Podcasts about xeroxed

Send us a textIn this episode of Teachers in Transition, Vanessa Jackson takes a fun dive into the 1987 movie The Secret of My Success, starring Michael J. Fox. Although it's an 80s classic with some retro charm, the movie holds valuable lessons on networking, standing out, and navigating the grind of job hunting—lessons that can resonate deeply with teachers transitioning into new careers. Listen in as Vanessa breaks down key themes from the movie and offers insights on how they can help you as you move forward in your career transition. Get ready for a combination of movie magic and practical career advice!The Grind of Job Hunting: Frustration and persistence in applying for jobs, even when it feels like you're not quite there yet.Standing Out in the Job Market: The importance of doing something simple but memorable to stand out, like Brantley Foster's Xeroxed face business card.Networking: The power of networking, and how Brantley Foster's success is tied to his aunt's connections. Don't be afraid to ask for help and make those connections!Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Why women tend to hesitate when applying for jobs and how to overcome that fear, using transferable skills that you've already developed as a teacher.Confidence in Transferable Skills: The skills you've developed in education—communication, leadership, problem-solving—are highly valued in other industries.Resources & Links:Teachers in Transition – Your resource for career transition support.Watch Brantley get turned down at interviewsThe 5Ps Framework – Not sure whether it's time to leave teaching? Check out the framework at the top of the Teachers in Transition homepage to get clarity.Amazon Rental – The Secret of My Success – If you haven't seen the movie yet or want to revisit it, you can find it available for rental for under $4 on Amazon. Connect with VanessaVanessa@TeachersinTransition.comLeave a voicemail or text at 512-640-9099Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn!Schedule a free Discovery Session with Vanessa hereFollow Vanessa on Bluesky @beyondteaching.bsky.socialVisit the homepage at TeachersinTransition.com to learn more! Help Grow the Podcast!Please share this podcast with someone that you think might like what it has to say – many teachers are aching to find a way to a new career.  You can help them. People find new podcasts mostly because they've been recommended by someone they know.    

Deported Gang Members, $661 Billion in Fraud Annually From Just 3 Programs, New J6 Whistleblower, Voter Fraud Discovery, Affluent White Female Liberals- A.W.F.L.'s (Awful's), Jesse Kelly   Stephen Miller: Deported gang members had 'no right' to be in the US Glenn Bec EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Pelosi's “fixer,” orchestrated agitators at the Jan 6 riot. Affluent White Female Liberals A.W.F.L.'s (Awful's) 11 reports have found DNA contamination in COVID-19 vaccines Executive Director of the Wisconsin Election Commission, who Xeroxed 64,000 mail-in ballots The GAO found $661 Billion dollars in fraud. Unbelievable!! Jesse Kelly   Stephen Miller: Deported gang members had 'no right' to be in the US White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller discusses the deportation of allegedly violent migrant gang members on 'The Story.' Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/3x_CcrEcz4U?si=6t6q9usABwaQwyckm Fox News 13.3M subscribers 165,092 views Mar 17, 2025 Subscribe to Fox News! https://bit.ly/2vBUvAS Watch more Fox News Video: http://video.foxnews.com Watch Fox News Channel Live: http://www.foxnewsgo.com/ FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network in cable, FNC has been the most-watched television news channel for 18 consecutive years. According to a 2020 Brand Keys Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index report, FOX News is the top brand in the country for morning and evening news coverage. A 2019 Suffolk University poll named FOX News as the most trusted source for television news or commentary, while a 2019 Brand Keys Emotion Engagement Analysis survey found that FOX News was the most trusted cable news brand. A 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey also found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News was the top-cited outlet. Owned by FOX Corporation, FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape, routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre. Watch full episodes of your favorite shows The Five: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/t... Special Report with Bret Baier: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/s... Jesse Watters Primetime: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/j... Hannity: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/h... The Ingraham Angle: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/i... Gutfeld!: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/g... Fox News @ Night: https://www.foxnews.com/video/shows/f... Follow Fox News on Facebook:    / foxnews   Follow Fox News on Twitter:    / foxnews   Follow Fox News on Instagram:    / foxnews     EXCLUSIVE: Why Was Pelosi's "Fixer" at Jan. 6? Blaze News' Steve Baker exposes Aaron Black, who he has dubbed “Pelosi's precious,” for allegedly lying about his role at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Did Black, known to associates as Nancy Pelosi's “fixer,” orchestrate agitators at the riot and skew the narrative to benefit Democrats? And did he lie about his presence at the Capitol during the riot? Baker joins Glenn Beck to break down the findings recorded in a Blaze News exclusive report, including Black's history of fomenting unrest using CIA-style color revolution tactics and his deep connections to Pelosi. Read the full article HERE: https://www.theblaze.com/news/pelosis... Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/MWqIYofAzWs?si=uF6oZ9Zg5bXQbGjt Glenn Beck 1.42M subscribers 80,805 views Mar 17, 2025 #Jan6 #NancyPelosi #GlennBeck Blaze News' Steve Baker exposes Aaron Black, who he has dubbed “Pelosi's precious,” for allegedly lying about his role at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Did Black, known to associates as Nancy Pelosi's “fixer,” orchestrate agitators at the riot and skew the narrative to benefit Democrats? And did he lie about his presence at the Capitol during the riot? Baker joins Glenn Beck to break down the findings recorded in a Blaze News exclusive report, including Black's history of fomenting unrest using CIA-style color revolution tactics and his deep connections to Pelosi. Read the full article HERE: https://www.theblaze.com/news/pelosis... ► Click HERE to subscribe to Glenn Beck on YouTube: https://bit.ly/2UVLqhL ► Click HERE to subscribe to BlazeTV: get.blazetv.com/glenn ► Click HERE to subscribe to BlazeTV YouTube:     / @blazetv   ► Click HERE to sign up to Glenn's newsletter: https://www.glennbeck.com/st/Morning_... Connect with Glenn on Social Media:    / glennbeck      / glennbeck      / glennbeck   #Jan6 #NancyPelosi #GlennBeck #CapitolRiot #J6 #stevebaker   Post MERICA MEMED @Mericamemed White Liberal Women in a nutshell Affluent White Female Liberals A.W.F.L.'s (Awful's)     Post McCullough Foundation @McCulloughFund 11 reports have found DNA contamination in COVID-19 vaccines, documented across multiple manufacturers, vaccine platforms, and geographic regions, with levels exceeding regulatory thresholds by up to 65,500%. @NicHulscher on @WorldviewTube #MFEducation   Post RealRobert @Real_RobN   Let me get this straight: Tina Peters, an election official from Mesa County, Colorado, who is rotting in prison for preserving the finger print, the DNA, the blood type of how Dominion voting machines got to the totals of the 2020 election is in declining health and suffering unimaginable abuse in prison. Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Election Commission, who Xeroxed 64,000 mail-in ballots in the back conference room of Milwaukee City Hall (Room 501) for the November 3, 2020 election—delivering just the margin needed at 3 a.m. all in favor of Joe Biden—is walking free? Claire Woodall-Vogg ‘I would just say, as a reminder, that is a felony. It is voter fraud to abuse the system. Presidential Trump should exercise power of his pardon and the FBI and the DOJ should hunt down all the perpetrators behind this travesty, starting with SoS Jena Griswold.   PostFOXX @Based1717 The GAO found $661 Billion dollars in fraud. Unbelievable!!   https://youtu.be/l0fRH-BBsLw?si=TL2QAAve7jRAq6bI President Trump's government just took an action that many are viewing as unprecedented. While many are shocked, Jesse Kelly is praising the action.

Send us a textOriginally Aired: July 2, 2024We welcome Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, the founders of Weird New Jersey, to discuss the magazine's origins and evolution. Mark and Mark reflect on how they began the magazine in the early 1990s before the internet, initially distributing Xeroxed, typewritten newsletters to friends. The unique nature of the content, which ranged from local legends and paranormal stories to peculiar roadside attractions, quickly gained a grassroots following. Despite the technological limitations of the time, their dedication to investigating and documenting New Jersey's oddities helped Weird New Jersey gain traction. They discuss how the magazine gradually evolved from a black-and-white newsletter to a full-color glossy publication, supported by bookstores like Barnes & Noble. The conversation also touches on their investigative methods, which often involved visiting local bars and diners to gather information. Despite the longevity of their publication, they reassure listeners that New Jersey's strange phenomena and eccentric individuals provide a never-ending supply of material. The episode highlights the duo's unconventional yet trailblazing approach to content creation, maintaining that they present stories objectively and let readers decide their authenticity.The Great Notch Inn in New Jersey is an iconic roadside bar with a rich history. Originally located down the road, it was moved to its current location by rolling it on logs. The bar has evolved significantly over the years. The current bartender, Rich, has opened the bar to a wider crowd, including musicians and motorcyclists, unlike his grandfather who enforced strict dress codes and even had a shotgun behind the bar for security. The bar has become a beloved spot for many, with people reminiscing about their experiences and sharing stories of their visits.The conversation also touched on personal experiences of exploring abandoned places and encountering unexpected situations, like having a gun pointed at them. These adventures often lead to intriguing stories and discoveries, which are a significant part of the charm of Weird New Jersey. The publication has documented many unique and local legends, some of which have never been written about before.Weird New Jersey has grown significantly since its inception 31 years ago, becoming a staple for those interested in the state's oddities. The magazine, books, and other media have created a lasting impact, preserving the quirky history of New Jersey for future generations. The founders have had many memorable experiences, including meeting celebrities and collaborating with other authors across the country. Despite their success, they remain grounded and focused on continuing to share the peculiar stories of New Jersey.weirdnj.comMusic: "Ride" by Jackson Pinesjacksonpines.comThank you to our sponsors:New Jersey Lottery: njlottery.comMake Cool Sh*t: makecoolshit.coAlbert & Whitney CPAs:  awcpasllc.comMayo Performing Arts Center: mayoarts.org/events-calendarContact the show: mike@greetingsfromthegardenstate.com Support the show

We welcome Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, the founders of Weird New Jersey, to discuss the magazine's origins and evolution. Mark and Mark reflect on how they began the magazine in the early 1990s before the internet, initially distributing Xeroxed, typewritten newsletters to friends. The unique nature of the content, which ranged from local legends and paranormal stories to peculiar roadside attractions, quickly gained a grassroots following. Despite the technological limitations of the time, their dedication to investigating and documenting New Jersey's oddities helped Weird New Jersey gain traction. They discuss how the magazine gradually evolved from a black-and-white newsletter to a full-color glossy publication, supported by bookstores like Barnes & Noble. The conversation also touches on their investigative methods, which often involved visiting local bars and diners to gather information. Despite the longevity of their publication, they reassure listeners that New Jersey's strange phenomena and eccentric individuals provide a never-ending supply of material. The episode highlights the duo's unconventional yet trailblazing approach to content creation, maintaining that they present stories objectively and let readers decide their authenticity.The Great Notch Inn in New Jersey is an iconic roadside bar with a rich history. Originally located down the road, it was moved to its current location by rolling it on logs. The bar has evolved significantly over the years. The current bartender, Rich, has opened the bar to a wider crowd, including musicians and motorcyclists, unlike his grandfather who enforced strict dress codes and even had a shotgun behind the bar for security. The bar has become a beloved spot for many, with people reminiscing about their experiences and sharing stories of their visits.The conversation also touched on personal experiences of exploring abandoned places and encountering unexpected situations, like having a gun pointed at them. These adventures often lead to intriguing stories and discoveries, which are a significant part of the charm of Weird New Jersey. The publication has documented many unique and local legends, some of which have never been written about before.Weird New Jersey has grown significantly since its inception 31 years ago, becoming a staple for those interested in the state's oddities. The magazine, books, and other media have created a lasting impact, preserving the quirky history of New Jersey for future generations. The founders have had many memorable experiences, including meeting celebrities and collaborating with other authors across the country. Despite their success, they remain grounded and focused on continuing to share the peculiar stories of New Jersey.weirdnj.comMusic: "Ride" by Jackson Pinesjacksonpines.comThank you to our sponsors:New Jersey Lottery: njlottery.comMake Cool Sh*t: makecoolshit.coAlbert & Whitney CPAs:  awcpasllc.comMayo Performing Arts Center: mayoarts.org/events-calendarContact the show: mike@greetingsfromthegardenstate.com Support the Show.

Ever wanted to be your own boss? How about not be a boss at all? Both paths are taken when Maddie sells the Blue Moon Detective Agency and David starts his own investigation service. But will the former duo patch up their differences in time to find a Rolodex—A DOUBLE Rolodex—containing the only record of high-level professional and personal contacts belonging to the boss of "Cousin Larry" himself, Mark Linn-Baker, before David prank-calls Gorbachev? Join Kevin and Ces for a fast, fun-filled episode as we travel back to a time when a lost index card could mean financial ruin and people could have easily Xeroxed pertinent business information but apparently didn't.As always, this episode is brought to you by Zini's Italian Restaurant.Theme Song: "Aerosol of my Love" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week Maria shares a murder that happened on her birthday! This story comes the way from Hawaii. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cereal-killer/support

We are joined by POCHO Magazine creator and Chicano editorial cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz to talk about Chicano humor, cultural representation, and censorship!Lalo Alcaraz is an award-winning visual/media artist and television/film writer. A Los Angeles resident, he has been chronicling the ascendancy of Chicanos in the U.S. for over a quarter-century.The busy Chicano artist is the creator of the syndicated daily comic strip La Cucaracha seen in the L.A. Times and other newspapers nationwide.Alcaraz is founder and Jefe-in-Chief of POCHO, which started out as a Xeroxed zine in the last century and now ranks a leading Chicano satire website.A prolific political cartoonist, Lalo is the winner of six Los Angeles Press Club awards for Best Editorial Cartoon.He was an editorial cartoonist for the L.A. Weekly from 1992-2010 and now creates editorial cartoons in English and Spanish for Andrews McMeel Syndication, Daily Kos, and various newspapers, including Philadelphia's Al Dia News.His work has appeared on 60 Minutes, CBS News, NBC, Univision, and in hundreds of publications.Your host:Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, cultural consultant, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at Harvard University, The University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. @kurlytlapoyawaBuzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREESupport the show

This week HWIDG dives head first into the creamy, frozen world of ice cream! That's right, starting next week, you'll be able to buy a pint of Here's What Ice Don't Cream at participating gas stations and all Dollar General stores. Two flavors are up for grabs, with more to come. First, we have "Tab's Delight", a vanilla-bourbon ice cream with chunks of medium rare steak. Second is "The Scoopbreaker", an extra firm dark chocolate ice cream with ribbons of ghost pepper and white chocolate-covered chunks of Ambien. So grab a pint, or call your local store and request, no, DEMAND that they carry Here's What Ice Don't Cream!- Unlegal- Being On a Team with the Dumb Kid- Media Flashlight- Too Much For KidsThe Grey Zone of Legality. A wild west of a place where the legalities of things are as nebulous as its citizens. "Well, it's not illegal" is the most uttered phrase there, spilling out of the mouths of lawyers like broken teeth in a nightmare. When there would take some amount effort to codify a practice or act as legal or not, your elected officials instead fly first class to the Grey Zone, taking a vacation from duties, staying in their nice summer homes in the area, all while pretending to do their jobs as lawmakers. Law. Makers. Not lawsuit-ruling-pointer-at-ers. You could be the sharpest tack in the room, or you could just be a well-used but reliable tack, but either way the poster you are being used to hang up will always fall because of the tack that doesn't know it's broken. That's what being in a group with a real dummy feels like. Like you are being dragged down to their level when you have to explain everything multiple times, use small words because brain small, and double check everything they do. Even worse, they act like magnets for non-work and slow everyone around them down, making everyone just that little bit dumber."The world is a dark place, and there to shine a light on the cobwebs of society is the news media! Shining their light of justice onto the dusty, hidden tomes that are shady dealings in government, they are enforcers of truth and the American Way!" This is what the media sees themselves as. A Saturday-morning cartoon version of what they were meant to be, instead of their trailer park trash-level of entertainment coverage and Xeroxed headlines. Instead of using their flashlight of justice to guide the people to the corruption going on right under their noses, they instead use it to bounce the people's interest to the latest unimportant celebrity beef, keeping the real nightmares you should know about in the dark.Children are the future. Keyword being *future*, not present. Kids these days carry themselves like self-important all-knowing brats because we've spent the last 30 years increasingly focusing on them. The rise of the teen heartthrobs of the 80's led way to an all out kids-focused media blitz in the 90s. All of a sudden, kids weren't just small adults-to-be, they were their own demographic to be marketed to and marketed with. Anything adults have, no matter how unimportant or inappropriate, has been bastardized to fit children somehow. For children. Snot-nosed, OshKosh B'gosh-wearing, diaper-filling children.All this and more on this week's episode! Don't forget to join us on DISCORD, support us on PATREON or by BUYING A SHIRT.

Hi, I am here with Shawn Harper, He Is An Experience Packed With High Energy And Never A Dull Moment. Shawn Rips Phone Books, Rolls Up Frying Pans And Carries Humans On His Back To Deliver A Winning Keynote Performance Customized To Fit Your Goals And AudienceCHECK THIS AMAZING WEBSITE BY SHAWN TO LEARN MOREhttps://www.shawnharper.org/JOIN NOW!! AND BE PART OF MASTERMIND PROGRAMlearn how to activate yourself for a better future!https://createanewtomorrow.com/master...CHECK THIS LINK FOR A FREE GIFT FOR YOU!https://www.createanewtomorrow.com/giftDO YOU WANT TO BE OUR NEXT SPECIAL GUEST?Book an appointment now and let's create a new world together!https://booking.builderall.com/calend...CHECK THIS OTHER WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION!https://www.CreateAnewtomorrow.comhttps://www.Achievehealthusa.comCreate a fundamental change in the global community from a strictly reactive system of medicine that focuses on symptom and emergency treatment to a proactive system based on whole-being health as well as illness and injury prevention. Personally teach and influence at least one million people.We are a multifaceted Health and Wellness company that specializes in Corporate Wellness and Culture Consulting, Industry Speaking engagements and Continuing education for the industry.We Help corporations by solving the most costly problems they have with Productivity and Health Care while creating a culture that thrives on accomplishment and community.We help organizations think outside of the box and gain tools that allow them to be nimble and strong as tides and markets shift.We Up level the skills and tools of other practitioners by providing them continuing education that actually leads to greater success and standing in the business community.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Ari Gronich 0:00  I'm Ari Gronich, and this is create a new tomorrow podcast.Welcome back to another episode of create a new tomorrow I am your host, Ari Gronich and today I have with me Shawn Harper, former NFL offensive lineman and offensive is correct. Owned and Operated American services in protection of growing multimillion dollar security services firm, which is headquartered in Ohio. Sean, why don't you tell us a little bit about your background, how you got into the NFL, because, you know, that's not like any easy task doesn't just take a big guy, but how you did that? And what mindset etc, you know, just kind of Yeah, roll a little bit on your history.Shawn Harper 0:59  So I was probably one of the most unlikely individuals to ever play professional football. Let me back up gratitude. Thank you for having me on the show. Thank you for this opportunity to share my unique experience my mindset, my approach to life into winning. on to your question, yeah, just it's just the most unlikely as route to play professional football, most athletes expressing nowadays, they're tracked outside of maybe peewee football, you know that everyone will know who you are your track from the second third grade all the way through college, and sometimes you even steer to go to certain colleges. And so those systems are in place. And then, you know, you naturally fall in line once you're drafted, but I completely backdoor the entire system. I barely started in high school football, I wasn't even an honorable mention conference. I didn't have the grades. I left high school, the 1.6 to a cumulative GPA, not on a CT. Out of 150 for seniors to graduate, my Academic Ranking was 154. And I had to go off to a junior college, obviously, in Mason City, Iowa, like 26,000, blond hair, blue eyes, everyone's last name is Schneider. So I'm in the cornfields of Mason City. And the first year I sit the bench the entire season that one document at play. And I'm sorry, maybe I was on next special teams once or twice. And after that year, I, I made the shift. And the shift was, yeah, you're right. I can't be successful. According to the World standards. I don't have the education. I don't have the network, you know, wrong side of tracks. I said, but I can win. And once I made that shift to winning versus success, doors begin to open or I begin to look at obstacles as opportunities. And I begin to see things different I begin to like MacGyver life and and so I went from not even stepping on the field until next year. Yeah, Junior College Hall of Fame guy and first team all region full scholarship, Indiana University, and black for Heisman candidates, and then the story in where you pick up and saying that I played, you know, professional football for the Rams and the coats. But one thing I've learned is that life is a game you play to win, and that there's always a way to win. And one of the secrets one of the secrets to winning is that you have to know the rules, and you have to be willing to lose.Ari Gronich 3:36  That's like, deserves a nice, big deep breath. Right? So you got it, you got to know the rules. Right? What if you're somebody that likes playing outside the rules?Unknown Speaker 3:58  SoShawn Harper 4:00  when I mean, when I'm talking about rules, I'm really talking about laws. So I love I love bending and breaking rules, okay? Because sometimes rules are constructs to protect another class and another group of people. But laws are the foundations of this world or this universe. And there are laws you cannot break. If you break spiritual law, spiritual laws will break you. So in reference to the game of life, when I'm talking about rules, I'm talking about laws, I'm talking about law law of the 212. And that means that water boils at 211 degrees. And at 212 degrees, water boils, boiling water has changed the world. You step in, you push yourself into the to 12 that's a different law. It's a different mindset. laws like that. And once you understand the laws, then you use them. To your favor.Ari Gronich 5:01  Awesome. That was kind of what I was trying to get out of you a little bit. So, you know, what rules did you break? To get to where you are?Shawn Harper 5:12  Well, so one of the rules, I remember playing towards the end of my first year, and I'm talking about May, you know, you know, I want to play professional football going into it. And one of the people said to me, you know, if you're good, they'll find you. And if you're not good, then they will not find you. And I looked around, and I'm doing everything that everyone else is doing, and I'm not progressing. So one of the laws that I had to implement is that you find out what everyone else is doing, you do something different, you do the opposite. So everyone was in Columbus, or my hometown, Columbus, Ohio only golf season or their respective hometowns. I decided to go back to junior college four months earlier. And I went back by myself in a dorm room, one other guy, one other person in the entire dorm. I took some summer courses, and I trained twice a day. By myself, I train twice a day in the morning, in the evening, 2000 skips in the morning, 2000 skips in the evening, I was willing to do what everyone else was not willing to do. I became an outlier. And I'm thinking, you know, what, if there's, you know, maybe 1000 junior college offensive lineman coming out, there's only a handful of colleges want to make sure that I'm going to have the edge. The next thing I did when I was there is that I pulled out a sheet of paper, and I wrote 200 junior colleges. I'm sorry, 200 division one and Division Two colleges, I wrote them all, actually online, I wrote one letter and Xeroxed it 200 times, I put the name in, and then I signed it. And then I, I mean, I just mailed it to every single one of them, you know what the phone started ringing. And so these are some of the things that I was willing to do that's a little bit different, unusual, ordinary and extraordinary, to make myself known. Another thing real quick is that, you know, the average semester, our course load is, you know, maybe between 14 and 16 credit hours, I took 22 in one semester had night classes almost seven days a week, and I was able to graduate a semester early, which made myself more marketable expected to division one colleges.Ari Gronich 7:38  So, you know, here, here's the big part of that question is, how, how did how did your mind shift so drastically from what it was to what it had to become? What was the the impetus that made that happen? And then do you have like, some actionable steps that maybe somebody listening could go through in order to have this similar kind of experience of mind shiftShawn Harper 8:12  was yet so I kind of I kind of glossed over it earlier. But, but caught in our course, you know, being you know, really keen and know how to just pull stuff out. I'm going to revisit the whole concept of winning versus success. We're not created to be successful. We're created to win. Winning is the fullest expression of who you are mentally, socially, emotionally, physically. And the most important aspect as far as I'm concerned is legacy. Okay. And and and and which is why when you you know, watch sports and things like that, it's like wow, you know, when, you know, if a team lost every single game for the next five years, you wouldn't go although you're although you're a fan, you're not going to goAri Gronich 9:05  cagoShawn Harper 9:06  Yeah, yeah, but guess what? You let you let Chicago win a couple Super Bowls and you will find ancient artifacts, you will find old jerseys come up you will find this is the original banner from 90 you will have guest appearances from the 8485 bears don't just show up because people are attracted to winning in fact, that's a great example Chicago, you know, you cannot go to Chicago have a conversation with anyone over the age of 45 and some owl, that Super Bowl shuffle team is going to come up. If they will bring they will deduct reason, the entire conversation to that moment, because that's the when video games man we spend so much money. Why it's because we are attracted to winning the casino billions we In fact, everyone who's listening to me right now you're one of know you're one of two, 3 million sperm cells, you were the one to fertilize the egg winning is a part of your, your actual DNA, you are a winner. So when you embrace winning versus success, your eyes begin to open and you begin to look at different aspects of life. like wait a second, first and foremost, I'm a winner like Chicago, you mentioned Chicago Bears. How is it that Brooke, a group of guys in a big rookie can make a video about going to the Superbowl. about going to the Super Bowl, winning the Super Bowl, call it the Super Bowl shuffle have to get Daphne to make that song in training camp. Because the two things, two things that they had, obviously, they had the talent, but two things they had, number one, they had belief. And number two, they created a paradigm. So one of the ways that you can win with winners is that you recognize paradigms, every the most wealth is created when there's a paradigm shift of some sort. And with the bears, they created a defense. Tobin, Ryan created a defense the year earlier, it wasn't perfected, they created the 46. And they kind of messed with it. And they unleashed the 46 Bear. And no team in the NFL has never seen it, and they could not combat it. And that was their edge. So think about that prospering and paradigms is one of the ways in which you can win. My Team 90 the computer was the internet was introduced. Think about all the winners 1990. All the companies that was a paradigm shift. Okay. COVID is a paradigm shift 911 is a paradigm shift, I'll give you a paradigm shift that's created hundreds of millionaires and billionaires right now. And that's cryptocurrency. That's a paradigm shift. crypto is a huge shift. And once in once you put on that winner hat, you'll look at things like crypto different, you look at things like AI different, you look at things like autonomous automobiles, because you want to make sure that you're on the right side of the track of the wind, and on the wrong side of the wind, your body will not allow you to be on the wrong side of the wind.Ari Gronich 12:31  So you know, here, here's, here's the things that pull out. I'm the kind of guy I listen for the things that people don't say. And so I read in between the lines, I see the gaps. So you're talking about winning and success being a separate thing, my interpretation of that would go, being a winner doesn't mean beating somebody else means beating the previous version of yourself. And so as success might look differently to somebody who just beat their previous version of themselves, like they may not have beaten somebody else. But if they beat who they were the day before, they're a success, and they're a winner.Shawn Harper 13:16  Yes. Success says, according to the world, the thing about this success is a rule change. Okay? you're successful. If you have a lot of money. If you have a lot of status, you will even allow likes to be considered that of being successful. If you look depart, and you have a lot of material wealth, for the most part, you're a winner. Or I'm sorry, you're successful, that feeds right into the elites, pockets, right? They have the car, the house, all of that they changed the rules, they shifted the game. They don't talk about relationships all that much. They don't even talk about your health all that much. But they talk about materialism, status and wealth. That is the determiner of success, and that's why people are so big in production, and they're not big on reproduction, which is congruent to who you are. We are created to not only to produce but to reproduce.Ari Gronich 14:27  interesting perspective. So what took you out of the game?Shawn Harper 14:33  I'm not out the game.Ari Gronich 14:36  Out of the physical playing of the game, oh,Shawn Harper 14:42  time. It's it's I said to myself that I was not going to be the that guy chasing the game. I'm not going to be that person trying to squeeze out for five more years. And, you know, it was just one day I just was up, you know, towards the end I actually finished up in NFL Europe and, and matte black for Kurt Warner, you know, and, and when they I woke up and I was like, you know what it's over Game Over, it's time for It's time for it, it's time for another game, it's time for another game or another aspect of the game. And the rest is history. So,Ari Gronich 15:24  so then bears the question that I'm sure you prepared yourself for a retirement from the sport. That doesn't necessarily happen with most of the athletes, a lot of athletes, at least that I've worked with, they've had the experience of having to retire or being forced to retire, either by injury or or some means, and having not prepared for that next phase, financially or otherwise. So how did you prepare for retirement, and what would be some suggestions that you might have to other athletes and people in the industry,Shawn Harper 16:11  very few things can prepare you for retirement, you have to understand, I am a trained as far as football is concerned, I made you know, I was a trained assassin almost, I mean, I've been playing football since the second grade, you know, football is is is like that, Shawn, the football player, it's your identity, you know, second grade or eighth, ninth 10th, you know, the diet, you know, you're used to the coach do this and do that, you know, it's just and then one day, at the professional ranks, one day stops, or you stop it. So now, all that inertia is still moving towards sports, and your body responds every, every summer, and you know you are or if you walk into a locker room, you smell it, just, you know, you're still there, you know, and your mindset your personality is has been shifted. And so one of the things that I've done is that, in my mind, I haven't left again, I'm on to a different game. And I'm still playing it. And this, this, this is my uniform. This is my backdrop. And every day, I prepare myself accordingly. And so that's how I'm able to do it financially. I was horrible at that, you know, I made a lot of mistakes, a lot of investments, you know, people always come around and professional athletes, like you and I got this new, had a Thai company or this company had no business sense at all. But I was able to take those losses tournament and mentally turn them into tuition. And I was able to win from that, you know, and so, I, I've taken a lot of what I've learned in the corporate world, I mean, as far as the professional world, and I infused it into the corporate world, because unbeknownst to a lot of people, the NFL is probably one of the most successful business models ever.Ari Gronich 18:14  Oh, I mean, that's, that's easy to see. Yeah, you've transferred this, but what would you say to the others that are in the sport for for ways in which they can avoid as many of those lessons that are harder learned?Shawn Harper 18:36  Learn how. Learn how to take off the helmet. It's it's the professional world is so encompassing, you know, it's just you know, you're here, everyone sees you as the athlete, and it's so intoxicating, because you're not Shawn Harper, your shellharbour the NFL athlete is, there's so much to that, that you have to be intentional to say, Hey, this is who I am. This is who we are. What I mean by we are here we are, this is who, you know, our This is our relationships, you know, this is our marriage, you know, get away from that lala land and let's dig down. Let's really check out Stephen, who we are and how we're growing and how we're progressing together. Okay, let's strip away everything. So there has to be there has to be a couple things that ties you to reality that ties you to the moment what's that movie called where the guy is kept like a quarter in his pocket. You know, and it's like what it was to our MX actually one was alone omo because somewhere in time but there's another one something tranquility some in league with Tom Cruise's, and I think I, I don'tAri Gronich 20:02  Yeah, I'm, I, I can remember the line and the way that it looks. But I know thinking on the name of the movie.Shawn Harper 20:13  Well, so that is one thing that I wouldn't always, always keep one or two things in your life, man. That's personal. That's you. Like if it's your marriage, it doesn't go on social media. It's just this is this keeps you grounded in the second thing, which is the most important thing. I think. You got to have one or two people in your life that will close the door and tell you the truth. That will always speak truth to you. Because you got your entourage you got the band. You got the groupies. You know they're all feeding you and pumping your head up and gas and even your family gassing you up. You need that one person. This like, you know what? I'm not impressed. Do you know what this is about to happen? Do you remember a guy named Jackie Slater?Unknown Speaker 21:07  Yeah, absolutely.Shawn Harper 21:08  Okay. I'm gonna take one of Jackie Slater secrets. Okay. I don't think you'll kill me.Ari Gronich 21:13  Audience use later. Can you keep a secret audience?Shawn Harper 21:17  Yeah, keep a secret audience Jackie Slater played, I think 20 years professional football, offensive tackle number 76. Probably one of the best right tackles to ever play the game. He was a man's man out of Jackson State. So. So Jackie, what he would do is he would go through his sets at practice, as the right tackle, your sets have to be perfect. Straight up the line, you said too far to the right, they're gonna come under you. You set too far from the left, you're gonna give them the corner. So your sets have to be perfect. So Jackie couldn't watch his sets. And so after every set, he made me, a guy named Calvin Harris. We should play through hurricanes. Darrell Ashmore from Northwestern, we will have to stand behind him have his water ready. And he would say with a with a look of innocence that I've never seen. How's my set? How's my line? And every once in a while, Jackie, you're setting too far out? Okay, I'll work on that. Or Jackie, you're setting too far. And okay, I'll work on that. That is how he played 20 years. That's how he was an all Pro. Because he had somebody watching his live. Who do you have in your life to saying, Hey, buddy, you're out of control? tighten up? You need that?Ari Gronich 22:42  Absolutely. That. That is. It's amazing. So let's transition a little bit. Since you're no longer on the field, you're now in the offices of American services and protection, right? Which is a security services firm. And how did you switch to security from NFL? Like, what was the?Unknown Speaker 23:10  Okay,Ari Gronich 23:11  what was the thinking there?Shawn Harper 23:12  So, my brother had a security company and he kind of basically turned it over to me. And that's the long and the short of it. But from a from a psychological standpoint is is the same. You know, you know, I'm a left guard left tackle. And so guess what, I'm protecting people, my clients, my quarterback, don't let your quarterback get sacked. Same thing. Yeah.Unknown Speaker 23:41  Okay.Ari Gronich 23:43  What is it that that was the biggest adversity that you've gone through previous to even being in an NFL or in college sports?Shawn Harper 23:57  Wow. So I would like to answer that. I would like to answer that from a from the outside of Shawn. perspective. Are you going to speak in third person? No. But I'm going to tell you the greatest pain and the greatest impact, and I'm measuring that because I'm still dealing with that. And that was the absence of my father. Growing up. There's something about a daddy, a father and if any men if you hear me, listen to me what Tell you what? I my body, my soul, my spirit misses my daddy. Now the good news is that he came back to our security company, through our security company and he was with me for the last 20 years of his life. Every day. We employ Daddy, I saw him every day loved in the way webinars love a lot of hate, hate hate towards the end, it was love. But yeah, he had divorced my mom when I was like, two or three years of age, and my mom raised all six of us by herself on the south side of Columbus scrubbing floors, you know, but the void of Daddy, and I can see it, I can see it now in my son Caleb, because Caleb is now 18 years of age. And, and, and I raised that boy, I was there for him. And I can see so much that he has that I never had in it's like, wow, you know, and so my body, my soul, my emotions at time still aches. For Daddy, every boy needs his daddy, every man still needs his daddy.Unknown Speaker 25:51  Oh, wow.Ari Gronich 25:55  That may, you know, bring me to a different part of that discussion. Because when I I'm talking to friends about, you know, equal rights and black rights and things like that one of the biggest issues that I hear about from my friends in that community is the lack of ads. And if you trace back certain people, they might say that, that leads back to when trades stopped, basically being taught in schools prior to college. And, and when, you know, they attribute it to a time period, basically, but what would you say is been the noticeable impact that you can see on yourself and then on any other people in your community.Unknown Speaker 26:59  Um,Shawn Harper 27:02  identity, your daddy tells you who you are, your dad gives you that steel pole that goes right into the middle of your so it's like, this is who you are a man, the dad calls the king out of the kid, you know, the dad gives so much and it's amazing because our society tends, tends, tends to promote the opposite.Unknown Speaker 27:28  NowShawn Harper 27:32  I don't have to talk about from my perspective, the impact or the devastation of not having a father in the home, all you have to do is go look at the stats. And the stats are overwhelming even in the crime stats, even just just they've tracked all these matrixes if you know the kid, whether they're black or white, that doesn't have a father in the home. And so many times more likely to go to jail so many more times, likely a young lady to get pregnant so many more times, likely to be impoverished so many times across all socio economic situations and circumstances against different groups, not races, only one race, human race, but just different groups is just plain as day. But what be what bewilders me is that there's so much this this, there's little resources that are pointed towards that. I heard this one story about this kid who who wanted to play with his father and he took this sheet a disk this this newspaper, and he tore it up in little pieces, because on the back of the newspaper, it was a world. And he said if you can put this family back together, you know, son, I play with you. He figured he hadn't bought half our tiny little pieces, right? And he came up within five minutes. He says, Son, how did you do that? Did your mom help me? He said no. So on the back that there was a world when I put the world back together, the family came back together or vice versa, the family together the world came back together. but you get the point. And so it's like that family nucleus has been broken down. And I believe that it's going to take a group effort not only from blacks, whites, our entire culture, we have a responsibility of help putting that unit back together. Period. We have that I'm not asking for handouts. I'm not asking for you know, but when you look at our criminal justice system with like 90% African American male when you look at the disparity in sentencing versus like, you know, Caucasian person versus a black person for the same crime. We got to take a look at that and take a look at We all know when you do not give social assistance if a male is living in the house, really, if you have a man and a house, you can't get welfare. Like, what is that? Okay, you got to take a step back, like none of them. We got put the family back together and stop tearing it apart. And and we have to take as men take responsibility and to preserve the family, and stop perpetuating and break the inertia that's been established years ago.Ari Gronich 30:31  I'm glad that you added the personal responsibility. Yeah, there to that, becauseShawn Harper 30:37  I'm big on that.Ari Gronich 30:39  That is definitely a thing. But taking into account personal responsibility, what do you think that the original circumstances, because to me, if we if we want to solve a problem, we've got to find out the root, which is the initial why the thing that began at all? So what do you think was the initial? You know, part of that breaking apart of the family?Shawn Harper 31:09  The initial part of the breaking a part of the family is just that the breaking apart of the family? Where did that happen? Where, where was the family stripped the ideology, or the concept of the family destroys, or wherever in history, that you've had situations or circumstances where they destroyed the family, that is the Genesis or that is the crux of where it began. And so just go back and look and say, okay, ha, there it is, ha, there it is, Ah, there it is.Ari Gronich 31:52  So, I like to be more specific. And so in, in trying to be more specific, right, we've created a society that relies on both parents to be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just to survive. I mean, I know a lot of families that have two, three jobs between, you know, each person each day, and, you know, men have a, I think, a very interesting instinct to be supportive of a family. And when they lose that ability to be supportive. They tend to kind of run, because, you know, at least in my world, it's like, if you're not able to support your family, and what kind of man are you and go on that route of, and then he just kind of, alright, I can't handle being that. So I'm gonna just leave. Right. But to me that the beginning would have been when we decided that we needed people to work for their value, and make money for their value versus raise their family, which, you know, we don't provide a value for in our culture. And, and so just an interesting way of looking at it. I think.Shawn Harper 33:27  So. So what you've said, though, or what I heard is, is that the emphasis in the value has been taken off the family and placed on something else. Exactly. Yes. Yes.Unknown Speaker 33:47  Yes.Shawn Harper 33:50  I hear that. I understand that. Whether it's a white family, or whether it's a black family, that doesn't matter. Yeah, we have taken the emphasis off or the importance off of it. And we've sacrificed it in the name of profit, for status.Ari Gronich 34:09  Exactly, which is what I like to talk the most about is how we incentivize. You know, the things that we incentivize what, what's the cause of the issues of the world, the incentives that we decide to create? So in the case of say, healthcare, we incentivize procedures over results. In the case of agriculture, we incentivize bulk creation of profit over small individual farms, right? So we actually give tax incentives to these big companies that are poisoning the food rather than giving the tax incentives to the organic local farmers. Right? So therefore, our incentive is profit over people.Shawn Harper 35:04  I think that the, I think that the incentive is step two, I think that the greed is step one. Step one to me is the desire. So, like in, in, in the book of Genesis, it was Eve is when she saw the fruit to be good. So now that desire for profit, for gain now gives power to the incentives to achieve that. And so we have to go take it a step further and say, Hey, as you just said, your last phrase is that you have to elevate the people over the profit.Ari Gronich 36:01  Absolutely. And, you know, there used to be this thing about having integrity, right, we, you know, the quality of production was more important than anything else. Because if we put through something that was of quality, this is how we got the made in the USA, right? label of being such a powerful thing is because we created quality products, and now we've moved to creating lack of quality that's meant to basically what they call that it's premeditated, but it's, that's not the word, pre metod, meditated breaking of products. Planned obsolescence, that's what I'm talking about. So we've created this planned obsolescence for our products, so that they break down so that people have to buy more so that we build more profit. And so I mean, I don't know, I've seen radios from the 1920s that still work, and, you know, crank, record players and stuff like that, but I don't see very many boom boxes on the street anymore that are working. You know. So if we lose our quality, the value of quality of creating things that have quality, then we now create the incentive, as you said, the greed to make things not last. So where does the money go at the end of the day goes to nothing that's making anything creating anything new. Right, like betting on whether the people are gonna buy it or not? Right, that's where the money is made Wall Street. So that being said, because you're a business guy, what are your What are you doing in your business to be more pragmatic and heart centeredUnknown Speaker 38:09  about it?Shawn Harper 38:12  Well, so one of the things that I'm working on my struggle, and I'm learning is, at the end of the day, it's all about people, understanding people, being an excellent communicator, listening to people's issues past the bottom line, as a CEO, you know, the bottom line is extremely important. So instead of focusing on the bottom line, I focus on things that influences the bottom line. And so when you put the so now that you flipped it, I'm looking at people, people influenced my bottom line. So now guess what pouring into my people influences the bottom line. So now my bottom line is people not profit, the profit of take care of itself if you take care of the people.Ari Gronich 39:04  That is, one of the hardest things that I've ever had to get across to a company that I've consulted in their corporate culture, is that they need to switch their employees from being on the negative deficit side of a balance sheet to the asset side. If they start treating them like they're on that asset side, all of a sudden, their assets will grow.Shawn Harper 39:36  Yes, the ROI is off the chart in so many ways, not just in production, but an ideas, loyalty, referrals. It's just the list goes on and on. And so that's that's to switch now. I'm like, the ROI is you give what you want. And yeah, you pour into people.Ari Gronich 40:03  That's awesome. What do you do for the families of the people who work for you.Shawn Harper 40:08  So what we're doing now is, is that we are opening up, and we're extremely discreet about it. But if there is a challenge that's going on with one of our officers, that they have the right, or the spouse has the right to call in and say, Hey, this is what we're dealing with, you know, we need a loan, we have some problems. Someone who works with us as an actual counselor, you know, you know, we can give, you know, because sometimes the officer might not do it. But the spouse will. And so we're trying to create that net now. So, yeah,Ari Gronich 40:53  awesome. Yeah, one of the things that I like to scream to the corporate heads about is how they take care of their employees, but not just them. They have families that need to be taken care of, and then I go a little bit step out and say, Okay, so how you're taking care of your local communities? What are you doing for the local communities in order to uplift them? AndUnknown Speaker 41:26  so, yeah,Ari Gronich 41:27  do any outreach in your communities as well?Shawn Harper 41:30  No, not as much as we should we give anonymously and I do speaking engagements on behalf of American servers. But you know, honestly, man, it's like, it's like, you know, on a scale of one to 10, it's like a three, you know, it should be a whole heck of a lot more. Yeah, definitely, you know, a speech here and there is fine tinker with food pantry, you know, we should have a food pantry. So yeah, I'm definitely lacking or lagging in that. Definitely, I could do so much more.Ari Gronich 42:03  Hopefully, I just inspired you to get aShawn Harper 42:05  man you just like, you know, like a good coach, you know, he just called me out on that. So,Ari Gronich 42:12  you know, it's one of those things, a lot of companies, it's not that they're bad companies, or they don't, you know, it's, it's that they don't even think about the possibilities. You know, I have a company close to me, they've got 50,000 employees, they do $17 billion a year. And they have zero, in my opinion, corporate wellness program in place. And I look at that, and I go, Okay, so you have a community of 50,000 people directly, that would make it approximately 200,000 people indirectly, and then another, approximately, you know, in their surrounding community, couple 100,000, at least, like that's a big responsibility to be shirking.Shawn Harper 43:14  Right, but they have a bigger responsibility to their shareholders. Ah, so, yeah, so and so their shareholders are concerned about one word, profit. And, and as long as at the end of the year, you know, we're making, you know, our billions every single year, everyone is satisfied. And I feel good about myself, because that's the metrics in which I measure that. However, if there was another metrics, or another set to say, No, this is this company culture, which is huge, the value of your 50 mile radius of you, you know, that's when you that school is on you, if that's measured. So now what we have to do is that we have to go in and actually draw out those numbers in the state company wide, we are engaged not only on the big number, but we're engaged by these numbers to this is your win. not this, not just this, but this, this, this and legacy.Ari Gronich 44:18  Absolutely, absolutely. And just as a, you know, matter of fact, too, is that, statistically speaking, for every eight hours of a work day, the person's basically about three hours of that is is where they're productive, five hours non productive, three hours productive. So if you do things that help your employees take their mind off of their family, their stresses their other things, and you get productivity up, what happens to that profit statement, what happens to that bottom line? Right, is, you literally, let's say, Take 50,000 employees, and per week, you increase their productivity by one hour each. So instead of three hours, you turn it into four hours of productivity, right? So that's 50,000 employees an extra hour of productivity each day, save five hours of productivity each week, take that five hours of productivity and multiply it by the 50,000. People, you got that many more hours of work done? What's your bottom line going to be? Right?Shawn Harper 45:40  And, and, and also, you can, you can encourage and incentivize, incentivize, in directly back to the bottom line. It's like, you know, what, if we volunteer or whatever, we have a donor who's going to donate back to you know, or here's our goods and services, that's going to help and eventually, it'll come back to the bottom line. But they're caught up in that, like, let's say, my amazing wife was like, You know what, let's say I want to make like, $20,000. I'm gonna make $20,000 into next year, Okay, done, pay that off. Now. That doesn't impress my wife, who work probably for that company that you're talking about. It's based in Chicago, 50,000 employees. But if I said, You know what, we're going to make this money and we're going to give a portion of it to the needy down the street at the food pantry. Now she's like, oh, and that nice, timid, beautiful lady turns into a warrior goddess, like, Shira, she couldn't get those numbers. So if you find a way to engage people, and say, What is it after the profit? What is it after the money comes in now? What? incorporate and infuse that in your culture in in the day to day, like you mentioned earlier, then yeah, profit is a part of the process. It's not the end game.Unknown Speaker 47:22  SoAri Gronich 47:24  take this back to the NFL a little bit. And players versus owners. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And we're gonna we're gonna play this out, because it plays out in corporations as well as obviously in sports. But I want to get get your boxing gloves on a little bit. Because we're going to, we're going to, you know, share some reality. Sure. How much do the players get taken care of by the owners? Really? And when are the bullies and the people being bullied? When are the people being bullied going to get louder and stop the bullies?Shawn Harper 48:14  So let me answer the second one, in my opinion. When you talk about bullies, are you talking about the owners?Ari Gronich 48:23  And in many cases, yeah, owners are are soShawn Harper 48:28  I don't see the owners as bullies.Ari Gronich 48:32  It is the owners tourney's. Hmm. Maybe it's the owners attorneysShawn Harper 48:37  even No, no, no, no, no, they are CEOs, their business men and women. And they're looking at the bottom line. They're doing what they are supposed to do. And that's winning every facet. Now, what I will say is, is that there needs to be and there has been in a nice to be a whole heck of a lot more of saying, hey, this sport takes a lot from us players. It takes a lot mentally, it takes a lot physically. Now you got the whole CTE that mean, man, you're going to have to open up that wallet. And you're going to have to create situations and circumstances for us to win when the game is over. When we're done playing where's our winner? We're not winning. You're winning, but we're not winning. So guess what? The fact is, is that while we're playing, we're looking at you know, when the game is over, buddy, so that's our win when it's all said and done. So if we don't get the win, win, it's all said and done. You ain't getting the win now. So guess what, we got to come to the table you got to know set a few billion dollars aside of that profit and make sure that we get the win 15 years from that. Nash just beat Oh a you know, that's just that's just the nature of the game. You don't have a vested interest in that because we're gone. But we got a vested interest in it. So we're going to bring it to your attention right now today.Ari Gronich 50:11  Yeah. But I I'd say that they do have a vested interest in it, because people are gonna stop playing for major, you know, associations like this. If they're not being taken care of and start moving more towards creating their own organizations and their own their own things. Right.Shawn Harper 50:35  And no, you know, that no, it's I mean, other organizations have tried to start their own leagues, the NFL has destroyed every single one of them. You know, it they just roofless it just roof with, the only reason why this is even a conversation right now is the big elephant in the room. And that's social media. You guys 20 years ago, you know, of people stealing this information was still out there. But now I'm getting on Facebook talking about, you know, I'm still suffering from this. Now the media is picking this up, you know, so like, everyone, this is now the elephant in the room that has farted in everyone to smell like we have to deal with this. So now guess what is circling back to the bottom line. We need to deal with this. And so now they're forced to open up their wallets. And so now I think the bigger question is, is that as an owner,Unknown Speaker 51:36  should youShawn Harper 51:39  as an owner, should you already have had your wallet open in the first place?Ari Gronich 51:46  Yeah, so again, I have my own opinions, right? If we don't want big government, right, and we don't want corporate responsibility, then what? So we don't want government to, you know, on Social Security to get overrun. And we don't want our corporate owners to have to actually take care of the people that made their business for them. Because without the players, there is no business for them. Right? So without that, having that mindset that the bottom line is all I'm looking at, is really short sighted. Because if you think about it, those players when they're well taken care of, can be assets for their entire lives, not just while they're playing the game. And therefore, doing things that are promoting could be good for an owners bottom line. But if they're not taking care of their players, why would they want to do something for the team and the owner that isn't hasn't been taken care of. So that's why I'm saying like, if they actually were to think about it in a way other than mathematically, only mathematics with no context is what I'm saying. Then all of a sudden, the context becomes bigger than the mathematics and the mindset starts going, Yeah, but how can I make that work in my advantage otherwise, and you all of a sudden, open the doors of possibility because you're doing the right thing versus a closed door of a no.Shawn Harper 53:34  So check it out. Unlike life, there's only one matrix that drives numbers in the NFL, that's winning. When you go out Davis, you just win if the stadium is packed, the stadium will be packed, if you win. And so they're fixated on this season, how can we win that takes care of so many other things. However, now it like example, if you when the stadium is packed, the TV ratings are up, and there's more money is coming in. Now. However, the NFL owners are like, Wait a second, there are other variables that we've never considered before, like players after care, because now everyone is seeing this. Now we have multibillion dollar lawsuits, it's affecting the bottom line. Now we have the press and negative press as affecting the bottom line. Now we have all of these males, a mom who don't want the kids to play football, no more is affecting the bottom line. 15 1015 years from now. Now we have colleges and their own investigations as affecting the bottom line. Now we have to look at a mosaic of things other than winning on the field in that in and like perfect example, there could be a NFL player who gets you know, a domestic case and you know, and they're waiting to see what the press is going to do. Okay, get a slap on the wrist. You know, because you're good for the game, and then all of a sudden the press blows up like what you did? What do you got? Oh, no, we got to change that why that's now it's affecting the bottom line. So you're not going to get these people to change their mind till you start affecting the bottom line.Ari Gronich 55:18  Yeah, so I agree that that is probably the most motivating factor. What I like to attempt to appeal that appeal to is things like common sense, critical thinking and butterfly effect. What are your actions that are? What are the consequences to those actions? What are the consequences to those actions? And what are the consequences to those? And if those are affecting the people who are making your business for you, then you should probably address them at some level, in your mind before they become a problem. And that's goes back to your question, should they have thought of this ahead of you guys making a stink about it? And the answer is yes. If they were thinking far enough ahead to realize that this was going to be a consequence to them not thinking about it to begin with.Shawn Harper 56:11  So check it out. You ever watched that movie called? I mean, I mean, well, there's a show is, I think it's called Undercover Boss, right? Yes. And so it's like, you know, here's the CEO, he or she did come in, and they disguise themselves as an employee. Right? And then they work for maybe two or three weeks. What is the common theme? The common theme is, I never knew they had it this bad. Wow, I got to help out. Because I feel it, I see it. These guys and ladies are so far removed from the after life of the game and tell social media don't hear something here and there, they just move in a million miles. And now, they don't care about that. But now they have to care about that. And you know what? I'm not the moral police. I'm not saying well, this is how you should be thinking in this. And this is no, I'm like a put some jam over here for these players. You just keep doing what you're doing. It ain't my job to change your heart and change your mind that day. My job, my job is to make it fair for everyone for years to come and legacy winning legacy.Ari Gronich 57:28  So legacy is not just the games you won, but the people you left behind.Shawn Harper 57:40  Yes, right. Yes. And right now, you might not be thinking about my legacy. And so I'm going to force you to think about my legacy.Ari Gronich 57:49  And I'm forcing you to think about your own legacy and the impact that you've had on the people that have impacted you. So, you know, this is this is the the greatest debate in the world in general right now. And I like to bring it up in these fun ways. Because, you know, we can we can go on about, like, you know, do I care about the owners of the NFL, only in the sense that I've had too many NFL players have to come see me because they were injured, and they don't get taken care of by the teams or the people that, you know, they injured themselves for. And so on that level, I have a kind of an invested thing I want to see the people who are taking care of these players, you know, step up their game, so to speak, so that the players don't have to deal with the injuries quite the same way as they've had to in the past, and will get continuing care afterwards to make sure that their whole by the end of their career, not just at the beginning of it. Right. I think that personal. I thinkShawn Harper 59:01  that we're both saying the same thing. I think that where we might differ is, is you want a you might from what I'm hearing, when a conscious decision to say, Hey, this is the right thing to do. And while I'm saying I don't care what you think you can I don't care you were going to put it in play a system in play at the taken care of regardless.Ari Gronich 59:26  Right. And I get the doing it in spite of Yeah, right. No, yeah. And are you listening people? What what's wrong with being a good person and having integrity and doing the right thing? Like answer that question in a way that isn't just profit over people, right? Because without people you have no profit. Right, right, you have no business, you don't have any, you don't have anything.Shawn Harper 1:00:04  And that was the entire argument with the labor in the NFL. Pa who matters more the people that that was their entire argument, we matter more than your profit.Ari Gronich 1:00:18  Right. And I extend that because I have these conversations, like I was saying before, because I extend that same thing to the system of medicine, the governmental systems, the things that we're doing, that have nothing to do with getting a good outcome. Right. So we treat patients and we don't cure them. Right? Why not? What's the reason for it? Do you have a good enough explanation? For not talking about the things that make people healthy? You know, do you have a good enough explanation? Because I haven't heard one yet. So I want to get those out. And I like, I like being able to use the metaphor of the owners, because that's just the truth. What are what are some of the things that you love talking about when you're giving these talks to people, though, because I know, you know, you talk a lot about obviously, the sport and adversity and you're taking business, but what's what's the main themes like, give me three to four main themes of what you talk about in your talks, and then what somebody can actually do with those talks to create a new tomorrow today.Shawn Harper 1:01:47  I love I love to talk or the, or the nest that I come from, is mind shift. It's different mindsets. You know, it's it's, a lot of people think the way that they think, because they have a particular worldview. And that worldview has to be challenged in order for you to win. Let me give you an example of a worldview. A worldview is, you know what, you're going to work your butt off, and at the age of 65, you'll retire and you'll have and this and the money will be in a 401k and blah, that's a worldview. That's not accurate, because over 90% of people are dead or dead broke by 10, or 65, depending on the government for their their primary source of income over 90%. Okay, that's not an accurate worldview, the worldview up until recently was the best investment is your home, and we know right now, well, I'm gonna tell you right now, you know, unless you got some real estate that appreciates about 10 to 15% a year, your home is not your number one investment, let's, let's attack the world view. Like, I'm a emerging business owner, I don't say small business, because that's an oxymoron. I'm an emerging business owner. So, you know, I love what they give us. These are, these are the techniques and strategies you can use to grow your business, but I'm taking a step back, and I'm looking at them differently now. Because in within five years, you know, 85% of all businesses will go out of business, why wait a second, you know, if we're all listening to the same thing, you know, I take a you know, a take a shift with our actual with our actual educational system. I'm like, you know what, I got a problem with you guys. You know, I need to challenge the mindset that you've been taught it with your educational system that getting a collegiate education with $200,000 student loans is a great idea, it might not be a good idea. So I teach you this change in shift your mind to win in this game of life, just like the 46 bear was a man de Dahomey coaches were like, This is not fair. What is this? What is this 44th all the guys are down, what's a different mindset? And sometimes you gotta think outside the box and not get comfortable because if you're not careful, your comfort zone will become your casket.Ari Gronich 1:04:18  Okay, so that I'm just gonna do the mic drop on that one.You've heard a few of those, right?Shawn Harper 1:04:33  Yeah, just one or two. One or two?Ari Gronich 1:04:36  Yeah. So that's, you know, that's a mic drop moment. So now we know, okay, change your mindset. If somebody said that to me, I might go. Okay, I haven't heard that one before. Right. So let's give some tricks. Tips. How Choose, how did you change your mindset? And what are some ways that somebody can begin to change their mindset, especially when our mindsets are pretty engraved in our brains?Shawn Harper 1:05:15  Yeah, think differently. So you have to the the, the, the number one mindset that you have to change first and foremost, is your identity. That that's it right there is that, for me, I am a winner. That is the biggest mindset, right? That you, you have to change that because it changes your perspective, it changes your approach to life. Let me give you an example. If I'm on a roller coaster, like a six flags, right, and, and I'm in a roller coaster car, or let's use something a bit more that people can understand if, if I'm on a ferris wheel, and the bears will is up there, and I'm going around the Ferris wheel and it gets stopped at the top. I know it's a ride. So I can be a little nervous. But it's cool, you know, because it's a ride. I'm on a ferris wheel, you know, 300 feet in the air? And I don't know, what's her ride. And I don't know, if I'm gonna make it down. Do you know how scared I'm gonna be? I'm gonna be very scared. So when you approach this game of life, if you don't know who you are in this game, and if you don't know your projected outcome, and this is what I am, and this is what I do. In this game, the game is going to take you for a ride, if I step on the football field, without a jersey on, nobody recognizes me, your identity is everything. So my identity is that I am a winner. And so now I approach life from that. So naturally, when I start doing is I start studying other winners, then I start pulling laws from other winners, like a perfect example, is a guy named Walt Disney, Walt Disney was a winner. And he had Disney Land and he was landlocked. He couldn't build. So guess what he hired a team of people to secretly start buying acreage in Orlando, he brought up close to 30,000 acres of land before they realized what he was doing. That's a lot of capacity winners, always create capacity winners, always build teams, winners. Always start with the end in mind, Stephen Covey winners, always learn how to win and accept loss and learn from the loss. When we lose your study, you go to the field room and you understand your loss winners know their competition winners know themselves. Okay, and so now it's, it's a totally different mindset. But it starts with your identity. Because if you don't know who you are, you're who they say you are. And once somebody can name you, it has all authority and a power over youAri Gronich 1:08:03  don't know who you are, if you don't know who you are, you only knowShawn Harper 1:08:09  if you don't know who you are, you are who they say you are,Ari Gronich 1:08:11  you're who they say you are. Got it. Wow, it's pretty powerful. It's kind of like abrogating your personality and your who you are to the rest of the world. You know, it's interesting because a lot of people tend to do that and mask themselves off without even realizing that they've put a mask on.Shawn Harper 1:08:37  Yeah. That's image. Because we value image, we don't value identity.Ari Gronich 1:08:48  So how does one go about taking the mask off?Shawn Harper 1:08:54  integrity with yourself being truthful. And understand that it's okay to be everyone is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. You have strengths that poke out and you have weaknesses that poke in you have to be willing in okay with you in our in our society makes us so discontent to be who we are. That's why you want to spend all that money for a daggone Mercedes and live in a certain housing development where certain you always trying to become but you can never become unless you be so you know what, just be you and be happy with who you are.Ari Gronich 1:09:35  Nice. I think I think we'll leave the audience off with that. Because you know, what else? What else is there but being comfortable with? Yeah, you are and taking that out to the world. Yeah.Shawn Harper 1:09:58  This listeners listen. Because you get me on a roll here, I was gonna say one thing, okay? We are all in the business of selling. Okay? But before you try to sell anything to anyone else you sell to yourself, sell yourself in the mirror, you sell yourself, you're awesome. You're this thing that you sell yourself, before you sell to anyone else. sell yourself and never sell yourself short.Ari Gronich 1:10:29  But you're more than welcome to rant on my show any day. And get on a roll. And I really appreciate you being here and giving to the audience like this, like you have. I know, I asked some pretty crazy questions, gets you off off your normal game, hopefully a little bit. I like to, you know, throw the curves. Not just the past that straight nicely spiraled, but the ones that lemon out, you know. So. So I appreciate you being here. And, and we will, you know, we'll, we'll continue on these conversations. And hopefully the audience got a lot out of this. I'm sure that they did. And remember to rate subscribe, comment, like review, etc. Shawn, how can people get ahold of you if they'd like to? work with you?Shawn Harper 1:11:30  Yeah, so my actual website is Shawnharper.org. Or Seanspeaks.com Yeah, use Sean speaks.com. I'm giving away a free chapter of my book. And it's Sean Harper wins, w ins.com. And no, don't worry about that. Go to Shawn harper.co, you'll get the full book, I'll give you a full book, you get the full book and the Winning Edge understanding, winning strategies and tactics. Since we've talked about that, you pull that out, go to Shawn harper.co, you get the entire book for free. You ain't gotta go to Amazon. Yours. And last thing I'll say is, this is me, selfishly is Shawn Harper speaker on Instagram.Ari Gronich 1:12:21  That's it. That's awesome. Thank you so much for for that gift. I know that that'll be in and of itself a great value for the audience. So remember to go there, Shawnharper.com and get a copy of his book. And winning earn yourself. Yeah. And so winning mindsets. This has been a great new tomorrow episode. And let's remember to create a new tomorrow today. Activate your vision for a better world. I am your host Ari Gronich. Thank you so much, Shawn, for coming on. And we'd be out. Thank you for listening to this podcast. I appreciate all you do to create a new tomorrow for yourself and those around you. If you'd like to take this information further and are interested in joining a community of like minded people who are all passionate about activating their vision for a better world. Go to the website, create a new tomorrow.com and find out how you can be part of making a bigger difference. I have a gift for you just for checking it out and look forward to seeing you take the leap and joining our private paid mastermind community. Until then, see you on the next episode.

Theresa Kereakes is a rock'n'roll photographer whose iconic images have appeared in music publications and in galleries and private collections worldwide. She's shot instantly recognizable photos of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Deborah Harry, Patti Smith, The Damned, The Ramones, Joan Jet, Iggy Pop and The Dead Boys-both on and off stage- many featured in her book, “Unguarded Moments : Backstage And Beyond” a collection of her extraordinary work. Currently based in Nashville, she spent much of her life in Los Angeles, where her documentation of the early punk scene -which she helped create- catapulted her career. In this episode, lifelong friends Theresa and hostess Pleasant Gehman swap anecdotes from the late 1970's punk scene in Los Angeles, where they founded the Xeroxed fanzine “Lobotomy” which covered local their friend's band, such as The Germs, The Bags, X, The Dickies and everal others before they became well known. They recall road trips to San Francisco to see Blondie at small clubs and The Sex Pistols at Winterland. They dish crazy stories about everyone from Billy Idol and The Runaways to Tom Waites and The Cramps, the legendary Tropicana Motel and much more!www.theresakreakes.blogspot.comInstagram @punkturns30Twitter @TheresaKereakesMore from Pleasant Gehmanwww.pleasantgehman.comInstagram: @princessofhollywoodwww.facebook.com/pleasant.gehmanwww.twitter.com/PleasantGehman1This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

Theresa Kereakes is a rock’n’roll photographer whose iconic images have appeared in music publications and in galleries and private collections worldwide. She’s shot instantly recognizable photos of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Deborah Harry, Patti Smith, The Damned, The Ramones, Joan Jet, Iggy Pop and The Dead Boys-both on and off stage- many featured in her book, “Unguarded Moments : Backstage And Beyond” a collection of her extraordinary work. Currently based in Nashville, she spent much of her life in Los Angeles, where her documentation of the early punk scene -which she helped create- catapulted her career. In this episode, lifelong friends Theresa and hostess Pleasant Gehman swap anecdotes from the late 1970’s punk scene in Los Angeles, where they founded the Xeroxed fanzine “Lobotomy” which covered local their friend’s band, such as The Germs, The Bags, X, The Dickies and everal others before they became well known. They recall road trips to San Francisco to see Blondie at small clubs and The Sex Pistols at Winterland. They dish crazy stories about everyone from Billy Idol and The Runaways to Tom Waites and The Cramps, the legendary Tropicana Motel and much more! www.theresakreakes.blogspot.com Instagram @punkturns30 Twitter @TheresaKereakes More from Pleasant Gehman www.pleasantgehman.com Instagram: @princessofhollywood www.facebook.com/pleasant.gehman www.twitter.com/PleasantGehman1 This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

Theresa Kereakes is a rock'n'roll photographer whose iconic images have appeared in music publications and in galleries and private collections worldwide. She's shot instantly recognizable photos of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Deborah Harry, Patti Smith, The Damned, The Ramones, Joan Jet, Iggy Pop and The Dead Boys-both on and off stage- many featured in her book, “Unguarded Moments : Backstage And Beyond” a collection of her extraordinary work. Currently based in Nashville, she spent much of her life in Los Angeles, where her documentation of the early punk scene -which she helped create- catapulted her career. In this episode, lifelong friends Theresa and hostess Pleasant Gehman swap anecdotes from the late 1970's punk scene in Los Angeles, where they founded the Xeroxed fanzine “Lobotomy” which covered local their friend's band, such as The Germs, The Bags, X, The Dickies and everal others before they became well known. They recall road trips to San Francisco to see Blondie at small clubs and The Sex Pistols at Winterland. They dish crazy stories about everyone from Billy Idol and The Runaways to Tom Waites and The Cramps, the legendary Tropicana Motel and much more!www.theresakreakes.blogspot.comInstagram @punkturns30Twitter @TheresaKereakesMore from Pleasant Gehmanwww.pleasantgehman.comInstagram: @princessofhollywoodwww.facebook.com/pleasant.gehmanwww.twitter.com/PleasantGehman1This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

Theresa Kereakes is a rock'n'roll photographer whose iconic images have appeared in music publications and in galleries and private collections worldwide. She's shot instantly recognizable photos of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Deborah Harry, Patti Smith, The Damned, The Ramones, Joan Jet, Iggy Pop and The Dead Boys-both on and off stage- many featured in her book, “Unguarded Moments : Backstage And Beyond” a collection of her extraordinary work. Currently based in Nashville, she spent much of her life in Los Angeles, where her documentation of the early punk scene -which she helped create- catapulted her career. In this episode, lifelong friends Theresa and hostess Pleasant Gehman swap anecdotes from the late 1970's punk scene in Los Angeles, where they founded the Xeroxed fanzine “Lobotomy” which covered local their friend's band, such as The Germs, The Bags, X, The Dickies and everal others before they became well known. They recall road trips to San Francisco to see Blondie at small clubs and The Sex Pistols at Winterland. They dish crazy stories about everyone from Billy Idol and The Runaways to Tom Waites and The Cramps, the legendary Tropicana Motel and much more! www.theresakreakes.blogspot.com Instagram @punkturns30 Twitter @TheresaKereakes More from Pleasant Gehman www.pleasantgehman.com Instagram: @princessofhollywood www.facebook.com/pleasant.gehman www.twitter.com/PleasantGehman1 This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People can steal your ideas, but not your talent. ♥️ Mail id: monisha17495@gmail.com Instagram: @patmetamilpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/monisha-veeranan/message

PODCAST SUMMARY HOUR 1: Todd Herman guest hosts for Rush on Open Line Friday. Todd Herman interviews BizPac Review senior staff writer, Frieda Powers. Rush’s clarification of Drive-By Media’s secession lies. The spirit of tyranny. How can we unite? What Rush actually said. Science is a process, but the left has made it a conclusion. The bitterness and entitlement of these Antifa types. Big Tech will erase dissent against the official state positions. The special people: Shower curtain glory holes for sex. PODCAST SUMMARY HOUR 2: The left’s sickness to break the country and break us. Perils of the expert class. Lockdown deaths. Democrats’ dangerous, authoritarian rhetoric. No accountability for liberal’s sedition. Cynthia Johnson’s threat to Trump supporters. BLM absconded with money instead of helping black community. Secession by incremental progressivism. Bill Barr and the Hunter Biden investigation. Who you are, not hue you are. Don’t cry like a Democrat. PODCAST SUMMARY HOUR 3: The real definition of American Exceptionalism. The Founding, the Constitution and the Texas case. Jeb Bush’s rage tweets. Republicans haven’t paid attention to Arizona. Fight back against Colorado experiment tactics. Anthony Fauci, Guardian of the Year. Xeroxed election ballots. Mask hypocrisy. Historical context to masks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

While at a feild trip to the Museum, Megalad finds himself under an invasion! Giant bugs start ransacking the place, attacking innocents and destroying priceless artifacts. When the rest of the team arrives, they find themselves not alone in fighting the menace. TV Spot - Political Attack Fourteen by Music For TV and Games Opening - Epic Superhero Theme - Mikhaël Bureau Robin's Theme - Land of Fans and Music (The Land of Wind and Shade Extended) Gary's Theme - LLS Stage 3 Theme Bad Apple!! Arc 3 Fight Theme - Murder Your Maker from the Prototype 2 OST Felix's Theme - Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod Better Than Ethan - I inc. by Kubbi The DHEA - Batman: Arkham City Main Theme from the Batman: Arkham City OST

While at a feild trip to the Museum, Megalad finds himself under an invasion! Giant bugs start ransacking the place, attacking innocents and destroying priceless artifacts. When the rest of the team arrives, they find themselves not alone in fighting the menace. TV Spot - Political Attack Fourteen by Music For TV and Games Opening - Epic Superhero Theme - Mikhaël Bureau Robin's Theme - Land of Fans and Music (The Land of Wind and Shade Extended) Gary's Theme - LLS Stage 3 Theme Bad Apple!! Arc 3 Fight Theme - Murder Your Maker from the Prototype 2 OST Felix's Theme - Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod Better Than Ethan - I inc. by Kubbi The DHEA - Batman: Arkham City Main Theme from the Batman: Arkham City OST

This long overdue episode was record back in the summer.  Andrew and Mal talk about the nature of magic, initiation, religious practice and more. They talk a lot about how to know if you are on the right track and the pitfalls of walking a magical path. The upsides and pitfalls of gnosis. How to become a bishop by chance and much more.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you listened to, and consider if it is time to support the Patreon You can do so here. If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. To find more out about Mal check out Lux-Umbria or hang with him on Facebook here.  Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  Transcription ANDREW: [00:00:02] Welcome to another episode of The Hermit's Lamp podcast. I am joined today by Mal Strangefellow. And I've been following Mal online for quite a while. And recently, he's gotten into starting a church. And [00:00:17] a lot of the dialogue around that has been very fascinating to me. So I thought that inviting him on to talk about some of these things would be really entertaining because I think there's so many fascinating questions about legitimacy, legacy, [00:00:32] lineage, and all sorts of stuff that people are or ought to be thinking about as they're going about in various traditions right now, and at the birth of something new, seems like a great place to revisit those conversations. So, for people who [00:00:47] might not know you, Mal, give us, give us the introduction. Who are you? What are you about? MAL: [laughing] Oh, wow, um, you know, and I don't mean this to sound, sound like I'm bragging. It's mostly just because [00:01:02] I'm getting older and my memory is lagging, but when you, when you've done, I don't want to say so much, but when you've done enough, at some point, it starts to become difficult to figure out how to answer that question. [00:01:17] [laughing] ANDREW: Sure.  MAL: I got my start in esoterica during the mid-80s. I'm solidly in that, you know, Boomer cusp/early Gen X region. [00:01:34] Went into, went into the army right out of high school, and after that, got it into my head that I wanted to be a Buddhist monk.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  MAL: And ended up doing [00:01:49] that for a number of years. I was a Tibetan Buddhist monk, a novice and, and fully ordained getsu and gelong. After a few years, or early 90s, wanted to go and get a college degree, [00:02:04] went to the University of Oregon--go Ducks!--and you know, discovered that it's a lot harder to be a celibate monk in a university than it is in a monastery! ANDREW: [laughing] Uh huh. [00:02:19]  MAL: Go figure! ANDREW: I imagine. MAL: And ended up returning my vows, and, at that point, just kind of wandered back and forth among a number of different things, sort of exploring [00:02:35] alternate routes of spirituality, continuing to practice magic. Of course, the Internet was really just sort of starting to become popular at this time. You know, we were moving beyond the [00:02:50] text-based, green screen kind of stuff and actually getting a graphical interface to the Internet discussion boards. Alt magic, of course, was going like gangbusters. This is just at the cusp of the, the [00:03:05] infamous Golden Dawn Wars of the early, early to mid-90s, and ended up getting involved with the Golden Dawn. Was--actually, my neophyte initiation in the Golden Dawn was done [00:03:20] with Israel Regardie's handmade tools, and I believe a mutual friend of ours, Poke Runyan, was the keryx for that and gave me his flu.  ANDREW: [chuckles] MAL: So.  ANDREW: That's a magical blessing, indeed.  MAL: [00:03:35] Right? And kind of . . . There was some floundering, I would say towards the late 90s. Got involved in the Temple of Set, stayed there long enough to [00:03:50] be recognized to the third degree, their priesthood, at which, and this, I bring this up because it encompasses sort of a pivotal event for me. James Grabe was [00:04:05] also a member of the temple and a member of the OTO, and at the time, when I actually met him in person, there, he was on the outs with the current leadership. I [00:04:20] mean, he has made, I don't know if I'm saying that right, I've never done any OTO stuff. So. That guy. And I don't know what there was, so I don't know if they were, I think there was some sort of lawsuit or some-- Anyway, they were pissed [00:04:35] off. We were at a conclave, which is an annual temple gathering, and we were in the hotel bar, and just sort of chatting, and you know, I was a second degree adept at the time, and so I was star struck at his degree and [00:04:50] his history. And we were just talking and he was mostly talking. And he had mentioned that he had apostolic succession as a bishop, and one of the things, among other things, that the current leadership wanted from him was consecration [00:05:06] as a bishop for their EGC.  ANDREW: Mm. MAL: And he was basically just inviting them to peruse the fine example of the back of his middle finger on that. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: And you know, he said, "You know what, basically, [00:05:21] I'll consecrate, you know, anybody else, anybody but them. Right? Hell, you want to be consecrated?" and I was like, "Um, yeah, okay." He's like, "All right, cool." So we actually made a plan for the next night. He [00:05:36] had a suite in the hotel and I showed up and we went through deacon priest and I was consecrated a bishop that night. And it was like, "Here you go. Now, you're a bishop." I was like, "Well, awesome. Thank you." This is [00:05:51] 1998-99-ish and, which, oddly enough feels like, you know, maybe five or ten years ago for me, but . . .  ANDREW: Sure.  MAL: Yeah, I was like, you know, "So what do I do with this?" It was like fuck, [00:06:06] I don't care. Can I say fuck? I can say fuck, right?  ANDREW: You can say fuck. It's fine. Go ahead. MAL: All right, cool. Fuck, yeah. [laughing] He was like, "I don't care," you know, "here's some stuff," and I got like loose leaf print outs, you know, some ideas that he had had [00:06:21] about sort of a Johannite spirituality and you know, I got, you know, an old Xeroxed copy of his succession, apostolic succession, and stuff like that, and I just sort of filed it away and did nothing with it. [00:06:36]  ANDREW: Mm.  MAL: Until I resigned, after I resigned from the temple as a priest. It was, you know, interpersonal political stuff. ANDREW: Isn't it always, right? MAL: Right, you know, it's, there was a group that was up-and-coming [00:06:51] in the temple. They have since been, been purged out, but I was not in that group, and ended up just resigning rather than dealing with all of the, the people bullshit that comes with that, and [00:07:06] in trying to figure out, all right, what the hell do I want to do now? Said, you know, well, I've got these kind of things to fall back on. I wonder if I could do this? And so I pulled out all of James's stuff and decided [00:07:21] you know what, fuck it. I'm, I'm a start a church!  And that's how the Apostolic Johannite church was founded, [laughs] and I ended up posting on a couple of message boards online at the time: "Hey, are [00:07:36] you interested in an esoteric organization and an esoteric church?" And got a couple of hits. One of the very first ones was, of course, the current patriarch of the AJC, and you know, the rest there is history. [00:07:51] I ran the AJC for a couple of years, and at that time, kind of felt like I had some unfinished stuff that I wanted to do elsewhere. Plus, [00:08:06] I feel like, at least for me at that time, it took a different personality to run things than it did to start them, and I didn't know that I had the personality to keep that [00:08:21] thing going, and I feel justified in making this statement, you know, in hindsight 20/20, but just in looking at how well they've done, you know, since I, since I handed it over to Sean McCann, their current patriarch, you know, I think [00:08:36] it's the, like the largest, fastest growing international gnostic church on the planet right now, some crazy crap like that.  ANDREW: So. Let me ask you a question.  MAL: Yeah, yeah! ANDREW: Cause you've talked about so many things here and I want to . . . MAL:  I know, I'm sorry.  ANDREW: No. No, it's [00:08:51] why I had you on, I want to have these conversations and I love hearing you chat. What, what kind of personality does it take to run these things? Because you know, I've, you know, I've been in my share of, you know, I was in the OTO [00:09:06] in several different groups that all imploded or exploded. And I was in the Aurum Solace for a bunch of time, and change of leadership and it, you know, my local group was excommunicated. And you know, I [00:09:21] was in the AA for a while and there are various, you know, things with that, that just left me, you know, with nowhere to go. What is it, you know, and I've seen my share of that in the, in the Lukumi traditions as well, you know, different places. [00:09:36] What does it take to run a thing like that well? Because I feel like there's, you know, what I've seen is, there's, like, if there's a strong personality and they can kind of hold it together with their personality, [00:09:51] that works until it doesn't, until they leave or retire or whatever. What actually does work? What makes sense when it comes to sort of bigger organizations around that kind of stuff? MAL: You know, I think you [00:10:06] kind of hit on it with the, the big personality, not in that that's the answer. But in that, that's not the answer.  ANDREW: Mm. MAL: I think a strong personality, a willingness to get shit [00:10:21] done, to say, you know, what, screw it, we're going this way. We're doing it. Like that's the kind of personality you need to start something, to really get it going, to gather people in, to inspire other people, but to keep it going, [00:10:37] I think you need somebody a lot more conciliatory.  ANDREW: Mm. MAL: You know, somebody, somebody who is open to, willing to, desirous of working with other people and incorporating them into the, [00:10:52] the, the living, you know, the daily life of the organization, a strong personality. You know, again, I think it's absolutely necessary to get a thing started. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: [00:11:07] You know, there's just so much inertia there, at the beginning of anything that you need to build up a certain amount of momentum to, you know, to, to overcome initial obstacles and you know, nothing kills [00:11:22] momentum faster than a committee meeting.  ANDREW: [laughing] Especially if not much is already happening. Right?  MAL: Right. Right! You know? So you need that strong personality, but after you reach a certain point, I think that strong personality [00:11:37] becomes detrimental, you know? ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: And if you don't have it within you to drop that and become more conciliatory, then you're just kind of a, you know, you're kind of a bully, you, you end up with, you know, strong personality clashes [00:11:52] with other people who, you know, who might be able to come in and do amazing things. Yeah, I think of . . . Okay. So, a perfect example of this going back to where I was and where Sean McCann was at the beginning of the AJC when I handed things over to [00:12:07] him . . . You know, he was, he'd only been a bishop for like a year.  ANDREW: Okay.  MAL: You know, I'd consecrated him and, to be fair, I had even gone, like right after his consecration, [00:12:22] I went on vacation!  ANDREW: Uh huh. MAL: Like six months! [laughing] And I was like, you know what, I just need a break from all of this. I'm tired. You run things. Call me if you need to, but I'm out for a while. So, you know, really, even that first six months, he [00:12:37] was kind of running things. Because of his age, and because of his natural temperament at the time, you know, sort of, you know, not really sure of himself, [00:12:52] not wanting to make a mistake. MAL: Okay. So the current primate of North America for the AJC, Mar Thoma, was a bishop with [00:14:07] another organization who came into the AJC. We had become friends while I was still there, but he officially joined the AJC after I left, and he is a very strong personality. But he's also [00:14:22] been, you know, has been just an amazing asset for the church and, you know, in looking back, I don't know, like, would I have given him the same opportunity? You know, when you've got those, the [00:14:37] two alpha dogs clashing, right? The, you know, the two strong personalities, would, would the same results have come about? And I'm not so sure that it would have, you know? I think by me stepping out and by Sean coming in [00:14:52] and having that, that natural conciliatory manner and welcoming him in, [coughs] excuse me, as a, another leader. I think that was a huge part of their success. And so, what does it take to run [00:15:07] an organization? I think it takes the ability to find, to find that in yourself, to realize that, you know, you know, it's not all about me.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: If I care about this, if it's going to run, I need to, I need to be conciliatory. [00:15:22] Does that make sense? ANDREW: Yeah, I think so, for sure. MAL: Oh good, cool. ANDREW: Because you know, yeah, a lot of people just . . . A lot of what I've seen is, it gets to a point where people are just like, look, it's my way or the highway, and then you know, and then you just [00:15:37] have, you know, whatever, right? Like, like the thing around the apostolic succession, where they're like, will you please give this to us? And be like, absolutely never, you know, like you just end up in these things where it's so stuck that there's no, there's no movement possible, right? You know? MAL: Right, right. ANDREW: [00:15:52] Mm-hmm.  MAL: Yeah, and you know, when you lay down something, like it's my way or the highway, you end up with a ton of fantastic people choosing the highway. ANDREW: Yeah. MAL: And, and you're left with, you know, just the, the sycophants, [00:16:07] and what happens to your, the organization, then? I mean, you mentioned your experiences in the Aurum Solis, and I remember, you know, when Leon proclaimed it an all Christian organization [00:16:22] when he was still, you know, Grandmaster. And, you know, it was that, this is it, it's my way or the highway. This is what we're proclaiming.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: A bunch of people chose the highway! [laughing] You know, and then he kind of pulled back from that a little bit and then [00:16:37] somebody else took over and then [garbled right before 16:43] Anyway. Yeah, I think that that's a perfect example of what you were talking about. When you have leadership like that, [00:16:52] things tend not to grow organically and even if they do survive that personality, that type of personality, they don't survive the end of that personality. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. For sure.  MAL: When that person dies or, you know, [00:17:07] converts to evangelical Christianity, and says, you know unicorns are bad or whatever. [laughing] ANDREW: Sure. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I think it's interesting. You know? I also think it's, it's interesting how . . . I wonder how, [00:17:22] contrary to what people might think, that that sort of more conciliatory aspect actually works to sustain the teachings versus dissipate them? MAL: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: Because what I see where there, where there's no [00:17:37] or nominal flexibility, is then there's these sort of backlashes and waves that come back and forth, right? You know, the new group comes in and you know, they're, they're all, they're all into witchcraft, and that's it. And if you're a Christian, you're [00:17:52] out, right? In response to the Christians who are like, "Well we're Christian," you know. And especially in a group like the Aurum Solis that, at least sort of in its heyday was so founded on research, you know . . . I mean, I think that, you know, what's, what are you losing, [00:18:07] you know, by these massive sways, right? So, yeah. MAL: Right, right. You know and also you get, you know, you get buy-in from everybody when, you know, regardless of the kind of organization, right? Whether it's a business or a teaching [00:18:22] order or a church or . . . You get buy-in with conciliatory leadership. You know, people feel like they have ownership, you know, they have a stake in it, and so they care about it. Whereas if it's just: here it is, [00:18:37] it's my way or the highway and then you know, well, okay, it's your way. It's never my way at that point, no matter where I am in the organization. If I'm not on top, it's never my way. It's always, I'm doing their way and you know, we as people, we [00:18:52] tend to like our way . . . [laughing] ANDREW: Well, and especially more magically inclined people. Right?  MAL: Right. Yeah. ANDREW: You know, I think there's, there's a tendency towards ego, you know, not necessarily in a bad sense, but just ego, that [00:19:07] doesn't really, if it's not addressed in some capacity, you know? So, how did, how did you find the transition of, how did you sort of manage that transition from Tibetan Buddhist practice, which [00:19:22] is pretty, you know, which is very structured, you know, to, to kind of your other practices, which sound like there are through lines, but they weren't as rigid? If that's fair. [00:19:37]  MAL: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. [lost words--exception?] about that. Yeah, you know, actually, I think it was . . . Being on sort of those diametric poles was beneficial to me. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know, as structured and rigid as [00:19:52] Tibetan monastic life was, the Temple of Set, on the other hand, and I think why, why I enjoyed and sort of embraced what they were doing so much was because there's so much [00:20:07] more open, right? You know, you show up and one of their, their primary tenets from The Book of Coming Forth by Night is, you know, "the text of another is an affront to the self." You know, so, every, initiatory degrees, you know, [00:20:22] okay, it's time for you to be recognized as a second-degree adept. They don't confer initiations. They recognize after you've achieved something, and then they say, okay, well now, go write that initiation ritual, you know, go [00:20:37] do it. Go create it, you know, come up with your own, you know, have it, have it . . . You know, don't, don't just pull crap out of your ass, you know. There, there's, there's a very scholastic aspect to them. I think when I, when I [00:20:52] joined, I got a binder that was like, and I'm holding up my fingers. Nobody can see them. [laughing] It's like an inch and a half to two inches thick and the vast bulk of that was a reading list. ANDREW: Mm. MAL: You know, so, and part of recognition [00:21:07] is, their recognition process is, go out and read these books. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: Go out and study this material. Go find more and then come back and tell us what you think about it, you know. You know, so there's this, this, this scholarship and then this production [00:21:22] and it's really, you know, and I don't want to give the impression that it's this loosey-goosey kind of thing. But it, it is very different from the structure that I experienced in Tibetan Buddhism. Right?  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: And [00:21:37] I think I tried to incorporate some of that in in my later work and it's still something in my own personal practice and when I'm working with students, it's still something that even down to, you know, giving them offhand a reading [00:21:52] list. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: And saying, you know, pick, pick six books, or pick three books, or whatever. Read them all from different categories, and then come back and let's talk about how, you know, what [00:22:07] material from this book on this topic and this book from this incredibly different topic. How do they play together? ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  MAL: And what do you get from reading both of those back-to-back that you wouldn't have gotten from reading either one separately, [00:22:22] right? In isolation. What, what new comes out of that? And I think that's sort of been, that came out of that experience, of strict rigid practice with, with Tibetan Buddhism and then the [00:22:37] more open, but, but scholastically-informed Setianism, like, like this kind of was born out of that, and I think that has been, regardless of what I've done since, sort [00:22:52] of my, my entire method of, approach for things.  ANDREW: Mm. MAL: Does that make sense? I really feel like I'm just rambling on . . .  ANDREW: No, no, not at all. It totally makes sense. MAL: Okay cool.  ANDREW: I mean, for me I kind of went in the opposite direction. You know, I was doing ceremonial [00:23:07] stuff, you know, throwing some chaos magic, and you know, all that kind of . . . different things and then I'm, as I moved into Lukumi, and you know, the Orisha tradition that I got initiated in, it's, [00:23:22] there are just ways that things are done, you know. MAL: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: And so it's been a move away from, from that kind of structure and a stepping into that structure, and what I see is that so many people struggle with that axis. MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: You know? Like, you know, [00:23:37] for people to accept that there is a way that things are done, or, you know, in light of a tradition, the way that things are done, and that that part isn't [00:23:52] subject to conversation so much is very difficult for a lot of people, you know? MAL: But it's also a really important experience, I think. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know, I went from the founding of the AJC into East Asian esoteric [00:24:07] Buddhism, tendai [spelling?], and from their Korean Zen, you know, Seon Buddhism, and those are both, I mean, you don't get more rigid than the Japanese. ANDREW: Right.  MAL: And, but there's a purpose for that. You know, they, [00:24:23] there's this idea that when you take all of these people together and you force them to do this sort of thing, this sort of way, we kind of polish our rough edges off. ANDREW: Mm. MAL: You know, and if everybody was just allowed to go off and do their own thing, [00:24:38] you would never find your rough edges, you know, and so in practicing tendai [spelling?] Buddhism and then in going through, you know, the Zen Buddhist koan curriculum, that was, it was very rigid, there's a way [00:24:53] you do it. There's even an entire different language almost for going through koans that if you don't, if you don't know it and if you don't do it, you're not going to pass. You're not going to advance. You know, it's almost [00:25:08] like learning that language, which is both, you know, poetic and performative. You know, there's a physical aspect to it. But learning that language is what allows your brain to operate [00:25:23] in the way that it needs to operate in order to get the insight that you need to get.  ANDREW: Sure.  MAL: You know, there's no book that you could read that, that, that, you know, could tell you that. There's a story out of Daido Loori's [00:25:38] place, Zen Mountain Monastery, back when he was still alive. They had a book with all the answers to the koans in it, and somebody stole it. And one of the head monks was like, you know, ran up to Daido Roshi and was like, "Hey, you know, somebody stole the book. What are [00:25:53] we gonna do? What if they publish it?" And Loori Roshi was like, yeah, don't worry about it.  ANDREW: Mm-Hmm.  MAL: The answers aren't in the book. It doesn't matter what was written down. The answers aren't in the book.  ANDREW: Yeah.  MAL: The answers are what we see in front of us. It's like, you know, I live here in Cincinnati. [00:26:08] And, if you read a ton of books about Cincinnati, but had never been here, and then tried to pass it off, you know, in talking to somebody that was born and raised here, they'd know pretty quickly you're full of shit. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know? [00:26:23] Whereas if you've both, you know, if you've been there, if you've visited there, if you're talking about "oh, man, you know, did they finish the construction over on . . ." or you know, all of that sort of stuff that just, you know, then they're like, "oh, yeah, yeah, you've been there." So I think . . . [00:26:39] There's definitely value to "this is the way things are done" for a lot of traditional things, just because, if you don't do it that way, you don't get the experience or have the effect that it's supposed [00:26:54] to provide, you know?  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. For sure. Well, it's why, you know, my experience of memorizing tables of correspondences when I was doing ceremonial stuff, you know? MAL: [chuckles] ANDREW: I mean, on the one hand, it's like, well, why memorize [00:27:09] it, there are books, but on the other hand, it's, it preloads your cognition with a framework that stuff that wants to work within that framework can then work straight through . . .  MAL: Absolutely. ANDREW: As opposed [00:27:24] to, you know, having to attempt to bridge that gap without that extra framework there, you know? MAL: Yeah. Absolutely. ANDREW: It's possible, anybody can have a vision of, you know, take your pick, and that might be authentic and whatever, but It's [00:27:39] a lot rarer and it's really atypical, as opposed to sort of the, you know, that that more you've done the work, [lost words at 27:48? sounds like "you're fed up"?] and now they're going to show you a thing in this way.  MAL: Absolutely. Well, and you know, putting on my clinical [00:27:54] psych hat, in the middle of all of this I also went on and got various graduate degrees in psychology. We know that the thoughts that we think change the physical structure of our brains.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know, and so, memorizing [00:28:09] tables of correspondences, it's not just putting information in your head so that you can have it at quick recall. It's literally making a physical change to your brain. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: Is that physical change necessary? Is that, [00:28:24] you know, an integral component to the experience that you're trying to have? I-- Maybe not, but maybe it is, and if that's the case, if it's not just about being able to have something on immediate recall, in which case, you know, why don't [00:28:39] I just load, preload 777 on my phone?  ANDREW: Sure.  MAL: And then if I, if I need to know a correspondence, I'll pick it up. But you know, if it's not just about having that piece of information, but if it's about the change that it's affecting in your brain that is allowing [00:28:54] you to maybe perceive or experience, you know, something, then, you know, by not doing it, you're either never going to get there, or, like you said, it's going to be really damn rare that you get the experience that, you know, that [00:29:09] you're hoping for. ANDREW: Yeah. I think the, the, you know, the real answer is, the magic is in many, many parts of it, right? MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: And not just in the quote unquote secret word that activates the ritual or what, right? [00:29:24] MAL: [laughing] Exactly! ANDREW: It's got so many parts of it that that are not, they're not necessarily glamorous. They're almost never talked about overtly in books or in other contexts, right? MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: You know, I almost never see anybody talk about [00:29:39] that when I read a book about magic. It's like "yeah," and then you just like, do this thing and it'll happen. It's like, oh, maybe, maybe so.  MAL: [laughing] Yeah. Sure. It's just the magic word. You just say the word, the word.  ANDREW: Well, the bird is the word, right? That's where we'll go with that? MAL: [laughing] [00:29:56] Yeah. Well, I was going to say, Aidan Wachter recently made a post that I think brilliantly comes to this point and it was a . . . Oh, how did [00:30:11] it go? [sighs] See, I brought it up. Now I should at least be able to remember it, but it was along the lines of you know, the vast majority of success comes from mastering the basics.  ANDREW: Yes. MAL: Not from some advanced, you know, rarefied thing, you know, [00:30:26] and he was coming from it from both an esoteric and a physical, you know, point of view. And I thought it was brilliant when I saw that. ANDREW: Yeah. I remember that post. He was basically sort of saying like, you know, sure, some super custom tailored [00:30:41] fancy technique might get you this extra increase, because--it was coming from a fitness training point of view, the article that he linked to--but the reality is, you know, showing up four days a week and you know doing the basic things, [00:30:56] that's going to get you almost everything and the other stuff is, you know, especially over the arc of time, right? So.  MAL: Right. And that applies to so much of what we do, right? Just showing up and doing the basic stuff. And . . . ANDREW: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Absolutely. [00:31:13]  MAL: Oh crap, there was, where was I going to go? There was . . . ? Eh, never mind. It'll come back to me if . . . [laughing] ANDREW: Let me ask you this question, then. So . . .  MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: We've popped out this term a couple times here and there: gnostic.  MAL: Okay. ANDREW: What is, [00:31:28] what does that mean to you? What does that mean? You know, like I hear it a lot. I've seen it a lot. You know, I mean, you know, Crowley talked about it a bunch, you know different people talk about it, you know, there's the knights cathars and you know, all that stuff or whatever. [00:31:43] But what does it mean to you? What does it actually . . . What's the relevance of it at this point in time? MAL: Sure. Well, so first off a caveat, I . . . Technically, I don't even really identify myself as gnostic any more, [00:31:59] which, I suppose is actually kind of peak gnosticism, itself. ANDREW: We live in a post gnostic era? MAL: Right. And I'm glad when you asked, you asked, you know, "What does gnosticism mean to you?" Because it is [00:32:14] a . . . I mean it's . . . We apply it retroactively to a lot of ideas, right? None of the ancient texts, like none of the Gnostic Gospels say, "And I am now writing this Gnostic Gospel."  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: Or, you know . . . [00:32:30] Gnosis, for me, the way, the way I learned it, the way I taught it, and the way I experienced it, gnosis is knowledge as opposed to [00:32:45] information. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: And specifically, it's that, it's that noetic apprehension that comes after the sort of die neue [spelling?]. [00:33:00] After the intellectual information gathering and crunching and . . . It's an apprehended knowing, you know, in the spiritual sense. More mundanely, it's just knowing [00:33:15] right? It's eating peanut butter rather than having somebody read off the ingredient list of peanut butter to you. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. Yeah. The experience of it.  MAL: Yeah, you can never tell somebody else what peanut butter tastes like. ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  MAL: You can taste it then and then from then on you will forever and always [00:33:30] know what peanut butter tastes like. And that is, you know, exponentially different from knowing what goes into it. ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  MAL: And, and so, in a spiritual and in a magical sense, then, gnosis is [00:33:45] that experience, just like we were talking about, that experience that comes from doing certain things.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know, and, and it's specifically that experience that can only come from doing certain [00:34:00] things as opposed to just reading about them. Whether that's a, you know, an in esoterica or spiritual, religious, and, and oftentimes those are blended. You know, you can read about an experience [00:34:15] of the divine. Or you can have it. I think one of the most underappreciated esoteric texts out there is by St. John Chrysostom, in defense of the hesacasts. So hesacasts, heretic [00:34:30] Orthodox, not heretic but almost, near heretic Orthodox sect, who practiced hesachasm, this, this mystical combination of the Jesus prayer kind of a yoga position and breathing [00:34:45] technique that they said would allow you to experience the energies of the divine.  ANDREW: Hmm.  MAL: In fact, you know, advanced practitioners of this were said to literally physically glow, like they would just glow in the dark. And this got [00:35:00] a lot of bishops' panties in a twist and John Chrysostom wrote this brilliant defense of them, basically laying out theologically why this, this theosis, this knowing of [00:35:15] God is not heretical. You know, they're not saying they can know God, because you can't wrap a finite mind around an infinite thing, but you can experience, right? Can you hear that humming right now?  ANDREW: [00:35:30] No, from your side? No.  MAL: Yeah, so, my mic, I'm going to flick it real quick. [thump] I fixed it. Sorry, I've got a loose connector there. ANDREW: Uh huh. MAL: But, you can experience it. You can have an experience of it and he likened it to a number of different things. [00:35:45] One of them was, you know, sitting in a ray of sunshine: you know it, you can experience it. It's not all of it. Nobody's saying it is. But that, that's gnosis to me, [00:36:00] that experience.  ANDREW: So, let's, I'm gonna ask you a really unfair question. Okay? MAL: Okay. Sure.  ANDREW: So, how do people determine what is different [00:36:15] between an authentic gnosis with something, with a spirit, with god, with wherever, and a more [00:36:30] psychological, or, you know, even intellectualized engagement with it, you know? Because there's so many people who have experiences of different things, and you know, going back to your, your Zen stuff [00:36:45] and to your Tibetan stuff. There are very clear things that are markers, right? For what's an authentic experience, you know, and I even remember when I was in the Aurum Solis, I came to my teacher and I was like, I had this, I had this experience [00:37:00] with one of the archangels, and they showed up in this way. And he's like, "Great," and then he pulls out a piece of paper and shows like, pulls out a book from his notes about it and shows me what I saw. He's like, that's, that's [00:37:15] because you're, you've moved beyond your own cognitive stuff being in the way of that connection.  MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: You know? So, how do people know that, though? How do people even begin to work with that if this is a new idea for [00:37:30] them? MAL: You know, it's, the easiest way is having a teacher, right? ANDREW: Sure. MAL: There's the famous story of Gampopa and Milarepa, his, the yogi Milarepa, who was Gampopa's meditation [00:37:45] teacher and at that time, you know, the Tibetans generally don't meditate in groups. They don't do silent meditation. They get the instruction. They go away, they practice, then they come back. And Gampopa came to his, Milarepa after some time practicing, [00:38:00] and he's like, "I don't know what's going on, but I'm beset by devils constantly. This is what . . ." And Milarepa was like, "Just chill out, keep doing the practice, that that'll all go away." A few months later, Gampopa comes back again, and he was like, "Teacher, you're, you're so right. It's amazing. [00:38:15] All the devils were chased off. Now. I'm visited constantly by angels and dakinis and it's just wonderful and it's bliss." And Milarepa was like, "Uh huh, that's cool. Just keep practicing, that will go away."  ANDREW: Sure.  MAL: You know, having that that teacher that can that can guide you . . . [00:38:30] You know, in Buddhism, especially in Tibetan Buddhism, emptiness, shunyata, big deal, and having an experience of emptiness is a big deal. Like this is [00:38:45] one of the major mileposts and the literature is just scattered with warnings about, you know, don't intellectualize this, don't intellectualize this, because [00:39:00] when you do, when you get an idea in your head of what that experience is, you reify it and then you're stuck, right? You're stuck with that idea. And you think "Oh, I have had this experience and therefore . . ." You know, and without [00:39:15] sort of that external verification by somebody else who's been there, right? Without talking about Cincinnati with somebody who's also been there, you know and confirm: Yes. Absolutely. I know exactly the street corner you're talking about, or you know, whatever, you can easily [00:39:30] be led astray.  How, how does somebody working on their own do this? Well, that's tough, you know, at that point, I think you have to, [00:39:45] I think initially approach, you know, unverified personal gnosis, UPG, with skepticism. ANDREW: Yeah. MAL: You know, I think that has to be the default when you're on your own, no matter how amazingly lifelike and 3D [00:40:00] this apparition was, or like, initially approach it with some degree of skepticism, keeping in your mind, well, this could just be wishful thinking or this could be, you know, whatever, [00:40:15] and then give it time, right? If it was a teaching, if it was a practice, if it . . . Does it bear out? ANDREW: Yeah. MAL: Are there, are there, are there are external things that coincide with it? If you . . . You know, you're given a vision of this, you know, amazing new practice [00:40:30] and then the very next day somebody randomly starts talking to you about, you know, a symbol which is exactly like the linchpin for that practice or, you know, you know, somebody brings you something that you [00:40:45] specifically need in order to . . . You know, you look for confirmation still from outside, even if it's not from a specific like teacher in a lineage of a thing . . . ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You're still looking for that external confirmation. [00:41:00] And it may not be for years and years and years that all of a sudden something happens and then it clicks and you're like, oh my God, I had that dream, you know, three years ago about this and then here is this . . . [00:41:15] Holy crap. This is a, you know, okay, then you go with it. But no, if otherwise, if somebody shows up and just says, "hey, you're the chosen one," or you know, you're yet another incarnation of Alistair, or you know, whatever, [00:41:30] you know, maybe keep that in your back pocket. ANDREW: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I think that that time will tell, right? MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: Time will tell. We'll see if this holds the test of time, for sure. MAL: Right, you know, and you can have, I think, amazing personal experiences that are meaningful [00:41:45] to you.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: That you never say anything to anyone about or do anything with. And that's okay.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: They don't have to be huge revelations. Or they don't have to be, you know, even if it was something that was just the product of your own mind, [00:42:01] maybe it's useful to you. But again, yeah, I think that in order to tell the difference between genuine, a genuine experience of gnosis, like that, yeah, it's external confirmation. ANDREW: And so, [00:42:16] that brings back sort of one of the other questions that I wanted to check in about: what role does lineage play, for you, in all of these things? I mean, I know in my Lukumi lineage, you know, lineage is everything. You know? I mean [00:42:31] you are, you are, in that, in my tradition, you are initiated into the lineage. MAL: Right. ANDREW: You know, lineage becomes your family, and, and that changes so many different dynamics because of it. You know, it's not just like, it's not just [00:42:46] about the information that was passed from person to person, but it's actually the license to practice certain things, the requirement to practice them in a certain way in accordance with lineage, and a connection to all of those spirits who carried that [00:43:01] lineage forward, you know? MAL: Right. ANDREW: So it's a, it's a very living dynamic thing. What role does lineage play for you? And, and what do you see as its sort of values and challenges? You know?  MAL: Wow. [00:43:17] I'm going to cheat and refer back to something that I wrote a while ago. ANDREW: Which is always welcome.  MAL: Okay, cool. I tend to think in terms of three different kinds of lineage for any organization.  ANDREW: Yeah. MAL: Physical lineage, [00:43:33] practice lineage, and, you know, ultimate or primordial lineage, right? Which, so, and what do I mean by these? The physical lineage is just the people, the stuff, right? The boots on the ground, the people doing the thing, the [00:43:48] buildings, the, you know, the institution. The practice lineage is the stuff they tell you to do. Right? These are the, these are the teachings that ideally have been, you know, tried, [00:44:03] tested, passed on, initiatory aspects of initiatory power, right? That are meant to facilitate things. Obeah or apostolic succession. These are all conferrals of a power [00:44:18] meant to facilitate something. Sorry. I'm going to thump the mic here again. ANDREW: I think you might be picking up on the, someone's running a shop vac or something downstairs. I'm also hearing that in the background.  MAL: [00:44:33] Then I'll trust it's on your end and not mine.  ANDREW: Yeah.  MAL: So, yeah, the practice lineage there. And then the primordial lineage is what you're ultimately connecting to via these three things, [00:44:48] right? So, the physical lineage exists primarily to transmit to the people it brings in. The practice lineage, which then facilitates connection to the [00:45:03] primordial lineage. And, you know, the first two exist ultimately . . . They function only to the point that they do those things, right? If at any point a physical institution loses its connection [00:45:18] to the primordial lineage, they're dead. Right? It's just a, it's a fossil. It's a club. It's a, it's, you know, it's cosplay or whatever. If the practices [00:45:34] no longer facilitate connecting you to that primordial lineage, then they're not doing their thing, right? They don't work anymore.  But then once that connection to the primordial lineage is made, at that [00:45:49] point, new practice lineages and new physical lineages can be instituted. Without that connection, they can't be. You know, this is, this is one of those things that, like in Buddhism, people, [00:46:04] there's this idea from people outside of it. For example, tons of sutra is attributed to the Buddha, but he, you know, we know historically he didn't say these things. The Buddha didn't write that. The Lotus Sutra isn't taught by the . . . But no, technically, yeah, he did, because [00:46:19] within . . . You know, the game rules of Buddhism state [chuckling] that there is only one Enlightenment, right? Buddha means awakened. Once you have had that experience, right, once you're connected [00:46:34] to that primordial lineage, there's no difference between you and Siddhartha Gautama, right? So, if you have legitimately had that experience within the game rules, you can write something today and [00:46:49] say this is a text by the Buddha.  ANDREW: Mmm. MAL: And that's, you know, 100% legit. There are institutions [00:47:06] where I think you can bypass some of this, but I find them to be so phenomenally rare. Right? The person that just [00:47:21] stumbles upon either a practice lineage that works to connect them to a primordial lineage, or, or, you know . . . Okay, a big example of this, you know, with what I'm doing now, apostolic [00:47:36] succession is a huge thing. Right? There is a conferral of authority and power with that, without which, none of the other sacraments will be there. Period. Full stop. Yet, [00:47:51] within broader Christianity, very few people question the legitimacy of Paul as an apostle. Because in the middle of his, you know, previous [00:48:06] life as a, and I don't know if you can hear the air quotes I put around that, [chuckles] as a, you know, assassin for hire, he had this vision, on, was it, the [00:48:21] the road to Emmaus? [He means Damascus. The road to Emmaus is where Jesus appeared after his resurrection.] I think. Anyway, he had this vision of Christ and he converted and now he's an apostle.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: And I think most, most people in the broader Christian world: "Okay, we'll accept that." You won't find any apostolic lineages, [00:48:36] I believe, tracing themselves back to Paul. I'd be surprised if you did, but you know, nobody lists him as an apostle with an asterisk by his name, kind of thing. ANDREW: Right. MAL: But you also then don't hear about this happening [00:48:51] all the damn time.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know, nobody spontaneously . . . Well, damn it, okay. The gnostic revival in France in the 19th century, [laughing] Jules Doinel. Yeah. Okay, he claimed it. But then, even [00:49:06] he went on to get actual apostolic succession. So. You know, I think it's rare. It's more rare than people think.  ANDREW: I think there's a big difference between a connection to spirit, [00:49:23] you know, and even a spirit that might have, you know, like, you know, I mean, I'm certainly not the reincarnation of Crowley, but perhaps, perhaps I could connect to his spirit in a way, and his, his Spirit could act as [00:49:38] a guide and an animating force in my work, you know?  MAL: Absolutely, yeah. ANDREW: I'm not saying that that happens per se, but, but that could happen. And that is not uncommon, you know. MAL: Right. ANDREW: [00:49:53] Like there, there are lots of things you know, where . . . MAL: But, when those things do happen . . .  ANDREW: Yeah.  MAL: But when that does happen, there's a lot that preceded that.  ANDREW: Yes. MAL: Right? It doesn't, it doesn't happen to, you know, the random grocery [00:50:08] store clerk who has, you know, never even picked up a copy of book four, or you know, whatever. Right? ANDREW: For sure. And, but that experience is also not necessarily the same as the experience of the [00:50:23] connection to that primordial, you know, energy or the current even though if I was connecting to Crowley, I'm connecting to you know, the prophet of Thelema, that doesn't mean that I'm actually connected [00:50:38] to that step behind that, you know? MAL: Right. Right. ANDREW: And I think that . . . I think that's also an interesting distinction, you know, and that's where lineage and traditional initiation facilitate that.  MAL: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: You know, because you may connect to that current, possibly, as you [00:50:53] say, there are examples, but I think there's a big difference between connecting to a spirit that engages your work and guides you and something sort of one step further beyond that into that lineage, that [00:51:08] deeper force, you know? MAL: Right. And, and access to one aspect of a lineage also doesn't necessarily confer access to another aspect of lineage. So, for, you know, I have [00:51:23] apostolic succession via the episcopi vagantes, you know, right, the wandering bishops. And we may trace our lineage, you know, even up into, you know popes in Rome, but that doesn't make me [00:51:38] a Roman Catholic bishop. Right, that's the physical institution, and even though I might have access to both primordial or, you know, both practice and primordial lineage there, that grants me absolutely no standing whatsoever in the physical, you [00:51:54] know, lineage kind of thing, which is something I think a lot of people tend to forget, especially in the independent sacramental movement. They tend to not get that these things are [00:52:09] . . . They're disparate. They're separate. They're discrete things. Yes. Generally they're connected and hopefully, you know, if you get involved in one, it is, but yeah, if you stumble across it, if you just happen to meet up with some guy in [00:52:24] a, you know, hotel bar in Ontario and get, this sounds so bad now that I'm saying it out loud, get invited back up to his hotel room to get consecrated as a bishop one night . . . [laughing] Great. [00:52:39] You know, that doesn't mean, you know, you can show up at the Vatican and be like, you know, where's my room?  ANDREW: Like, yeah, that dude. He initiated 50 people that week. Come on!  MAL: [laughing] Right? [00:52:54] Yeah. So. It's, you know, lineage is, lineage is important. And, you know, I'm sure you could make the case that even though I'm breaking it down into three different things that you could say, well, they're really all the different aspects of the same thing, [00:53:09] and you could probably break it down even, you know, you could break it into four different aspects or two or whatever. But you know, in general, I think, for those three reasons at least, lineage is important, especially [00:53:24] in religious, spiritual, and, and esoteric bodies wherein the point is connection with something higher, with that primordial aspect. If, you know, if the point is just [00:53:39] education, then, you know, lineage is, you know, by-the-book kind of. Like the modern grimoire revival. There's no living lineage, you know, Solomonic lineage that's [00:53:54] passing this kind of thing . . . No, it's: you find the book, you, as best you can, decipher what the hell they're talking about.  ANDREW: Uh-huh.  MAL: You do it as best you can and you hope like hell you have an experience similar to what they said you're going to have. And that's [00:54:09] kind of it. The book, at that point, is the lineage until, you know, you make that connection. The book then is the practice lineage. There is no physical institution, you know, physical aspect of it. And then, you know, hopefully you do the practice until [00:54:24] you get that that connection that then continues in your work. You know, I think a physical institution could happen, but it's not necessary. So I guess even in that [00:54:39] sense, there is a lineage or just accessing it through the information that's passed on through both having the right book, having the, the brains to figure out what the hell it's saying, and then having the guts to follow through and do what it's saying. [00:54:54]  ANDREW: Yeah, I mean I tend to look at some of that stuff as more, more technological, right?  MAL: Mm-hmm.  ANDREW: Like, I mean more in that second realm of the practice.  MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: Than the lineage, because I think [00:55:09] that you can, to some extent, plug some of that into whatever lineage you, you might have access to, right? Or whatever sort of primordial elements you would have access to, you know? MAL: Right. ANDREW: When I was very interested in those kinds of things, [00:55:25] you know, I was, I was not interested in the Golden Dawn. I was very interested in Thelema. And, so I would just go through and swap out all the words, you know, the words that weren't Thelemic for words that were Thelemic and do work in that direction, [00:55:40] and then use that, that sort of connection to that primordial juice and that piece of it to you know, you know, call up whomever and be like, hey, listen, by the power of Babylon you're going to do this, or whatever . . . MAL: [laughing] ANDREW: You know, and, and [00:55:55] I think that's possible, because it's, it becomes, the grimoire stuff can be more technological maybe than sort of lineage-based necessarily.  MAL In general, I tend to think tech is tech. [00:56:10] But you know, then again there are lineages where, without having the appropriate lineage, it doesn't matter what knowledge or information you have, it's not gonna work, or it's not going to work the way you want it to. You know, when you look at, [00:56:25] you know, Tibetan Buddhist magic, or just Tibetan Buddhist practice, you know, if, if you're, if you don't have the empowerment of a particular deity, the practice is at best ineffectual [00:56:40] and at worst dangerous, because you're in effect, you know, trying to contact these, these powerful personalities and they don't know who the hell you are.  ANDREW: Right. MAL: Right? It would be, it [00:56:55] would be like showing up at, I don't know, pick a, pick a powerful, a famous powerful person who could be dangerous to you. I immediately, I don't want to make this political, I immediately think Trump. [laughing] [00:57:10] Not that you can, anybody, I don't, you know what? I'm not even going to go there. Um, but yeah, you pick a person with temporal power. All right, prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. He seems like a really nice guy. [00:57:25] Right? I mean everybody in Canada seems so super nice to us here in the hinterlands, but I bet as nice as he is, if I went to Canada, and I saw him on the street, if I came running up to [00:57:40] him at full tilt saying, hey Justin, let me . . . You know, trying to get . . . I'm thinking there's some people that would tackle me to the ground.  ANDREW: Exactly. Yeah. MAL: You know, and so, you know, the empowerment, that connection to that lineage at that point is the facilitation of that contact, right? It's somebody [00:57:55] coming in who has that connection, somebody who's saying, hey, you know what? Let me introduce you to my good friend, Mr. Trudeau. ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  MAL: And then, once they facilitated the introduction and we've shared a couple of drinks or whatever, at that point, you know, I can then, you know, wave from him [00:58:10] from across the street and maybe he'll remember me and then we bump into each other, you know, that sort of thing.  ANDREW: Sure.  MAL: And, and I'm absolutely convinced that Tibetan Buddhism can't be the only place where something like that is, is [00:58:25] required, where if you don't have the hook-up, if you don't have the official connection to that lineage through the prescribed means, you know, best of luck to you.  ANDREW: Yeah, yeah. Something might happen, but who's [00:58:40] to say what it is and yeah, how it's going to go.  MAL: Yeah. And whether or not you wanted it! [chuckling] ANDREW: Exactly, exactly, for sure. So, we've been, we've been chatting for a long time, because this has been really lovely, and I want to ask you one more question before we wrap it up though. [00:58:55]  MAL: Sure. ANDREW: Because there's one other thing we haven't gotten to, which I was delightfully enjoying on your Facebook, which is these various statements of gnostic belief, [00:59:10] you know, or the sort of, you know, where you're discussing how you believe in, you know, this, the fallen angel, and the energy that comes with that, and how you believe in Christ in this way, and how you believe [00:59:25] in, you know what I mean? If we think about the apostles' creed, we have a very clear example of a statement in that direction, but you know, all sorts of traditions have their own. But your seemingly contradictory, [00:59:41] from some people's perspective, ideas about the nature of the universe, really both sort of tickled my fancy . . . MAL: [chuckles] ANDREW:  And, [laughing] if that's, if that's not a weird thing to say and reflected [00:59:56] a bunch of my own kind of contradictory or apparently contradictory notions about it. So I'm curious what, what you were looking to do as you were expressing that and sort of what kinds of beliefs you have around, [01:00:11] you know, the nature of the universe in that kind of construct.  MAL: In general, I have a very dim view of belief. [laughing] I think they're very dangerous things, people ought to stop having them. ANDREW: Uh-huh. MAL: [01:00:27] And when I post that . . . I think one of the worst things that ever happened to the world was--and this is ironic, I think, coming from me--is Christianity and its emphasis on creeds. You know, Christianity was weird for any number of things, when it arrived on the [01:00:42] scene, but one of the things that it was most weird for was that it was a creedal religion. It was, you know, it pivoted around what people believe as opposed to what people did. It wasn't performative. And, you know, this idea of having right belief [01:00:57] then is something that came into play and, you know, I think history has shown us what a dangerous thing requiring right belief can be. ANDREW: Sure. MAL: And then determining that. When I post [01:01:12] shit like that, and I feel absolutely justified in calling it that, a lot of times it's just to kind of work out for myself what's been bouncing around in my head, what's going on at the time, [01:01:27] and also looking for a little bit of that sort of external verification, right? If everybody responded with a what are you on? or did you not sleep last night? or is that . . . You know, then I know, okay, this is maybe a little bit out there, but then when I get responses [01:01:42] like, you know, that really tickled my fancy, or you know, that's a sign that, okay, you know, maybe, maybe I might have figured a little bit of something out, or maybe I might have glimpsed a little bit of something here. And I think [01:01:57] having creeds that don't fit together nicely works together well for me. And by creed, you know, having beliefs that are paradoxical, that, that aren't, you know, that are sometimes juxtaposed [01:02:12] against each other, is beneficial. I mean, it goes back to, I think what I was talking about with my own sort of practice, where you know, you take these two disparate things, you take these two different books, two diametrically opposed . . . See what comes out of it. [01:02:27] See what, see what you make from it. And I think a lot of times, the thing that makes something paradoxical is really just a limitation of our language. ANDREW: Sure. MAL: You know, [01:02:43] I get a lot of, I think I get the most push back, for example, with the Church of Light and Shadow, which is, you know, my newest endeavor, because I talk about the morning star and people [01:02:58] are like, well, okay, you seem to be implying that this is both Jesus and Lucifer, which is it? And I'm kind of like well, yeah, you know, we have this tradition that Lucifer is the Fallen Angel. However, [01:03:14] there's only one figure in the Bible who ever identified themselves as the Morning Star.  ANDREW: Mmm.  MAL: That's Christ in the Book of Revelation. ANDREW: Sure. MAL: You know, and the more I sat with that and their specific [01:03:29] roles and functions, especially the. you know, not, not the, not the Satan of you know, the HaSatan or you know of, the opposer of . . . ANDREW: Or Anton LaVey.  MAL: Right. Yeah, but this . . . [01:03:44] more the Lucifer of Milton and Dante, and, you know, the very popular romantic Promethean myth of Lucifer that we have today. That is very much a Christ figure [01:03:59] when you look at the role that Christ played. Right? Christ did not show up and be like, "You know, what? All right, everybody just do what the temple priests say, and follow . . ." You know, he was very much an ego-driven [01:04:16] individual. I mean, we can consider the gospels as spurious as we would like as far as whether or not this figure, Jesus, actually said these things. But the [01:04:31] one thing that you know, like when you get to, like the Jesus scholars, that came together and try to figure out well, what's most likely that he said? One of the things that they had pinpointed as most likely coming from Jesus, based on what we know of the context, and what got passed . . . [01:04:47] His doing away with the old law and saying, "A new law I give to you," right? "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and love your neighbor as yourself." [01:05:03]  And what people gloss over here is, it's not saying, love your neighbor, which by that he means that everybody, right, love everybody else. He's not saying love them more than yourself. He's not saying debase yourself before . . . He's saying love them [01:05:19] as yourself. And if you don't love yourself a great deal, you're gonna be shitty at loving anybody else.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know, how Luciferian is that? You know, he . . . [01:05:34] And so looking at these two figures in that way, looking at them both as, as light bringers . . . You know, in fact, it was really, it was not until I looked at [01:05:50] the gospels and teaching of, teachings of Jesus from a Luciferian perspective, that they really started to make sense to me. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: Does that make sense?  ANDREW: It does. It does, for sure.  MAL: And so, I think there's, [01:06:05] there's, there's definitely something there, and this, this perspective is not new. I did not make this up. ANDREW: Sure. MAL: This idea of having a, you know, a sacramental Christian Church practicing [01:06:20] folk magic is also not new, you know, magic and Christianity have been tied together for as long as they're . . .  ANDREW: Catholics everywhere. Right?  MAL: Right. Yeah. I mean, I think I commented recently on Facebook that you know, if you're not ready to accept that Christianity [01:06:35] is a weird necromantic cult, then you're not ready to study church history.  ANDREW: Yeah. MAL: But when looking around for this, you know, for something that really embodied and [01:06:50] embraced that, I couldn't find it. There's nothing, you know, like there's, there's, there's nothing out there. There are Catholic witches that are, you know, going to mass, and you know, practicing in private or in secret, [01:07:05] and there are Christian witches, but there's no organization that's embracing both of these things. And the more I kept looking for this, and the more I kept posting, you know, both things like, you know what? I believe this and I believe this and the more [01:07:20] feedback I kept getting from people saying, you know, yeah. Yeah, me too! Where's that from? This ought to be a thing! ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: And you know, I'm a firm believer that we have enough independent apostolic [01:07:35] Christian churches running around. I don't know how familiar you are with the independent sacramental movement, but in general, you know, you end up with jurisdictions of one, somebody belongs to a church long enough to get consecrated a bishop. [01:07:50] And then they're out of there so they can go do things the right way. ANDREW: They had a great experience while they were in Vegas from somebody they met in the bar.  MAL: [chuckling] Right? Next thing, you know, then they're off.  ANDREW: Yeah. MAL: You know, and so, I get in trouble, I get [01:08:05] people in the independent sacramental movement angry with me when I tell them, you know, look, if it's really about the mission, like you say it is, you would stop what you're doing, find a larger church that's actually already doing this, and doing it a lot better because they've got the bodies [01:08:20] and the resources, and you'd join them, you're doing this just for the title. And so I was, I was loathe to start yet another church. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. MAL: You know.  ANDREW: Well, and I think just before [01:08:35] you move past that point, too . . . MAL: Yeah. ANDREW: And I think there's also value in doing a thing like becoming a bishop for yourself.  MAL: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. That's great too. ANDREW: You know, I mean, many many Orisha practitioners become priests for their own [01:08:50] well-being, you know, and that's fantastic, but be clear about that, and then go from there, you know.  MAL: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely, you know, I went for years ordaining people and limiting their faculties. [01:09:05] So, when you're ordained a priest, you receive faculties or permissions from the bishop that tells you what you can and can't do, basically. And I would ordain esoteric practitioners who just [01:09:20] wanted that, that plug into apostolic succession for their own spiritual and magical practice. And I would, you know, I would tell them well, okay, great, but without any sort of pastoral education, I'm not going to license you [01:09:35] to do any sort of pastoral work. [laughs] You don't get to go start a church, you can say mass in your home privately, that sort of thing, that's fine. Just go be a private priest. And it took a lot to move me away from that [01:09:50] and, and decide, okay, you know what? I think I am. I think there's enough momentum around this to do something about it, to found it. I'm a firm believer in, if you have an idea for something great, and nobody else has done or is [01:10:05] doing it, maybe that's a sign it's supposed to be you. And after poking around and getting enough encouragement, I decided all right, screw it, we're going to do it. But if we're going to do it, this is how it's going to happen.  ANDREW: You'

A man Xeroxed his face then left it behind after he broke into a business.  Doctors saved carpenters severed hand by attaching it to his groin.  Philly McDonald's worker fired for dragging a customer out by his feet.  Man in France spent 5 days with his head wedged in a step ladder.

The last time Kate and Betsy saw a Dr. Seuss book they were reading If I Ran the Zoo. Not an auspicious beginning for the usually good doctor. In the course of this particular book, Kate manages to locate a place where Seuss got lazy and Xeroxed one of his two-page spreads (something Betsy had never noticed before). There is also talk about Thurl Ravenscroft (and how dead he is), odd Grinch theories, like the fact that his heart may expand and shrink regularly, and are these chimneys essentially pneumatic tubes that suck up the bags? One of our favorite episodes in a long time. Show Notes: - This book appeared at #61 on the Top 100 Picture Books Poll: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/05/23/top-100-picture-books-61-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-by-dr-seuss/ - Ask and the universe will provide. Here is Zero Mostel reading The Grinch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hts_sj-0_14 - And heck. While we're on the subject, here's Walter Matthau reading The Grinch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuq3AqIjtAg - Halloween is Grinch Night! Betsy still harbors a weird affection for this. Partly because Hans Conried (who starred in the live action Seuss film The 10,000 Fingers of Dr. T) did the Grinch's voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygSEkwRCQPM For the complete Show Notes please visit: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/12/18/fuse-8-n-kate-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-by-dr-seuss/

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Let's face it… we are all going digital whether we like it or not. Everything about our relationships, professions, family, and now even our classrooms is digital. Due to the fact that we need to look at a screen for any piece of entertainment or knowledge these days it's time to redefine what exactly is and isn't in the world of educational technology. Let's first go back in time together. Here is a question I want you to think long and hard about. What is the machine called that sits in your schools main office that generally gets kicked, poked, and cursed at on a minute by minute basis? Correct Answer: It's called a Copy Machine! Wrong Answer: It's called a Xerox Machine What's the difference? Back in “the day” I remember teachers telling their students that they just “Xeroxed” the days assignments. I can even remember working in the “copy center” at Staples where customer after customer would come up and ask for a “Xerox” of their latest and greatest. The point I'm trying to make here is this: Let's call things by their proper name and identify what is … and what isn't. What Exactly IS a website again???Today, most school districts require teachers to have websites. There seems to be a grey area in this. What is a website? What isn't a website? In one of our recent posts (https://www.teachercast.net/the-great-edtech-debate-google-sites-vs-google-classroom-vs-blogger/) , we examined the difference between three of Google's free online content management tools to see what is a “website” and what the definition of a website should be. The blog post featured 3 highly respected educators each examining the in's and out's of Google Classroom, Google Sites, and Google's Blogger platform. The answer was a unanimous obvious conclusion that Google Classroom and Blogger are not “Websites” they are other things completely. The only “Website” tool of the three was Google Sites. This, of course, created much outcry from the Google Community with questions such as “What do you mean Classroom isn't a website?” and “What do you mean I don't have a website?” The Typical Teacher WebsiteFor many teachers, they are given a “webspace” from their district where they put up some information about their class including contact information and a syllabus. For many teachers, they never touch it until the following summer. As one principal recently asked me “Isn't that a website?” My response was “No… that is a poster.” The principal then asked me what my definition of a “website” really is. I explained that if an acceptable teacher “website” is a place where they can post basic information about their class including contact information and a syllabus… then they could easily set up a Facebook page, or a Twitter account with only 1 tweet, or perhaps take a photo of their desk and post if on Instagram and call each of those things their official class website. They don't tell anymore or less information about the class than a general welcome page would. A website, when used and created properly served as your digital book from which your lessons and actives would be tied to. A website is an interactive, living, breathing part of your classroom. A Website is not a blogroll and it is not a document management center. Does this mean that I don't like Google Classroom? Does this mean that I have a bounty on Blogger? Of course not. I use Google Classroom every day and I have created several for the projects I'm using in my district this year. I think it's awesome and amazing. I am even lobbying for the option of embedding the Google Classroom stream ON a website such as Google Sites of WordPress…. just think of the possibilities for total digital harmony. What do you think educators?On this episode of Ask The Tech Coach, we examine exactly what a website is and what a website isn't. Join...

Don’t worry, no one is calling anyone a “whore” this episode of After Deck, but Jen Howell does stop by give Kate her interpretation of some of the most memorable moments of Season 5 of Below Deck, including what set her off on the latest crew night out. Kate and Jen have some fun and play “Never Have I Ever: Workplace Edition” and Kate finds out what body parts Jen has Xeroxed on the office copier. They also discuss dating and give a whole new meaning to “recycling.”Tweet your questions to @AfterDeckTweets and vote for your choice for Yachtie and Dinghy of the Week.Get the latest updates on Below Deck: http://www.bravotv.com/below-deck

Movie Meltdown - Episode 399 This week we are coming to you "live" from WonderFest where we are joined by this week's special guest... actor Brian Howe. One of the hardest working and most impressive actors in the business, Brian's been featured in Westworld, Catch Me If You Can, The Pursuit of Happyness, American Horror Story, Gran Torino, Annabelle, K-PAX, The Majestic, Déjà Vu, Evan Almighty, Lie to Me, Criminal Minds, Masters of Sex, House of Lies, The Newsroom, Nikita, Justified - and of course, he's one of the cast of regulars in the Larry Blamire films (The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, Dark and Stormy Night, Trail of the Screaming Forehead, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again). And in between our bouts of clowning around and being a dork, we also bring up... Spielberg's shooting style, that was paramount to me, one of them practically Xeroxed her rolodex, anything I could do - I did, Tony Scott, laying the groundwork, a cast of small town lunatics, Larry Moss, Summer stock theater in the Poconos, Fay Masterson, striking up the band, David Mamet, Trish Geiger, one big scene with Denzel, working in tandem, Kevin Spacey, Spy Hard, America's most beloved action figure, the quiet scary moments, Jim Carrey, State and Main, the bloom is off the rose, it was tremendous fun... blood all over the place, Frank Darabont, The Conjuring Universe, hours were long... temperatures were torturous, it was like the biggest most lumbering independent film I'd ever been involved with, when a casting director goes the extra mile, Kerry O'Malley, fly wrangler, that's how we got our revenge for his, rather indelicate criticism... of our work, a benevolent madman, K-Pax, snow in Pasadena, straight and kind of silly or full absurd, messing with Gabriele Muccino, a sustained level of dread, had to have a fake car to pick him up, one thing, with persistence, does actually lead to another, Will Smith, a state of trust, houses can have bad mojo, Clint Eastwood, my favorite... boy I'm making a Hollywood movie moment, Jeff Bridges, shooting for a dollar and a bucket of chicken, gettin' the laughs and singin' the songs, self-consuming hybrids and Tom Hanks goes mad. "I don't expect to be the big star... but I'll be the big star's neighbor." Follow Brian on Twitter at: twitter.com/BrianHoweActor For more on WonderFest go to: wonderfest.com

Episode #37: When recording engineer Larry Crane started Tape Op Magazine in 1996, he printed the first issue on legal paper and Xeroxed 500 copies to send to his friends. Branded as “the creative music recording magazine,” that first issue set Tape Op up to be one of the best resources for new and established engineers, gaining a readership of over 60,000. On this episode of The Future of What, we celebrate Tape Op's 20th anniversary with an extended interview with Crane. We talk about what it takes to sustain an independent (free!) publication, adapting to new technology in recording, and why he has continued to distribute print issues. We also talk to longtime Tape Op admirers and notable producers Tucker Martine and Tyler Stone. Subscribe to The Future of What on iTunes: http://apple.co/1P4Apk0 Follow us: Twitter: http://bit.ly/2gOYMYM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefutureofwhat/ Instagram: http://bit.ly/1L6T8fl

Finally, the DC Bloodlines Podcast reveals its greater scope than just one 1993 event, but rather a mandate to cover the under-served DCU by looking at the earliest published (and especially the unpublished) comics of what was intended to be the first super-heroine series for a character of African decent, Mari McCabe: The Vixen! We start with the aborted 1978 first issue created by Gerry Conway & Bob Oksner from the second Xeroxed collection of "Cancelled Comic Cavalcade" and the rejected early '80s "The Power Squad" proposal before her accessible comics debut in 1981's Action Comics #521 and her second team-up with Superman in 1984's DC Comics Presents #68, plus supplemental material from Back Issue Magazine #40! Spill Some Blood!!!* *across social media only. Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or probe @rolledspine as a group. Email Diabolu Rolled Spine Podcasts Facebook, which Frank hates and has nothing to do with. If the main The DC Bloodlines blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/diabolu-frank/message

Finally, the DC Bloodlines Podcast reveals its greater scope than just one 1993 event, but rather a mandate to cover the under-served DCU by looking at the earliest published (and especially the unpublished) comics of what was intended to be the first super-heroine series for a character of African decent, Mari McCabe: The Vixen! We start with the aborted 1978 first issue created by Gerry Conway & Bob Oksner from the second Xeroxed collection of "Cancelled Comic Cavalcade" and the rejected early '80s "The Power Squad" proposal before her accessible comics debut in 1981's Action Comics #521 and her second team-up with Superman in 1984's DC Comics Presents #68, plus supplemental material from Back Issue Magazine #40!This episode's non-paying advertisers:Ultimate Spin: The Spider-Man comic book podcast about Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen StacyBlack Nerd PowerWild Pod: A Wild Dog PodcastTask Force X Spill Some Blood!!!**across social media only.Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or probe @rolledspine as a group.Email DiaboluRolled Spine Podcasts Facebook, which Frank hates and has nothing to do with.If the main DC Bloodlines blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

When recording engineer Larry Crane started Tape Op Magazine in 1996, he printed the first issue on legal paper and Xeroxed 500 copies to send to his friends. Branded as “the creative music recording magazine,” that first issue set Tape Op up to be one of the best resources for new and established engineers, gaining a readership of over 60,000. On this episode of The Future of What, we celebrate Tape Op's 20th anniversary with an extended interview with Crane. We talk about what it takes to sustain an independent (free!) publication, adapting to new technology in recording, and why he has continued to distribute print issues. We also talk to longtime Tape Op admirers and notable producers Tucker Martine, Tyler Stone, and Dave Gross. Featuring music recorded at Jackpot! by: The Corin Tucker Band The Thermals Witchypoo

Pastor Jeff Williams: March 21, 2010 Meet the Ephesians, Part XXV: Tychicus: Portrait of a Servant. We are going to be finishing up Ephesians this morning. We have been in this series forever, forever! But you know the nice thing about Ephesians is were always changing topics. Each chapter, each verse, theres something new to talk about. I hope when you go back through the Book-and that you will do that-youre going to remember, Oh, yeah. I remember about that person. Yeah, I remember about that situation. I hope itll just come alive to you. Thats my hope and prayer. Lets pray together: Father, as we now come to the Book of Ephesians again, were thankful for this series that weve been on-this journey, the things that we have learned and discovered about ourselves and discovered about Your Word, and about this important strategic church-about how they change from Pagan idol worship and the worship of the goddess, Diana, the goddess Artemis, to the worship of the living God. We learned about how the struggles they faced are the struggles we face and how they overcame. Lord, again this morning as we close out this series, Father, help us to understand Your Word, apply Your Word indulgently, and live it out. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen. The year was 1974. I was a freshman at Rockford East High School. I was part of the basketball team there. We had a very stiff competition in our school. Our school was a large school. There were 900 and some plus in my freshman class alone, so it was very competitive when it came time for sports. Thered be over 60 boys that would try out for that freshman team. We were very successful. We won in almost every sport there was-track, wrestling, basketball, football. We were a power house in the city. Our football team was undefeated. They dominated all the Chicago schools. Ten guys from that team played Division 1 football. Four guys were drafted by the NFL from one team. One of them played here in Wisconsin, Ira Matthews. He played for the Badgers. We just dominated. A young man by the name of Brad Muzzarelli became hooked on Rockford East athletics. He really couldnt play sports. He was a little bit slow. He was a special needs student there at the school. He was a short, stocky guy-not athletic at all. He was just a little bit different. Muzzy was a nice kid, but you could just tell that he was just a little bit different from the rest of us. He got so attached to athletics that he decided he was going to be the manager year after year on our basketball team and our football team. He was very faithful, but I cant say that we really esteemed him. I cant say we really valued him. He was just a manager, and we looked at him like, Were the stars. Were the athletes. Were the important ones. Youre just the manager. Youre the guy that fills our water bottles. Youre the guy that gets our towels and picks up our towels when were done with them. Youre the guy that gets the basketballs for us. Youre Muzzy. We were nice to him. We were respectable to him, but it was more like, Hey, Muzzy, get my towel. Hey Muzzy, this ball is flat. Put some air in it, would you, buddy? Hey Muzz, can you get some more water here? Im out. So Muzz was kinda like our servant, you know? He was going around filling things and taking care of things. The coach would say, Hey, Muzzy. I forgot my whistle on my desk. Could you go get it? Hey, Muzzy. How many time outs do we have left in this half? Muzzy was always there. You could always count on the Muzz. Season after season, year after year, Muzzy was on the sidelines. Muzzy was on the bench. Muzzy was in the practice. We got to know Muzz. He was just a part of the school. Youd see him in his letter jacket. He wore it with such pride. In 1976-he was two years older than I-it was his graduating class. I remember being a senior and seeing Muzzy still hanging around. I was thinking 1976 and 1978, You graduated two years ago. Muzzy, what are you still doing here? How long are you going to do this high school thing, Muzz? Hed just smile and laugh, but he was still serving as a manager. I didnt think too much about high school after I graduated. I didnt really follow the athletic history there. I lost track of Mr. Muzzarelli. I certainly kept contact with some of my friends, and this past week we were getting together to do our NCAA picks-the annual trash talking and all that. I drove to Rockford, and we sat down at the restaurant. We filled out our brackets together as weve been doing since 1982. They said, You know Muzzy died. I said, Youre kidding! He was 52 years old. I said, How did Muzzy die? They said he died of cancer. They said, You know, up until his death, he was still the manager for the basketball and the football teams. I said, Youve got to be kidding me! They said, No, they just had a big banquet for him before he died-750 past coaches, alumni and athletes showed up and paid tribute to the man they called Muzzy. Theyre going to dedicate the football field to him. Its going to be called Brad Muzzarelli Field. How many athletes went through that place over the decades? Some of them made it to the pros, but there was never an athlete who put their name on the field. It reminds me of a Scripture, The greatest among you shall be the servant of all, but we didnt recognize his greatness. He was just a kid in our minds who couldnt play sports, so he decided to be the manager. We appreciated him. He was part of the team, but [we thought], Hes not great like we are. Were athletes. He was far greater than we. I went on home and I punched up Brad Muzzarelli, Rockford East, on my computer and started reading these attributes and obituaries. They talked about how for 38 years, he served that sports program-coach after coach. They said, Nobody had a heart as big as Muzzy. Nobody served like Muzzy. Anything I needed, he kept the program running smoothly. He never asked for a thing. He was just delighted to wear the Rockford East shirt, sport the team colors, and serve the team any way he could. Muzzy was a servant. Were going to talk about another Muzzy this morning. Were going to talk about a Muzzy of the New Testament that you may have never heard of before this Sunday. His name is Tychicus. I went to a pastor friend of mine this weekend. We were just talking, and I said, Yeah, Im going to preach on Tychicus this week. He said, Who? I said, Tychicus. Who? Pauls companion, Tychicus. Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He didnt even know who Tychicus was. Yet he is an important part of Scripture. Hes one who Ive always valued his ministry. I think when were done this morning, you will too; so lets read as Paul closes out this Book as he writes from his prison cell to the church that he founded so many years ago. Verse 21 (page 1160 of pew Bibles), Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage you. I want you to notice how close Tychicus was to the heart of Paul. He calls him his dear brother and his faithful servant. You dont get a title like that over night. You get a title like that when you have proven yourself over the years to be a faithful friend and a faithful servant of the Kingdom. That's not a title that Paul bestowed on everybody. Its not a title he took lightly. Tychicus had earned that title through his years of service to the Apostle Paul, so we look at this banner over here to my left, we see this is Paul in the prime of his ministry. This is Paul doing some wonderful things in Ephesus. Guess whos there? The Book of Acts tells us that amongst the people that are there is Tychicus. Hes there when revival breaks out in Ephesus. Hes there in some of the prime years of the Apostle Pauls ministry-faithful friend. We also see and read-were not going to turn there-but in the Book of 2 Timothy, Paul has reached the end of his life. Hes an old man. He is in prison. Nero is in charge of Rome. Soon Nero will sentence Paul to death. He will be beheaded under the reign of Emperor Nero and his persecution against the Christian Church. Peter will die as well. There from that prison cell, Paul writes the Book of 2 Timothy. He tells Timothy, who is now the elder of the church in Ephesus, I am going to send Tychicus to you. So Tychicus is there at the end of Pauls ministry as well. Hes there when Paul is in his prime, and hes there when Paul is at his end-longevity. Our church has a lot of Tychicuses. You may have come for years and not know their names or have seen their faces, but theyre here. Theyre working behind the scenes every Sunday, month after month, year after year, faithfully serving. Theyre in the tech booth. Its Chip in the recording studio whos been doing that job for about 20 years. Theyre in our nursery. Theyre greeting you. Theyre ushers. Theyre in the childrens church. Theyre in the youth ministry. Theyre behind the scenes in prayer ministry. Everywhere you look, there are Tychicuses around this place, and they are faithfully serving. You might go on the website and see my mug shot. You think of my face, but you know what really makes this church tick? No pun intended or maybe a little bit of a pun intended-I think thats what his nickname was-Tick. What really makes this annual report with all these wonderful stories happening, its not me-its the people that are out there serving anonymously, behind the scenes, faithfully over the long haul, serving the Lord, Jesus Christ, and serving His church. There are a lot of them. And just like Muzz, you dont recognize that greatness, but over the years, I have come to just appreciate so much the faithful servants of this body who make this church what it is, who make it successful. Now the glory goes to God, but God is using a lot of good people who are very faithful. Tychicus was that guy, a faithful friend that could be trusted by the Apostle, Paul. He was in it for the long haul; from beginning to end, he was somebody that Paul could count on. He was a confidant. I want you to notice what is here and also in the Book of Colossians 4. Lets turn there. Colossians 4:7 (page 1167 of pew Bibles), we want to talk about that second attribute in the portrait of a servant, and that is loyalty. Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister or deacon and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesimus… Remember that? The weekend we talked about slavery? The slave who left Philemon became liberated; he then went back to Philemon-remember that story? …our faithful and dear brother who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. So he was a confident to Paul. There was nothing you couldnt learn-it was as if Paul was there. He was a spokesman for the Apostle, Paul. Anything you wanted to know about Paul, anything you wanted to know about his ministry, Tychicus could tell you. He was Pauls representative. He was Pauls liaison in the ministry. Tychicus was loyal, loyal. You know as we look over here in this Passage, the top frame here shows what happens before a riot breaks out. Paul is teaching, and theres a man holding up an idol. Hes a silversmith. He makes those idols for a living, and hes very upset with Paul. Hes very upset because people are converting to Christianity, and theyre not buying his trinkets anymore. Theyre not buying the little replicas of the temple of Artemis. Theyre not buying the little statues of Artemis the goddess anymore. He and the other tradesmen, theyre piggy banks are going broke, so he comes and he starts a riot. He stirs up the crowd as Pauls ministry is just beginning to take off. He says, This man is against the goddess, because he was attacking the very economy. This was the center of the economy for that region. A riot breaks out, and Tychicus is there. Down here, revival takes place. Theres a fire there. Thats not a campfire. That's not wood. Those are scrolls that are burning there. Those are magic spells and incantations that the people used to offer up to the goddess, Artemis. Theyre burning them-millions and millions of dollars worth of spells and incantations that they had purchased are burning up. They start to put their hope and trust in the living God. Revival breaks out in Ephesus, and Tychicus is there. See that boat right there? Theyre saying good-bye in Acts 20 to the elders in the church in Ephesus. Theyre taking off for Rome. Tychicus is on that boat. Theyre going to go through a shipwreck and Tychicus is there. Eventually, theyre going to arrive in Rome, and hes there as well. He is a loyal man of God. He is with Paul when things are going great and revival breaks out. He is with Paul in the riots. He is with Paul in the prison. He is with Paul in the shipwreck. Thats a servant. A servant is loyal in good times and bad. Muzzy served the people of East when we were winning state championships, and Muzzy was there when they did the redistricting. The population of the school dropped to a thousand or fewer, and we became terrible in sports-just awful in sports. Muzzy was there in the good times and the bad times. If Muzzys that loyal to a high school sports program, how much more loyal should we be to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords when things are hard and when things are going well? When revival is happening, when spiritual life seems dry, a servant is faithful. He is a trusted confidant. Do you know how you have longevity? You serve Jesus Christ first. Tychicus could keep faithful over the long haul because he was loyal first and foremost not to Paul, not to the church, but to Jesus Christ. How do you stay loyal in ministry over the long haul? You dont serve man; you dont serve a denomination; you dont serve a structure, a building. You serve the Lord, Jesus Christ; and that keeps you going over the long haul because you know He didnt give up on you. He was faithful to you. When times got hard, Jesus didnt quit on you, so you make that determination. You say, Im not going to quit on Him. You serve first and foremost the Lord, Jesus Christ. Because you serve the Lord, you dont have to have pats on the back. Theyre nice, but you dont have to have them. You dont have to have the limelight because you are content as a servant to put the spotlight where it belongs, and that's on the name of Jesus. That was Tychicus. Thats the kind of guy he was. He was loyal. He was so loyal to Paul; Paul had disclosed to him everything. Paul said, He will tell you everything about me. He had total and complete trust in Tychicus because he had proven himself over the decades to be loyal and faithful. Would that be said of us-that we are loyal to the Lord, Jesus, and loyal to the cause of the Gospel-that we are servants like this man? Theres a third aspect I want to talk about. I want you to turn to the Book of Titus 3 with me (page 1182 of pew Bibles). Titus was written, of course, to Titus. Titus is a pastor. He is an elder of a church that Paul started on the island of Crete. He is writing him. Paul wants to meet with Titus. How is he going to meet with Titus? He says in Verse 12, As soon as I sent Artemas, not Artemis-the goddess. This means gift of the goddess, so this was a man who was probably raised in a Pagan family, worshipping Artemis and now had converted to Christianity. Tychicus probably did too, by the way. Tychicus was raised in Asia, so in Asia Minor, he probably worshipped the goddess, Artemis, himself; so these two former goddess worshippers are now followers of Christ. He says, Im going to send them to you. Do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. In other words, as soon as Tychicus gets there, then you come to me. Think about the versatility of this guy. I mean he is doing everything. How do you think these letters got to 2 Timothy, Colossians, Ephesians, Colossae, Crete? How did they get there? Tychicus brought them. He was the messenger, church tradition tells us. He was the bearer of the letter. Howd you like to have that responsibility? Wow! Youre boarding a boat to sail to Crete, and your cargo is the literal Book of Titus, the literal Word of God, and its entrusted to your care. Talk about responsibility. You dont want to get that thing wet! Paul doesnt have a backup on his computer. He hasnt Xeroxed a bunch of copies. This is it-that one parchment that is tucked under his cloak next to his heart is the only copy of the Word of God. Hes going to bring that to the church in Crete. Hes going to carry the letter Ephesians that we have just studied for months. He is going to carry that with him. Hes from Asia. He says, You know Asia? You carry this letter. This letter is going to be circular. Its understood to be circular. Its going to go to all the churches of Asia Minor, not just Ephesus. You are trusted with carrying literal Scripture-at that time, the only copy of that manuscript, so he was a messenger. He was also somebody who was there to deliver a message. He was a spokesperson. He was the point-person for Pauls ministry. When Tychicus gets there, he will tell you everything. Paul was going through a lot, and there was a lot he could say about himself, but that was not the purpose of the letter. The purpose of the letter was to address doctrinal concerns, to address heresies, to encourage the church, to keep them on track. The letter was about them-not Paul, so when Tychicus came, he would give them personal information about the Apostle Paul and his ministry. Hes also there to encourage. He says in both passages, He will encourage you, so he is to wear the hat of an encourager. He must have been a positive person. He wasnt there going, Well, you know, Pauls in prison. Were all going to die. It aint looking good. Pray for us because the Gospel just aint doing anything right now. That wouldnt encourage a soul. Tychicus is going over there and saying, Listen, even though Paul is in prison, here are the letters he is writing, and here are the things that are happening in the churches. Here are the people who are stepping up. Here is whats going on. Theres revival breaking out in the prison where Paul is changing these guards. He would just tell them the whole story. He would encourage them. Now we find in the Book of Titus, this guy who is content to be behind the scenes-nobody knows his name-now, for a period of time, is going to be the interim elder at the church in Crete so that Titus can go and see Paul. Some even believe in 2 Timothy he sent Tychicus to Ephesus to relieve Timothy because hed done such a good job in Crete, so now hes going to replace Timothy for a little while so Timothy can go and visit Paul in prison. He was the kind of guy behind the scenes. I guarantee you Tychicus was the kind of guy who said, Anything you need me to do, Paul-anything you need me to do… Ill be your messenger. Ill be your mouthpiece. Ill be your encourager. Ill be a point-person, so these guys can come and see you. Ill travel the miles. Ill scale the mountains. Ill sail the sea. Ill do whatever it takes to serve the cause of Christ. Thats the kind of servant he was. Thats called flexibility, and thats the third important attribute of a servant. Longevity-hes in it for the long haul from coming in; loyalty, in the good and the bad, hes there-hes faithful; and flexibility. We understand we operate our church on the areas of spiritual gifts and passion. I understand that, but its the kind of person who says, Hey, we really need you to do this. Were running late or we need some more chairs. Can you set up some chairs? Actually, help is not on my GPS. I took my test, and thats not what I do. Hey, the nursery worker didnt show up. There are crying kids. Can you just take five minutes in the nursery until the leaders get here? Ah, thats not my calling. Thats not the kind of [person who is a servant for God]. You ask him to do something, and he comes up with 1,001 excuses why they cant do something. Its kind of like this fellow here. This is a tragic story of a hiker, a woman who is trapped in the woods. A big tree has fallen on her. Shes in need of help, and she just encounters the wrong guy-not flexible at all. Lets take a look at this. (Link can be found here: http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Downloadable_Video_Illustrations/2904/Not_An_Expert/f=s1&s=not%20an%20expert). Quite an ending, right? Heres Tychicus. Hes like, I just want to be behind the scenes. Paul says, Im going to send you to Crete. Youre going to pastor the church for Titus while he comes and sees me. Tychicus says, I dont have any former theological training. No, he just does it. He just does it. That's what a servant does. A servant is flexible. A servant says he understands, Heres what my prime gift is in. Heres what Im passionate in, but there are times that we serve outside of our gifting simply because theres a need, and it needs to be met-a servants heart. I am so grateful in our church for all you Tychicuses out there, and I hope that this sermon has been something thats helped you to realize how valuable you are. Youre the oil that keeps us going and the glue that helps hold us together. Im so grateful that the Holy Spirit has sent so many faithful servants to our body who are faithful, loyal, committed to the cause of Christ here in Janesville for the long haul. Would you join me in prayer as we thank God? Father, were thankful today for the lesson of Tychicus. Hes a man who was so integral to the ministry of Paul and carried these letters for many, many miles. We owe him a debt of gratitude, yet up until this morning, many of us had never, ever heard his name. He was content to be behind the scenes. He was content to let the spotlight shine on someone else, but his work is incredibly valuable. Lord, for the Tychicuses out there, I thank You. I thank You for their faithful service-for their loyalty, their longevity, their flexibility. Lord, as we serve You together, weve seen You do some amazing, wonderful things. We pray that they would continue to serve You faithfully, knowing it is You they serve and not man. Thank You for the lessons that we have learned in Ephesians, the many weeks, the many months we have spent studying this Book. That has changed us. We take those lessons with us, and might Your Holy Spirit empower us to live out the message of this letter. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

We’re halfway through Season 4 (like the day after the summer solstice it’s all downhill from here) but if you think we’re getting complacent, thing again: One Life Left #84 is a special episode with a special guest. But who’s the guest? And what’s the occasion?     It’s Rock Paper Shotgun’s very own Kieron Gillen! And it’s Simon Byron’s birthday, so he has the night off. Consequently this episode of OLL may sound a little bit different (we’ve not had to edit out any slander for a start, and we talk about video games quite a lot) but you can still expect the same quality of Xeroxed news, half-hearted reviews, games industry gossip and improbably brilliant features.   Download the episode from here and as always, tell everyone you love to do the same.   Crucuially (and you’ll hear this throughout the show) this is the last episode of One Life Left before our Christmas Party. It is HUGELY IMPORTANT you attend, whether this is the first episode you’ve listened to or the last. We’ll be recording a show, live, and an audience will make that better, but the radio part’s only a fraction of the day’s events; there’s our CD launch, live music performances, your chance to make friends / make enemies / make out with some games industry legends. It’s free. And it’ll be brilliant. I have no idea why you aren’t writing it in your diary already.   Oh, you are? Sweet! It’s at The Blue Posts on Rupert St, Soho, and it’ll be going on from 2pm until late, late, late. We’ll see you there, and for the after party, and the after-after party, and etc.