Podcasts about why after

By the turn of the millennium Hong Kong was one of the world’s rare financial capitals and wealthier than all but a handful of places on earth.Why?After all many people predicated Hong Kong would collapse after it was handed over to China back in 1997.What did they get wrong and what did Hong Kong get right?The final episode in a three-part series on Hong Kong covers Hong Kong’s story since its return to mainland China. We dive into Hong Kong's role in the world economy, its failed push towards democracy, and the roots of its increasingly hostile relationship with mainland China. Trouble has been brewing under the surface for a long time.Tune in to learn what Hong Kong’s protests are about, why China responds the way it does, and what both mean for Hong Kong’s future.

Humans are busy-bodies. It’s almost second-nature to us, especially in Western culture, to fill our schedules beyond capacity. We think we can do it all; but sometimes we do so much that we forget to leave room for the Holy Spirit to do Her work. We try to fill in all the blanks when, in reality, that’s just not possible. It’s okay to let go and leave room for God.Rev. Amy Lunde-Whitler is here to remind us to not apologize for being busy, but also to not glorify it. She reminds us to take a moment to breathe, to spend some time outside, to leave room for God to do some of the work in our lives and in the world. As she tells it, we are human BE-ings, not human DO-ings.Join Pastors Amy and Kelsey as they dig into how we can lean into our humanness to connect more deeply with God, with ourselves, and with others.--Rev. Amy Lunde-Whitler serves South Acton Church, United Church of Christ in Massachusetts. Born and raised in an evangelical environment in Houston, Texas, Rev. Amy adopted the United Church of Christ as her home after discerning a call to ministry. Why? After being raised inside a church community where her call was not welcomed, she wanted a church family where everyone was welcome. She found it in the UCC. Rev. Amy received a Masters of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. She is married to Dr. Joshua Lunde-Whitler and together they have a son. Rev. Amy enjoys coffee (decaf), is a knitter and an aspiring yogi. She has a deep love for Celtic Spirituality and for intergenerational ministry. She often proclaims: “Our children and youth save us. They teach us faith. They are the church today.”

Are you looking for a way to scale up without adding new employees? Do you want to get back to enjoying what you do? When you try providing everything to everyone, you're likely to get burnt out fast. But when you find what you're good at and focus just on that, you'll find freedom and enjoyment in owning your agency. In today's episode, we'll cover: #1 pitfall of full-service agencies. 2 steps to grow your agency without bringing on excess staff. The only 5 roles you should fill as an agency CEO. Today I sat down with Chris Kneeland, CEO of Cult Ideas, a digital marketing agency. Just over 7 years ago, Chris made the jump from a large, publicly-traded US agency to a smaller firm based out of Canada. He's here to discuss what he's learned from the transition and how you can get to a point where you can do what you love. #1 Pitfall of Full Service Agencies It's no secret, I'm not a fan of full-service agencies. In fact, you'll find this to be a common feeling among many agency owners. Why? After working for a very large, publicly-traded agency, Chris says there is one thing that stood out. The agency was constantly over-leveraged with staff. It got to a point where Chris began to wonder, "When did my job become keeping our bloated staff billable?" When you try to provide everything for everyone, you tend to hire a bunch of different people to fill all those roles. But if you're not getting the business to support your staff, you'll end up working just to pay your team. 2 Steps to Grow Your Agency Without Bringing on Excess Staff "But Jason, don't I need to expand my team if I expect to grow?" Not at all. Chris uses a strategy that's similar to the one I would use if I could do things differently. He says there are two steps to growing your agency without bringing on a ton of new employees: Figure out what you're good at. Chris says, think of it this way: If you were called on to deliver a TED Talk tomorrow, what would you be able to talk about? Better yet, what would you want to talk about?  Only do that. Niche down and you're naturally able to reduce the number of people you need. Then you will be able to really leverage the people you choose to keep around. Only staff what you have work for. Having a larger team makes you feel like a big agency, but it eats into your profits when they aren't fully utilized. Focus on the essentials and outsource the rest. If I were to do it over, my key leadership, PM, and account managers would be the only full-time employees. When you keep a full staff, you put yourself in a position where you have to focus on payroll. You'll end up taking on a bad client or billing out something your client doesn't actually need. This is not a fun way to work. When you focus on being properly sized, not only will you improve your finances, but you'll also see an improvement in your quality of life. The Only 5 Roles You Should Fill as an Agency CEO Think about why you originally started your agency. If you're like me, it wasn't to see how fast you could grow it was about having the freedom to do what you love. Unfortunately, far too often we manage to get lost somewhere along the way. If you want to get to a point where you love your job and enjoy what you do, there are only 5 roles you should be responsible for as an agency CEO: Set the vision and communicate it to the team. Be the face of the organization. Understand the financials. Coach and mentor the team. Assist with sales. Don't worry, your agency and team still need you! When you focus on these 5 roles and let key leadership take care of the rest, your agency won't need you for what you used to do, they'll need you for what only you can do. It's never a good idea to focus on growth over doing what you love. When you narrow in on what you want to do and surround yourself with people who support you, you'll begin to have the freedom to pick and choose what you love. Looking for a Payroll and HR Solution for your Agency? Payroll and benefits are hard. Especially when you’re a small business. Gusto is making payroll, benefits and HR easy for small businesses. You no longer have to be a big company to get great technology, great benefits and great service to take care of your team. For a limited time, Gusto is offering a deal to Smart Agency Master Class listeners. Check out Gusto.com/agency for 3-months FREE once you run your first payroll with them.

America’s largest manufacturer of hospital surgical masks won’t add staff or equipment to meet the surge in demand during COVID-19. Why? After the 2009 H1N1 outbreak ended, customers went back to China for cheaper masks, saddling the company with costs for unemployment insurance and unused equipment.

In this episode, considering the seriousness risk to the most vulnerable people and aside from the insane hoarding of toilet paper... coronavirus is now the newest excuse to get out of everything. Hunter Biden requests to postpone his paternity deposition until after the election due to... coronavirus... which he does not have. Why AFTER the election?

Don’t Miss This Podcast Show Notes 1 Nephi 8-10: This week we cover: *Answers for the tactics of the adversary *The importance of falling down *Why “After” is such an important word in the dream *Routine vs. Relationship The Don’t Miss This Newsletter including tips for kids, teens, couples and individuals can be found at: https://www.emilybellefreeman.com/dont-miss-this Videos can be found on YouTube: Don’t Miss This Emily Belle Freeman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilybellefreeman/ Instagram: @emilybellefreeman David Butler Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrdavebutler/ Instagram: @mrdavebutler

Every night, a young man takes a walk through the forest. The young man's father wonders, "Why?" After all, the forest doesn't change, so what does this young man get from walking through it? This week, Jerry Kaye explores what it means to find a sense of change in the places we may least expect.

Clark recently returned a rental car. He had 5 pics of the car. Why? After returning, sometimes weeks later you may get a notice saying you owe for damage. They may have already charged your card for the damage. All contracts say your check-in slip is subject to later inspection and damage charges. Clark takes pics of the car upon return, so if this happens later – he’s got dated pictorial proof. Clark had noted a ding and windshield chip on the initial ticket. You’ve got to protect yourself. Also, for at least 20 years Clark has advised travelers to rent from an off airport rental site to save money. Many airport rentals come with massive junk fees. Because many people have been avoiding airport rentals, cities are fighting back by imposing nuisance fees and requiring affidavits. If you pick up a non-airport rental in a metro with an out-of-state license you must sign an affidavit stating you did not fly in the last 12-24 hours. Clark’s nomad brother rented a car this way for one day, then turned it in for a longer term rental having satisfied the time limit – to save big money. It’s work, but you have to know how the car rental game is played to avoid getting burned. Previous Clark Rage: In order to maintain an Apple controlled monopoly, Apple had been refusing to supply parts to independent repair shops. This lead to legal action and resolution. Apple is now selling parts and allowing access to manuals to independent repair shops. This will give users more choice and competitive pricing, and ease the repair backlog. Instead of industries operating closed shops, the free market should rule.    Clark has been accused of being unrealistically optimistic. He’s OK with that. The National Academy of Sciences Journal published a Boston U School of Medicine study finding tremendous benefit for inherent optimists. Men and women innate optimists have around 15% more longevity, accounting for other factors. Optimism was found to be about 25% genetic. That means 75% is in our control. Optimistic women are 50% more likely to see 85 or older. Optimistic men are 70% more likely to see 85+.  The study found that positive people recover from illness, injury or surgery sooner and are generally healthier.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past several decades, we have been surveying employees. On a typically annual basis, most organizations send out a survey to ascertain the sentiment of the workforce. These surveys often serve the primary purpose of helping to identify large trends or themes in an organization that should be either spread or stopped. Unfortunately, the idea of creating a positive work experience for the employees hasn’t been a focus of most of these surveys. And so, we have seen very little movement in these past decades towards making work a better place to be. Why? After billions of dollars and so many years of work, how come we still don’t focus on the employee experience? We focus on what we measure. Stakeholders haven’t focused on employee engagement as a measure of the health of an organization. Instead they focus exclusively on profit. Making money is the main reason any company exists. Without profit (or donations), there is not company. However, the link between increased profits and a positive employee experience has become so well established that stakeholders are missing out on a huge metric for gauging the financial health of a company. Imagine if public companies were forced to include their Employee Experience scores on their 10k. We would see a lot more investment in the mental, emotional, and physical health of employees. And all of those companies who put employee experience as a priority, would see big jumps in internal innovation, company profits, and average tenure. In a recent podcast with Tamra Chandler, founder and CEO of PeopleFirm, she spoke about one of the main obstacles with seeing big improvements in employee engagement is the fact that many of today’s corporate leaders are used to how it’s always been. They earned their success in past decades at a company that likely didn’t value their experience so they don’t feel a need to focus on the employee experience now. To listen to the rest of the podcast visit Forging Employee Experience. To stay in touch with Tamra, visit her on LinkedIn or at https://www.peoplefirm.com/. If we ever want to see meaningful change in how companies treat their employees, then we have to hold leadership accountable to those metrics. Employee engagement metrics were never designed to live in the HR department; hey should live in the board room. Once stakeholders start holding executive leadership accountable for the experience of the employee, employee engagement will skyrocket. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/forgeant/support

American Indians are the poorest of all of America's ethnic groups. Why? After all, the government has granted them massive reservations and created entire agencies to look after them. Well, maybe that's why. Naomi Schaefer Riley, author of "The New Trail of Tears," explains.

What do current membership numbers of the Mormon church reveal about overall trends in membership? Is the dip in membership due to the secularization of America, or are Mormons leaving religion at a higher rate than the baseline? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is lying about its membership numbers. Why? After that, Braden tells us about Holy Hell, a documentary about a cult leader…. Apropos, right? Then we talk about a toy maker who’s making Christmas better for thousands of people out of the goodness of their hearts.   Church Membership Numbers: http://cumorah.com/index.php?target=view_other_articles&story_id=590&cat_id=35 http://cumorah.com/index.php?target=view_other_articles&story_id=610&cat_id=35 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-number-of-americans-with-no-religious-affiliation-is-rising/ https://kutv.com/news/local/losing-their-religion-millennials-including-utahns-leaving-church http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2886596&itype=NGPSID http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/utah-population/ https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/12/09/salt-lake-county-is-now/   Light of Gazalem: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/12/11/this-toy-factory-is-run-by-volunteers-who-give-away-all-toys-free/?noredirect=on&utm_source=reddit.com&utm_term=.0ea961b44f46 https://www.mormon.org/christmas/giving-machines

Speaker or Performer: Caleb Petersen Date of Delivery: October 21, 2018 Points of Reform for the Modern ChurchFrom Denominationalism back to the 5-Fold ModelAn Ever-Increasing Revelation of Jesus The New CovenantDeeper Understanding of the Bible its Application TodayHopeful Victorious EschatologyEffective Strategies to Accomplish the Great CommissionWomen in Ministry Women in GeneralTrue Unity Between ChristiansLove Affection Between ChristiansWhat Loving the World Actually Looks LikeWholeness Selfcare*new 95 theses*DenominationalismWe vered from the original model. Why?After apostles died, Platonian (Greek) philosophy took over:Marcionism: the God of Jesus was a different God from the God of the Old Testament.Montanism: relied on prophetic revelations from the Holy Spirit.Adoptionism: Jesus was not born the Son of God, but was adopted at his baptism, resurrection or ascension.Docetism: Jesus was pure spirit and his physical form an illusion.Sabellianism: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three modes of the one God and not the three separate persons of the Trinity.Arianism: Jesus, as the Son, was subordinate to God the Father.Gnosticism: “having knowledge”Derived from interpreting the Biblical text through Platonian (Greek) philosophy.Dualism: All matter is evil, and the non-material, spirit-realm is good.Asceticism: Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence.Anit-Cosmism: There is an unknowable God, who gave rise to many lesser spirit beings called Aeons. One evil, lower spirit being is the creator who made the universe.High Christology: Jesus’ divinity is real, but a divine being would never subject Himself to a material existence, so Jesus’ humanity isn’t real.No human Jesus, no blood. No blood, no atonement for sin.To achieve salvation, one needs to get in touch with secret knowledge called gnosis.Inverse Exegesis: In biblical exegesis, the opposite of exegesis (to draw out) is eisegesis (to draw in), in the sense of an eisegetic commentator importing or drawing in his or her own purely subjective interpretations into the text, unsupported by the text itself.Wiki: “After the second century, a decline set in, but Gnosticism persisted throughout the centuries as an undercurrent of western culture, re-manifesting with the Renaissance as Western esotericism (mysticism), taking prominence with modern spirituality.”Kris Vallotton on Denominationalism“In my encounter, the Lord said He is going to pour out revelation on this generation that has been held in the vault of heaven for eons of ages. However, if He pours it out on denominationalism then it would rip the wine skin.Why? The nature of revelation is that you have a new idea, and new ideas are not welcome in a wineskin where you have to agree (denominationalism).I’m not talking about denominations; I’m talking about denominationalism. It doesn’t matter what it says over the door of your church, it just matters what you say over the door of your heart.The denominational spirit is just as alive in some apostolic networks as it is in many churches with a denomination.In denominationalism, church leaders preach don’t preach to inspire, they preach to convince. Why? Because when you inspire people, you’re causing them to think, which causes them to have an idea and therefore causes them to have an opinion.Denominationalism doesn’t like opinions because they could lead to disagreements, and under this spirit, disagreement causes splits and division!In denominationalism disagreement is seen as disloyalty. Therefore, there is no freedom for disagreement. Beyond that, how much you value someone is seen by how much you agree with them! What a controlling mess!I’d love to suggest that you have permission to love anyone, whether they agree with you or not. This will keep you out of manipulating people into agreeing with you.What’s the overall point? We need a new wineskin!https://krisvallotton.com/gods-answer-church-splits/Go to seminary - got a degree - now i’m a pastorGift-based authorityThe best performer is the leaderWhat happens when someone out-performs me?I have to sabotage their growthThis creates a culture of fear, jealousy, competitionIn Apostleships, greatness is celebrated because there is no fear of losing my place, there’s no jealousy that someone else got more recognition than me, and there’s no competing for a titleWhy?Apostleships look like familyIn a healthy family, acceptance is guaranteed, and titles don’t mean anythingGod sent me to this family, only God can remove meWhat if something goes wrong?are there bad families?Does that mean the family structure is wrong?You have many teachers, but you don’t have many fathersWe see each other no longer after the fleshIf you receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, you receive a prophets reward5-Fold ModelEphesians 4:11-16 AMP 11 And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct], 12 [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; 13 until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity]. 14 So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit]. 15 But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ. 16 From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love.“His gifts to the church”What were the gifts that were given?Look back to verse 77 Yet grace [God’s undeserved favor] was given to each one of us [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and abundant] gift.What are these gifts designed to do?12 [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]“Equip perfect for the works of service” → strategy technique“Build up the body” → strength stamina13 until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].“Reach oneness in the faith knowledge of Jesus” → unity around faith in Jesus what He’s done for us (not doctrine)“To become a mature believer, reaching the measure of the fullness of Christ” → personal growth wholeness14 So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit].“No longer children.. carried about by every wind of doctrine” → self-control (clear confident boundaries), wisdom (healthy discernment), responsibility (owning your “I _______”)What will be the effect of these 5 things?16 From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love.“By what every joint supplies” → we each will have our own supply to offer to the rest of the body“When each part is working properly, it causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in love” → a healthy body means a healthy growth system, immune system, reproductive system“This love (Greek: agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.”THIS IS FAMILYAlignment UnityRomans 12:4-6 MSG In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.So what are these gifts what should I receive from them?11 And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct]Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers5 natural senses → 5 spiritual senses“Just as you use your natural senses to be consciously aware of this earthly existence, each of these gifts equip your spiritual senses to be consciously aware of your spiritual existence, in order that you would come back into wholeness, grow into maturity, effectively carry out the mission of bringing heaven to earth.”ApostleWhat is?Wiki: An apostle, in its most literal sense, is an emissary, from Greek apóstolos, literally one who is sent off, from the verb apostéllein, to send off. The purpose of such sending off is usually to convey a message, and thus messenger is a common alternative translation; other common translations include ambassador and envoy.“Apostles are sent from one place to another place in order to make the place where they were sent look like the place they came from.” - Kris Vallotton“When in Rome, you do as the Romans do.”Apostles are concerned with transformation of culture locally with the whole world into the culture of heaven.Apostles are ambassadors that bring an envoy of heaven everywhere they go. This envoy is there to spiritually transition that region into the kingdom of heaven.They do this by conquering culturizing. If a kingdom has already been set up that doesn’t look like heaven, they conquer it by enforcing their jurisdiction over principalities, and then implement a cultural transformation so that “When in the Kingdom, you do as the King does.”Fear: authority = controlTruth: authority = responsibility to serve empowering self-controlBut how will we get stuff done if no one is in control?Leadership is still not controlling a person, it’s leading them. If they don’t want to follow, they don’t have to.But that much freedom is kind of scary because we can’t predict it! Someone could just leave at any moment! That makes us feel vulnerable and uncomfortable!Well, God is into the love business. And love means empowering free choice.Where is your trust? In God or a person?Do you fully trust Jesus is the healer of the brokenhearted? (Luke 4:18)In 1 Corinthians 12:28, it says “He appointed: first apostles.” They are the first, which means they are the bottom.Luke 22:24-27 AMP 24 Now a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was regarded to be the greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26 But it is not to be this way with you; on the contrary, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest [and least privileged], and the [one who is the] leader, like the servant. 27 For who is the greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.They are the soil from which we all grow.They often get stepped on overlooked.1 Corinthians 12:23 and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honorThe less honorable, the more we honor.Apostles train us how to send and be sent in order to affect the culture around us.Expect to be equipped by this office with:A view of the “blueprints” for bringing heaven to earth transforming cultureA connectedness with the local body of Christ to the body as a wholeAn empowerment to reign in life like Jesus didLeadership skillsHow to maintain a personal corporate visionHow to win: steadfastness persistenceUnrelenting drive to see the kingdom of God manifest on the earth← HONOR THE GIFT → ProphetWhat is?The role of a prophet under the Old Covenant was to keep the nation of Israel accountable to keep their covenant faithfulness to God. They were the intermediaries between God and the people. → they’re between us GodIn the New Covenant, the role of the prophet has changed. We no longer need a middle man between us and God. This is what is meant in Matthew 5:17 when Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law the Prophets. Through Jesus we all have direct access to God.So what is the prophet’s role now?Prophets, now, show us how to communicate with God for ourselves the people around us. → they’re behind usProphets train us how to prophesy how to receive prophecy.Expect to be equipped by this office with:A deep sense of connectedness to GodA heightened awareness of the spiritualInsight foresightA desire for the mysteries of GodExpanding of the imaginative, pictorial, metaphoric parts of your mindHow to prophesy in a way that brings edification, encouragement, comfortHow to operate in your spiritual gifts: Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Gift of Faith, Gift of Healing, Gift of Miracles, Gift of Prophecy, Distinguishing of Spirits, Gift of Tongues, Gift of Interpretation← HONOR THE GIFT → EvangelistWhat is?Evangelists are the zealous advocates of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you”Evangelists remind us of the “Go” in Gospel.They keep us from making Christianity “an exclusive club with a strict membership acceptance”They are the arms, hands, legs, feet, continually showing us how to reach out further than is comfortable to boldly go where no one has gone before. *Star Trek music starts playing here*Evangelists train us with effective strategies to reach the world around us.Expect to be equipped by this office with:Radical love for JesusRadical love for peopleHope for the prodigals to come homeBoldnessPassionCompassionFervorFaith-full-nessUnderstanding of the authority given to us through JesusConnecting new Christians to the rest of the body← HONOR THE GIFT → PastorWhat is?Wiki: “The word ‘pastor’ derives from the Latin noun pastor which means ‘shepherd’ and is derived from the verb pascere – ‘to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat’.”Pastors keep us connected to the heart of God.Pastors impart the heart of the shepherd that left the 99 to care for the 1.They show us how to be both sheep shepherd by connecting us to the Great Shepherd.They are focussed on keeping the body healthy strong; functioning as intended.Pastors are also the co-advocates for the Great Commission Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”Pastors train us how to pastor how to be pastored.Expect to be equipped by this office with:A deep and intimate personal connection with the aspects of GodA tender, compassionate, affectionate love for peopleMarital family relationship healthHealthy interpersonal relationshipsPersonal wholeness skillsGeneral life skillsHow to be a discipleHow to discipleCelebration of symbolic acts (baptism, communion, etc.)← HONOR THE GIFT → TeacherWhat is?Teachers keep us connected to the mind of God.They remind us of His ultimate brilliance wisdom, and that He has shared His mind with us.1 Corinthians 2:9-12, 16 9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.Teachers remind us to keep a fervent passion for the Word of God.*LoL* A teacher will probably recommend you read Proverbs.Teachers train us how to think, not what to think.Teachers train us how to learn how to teach.Expect to be equipped from this office with:Awe wonder for the way God thinksDesire to see what no one has seen hear what no one has heardA drive to see the things God has prepared for us manifest on the earthWisdom, understanding, knowledge.Insight hindsight.Clarity peace in your mind.An ever-increasing love for the Word.← HONOR THE GIFT →

On a Friday night in early March of 2016, I found myself exhausted on my couch after a week's worth of triathlon training. Early that winter, I decided I was going to chase down another Ironman finish in the summer of 2017 and was going to use the next year and a half to get there. As I sat on my couch that evening, there was one thing which became clear to me - I hated the entire last week of training. But my feelings drew deeper than hate. I no longer had the mental edge in my tank to pursue this "dream" one more time. It just didn't feel right. I can hardly even explain it to this day. It this most unexplainable moment I wanted to make sure my heart took notice of what my mind was telling me. As I thought more about it, something else began to stir inside of me. It was this desire to write. "You'll Write Books." Years ago, writing was a passion I wanted to pursue. "You'll write books," my friends declared over my life in college. Even back then I remember there being something to the pitter patter that went off in my heart anytime anyone would mention it. Each writer as a story about how they first got into writing. This story is mine. On that Friday night, my heart took a turn, and I began to pursue that pitter patter in my heart I once felt years ago in my college dorm. I never thought it would turn to where my life is driving me now. Moments that change everything. Life is full of moments in which you and I will look back on and think "It was there, at that moment where everything changed." That night on the couch was one of those moments for me. The next day, I woke up and set a timer for 20 minutes. I wrote whatever came to my heart or mind and when the timer stopped, I did. I continued this exercise for the next several weeks. In early May of that same year, I was speaking with another writer about what I was doing. She shared an intriguing factoid with me. She told me it takes a writer around 100,000 words to find their voice. "Hmm," I thought. Maybe there is something to this? So I set my next goal. I would spend the summer writing 100,000 words. At the end of the summer, I would see if it was something I enjoyed. This time around, I pushed the timer to the side and decided 1000 per day would be my benchmark. On labor day, 2016, I finished. Learning to chase down your dream I don't tell you that part of the story to get a pat on the back. I share that with you because sometimes we have to chase down our dreams and see if they stick. We have to send them to the lab of our lives in trial after trial to see if they give us the results our hearts hypothesized weeks or months earlier. Mine did. So I kept writing. But even after 100,000 words, I was left with more questions than answers. I was still trying to find my voice. I decided I needed to run this down even further. Much Needed Community I decided to put some skin in the game. Sometimes you'll find it necessary to do that with your dreams if you want to see if it works. I joined a fantastic community called Tribe Writers who have a passionate leader named Jeff Goins. I soon found myself at home with likeminded people who just wanted others to start paying attention to their work. As I explored the community further, I saw that it was never about "look at me." I found it to be more "look at this." We are artists looking for others to pay attention to the work pouring out of our hearts and minds to a world in desperate need of hope and what this art represents. Through completing the Tribe Writers course, I started a blog. I then began having more conversations about what I should be writing and found myself starting another blog which fit me better. Looking back on this entire process, I found myself in the delight of God. I just continued to pursue whatever may be forming inside of me and what it one day may become. I then had lots of conversations... As 2017 continued to roll on, I started having more and more conversations. I talked with those closest to me about who I am, what I wanted to write about and what I wanted to do. Through each of these threads, I began to notice something. It's something each of us will miss if we're not careful. It was God at work in my heart. What I didn't see back then but see in 20/20, technicolor now is God was pushing me this direction. At first, I didn't move. Why? After hard-learned lessons in my own life, I am not a guy who likes to leave or abandon too quickly. I love my job and what I have been privileged to do for the last 15 years in serving as a youth pastor. Even still, I kept on pursuing it. God, what are you doing here? As 2017 wore on, I began to ponder - God, what are you doing here? He was masterfully teaching me the art of letting go - surrender, and trust. Life often doesn't happen at the speed I want it to. But within the same breathe I can tell you life on God's plan and purpose has ever failed to leave me in amazement, either. I suppose I'm not really in control like I thought I was. Ah well, life is more fun this way. In the late fall of this past year, more conversations with those closest to me along with the leadership at my church turned me into a place of decision in my own life. I decided it was time to pursue this call to write, speak, and create in the entrepreneur space, full time. On May 31st of this year, at 34 years of age, I left the staff of my church and I am pursuing the call on my life outside the four walls of the only career I have ever known. And that is why I decided to quit my job and career and pursue my dream. Because God is calling me. I get it. You don't have to remind me this is where a lot of people get off the bus with all this "God talk." I'm not naive in thinking that. But for those of you who may find yourself rolling your eyes at the words above, give me one more sentence of your attention: The same God who is calling me is the same one nudging you. See, you wouldn't have made it this far down the article if you didn't think there was something to what I am saying. Sure, you may be thinking: "Leave a stable job and career that you love to pursue this?! You're either crazy or a freaking genius." I'm probably a little of both. But I don't deserve the credit here. All I did was take one step of obedience. All I did was decide to stop racing triathlons. All I did was set a timer and start writing. All I did was set a goal to write 100,000 words. All I did was join an amazing writing community. All I did was start a blog and hit publish. All I did was sit down and have over 100 conversations to run this down and get to the bottom of this dream. God did the rest. And by the rest, I mean the heavy lifting. See, I don't have the time to tell you the number of doors God has opened up in response to every step I have taken. I'm undone - entirely undone by what God has done here. And you can laugh, roll your eyes and turn the other way, and that is fine. But what I can tell you more than anything is this - I have more peace than I ever have in my life. And you want to know how I got that peace? By relinquishing control. That is where God does his greatest work - in surrender.  I hope you'll stick around and watch what God does. He tends to put on quite a show if we take notice. www.benweaver.org/sup-intro 

If you bought your first home in 2016, then you are in for a very new tax experience this year. Why? After you buy a house, it makes sense to itemize your taxes.  The good news is that itemizing your taxes is surprisingly easy to do. There are a few things you need to keep in mind in order to save the most on taxes while minimizing your filing headaches.  First of all, you need to locate your closing disclosure agreement. This is part of your closing paperwork provided by your lender. Then, you can add up the four main real estate deductions:  Loan costs and fees: These are the different fees from your lender spread throughout the closing disclosure agreement. Different lenders will call them by different names, so look for terms like “application fee,” “underwriting fee,” and “loan cost. Mortgage interest: You can deduct the entire interest portion of your mortgage payments. This will probably be your biggest deduction, especially at the start of your mortgage when interest rates are highest. Property taxes: You can deduct property taxes for the part of the year in which you owned the home. Amazingly, you can claim this deduction even if you managed to negotiate for the seller to pay the full year’s property taxes. Mortgage insurance: If you put less than 20% down when you bought the house, you probably have to pay private mortgage insurance. The good news is that PMI is tax deductible. Keep in mind that private mortgage insurance is completely different from homeowners insurance, which is not deductible. “You can deduct the entire interest portion from your monthly mortgage payments.” There are a few other items that you might be able to itemize when filing your taxes. For example, if you gave away furniture or appliances before moving in, those items can be deducted as a charitable donation. If you work from home, then you can claim additional deductions from that.  The standard deduction for individuals is $6,300 while the standard deduction for married couples is $12,600. If your total is less than the standard deduction, then congratulations; you will save more money this year by itemizing your taxes.  Although most of these tips are for new homeowners, other homeowners can also save money by itemizing their taxes. If you have any questions about filing taxes as a homeowner, or if you would like to know more about becoming a homeowner in 2017, give us a call. We would be happy to help you!

Ugh! I had to replace my "Black Legacy" playlist, originally meant for today's webcast (Sept. 3rd, 2011 2pm - 4pm @ www.killradio.org). Why? After the implosion of last week's CSC ("Beats, Breakbeats, Scratches and Bass"), I found the "Black Legacy" show to be as implosion-possible as the "BBSB" show was. Frakkin' heavy handed DJing if ya' ask me...and now I'm scared that I've lost my playlist-making powers. So fine, let's jump to my "Children's Show" with music that was a part of my youth as well as music made for children from the 40's - 70's. No way to misstep with kiddie music, right?!! Right?!! Answer ME!!! Many tracks played throughout today's show I was happy to find thanks to the magic of the Internet. Perfect examples are all the tracks by the Record Guild of America, Inc., that during the 1940's produced a number of children's music records on 45rpm. I was lucky enough to find them available in .mp3 format along with the original artwork. (Check out the link which proves I'm tellin' the truth). One of the tracks that I was practically raised on was "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group, as it was played (by my brother and I mostly) on my parents' jukebox growing up. Actually it was my Mom's jukebox, an anniversary present my Dad gave to her back in the early 70's. It looks just like the one linked and I just saw a similar one for sale at a vintage clothing store in Echo Park, although someone painted red paint all over what was originally silver metal and stained wood. Also Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherezade was another track that I have my Mom to thank for. I can remember "The Young Prince and the Young Princess" being played while my family and I did housework and yardwork on the weekends. For that reason, this show is very much dedicated, with much love and affection, to my Mom and all the great music that she exposed me to growing up. 1. Al "Jazzbo" Collins - Jack and the Beanstalk 2. The Record Guild of America, Inc. - Old Chisolm Trail 3. Ernest Tomlinson - Domestic Fun (a) 4. Sun Ra and the Blues Project - The Bat Cave 5. Fanny Brice - Kindness to Animals 6. Richard B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman - The Enchanted Tiki Room 7. Claude Debussey - La Mer 8. The Record Guild of America, Inc. - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star 9. Bob and Cathy Gibbons - Calliope Music 10. Helen Kane - That's My Weakness Now 11. Rosicrucian Record - Preparation for Sleep 12. Saint-Saëns - Aquarium 13. Gene Autry - Peter Cottontail 14. Albert Elms - Carnival 15. Van Phillips - Merry as a Grig 16. Disneyland - The Monorail Song 17. Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards - When You Wish Upon A Star 18. Sid & Marty Krofft - The H.R. Pufnstuf Theme 19. The Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein 20. Cliff Edwards - Stop, Look and Listen 21. The Beau Hunks - Your Piktur 22. The Record Guild of America - Pretty Polly 23. The Electric Moog Orchestra - Cantina Band 24. Marty Robbins - El Paso 25. Aaron Copland - Billy The Kid - Introduction, The Open Prarie 26. Gilbert Vinter - The Mists of Illusion 27. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade - The Young Prince and the Young Princess 28. Al "Jazzbo" Collins - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 29. Circus - Entry of the Gladiators 30. Jack Beaver - Workaday World 31. Henry Hall - Hush Hush Hush Here Comes the Bogey Man 32. Giacomo Puccini - Turandot - Perche tarda la luna 33. Jumbo Military Band - The Whistler and His Dog 34. The Record Guild of America, Inc. - Alphabet Song 35. Pogo - Alice Thank you so much for listening live on Saturdays between 2pm and 4pm Pacfic Time on killradio.org and thank you for listening to the podcast. Lust, DJ Jean-Luc Turbo