing model and the distribution model, it's like owning different Coke machines and they're all over the place. So I might have 5,000 Coke machines and although I made a bigger commission on selling one big house, having these Coke machines, which would be represent the business builders, your business partners, your promoters, your distributors, means that you have touched the market in all of the different places. And so, my goal when I visualize that, visualize it and people, and I have a U S actually a world map and I visualize people that are joining me in all different places to build a global team. Then I have to get to work. So, I've done all the posting, you know, I've got all the interaction going on, I've got things in my stories. I'm educating on what a great business model. I even have a robot that was cleaning floors at Walmart and I'm talking about why we have to look to build in the online space. But if I want to build, and I'm saying I, if you want to build and you want to build quickly, you have got to actually reach out to people and ask and you don't have to be like, Hey would you be open? And if that doesn't feel right to you. But through my connection, through the interactions that I'm having and listening to my friends all over the place, so when I make new connections and new friends, I am making sure that at least at least once a day I am asking someone to take a look and I know that sounds scary and I know that you might want to shut down this podcast and say, I thought she was all about building an aligned business. I am you guys. I would never have had people like Jen or people like John or people like Jody or Nancy or Julie if I hadn't had the guts to just say, John, I'd love for you to take a look. I've got this event. It's 15 minutes long and I would love for you to just hop on in, listen, see if you've got questions, see if you're aligned with it. Okay? It's going to give you the information about why our company, why the network marketing model and why it might apply to you. Would you hop on in and I know that you're like, okay, what did she just say? What did she just say? That was my conversation with John, so John was a customer and I had gotten to know John and I knew that he had a goal of buying their first house or not their first house, but buying a house, getting out of a rental situation, paying off some debt, and that's also knowing your customer funnel. You can, your best people are waiting in your customer space. Did John feel like was like invading him? Was he like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe she asked me about the business opportunity? No. If I would've been like, Oh, I had to reach out to John. I don't know. He's going to think I'm spammy and weird. You know he is an attorney. No, I was like, everybody needs to diversify their income. The network marketing model is insanely brilliant, and you would be awesome at this. John, will you take a look? Do you hear the difference? Even that first invitation wasn't as good as that second one. Will you take a look and I have an incredible event going on? See I always have something to invite them to, to give them information. I find that if I'm inviting them to come in and take a look, and usually what I do, and this is my strategy is I'm Facebook, you can't go live and maybe you can with [inaudible] one stream live, but I haven't had success with it inside of an event. So, I put together a pop up group meeting, a pop-up group that I call an event. This is where I'm going to be adding people for my short-term event, so once a week. So, if my event takes place on Wednesday at nine o'clock and that's what, what's going to happen, I am going to say Wednesday at nine can you be their life? And this is the key you guys is I know we talk about automation, but it's the personalization. Once they say yes to the invite. So if my goal is to have at least at least if you're going for six and seven figures, you've made all these connections, at least five conversations a week, I am going to have to invite like 10 and when I send that invite for somebody to take a look, it feels really, really good because I know the benefit if they are going to receive, but I am not out there recruiting other network marketers let are like posting about their thing and being weird after a friend request the vision, the alignment, all of that that we come across. You will know when it's the right time and you will also have, if you use all of my strategies of great social media branding, giving out valuable, valuable content week after week after week, then you will have people asking you, you will have many people asking you and then you also have this event. So, once a week I get together. If you have leaders, you can do it with leaders, you can create your own. And I literally put together a quick event that takes place inside of a Facebook group and it's literally a 10 to 12-minute thing. And so, people's attention span I think is about six minutes. So inside of my event that I've invited John to, I have partnered with two or three or four other people that have different stories in the industry and we go live in this event on Wednesday nights. Now if somebody can't make it live, then we use one stream live and we drop it in. But we alternate. So, this week this is what we did, and it really, really worked. And I actually recruited three people from this actual method and I you're like, Oh, I thought this was something new. Imagine the consistency of every single week. So inside of the group I had five different people sharing and we talked about the big benefits of our personal company and the big benefits of the industry. And then the personal story behind we had and almost empty nest mom, a corporate America guy that has that. His son's in college. That was John. And we had two moms, Kristin and Sarah, yeah. That are working full time, making six figures while working this business part-time. And then we had Claire, who actually has come back to the company after she had made $1 million with our company, went out and found that she didn't find the right fit and recently had come back. And that was a powerful story. The purpose of this podcast isn't to tell you how great we're doing, but it's to give you a specific example. So, what was happening, and this is where the duplication comes in, is if your entire team has a blitz, okay, hear me out here about an invite, then everybody's into action. So, I know to build a multiple seven figure business, I not only need to recruit, but my team needs to recruit. So, I've got the affirmations, I've got the visualization, I've got the event set, and I help my team with the verbiage of how to invite to the event. So, I will say, let's pick a number. All right, and I want you to personally pick this number. And remember last week when we talked about atomic habits, we talked about writing something down and the time and the place that it will happen. You have a 91% greater chance that it will happen, so let's apply that atomic habit to what we're doing with our teams. If you have a team of three, great. If you have a team of 45 great. If you have a team of 4,000 great, this still works, and this may not be a new strategy for you. This may be something you've heard, but are you consistently doing this every single week? Are you consistently showing up every single week to follow these steps? This is how you become a master recruiter. You consistently show up on social media with the right marketing, with the right content, you consistently pour value. You consistently make those connections. You consistently do all of those things that we talk about for great marketing, but this is the bread and butter. This is the way that you actually pull those people that you've been pulling, right? Pulling and saying, Hey, we've got this event this week. I know you've been curious, or I know we've chatted about this in the past. You make a decision; you write it down this week I will invite five people into our business builder promoter distributor opportunity event on Wednesday at 9:00 PM. I will invite them during a blitz on Monday at noon. I will follow up with them again on Monday at six and I will send a reminder for the event at eight 30 on Wednesday. Does that sound like a lot of work? It is, but it's a lot of work to keep working at your job because you're not making a multiple six or seven figure income because you didn't do the due for the recruiting, so I'm just going to be honest. There's a lot of people out there that are saying, Oh, you just posted. People come and you have this…It's really great. If you talk to any person that's made seven figures in the industry, I'm going to tell you they had a consistent plan for how to show the business and I find that if you show the business in a very systematic, very shark oriented, detailed way that most people will fall off. They want to hear the stories, they want to hear the benefits, and the next step after that is if somebody is, has that shark personality and wants those details, the next step after that is to go do that. So, here's your strategy for the week. I mean we've talked about for this, and like I said, this is helped our team to recruit thousands. This has helped me to consistently recruit week after week after week after week. I set that intention with my affirmations, with my visualization. I write down what it is that I'm going to do. I make that promise to myself, like we said with Atomic Habits. Then I schedule a Zoom. This is the important piece. I schedule a zoom with my team and if you don't have a team schedule with some sidelines or invite your one person on your team, I have to set up the event, the events easy to set up, and I could talk about this all over in camp if you're in the group, but the event gets set up, we plan it, we set up the group, we I'll talk about what the content will be and we say it's five minutes each. So, the whole event itself could be a total of 20 minutes. If you have four people sharing, the first-person welcomes talks about the benefits of, you know I might talk about the benefit of diversifying income, right? Residual income and I might say a few things about the personal comp plan and then I'm going to share my personal story and what made me decide and then I'm going to say, hold on. Coming up next, I'm a, I'm a sign off from this live and I do it this way on purpose. I don't go into a Zoom where we're all sharing because it gets too long. I want to have snippets. So, five minutes, five minutes, five minutes, and this is just one strategy. There's many the five minutes, five minutes, five minutes, and you can automate those videos. But I really, really know that the live touch during that life. Okay, so we've got, we're talking about setting it up. I'm going to go back to the Monday. So, Monday at six o'clock, let's say every week on Monday. And this is consistency of showing up for your team. If you have layered leadership, you guys, I'm not always running this Zoom, but I'm always doing my inviting. So, you get on and you say, okay, let's all make a commitment. How many are you inviting? Let's invite tonight. What verbiage would sound great? Okay, great. Let's give it a go. And while we're on the zoom, we're braver together, right? Remember, girls don't go to the bathroom. Like when you're in high school, you bring somebody with you because you're braver together. All right, so we've done that Zoom. Here's the thing is if you can get one or two people into action or a hundred or 200 people into action and they're doing the invites, you have got momentum on your team. The reason why people stop and they're not growing is because they're not having conversations and they're not having conversations because they don't know what to say and they don't know what to say because nobody's giving them a cool event to invite their friends to. Like if I had to call my friend Sarah and I wanted her to play tennis, but I didn't know where we were playing tennis or when or what the date was. And I was just like, Hey, tennis. But if I knew I had a invitational that had food and mimosas and it was going to be a competition and it was going to have our favorite pro rubber, I'd do like, it's on the seventh we're going to meet at 10 it's going to be awesome. Are you in, can I count on you? Yes. So different. So, when you get your teams on board with a little blitz each week to invite to the event, more people have action. And if you do it on a Zoom and you have different ideas and you're sharing verbiage and you're all like being super brave and you're making a commitment, right? People are in action. An action creates results. And start that zoom with the visualization. Start that zoom with some positive affirmations. Show your team how to show up in a positive way and say, you know what, you guys, somebody is waiting for your message tonight and I can't wait to find out who someone's life is going to change because you're introducing them to your business. I can't wait. Yeah, people excited and together squash that negativity. So, notice how this is now duplicatable. So, we're inviting to that Wednesday event. They say, yes. Awesome. So as soon as someone says yes, they've put up their hand and then the conversation starts like, Hey, I'm curious, like what do you do now for work? Have you ever done another online affiliate network marketing business, getting the details, staying in touch? Because if someone says they're showing up, that's a hot lead for the week, right? Even if they don't answer, then I'll do a reminder. So, if I've promised myself to reach out to 10 people and have conversations and one person says she's showing up, that's awesome. Two is even better. Three home rent, right? So, what happens, this is the differences. A lot of people have events, a lot of people have zooms. The consistency of how you respond to that invitation is key. And like I said, this is the difference between making sometimes money like grocery money and making life changing money is how you handle that live event. So, let's say that I've invited Sarah and she said, yes. Hey Sarah, it's we're getting ready to get started. I'll see you over in the event and I will actually tag you as well. So, during the event, I'm very active. So if it's me that's going live, I'm asking someone to tag if I'm live, I'm asking somebody else to tag the people below and to say like, Hey, Beth is life at this life and your team is on and you're like creating energy and you're making comments and you're tagging and people are seeing the excitement. All right, so the live event happens. The next is find out if they were on live, reach out and say, Hey, what did you think? The replays will be up in the group. They're going to stay up in the group for 24 hours. Can you watch those tomorrow? Cause I'd love to have a conversation with you after you have watched the videos. If they've watched them, tell me what, what are your thoughts? And then ask for the close. Just say, is there any more information that I can provide for you? Tell me what's on your mind. Isn't this incredible? And pause. Three-way chats can come up once they've had the exposure. Then you've got to see if they need any more information, any more education, any more validation before they're ready to make a decision. So, you've had them look and then the follow-up is, Oh, my gosh, wasn't John's video? Incredible. I just love him. What are your thoughts? What are your thoughts? And quickly then I love to say, you know what? Usually I will say, I've got a special tonight for my own personal special for new promoters. Here's how this is going to work and I'm getting started tomorrow with an incredible group to be running for these bonuses. Can I count on you? Conversations, connections, get some validation. So, what just happened here is we created a vision. We created our vibration. We creative positivity around this idea that people need what we have. People are looking to diversify income. There is a robot cleaning the freakin’ floors in Walmart. You guys, people need to know about the network marketing industry. We also have an agreement that we can't just post and pray even if it's incredible content. Even if I've written a book, even if I'm in my stories and even if I'm being interviewed in 15 Facebook groups, I still have to, if I want to go next level, I don't know many people, they may say it, but I'm telling you guys, many people that don't recruit without having an intentional ask and when you're putting out value and when you're showing up as an extraordinary human and your putting out that vibration, nobody is going to roll their eyes and say, why? How dare she asked me what if Oprah asked me to join a network marketing business? What if it wasn't for me? Would I be like, Oh, Oprah, you're terrible. I can't believe you asked me that. I'd be like, wow, Oprah, she's so cool. Cut all this stuff. She does look at all that like love her Super Soul Sunday. That was such a compliment. Thanks Oprah. Like think about that. Think about that. So, then we talked about having an actual event where we're giving the information that is a new opportunity, live event inside of a Facebook group. We talked about having a blitz with your team, where you start with giving them belief, giving them vision and sharing ideas. We talked about the atomic habit of writing down, how many on this day, when, how writing it down, making that commitment. And then we went ahead and talked about what happens during that launch. So, during that I keep it a launch. You guys, what happens during that event? Cause we also do live launch events for launching new distributors and promoters. And we'll talk about that. Maybe we'll talk about that next week. So, this was a mouthful, but I want you to imagine this. I want you to close your eyes for a second. If you're not driving, I want you to imagine every single week having the opportunity to have an invite to show someone what you know, to show someone a way that they can create options for their family. Do you see that person? Do you see that dad? Do you see that mom working two jobs? Do you see the stress at night? They are tossing and turning and thinking about debt. Do you see somebody that's lonely? Do you see somebody that absolutely positively is missing community? It's personal development. They need a circle that perhaps gratitude and new practices of journaling could save a marriage. Perhaps paying off debt could save someone from so much stress that they become ill. what if you have the answer for that person that can't sleep tonight? What if you do? You may miss. You may ask the wrong person. Let's not really the wrong person. You may ask somebody that's not ready, but I ask you this. If you create a system of duplication, if you create an event, do it. Do it for one week. What if he showed up every week? What if you spent this whole activity that we're talking about you guys between the blitz? Even if you run the blitz and you're in the event, it's literally one hour of your time, one hour of your time each week in the most important activity asking, you've got asked for what you want. You have marketing, you have visibility, you have ways that people are attracted to you. You're pulling them to you. You're connecting. But the difference between even a six figure and a seven-figure earner is asking for what you want. Pick up the phone invite, but when you have a blitz event, you teach your team to do the same thing and when you have a live event, they get to see the passion. They get to see the team rallying together. They get to see the excitement. Our event last night you guys, people were excited. They saw the love, they felt like, Hey, I want to take a look at this. I can tell you because I was able to look at the numbers of the people that participated in the event. I was able to look at how many people came into the business and then the fun begins. So, I asked you this, are you willing to take the time each week to grow that business? Are you willing to spend time in the absolute best income producing activity? If the answer is yes, I encourage you to give it a go. Give it a shot. We're going to be talking about this and many other ways to have a recruiting roadmap. I'm going to do a free challenge. It's going to take place on March 14th I don't know that I even have the signup ready yet, so what I want you to do, if you want to get into this free challenge and actually work through this and there's a few other details that are really important that I didn't share with you that I need to be live, go ahead and send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook messenger. Next week I'll have the funnel setup where you can actually get on the list for it, but since we're talking about a recruiting challenge and roadmap, we're going to work through this. So, I am going to give you in that free challenge, I'm actually going to give you different options that are like this and then a super-secret about how to actually close more. I closed 100% of people with this when I did a recruiting blitz just three months ago and I'm going to share that inside of this challenge that we're starting on March 14th I think the date is all right, so give that over into Camp Elevate because I will be announcing it there as well. That's probably just as easy, thecampelevategroup.com thank you so much for being with us today and this has been a long one but super, super important and I want to stop this podcast or end this podcast with fishing in the dark with a review fishing in the dark. If this is you, you get yourself a free boss at, send me a message over on Facebook messenger, Instagram DM. I love this podcast. Beth gives so many nuggets of wisdom. I am listening intently and have started to put things into action. I have chosen a fresh start and we'll be implementing gratitude in January of 2020. So, I know that you've been doing it now for a few months. Fishing in the dark. I am so happy to join so many women who are on this journey with me. Here's to 2020 may you all be blessed and grateful of what, thank you, fishing in the dark and I can't wait to know who you are in real life. I love when I try to guess, so that's all I have for you today and I want to say to you, be you briefly, if this sounded a little bit off, if you're like, yeah, but she talks about this aligned business, you guys, this is aligned. If your vision and your mission is truly to impact women and help them to build a business that nobody can be the boss of them, there is no better way than network marketing and somebody had to reach out to me. Somebody had to send me that text, somebody had to give me that invite and I encourage you to do the same because in your hands, if you're building a network marketing, you have an incredible gift to offer to someone today. That's all. I'll see you all next week. Thanks so much for being with me today. Screenshot, send this into your Instagram stories. I'm going to also do some boss hats for people that do that as well. So, I've got a lot of Boss hats, Mandy, because I think we're going to have a lot of people sharing this out in Instagram. I'll catch you guys all next week, or I'll see you over in Camp Elevate.Thanks so much for hanging out with me today on 'You're Not the Boss of Me'. I'm hoping that you've found one thing that you will do today that will allow you to move forward to that big, audacious goal. And I have a favor to ask of you, and that is leaving me a five-star review over in iTunes every single week. I read your reviews. I love hearing what you have to say, and it allows me to bring you more, to get more people to interview that are doing the thing, breaking the glass ceilings, creating what they crave, and helping you with your game plan. So, leave me a five-star review, and when you do, I will enter you to win the 'You're Not the Boss of Me' swag. So, make sure you leave it and we'll reach out to you if you're the winner. Thanks so much for hanging with me today and we'll chat with you soon.

When Daniel asks Mr. Meyoggy to help him defeat bullies, Mr. Meyoggy teaches Daniel who his real enemy is. SD2 Music: "The Voyage" by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Artist: http://audionautix.com "Ishikari Lore" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100192 Artist: http//incomptetech.com/

When Daniel was 6 years old, his brother, Diego, was diagnosed with Leukemia. When he would go to the hospital to visit his brother, Daniel remembers feeling very sad for all of the other kids suffering in the hospital, especially when they had to stay for so long and couldn’t go home. 6-year-old Daniel decided to organize a toy drive to bring cheer to the other kids and the results were more amazing than he ever could have imagined. Now 16, Daniel is currently in the midst of his 10th toy drive, and despite some incredible hardships, he hasn’t missed a single year.

Daniel Galhardo was born in Brazil, but came to the States as an exchange student, where he fell in love with trout fishing. When Daniel accidentally stumbled on the topic of Tenkara fishing, he was immediately intrigued. Tenkara is an ancient, Japanese form of fly-fishing that uses only a rod, line and fly, but no reel. Daniel committed himself to learning more about its history and in 2009 he founded Tenkara USA.  In this episode of Anchored, we talk about how Daniel became the man responsible for popularising the method within the USA. We dive into the specifics of how Tenkara is done, the advantages, disadvantages, and how it compares to other forms of fly fishing. This episode of Anchored is brought to you by PosterBurner! Buy Daniel's Book: Tenkara USA's Tenkara